Overview

Click on any of the following links for information:

• Mission
• Goals
• Advantages
• History
• Legislation
• Board of Regents
• Central Administration
• Accreditations
• The AC Foundation, Inc.

Amarillo College, a public community college, is dedicated to providing educational, cultural and community services, and resources to enhance
the quality of life for the diverse population in the service area.

1. Develop responsive programs and courses to meet documented community needs.
    
2. Increase enrollment of high school graduates, especially first-generation students.
    
3. Emphasize an institutional climate that promotes student success.
    
4. Evaluate student success.
    
5. Expand impact on economic development in the Texas Panhandle.
    
6. Enhance quality of life.
    
7. Encourage community support.
    
8. Embrace technology to improve operating efficiency and student learning.
    
9. Shift dependence from State funding to new revenue alternatives.
    
10. Recruit and retain faculty and staff who facilitate learning and strengthen programs and services.
     
11. Enhance employee productivity.

• Outstanding Faculty - 75% have a master’s degree or above; 16% of faculty teaching academic transfer courses have earned a doctoral degree.
   
• Individual Attention - Average lecture class size-20 students. Even smaller labs offer the best in hands-on training.
   
• Transferability - Students can begin their college work at AC and transfer to institutions offering similar programs of study without loss of time or credit.
   
• Convenient Scheduling - Morning, afternoon, evening and weekend classes, plus courses on television, distance learning courses, and courses on the World Wide Web.
   
• Choice and Variety - More than 160 different programs of study in areas of business, communications, technologies, health occupations, fine arts, social sciences, and sciences and engineering.

On July 16, 1929, Amarillo College became the first junior college district in the state to be organized independent of a school district. The first classes were held in September 1929. The College moved to its present location with the construction of its first permanent building in 1937.

After serving primarily as a junior college offering arts and sciences courses, the curriculum was expanded in 1942 to include vocational courses.

In 1958, Amarillo College was granted its own board of regents independent of the trusteeship of the Amarillo Independent School District. The 1960s brought expansion in College facilities and programs. A number of allied health and occupational-technical programs were added to the curriculum along with an extensive array of continuing education and community service courses.

In 1995, state legislation transferred Texas State Technical College - Amarillo to AC. Today, the East Campus (formerly Amarillo Technical Center) continues a 25-year history of meeting the region’s technical education needs.

January 2000 saw the opening of Amarillo College/Moore County Campus in Dumas. The Hereford Campus opened in the Fall of 2005.
Amarillo College served more than 10,300 credit students in the Fall of 2006. During the 2006-2007 academic year, 27,000 individuals attended continuing education classes at six AC campuses: the Washington Street Campus, 2201 S. Washington, 371-5000; the West Campus, 6222 W. Ninth, 354-6000; the East Campus, I-40 East and Exit 80, 335-4201; the Business & Industry Center, 1314 S. Polk, 371-2900; the Moore County Campus, 1220 E. First, Dumas, 934-7220; and the Hereford Campus, 239 Avenue H.

A public junior college is an institution of higher learning, controlled by a local board of trustees or regents, and operated under statutory provisions. A public community college (State Statute 130.003, as amended in Senate Bill 30, 73rd Legislature, effective May 23, 1993) shall be to provide:

1. technical programs up to two years in length leading to associate degrees or certificates;
    
2. vocational programs leading directly to employment in semi-skilled and skilled occupations;
    
3. freshman and sophomore courses in arts and sciences;
    
4. continuing adult education programs for occupational or cultural upgrading;
    
5. compensatory education programs designed to fulfill the commitment of an admissions policy allowing the enrollment of disadvantaged students;
    
6. a continuing program of counseling and guidance designed to assist students in achieving their individual educational goals;
    
7. workforce development programs designed to meet local and statewide needs;
    
8. adult literacy and other basic skills programs for adults;
    
9. such other purposes as may be prescribed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board or local governing boards in the best interest of post-secondary education in Texas.

