Midland College (MC) 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 sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
community college
A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...
in
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Midland County with small portions extending into Martin County. The population was 132,524 as of the 2020 census. Located in the Permian Basin in West Texas, Midland is a ...
. It 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. It also has numerous locations in other parts of Midland and in
Fort Stockton, the
Pecos County seat.
History
Midland College began in September 1969 as the Midland campus of the Permian Junior College system. It was recreated in 1972 with the formation of the Midland College District.
Service area
As defined by the
Texas Legislature
The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. 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 p ...
, the official service area of Midland College is all of
Crockett,
Midland,
Pecos,
Reagan, and
Terrell counties.
Campus
Main campus
Following the formation of the Midland College District in 1972, bonds in the amount of $5,100,000 were issued for the construction of a campus.
Groundbreaking
Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, turf-cutting, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such cer ...
at the new campus was held October 23, 1973.

Opened in the spring of 1975:
* Pevehouse Administration Building
* Abell-Hanger Science Faculty Building
Opened in the fall of 1975:
* Murray Fasken Learning Resource Center
* Dorothy and Clarence Scharbauer, Jr. Student Center
* Technology Center
* Physical Education Building
Opened in 1978:
* Allison Fine Arts Building
*
Al G. Langford Chaparral Center
Opened in the following years:
* Davidson Family Health Sciences Building
* Dolly Neal Chapel
* Dorothy and Todd Aaron Medical Science Building
* F. Marie Hall Academic Building
* Helen L. Greathouse Children's Center
* Jack E. Brown Dining Hall
* Leona G. and John E. Fox Science Building
Also, four residence halls are on the Midland College main campus ''(see below)''.
Off-campus facilities
* The Advanced Technology Center, located at 3200 W. Cuthbert in Midland, delivers workforce education programs that support the development of a skilled technical workforce for Midland and the Permian Basin. The facility contains more than of instructional space that features high-tech computer classrooms with Internet access and a tiered lecture hall.
* The Aviation Maintenance Technology Facility, located at Midland International Airport, Hangar E, 2405 Windecker, offers students training on actual aircraft as they work towards certification in airframe maintenance and powerplant maintenance.
* The Bill Pace Cogdell Learning Center, located at 201 W. Florida, provides ABE, ESL, and GED courses, and houses the MC Business and Economic Development Center.
* The Petroleum Professional Development Center, located at 105 W. Illinois, provides continuing education for the Permian Basin energy industries.
* The Williams Regional Technical Training Center, located at 1309 West I-10 in Fort Stockton, provides university parallel, occupational/technical certificate and associate degree programs, and courses offered in collaboration with the Fort Stockton Independent School District.
Academics
The college offers 100+ degree and certificate programs, as well as a variety of continuing education programs. It also offers a bachelor's degree in organizational management and provides on-campus access to upper-level degrees offered at seven University Center partners.
Midland College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
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 ap ...
to award certificates and associate and baccalaureate degrees. It is also approved by the
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
[http://catalog.midland.edu/ Midland College Catalog & Student Handbook]
University Center
The Midland College University Center offers students several options for either beginning or completing their education. Programs and courses are now offered by seven area and online universities:
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...
,
Lubbock Christian University, the
University of Texas of the Permian Basin
The University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) is a public university in Odessa, Texas, United States. It is part of the University of Texas System. UTPB was authorized by the Texas Legislature in 1969 and founded in 1973. UTPB is now home to ove ...
,
Sul Ross State University,
Angelo State University
Angelo State University is a public university in San Angelo, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1928 as San Angelo College. It gained university status and awarded its first baccalaureate degrees in 1967 and graduate degrees in 1969, the s ...
,
Howard Payne University, and
Western Governors University. Four master's degrees and 11 bachelor's degrees, plus Midland College's Bachelor of Applied Technology in Organizational Management and two teacher certification programs, are now offered on the Midland College campus.
Early College High School
Early College High School (ECHS) at Midland College is located on the main campus in the Allison Fine Arts Building. The school welcomed its first freshman class on August 24, 2009. The goal for ECHS is that by the time "the students receive their high school diploma, they will also have an associate's degree from Midland College."
Special designations
In 2010, Midland College became the first institution in West Texas and the fourth community college in the nation to be designated an All-
Steinway School.
