Jacksonville College is a

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Christian

junior college A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

Jacksonville, Texas Jacksonville is a city located in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,997 at the 2020 U.S. census. It is the principal city of the Jacksonville micropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Cherokee County. Ja ...

. It is the only accredited junior college in Texas that is privately owned and operated, owned by the Baptist Missionary Association of America. The college is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees app ...

. The college's current president is David Erickson, who has served in that capacity since 2023. The college is known for its choir which consists of a mixed men and women's chorus and a smaller group known as the JC Singers, which lead the worship at the college's chapel services (also known as MLC) The choir travels around the state of Texas promoting the college. Jacksonville College, the oldest junior college in the state of Texas, opened in 1899 and has operated continuously since that time, though before 1918 it operated as a four-year institution. The college had an enrollment of 575 students as of 2024. The college believes in the importance of each student making a personal commitment to Christianity, make behavioral changes in Christian applications to 21st century personal, family, community, and global issues, endorse lifelong Christian learning for their vocation, and broaden Biblical literacy.

History

In 1899, a group of

Baptists Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

East Texas East Texas is a broadly defined cultural, geographic, and ecological region in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas that consists of approximately 38 counties. It is roughly divided into Northeast Texas, Northeast, Southeast Texas, Sout ...

founded Jacksonville College with the vision of creating a private, Christ-centered educational institution. Supported by the city of

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, the college opened later that year with 34 students and quickly grew. Initially established as a senior college, it became a junior college in 1918 and currently awards Associate of Arts and Science degrees, along with a junior college diploma. Known for its strong athletic programs, Jacksonville College currently offers men and women sports in cross country,

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

, and

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

. The college previously competed in basketball, however the program was temporarily suspended in 2024. Over time, the campus expanded to include dorms, classrooms, and athletic facilities, with the original building, Old Main, being replaced by a new chapel in the 1970s.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of Jacksonville College include: * Antonio Burks - Professional basketball player * Johnny Hamilton - Professional basketball player * Carl Herrera - Professional basketball player * D. N. Jackson - Theologian *

Eric Kibi Eric Mania Kibi (born 4 August 1990) is a Congolese-Canadian basketball player for Colegio Los Leones de Quilpué. Standing at , he plays as small forward or power forward. He has been a member of the DR Congo men's national basketball team and i ...

- Professional basketball player * Christopher D. Price - Theologian

References

External links

* Baptist Christianity in Texas Universities and colleges affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention Private universities and colleges in Texas Universities and colleges established in 1899 Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Two-year colleges in the United States 1899 establishments in Texas NJCAA schools {{Texas-university-stub