Carroll M. Forrester, Michele Fortunato, John D. Hicks
Terms Expire 2010

Lilia B. Escajeda, H. Bryan Poff, Dr. David C. Woodburn
Terms Expire 2012

Don L. Nicholson, Dr. Gene Norman, Prenis O. Williams
Terms Expire 2014

Institutional Accreditations and Memberships

Amarillo College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees and certificates. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Amarillo College.

Amarillo College is a member of:

• the American Association of Community Colleges,
   
• the American Technical Education Association,
   
• the Association of Texas Colleges and Universities,
   
• the National Council for Occupational Education,
   
• the National Council of Instructional Administrators,
   
• the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges,
   
• the Texas Administrators of Continuing Education for Community/Junior Colleges,
   
• the Texas Association of Community Colleges,
   
• the Texas Association of School Boards,
   
• the Texas Community College Teachers Association,
   
• the Texas Junior College Association and the Texas Association for Community Service and Continuing Education.

The Amarillo College President’s Office will make available for review to any enrolled or prospective students, upon request, a copy of the document describing the institution’s accreditation.

Program Accreditations and Memberships

Specific programs of the College are approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

The Associate Degree Nursing program is accredited by the National League for Nursing [NLNAC, 61 Broadway - 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10006, (212) 363- 5555] and the Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas.

The Automotive Technology program is certified by the Automotive Service Excellence, a national institute. The Aviation Maintenance program is certified by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The Basic Peace Officer and Law Enforcement In Service programs are certified by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer’s Standards and Education (TCLEOSE).

The Center for Continuing Healthcare Education is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Texas Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. The Center is also approved as a Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program (NATCEP) and Medication Aide Training Program by the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services.

The Dental Hygiene program is accredited by the American Dental Association.

The Medical Laboratory Technology program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences [8410 West Bryn Mawr Avenue, Suite 670, Chicago, IL 60631, (773) 714-8880].

Mortuary Science at Amarillo College is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE) 3432 Ashland Ave., Suite U, St. Joseph, MO 64506, (816) 233-3747, www.abfse.org.

Amarillo College is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music.

The Nuclear Medicine Technology program is accredited by The Joint Review Committee on Education in Nuclear Medicine Technology and by The Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board.

The Occupational Therapy Assistant program is accredited by The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education [P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220, (301) 652-2682] of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

The Paralegal Studies Program is approved by the American Bar Association.

The Radiation Therapy and Radiography programs are accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology [20 North Wacker Drive, Suite 2850 - Chicago, Illinois 60606-3182, (312) 704-5300].

The Physical Therapist Assistant program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education.

The Respiratory Care and Surgical Technology programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Educational Programs (CAAHEP)

The Theatre program is accredited by the Texas Educational Theatre Association.

The Vocational Nursing Program is accredited by the Board of Nurse Examiners for Texas.

The Developmental Coursework Program is recognized as an Exemplary Certified Program by the National Association for Developmental Education.

The Amarillo College Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit and tax-exempt foundation, seeks to promote excellence at Amarillo College. The Foundation is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors.

The Foundation exists to solicit and administer gifts and grants for the benefit of Amarillo College, its students, faculty and staff, its programs and facilities.

The Foundation accepts gifts from individuals, groups, and businesses. Support may be designated by the donor for specific purposes or for general unrestricted support of College Foundation activities.

The Foundation accepts gifts in the form of cash, stocks, and property upon approval by the Board of Directors. Many donations are made as memorials for friends or relatives. The Foundation invests these contributions in Texas’ greatest natural resource - its students.

Donors may derive substantial tax advantages through estate planning, trust funds, bequests, and property conveyances to public foundations such as The Amarillo College Foundation.

Private support can mean the difference between mediocrity and excellence at a community college. It can likewise help determine whether a deserving student gets that chance to further his or her education. Those public institutions that have achieved exceptional performance and have produced leaders in each new generation have done so with the help and encouragement of private leadership and private resources.

For additional information, contact (806) 371-5107, directors, The Amarillo College Foundation, Inc.; P.O. Box 447; Amarillo TX 79178.