In 2013, Midland College became the first community college to be designated a
Conn-Selmer
Conn-Selmer, Inc. is an American manufacturer of musical instruments for concert bands, marching bands and orchestras. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments and was formed in 2003 by combining the Steinway properties, Th ...
School.
Student life
Clubs, intramural sports, cheerleading, student government, and all other student-related activities operate through the Student Activities Office.
Residence halls

The main campus has four residence halls for students: O'Shaughnessy Hall, Nadine and Tom Craddick Hall, Men's Residence Hall, and Family Housing Facility.
Student publications
*''Chaparral'' - The MC student news/feature magazine is published once each year, during the spring semester.
*''Tableau'' - The MC student literary magazine is published once each year during the fall semester.
The student publications office at Midland College also maintains its own website ''(see below, in External Links)''
Athletics
The Midland College Chaparrals have won 20 National Championships in sports since 1975, as well as produced 192 All-Americans. A member of the
Western Junior College Athletic Conference
The Western Junior College Athletic Conference (WJCAC) is a junior college athletic conference for many technical and community colleges within the Southwest states of Texas and New Mexico, sponsored by the National Junior College Athletic Associ ...
, Midland College fields teams in:
* Baseball
* Men's basketball
* Women's basketball
* Men's golf
* Softball
* Volleyball
The college's
mascot
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...
is a
Chaparral
Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant plant community, community found primarily in California, southern Oregon, and northern Baja California. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild wet winters and hot dry summers) and infrequent, high-intens ...
.
Notable alumni
*
Jerome Beasley, basketball player
*
Mookie Blaylock
Daron Oshay "Mookie" Blaylock (born March 20, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player. He spent 13 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, and the Golden State Warriors.
C ...
, basketball player,
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
All-Star
An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry.
Sports
"All-star" as a sport ...
*
Anatoli Boisa
Anatoli Boisa ( ka, ანატოლი ბოისა born 9 September 1983) is a Georgian professional retired basketball player. Currently, he is the assistant coach of Sagesse Club in the Lebanese Basketball League
The Lebanese Basketba ...
, basketball player for the
national team
A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport.
The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
of
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region on the coast of the Black Sea. It is located at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia, and is today generally regarded as part of Europe. It is bordered to the north and northeast by Russ ...
.
*
Chad Campbell, professional golfer
*
Tucker Davidson, baseball pitcher
*
Kenneth Ferrie
Kenneth Andrew Ferrie (born 28 September 1978) is an English professional golfer.
Early life and amateur career
Ferrie was born in Ashington, Northumberland. He won the British Boys Championship in 1996 and made his first appearance in a Europ ...
, English professional golfer with multiple wins on European PGA Tour
*
Daeshon Francis (born 1996), basketball player in the
Israeli Basketball Premier League
Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...
*Andrew Hancock, professional photographer whose credits include cover of ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
''
*
Ricky Grace,
American-Australian basketball player,
NBL Hall of Famer (
Perth Wildcats)
*
Nathan Jawai, Australian basketball player (
Galatasaray)
*David LeMaster, playwright and author, teacher, actor and speaker
*
Milt Palacio
Milton Sigmund Palacio (born February 7, 1978) is a Belizean American professional basketball coach and former player.
Early life
Palacio, a Belizean citizen, was born and raised in Los Angeles, California by Belizean parents.
College career
P ...
, basketball player
*
Spud Webb
Anthony Jerome "Spud" Webb (born July 13, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. A point guard, Webb played college basketball at Midland College and at North Carolina State University. He then played for four teams in the N ...
, basketball player, 1986
NBA Slam Dunk Contest
The NBA Slam Dunk Contest (officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend.
The contest was conceived of and started by the American Basketball Associat ...
champion
*
Jonathon Simmons, NBA player for
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...
*
Darrell Williams (born 1989), basketball player for
Hapoel Tel Aviv of the
Israeli Premier League
The Israeli Premier League (, Ligat HaAl, ) is a professional association football league in Israel and the highest level of the Israeli football league system. The league is contested by 14 clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and rele ...
*
Lincoln Minor, basketball player, 1988 NCAA champion (Kansas)
References
{{authority control
Education in Midland, Texas
Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Community colleges in Texas
NJCAA schools
1972 establishments in Texas
Universities and colleges established in 1972
Odessa, Texas
Two-year colleges in the United States