Victoria College (VC) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...

Victoria, Texas Victoria is a small city in South Texas and county seat of Victoria County, Texas. The population was 65,534 as of the 2020 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 as of the 2000 censu ...

. The college first began classes in the Patti Welder High School on February 4, 1925. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, because of the growth of the surrounding area and the college population from returning GIs, the college built its own campus and changed its name from the Victoria Junior College to Victoria College. The college shares some facilities with the

University of Houston–Victoria The University of Houston–Victoria (UHV) is a public university in Victoria, Texas. It is part of the University of Houston System. Its campus spans in Victoria with a satellite location at UHV Katy. Founded in 1971, UHV has an enrollment o ...

. Victoria College now serves approximately 6,200 students each year through education and training. It is designated by the US Department of Education as a

Hispanic-Serving Institution A Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) is defined in federal law as an accredited, degree-granting, public or private nonprofit institution of higher education with 25% or more total undergraduate Hispanic or Latino full-time equivalent (FTE) stude ...

(HSI).

Service area

As defined by the

Texas Legislature The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful ...

, the official service area of Victoria College includes: *

Calhoun John C. Calhoun (1782–1850) was the 7th vice president of the United States. Calhoun can also refer to: Surname * Calhoun (surname) Inhabited places in the United States *Calhoun, Georgia *Calhoun, Illinois * Calhoun, Kansas * Calhoun, Kentuc ...

, DeWitt,

Gonzales Gonzales may refer to: Places * Gonzales, California, U.S. * Gonzales, Louisiana, U.S. * Gonzales, Texas, U.S. * Gonzales County, Texas Other uses * Battle of Gonzales, 1835 * Gonzales (horse) (1977 – after 1996), an American-bred Thoroughbred ...

, Lavaca, and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Counties * Jackson County, except the territory within the

Ganado Independent School District Ganado Independent School District is a public school district based in Ganado, Texas, Ganado, Texas (United States, USA). In 2009, the school district was rated "Texas Education Agency accountability ratings system, academically acceptable" by t ...

* Refugio County, except the territory within the Woodsboro Independent School District

Student life

Victoria College offers more than 20 student clubs and organizations. The VC Pirates men’s basketball and women’s volleyball teams compete at the NJCAA Division I level.

History

Victoria College was established as a part of the Victoria Independent School District in 1925, making it one of the oldest community colleges in Texas. Classes were initially held on the third floor of the Patti Welder High School with 51 students enrolling that first semester. In Sept. 1949, Victoria College moved to its present-day Main Campus on Red River Street and constructed four buildings that year. Nearly a century later, VC has expanded to include 16 buildings on its 60-acre Main Campus, the Zelda L. Allen School of Nursing in Hallettsville (1984), the Museum of the Coastal Bend located on the Main Campus (2003); the Gonzales Center in Gonzales (2006), the Leo J. Welder Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Victoria (2012), and the Emerging Technology Complex on Lone Tree Road (2015). Over the years, Victoria College has opened new locations; underwent several name changes; expanded its workforce training, adult education, and dual enrollment offerings; and evolved into a community college that now serves approximately 6,200 students each year through education and training.

Notable alumni

* Joseph Lee Galloway, journalist &

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

(November 13, 1941 – August 18, 2021) *

Jim Lehrer James Charles Lehrer (; May 19, 1934 – January 23, 2020) was an American journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. Lehrer was the executive editor and a news anchor for the ''PBS NewsHour'' on PBS and was known for his role as a deb ...

, journalist *

Geanie Morrison Geanie Williams Morrison (born October 6, 1950) is a Texas state representative from Victoria. A Republican, she has represented District 30 since January 12, 1999. Personal life Morrison attended Victoria College. She has two children and two ...

, member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

from District 30 since 1999; includes Victoria County

References

External links

Official website
Education in Victoria County, Texas University of Houston–Victoria Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Community colleges in Texas Buildings and structures in Victoria, Texas 1925 establishments in Texas {{Texas-university-stub