Lee College is a comprehensive community college located in Baytown, Texas, United States, approximately 30 miles (48Â km) east of Houston.
Lee College's main campus occupies 40 acres (160,000Â m2) landscaped near downtown Baytown and maintains extension campuses throughout its service area. The school has an enrollment of over 9,000 total students, with approximately 5,800 of them enrolled full-time in one of over 60 academic, technical education, and non-credit continuing education programs.
As defined by the Texas Legislature, the official service area of Lee College includes territory within the following school districts:
History
Established in 1934. Originally housed on the Robert E. Lee High School campus, Lee College severed its initial integration with the Goose Creek Independent School District under the leadership of the college's first dean, Walter Rundell. In 1948, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools granted Lee College accreditation and recommended that the college develop its own campus apart from the local high school. A successful bond election in the following year allowed for the construction of Rundell Hall and the campus gymnasium. The college experienced tremendous growth after classes began in the new buildings in 1951.
By 1965, the college had added the Social Sciences building, the Library, Moler Hall, TV1 and Bonner Hall as well as an addition to the gymnasium. Funding from the 1988 bond issue allowed for the construction of a new science building to replace the antiquated facilities formerly housed in the Math and Administration building. The renovation of the McNulty-Haddick building created additional classroom space for Allied Health and Fine Arts.
In 2000, another successful bond election led to expansion of the campus by more than 33 percent with the addition in 2002 of a new Advanced Technology Center (library). Parking was also expanded and beautification efforts including a central courtyard, covered walks, and landscaping were completed.
In 2003, the Technical-Vocational Building received major renovation, including the construction of a Cisco Academy.
In October 2004, the College completed renovation to the old library into a Student Center with game room, Cyber Café, Bayer Conference Center, Enterprise Gallery, Security office, and student club offices. In December 2004, the College finished renovation to the old gym, which now provides offices, swimming pool, weight room and other facilities.
In 2008, Lee College began construction of its showcase Performing Arts Center, which opened in 2009 and today hosts a variety of campus and community events.
In 2012, a paper by former honor student Celeste Butler earned the school a historical marker dedication.
In 2015, Rundell Hall saw its grand reopening following a $10 million restoration and expansion. Rundell Hall now serves as the administrative center of the Lee College Baytown campus and boasts a state of the art conference center as well as offices and various departments.
In 2013-2014, the newly re-founded Lee College Debate Team won the 2013-2014 IPDA Community College Championship as well as the 2014 IPDA National Championship Tournament Community College Championship. Lee College Debate, newly renamed the Mendoza Debate Society at Lee College, repeated as both 2014-2015 IPDA Community College Champions as well as 2015 IPDA National Championship Tournament Community College Champions. The Mendoza Debate Society at Lee College won the 2015-2016 IPDA Community College Championship and the 2016 IPDA National Championship Tournament Community College Championship as they hosted the 2016 IPDA National Championship Tournament & Convention.
Academic programs
Lee College offers roughly eighty programs including:
Athletics
Lee College is home to the Running Rebels Men's Basketball and Women's Volleyball. The school competes in the Region XIV Athletic Conference of the NJCAA.
The College has shown its commitment to athletic excellence with the construction of new facilities over the past few years.
In 2002, a completely new tennis complex was constructed adjacent to the campus.
In 2003, the College opened a new Wellness Center and Sports Complex. The complex contains Lee College Arena, the home arena for basketball and volleyball. The arena has a capacity of 1,500 for athletic events.
In 2007, the women's tennis team won the NJCAA National Championship. This was their second national championship title, the first coming in 2001. Intercollegiate tennis is no longer played at Lee College.
Administration
- President: Dr. Dennis Brown
- Interim Vice President of Learning: DeDe Griffith
- Vice President of Student Affairs: Dr. Donnetta Suchon
- Chief Information Officer: Dr. Carolyn Lightfoot
- Vice President of Student Success, Workforce & Resource Development : Dr. Christina Ponce
- Vice President of Finance and Administration: Steve Evans
- Dean of Applied Sciences: Layton Childress
- Interim Dean of Academic Studies: Dr. David Jaroszewski
- Dean of the Lee College Huntsville Center: Donna Zuniga
- Executive Director of Institutional Research, Effectiveness and Planning: Dr. Michael Fleming
Notable alumni
- Joseph Hugh Allen (1940â€"2008), a former member of the Texas House of Representatives, graduated from Lee College and served on its Board of Regents.
- Charles Holcomb (born 1933), judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals from 2001 to 2010, attended Lee College as an undergraduate.
- Jeff Banister (born 1964), manager of the MLB Texas Rangers (baseball) from 2015 to present, attended Lee College as an undergraduate and played on the Lee College baseball team.
References
External links
- Lee College
