Brazosport College
Encyclopedia
Brazosport College, or BC, is a public, coeducational college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

 located in Lake Jackson, Texas
Lake Jackson, Texas
Lake Jackson is a city in Brazoria County, Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of a 2006 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city population was 27,614....

. The college was opened in 1968, and offers two-year and four-year degrees. It has several notable facilities on-campus.

As defined by the Texas Legislature
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...

, the official service area of Brazosport College is the following:
  • the Brazosport
    Brazosport Independent School District
    Brazosport Independent School District is a school district based in Freeport, Texas .The district serves the cities, towns, and villages of Clute, Freeport, Jones Creek, Lake Jackson, Oyster Creek, Quintana, Richwood, and Surfside Beach...

    , Columbia-Brazoria
    Columbia-Brazoria Independent School District
    Columbia-Brazoria Independent School District is a public school district based in the Kenneth C. Welch Administration Building in West Columbia, Texas ....

    , Damon
    Damon Independent School District
    Damon Independent School District is a public school district based in Damon, Texas .In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.- Elementary school :...

    , and Sweeny
    Sweeny Independent School District
    Sweeny Independent School District is a public school district based in Sweeny, Texas .The district is approximately and serves the City of Sweeny and surrounding area...

     school districts, and
  • the Angleton Independent School District
    Angleton Independent School District
    Angleton ISD is a public school district in Angleton, Texas , operating 5 levels of education. Established in 1897, AISD encompasses in Brazoria County, serving Angleton as well as the Village of Bonney, parts of the unincorporated area of Rosharon, and the unincorporated areas of Chocolate...

     excluding that portion annexed by Alvin Community College
    Alvin Community College
    Alvin Community College is a community college in Brazoria County in the U.S. state of Texas. Alvin Community College provides educational opportunities in workforce training, academics, technical fields, adult basic education, and personal development.As defined by the Texas Legislature, the...

     prior to September 1, 1995.

History

In 1948, voters of the Brazosport Independent School District
Brazosport Independent School District
Brazosport Independent School District is a school district based in Freeport, Texas .The district serves the cities, towns, and villages of Clute, Freeport, Jones Creek, Lake Jackson, Oyster Creek, Quintana, Richwood, and Surfside Beach...

 voted to create the Brazosport Junior College District. However, it was not until the Summer of 1967, after a tax was authorized by voters to maintain the college, was the college actually built. In the Fall of 1968, the college opened as Brazosport Junior College, and the first semester of classes began with an enrollment of 879 students. Classes were held at the Brazosport Education Extension Center in Freeport, Texas
Freeport, Texas
Freeport is a city in Brazoria County, Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area and is situated in Southeast Texas. As of the 2000 U.S...

.

In 1970, Brazosport Junior College graduated its first 25 students. That same year, Brazosport Junior College was renamed to Brazosport College to represent a broader vision for the school. In 1996, current president Millicent Valek was selected as the fourth president of the college.

On June 20, 2003, Texas Governor Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...

 signed Senate Bill 286 of the 78th Legislature
Seventy-eighth Texas Legislature
The Seventy-eighth Texas Legislature met from January 14 to June 2, 2003 in regular session, and in three called sessions in 2003, and a fourth called session in 2004...

 into law, which created the pilot project. The program allowed the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is an agency of the Texas state government that oversees all public post-secondary education in Texas. It is headquartered at 1200 East Anderson Lane in Austin....

 to choose Brazosport College along with Midland College
Midland College
Midland College was established as an independent junior college in 1972 and held its first classes on campus in 1975. Since that time, the campus has expanded to a main campus on in Midland, Texas, United States - a county seat of over 100,000 people in the Permian Basin region of west Texas...

, and South Texas College
South Texas College
South Texas College is a public community college in the Rio South Texas Region, and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Bachelor of Applied Technology, Associate of Applied Science, Associate of Arts and Associate of Science...

 to offer baccalaureate degrees
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...

. In December 2004, Brazosport College received accreditation
Educational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...

 from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...

 as a baccalaureate-level institution. In the Fall of 2005, BC began offering classes for its Bachelor of Applied Technology degree program for the first time.

List of Presidents of Brazosport College

  • J.R. Jackson, 1968–1978
  • W.A. Bass, 1978–1988
  • John R. Grable, 1988–1996
  • Millicent Valek, 1996–present

Academics

There are several divisions that comprise the college as follows:
  • Division of Applied Technology
  • Division of Communication & Fine Arts
  • Division of Computer Technology & Office Administration
  • Division of Construction and Mechanical Technologies
  • Division of Mathematics & Life Sciences
  • Division of Physical Sciences & Process Technologies
  • Division of Social Sciences & Business
  • Division of Transitional Education


Two-year and transfer programs

Students at BC have the option to pursue several educational paths. Historically, most students have opted to attend classes at Brazosport College as a stepping stone to other four-year educational institutions. BC participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System, or TCCNS, a voluntary cooperative effort by many Texas colleges and universities to create a standard set of course designations for transfer students at the freshman and sophomore level. This allows students who wish to transfer courses taken at Brazosport College to take a relevant curriculum for their destination school.

Another option for students at BC is to pursue a two-year Associate's degree
Associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...

. Brazosport College generally graduates around 200 students annually.

Four-year programs

A third option for students at BC is to pursue a four-year Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...

 in the school's Bachelor of Applied Technology program. This program is administered by the Division of Social Sciences & Business. All four-year students at Brazosport College are required to major
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....

 in Industrial Management. There are several different concentrations offered by the college as follows: Process Operations Management; Business Management; Safety, Health & Environmental Management; and General Technology Management. Four-year students must be admitted through a separate application process than other students enrolled.

Campus

Brazosport College as a campus is nearly 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) in size. It is a fully commuter-based campus, as there are no housing facilities for students. Most classes are held in a central complex.

Facilities

Brazosport College is home to The Clarion—a 29000 square feet (2,694.2 m²) performance hall that seats 600. The $7.36 million dollar facility was opened in October 2005. Notable artists that have performed at The Clarion include singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

s Don McLean
Don McLean
Donald "Don" McLean is an American singer-songwriter. He is most famous for the 1971 album American Pie, containing the renowned songs "American Pie" and "Vincent".-Musical roots:...

 and Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Pearce Lovett is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded thirteen albums and released 21 singles to date, including his highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Cowboy Man"...

.

The Brazosport Center for the Arts and Sciences, a 45000 square feet (4,180.6 m²) facility dedicated to arts and sciences is located at Brazosport College. The center houses The Brazosport Museum of Natural Science along with a nature center and planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...

.

BC has a student activity center
Student activity center
A student activity center is a type of building found on university campuses. In the United States, such a building is more often called a student union, student commons, or student center...

 known as "The Swamp". Students can play pool, table tennis, and participate in other activities. The college also has a central dining facility that serves meals throughout the day to visitors, students, and staff and faculty.

Student life

The Navigator, Brazosport College's student newspaper
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....

 is released on a monthly basis, and is sponsored by the school's communications department. Articles cover events on campus and highlights.

Brazosport College's Student Senate
Students' union
A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...

are elected and represent BC's student body interests. Other activities for students include a fencing club and a performing drama group.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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