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Blinn College

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Coordinates: 30°9′35″N 96°24′26″W / 30.15972°N 96.40722°W / 30.15972; -96.40722
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Blinn College
TypePublic Junior college
Established1884
AccreditationSACS
ChancellorMary Hensley
Students18,301 (Fall 2023)[1]
Location
Brenham
,
Texas
,
United States

30°9′35″N 96°24′26″W / 30.15972°N 96.40722°W / 30.15972; -96.40722
ColorsBlue and white
NicknameBuccaneers
Websitewww.blinn.edu
Blinn College
Blinn College is located in Texas
Blinn College
Blinn College
Blinn College is located in the United States
Blinn College
Blinn College
LocationRoughly bounded by Third, Jackson, Fifth, Green, College, and High, Brenham, Texas
Area16 acres (6.5 ha)
Builtc. 1840 (1840)
ArchitectMultiple
Architectural styleLate 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Early 20th Century Movements
MPSBrenham MPS
NRHP reference No.90000446[2]
Added to NRHPMarch 29, 1990

Blinn College is a public junior college in Brenham, Texas, with additional campuses in Bryan, Schulenburg, Sealy and Waller. Brenham is Blinn's original and main campus, with housing and athletics.

History

Main Building, Blinn College
Main Building in 2016
Location804 College Ave.,
Brenham, Texas
Coordinates30°09′35″N 96°24′19″W / 30.15968°N 96.40538°W / 30.15968; -96.40538
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1906 (1906)
Built byC.W. Raper
ArchitectCharles H. Page
Architectural styleSpanish Revival, Texas Commercial
Part ofBlinn College (ID90000446[2])
NRHP reference No.78002998[2]
RTHL No.8303
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 6, 1978
Designated CPMarch 29, 1990
Designated RTHL1962
Old Main

Blinn was founded in 1884 as Mission Institute by local minister Carl Urbantke with an original class of 3 ministerial students.[3] It was affiliated with the Southern German Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and became coeducational in 1888.[4] In 1889, the institute's name was changed to Blinn Memorial College in honor of the Reverend Christian Blinn, who had donated a considerable sum of money to make the school possible. The Rev. Blinn was a wealthy minister and immigrant from Germany who funded several German Methodist efforts, including the building of the Blinn Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church in his home of New York.[5]

In 1927, the Board of Trustees, under leadership of President Philip Deschner, organized a junior college. In 1930, Blinn merged with Southwestern University of Georgetown, Texas. In 1934, a new charter was procured by the citizens of Brenham, and a private nonsectarian junior college was organized as Blinn College with nine regents as the board of control. In February 1937, all connections with Southwestern University and the Methodist denominations were severed.

On June 8, 1937, voters in Washington County levied a property tax for the creation of a public junior college district. Blinn thus became the first county-owned junior college district in Texas.[4] The college continues to operate as one of the largest of some fifty public community college districts in Texas. After some early struggles (including the campus nearly closing in 1946 due to fiscal issues), the college began to grow and do well under the leadership of Dr. Thomas Morris Spencer, one of the early public junior college pioneers in Texas. When he left the college in 1957, it was on a firm fiscal footing.

Expansion

The W. L. Moody, Jr. Library in Brenham.

Blinn now has six campuses, plus online options. They are Brenham, Bryan, RELLIS (in Bryan), Schulenberg, Sealy and Waller.[6]

The Bryan campus was established in 1970, and by the early 1980s, a third campus opened in College Station. In 1997, the Villa Maria Road campus opened, consolidating the programs that were located in the Townshire Shopping Center in Bryan and the Woodstone Center in College Station. The third Brazos County site, located in the former Bryan post office, continues to house the dental hygiene, radiologic technology, and workforce education programs. The original three buildings on the Bryan campuses were expanded to six, and in 2002, the former Schulman Theater was purchased and converted to classroom space, known as the College Park Campus (CPC). The Schulenburg campus opened in 1997 and the Sealy campus opened in 2005.

In 2017, Blinn College collaborated with Texas A&M University on the university's newly constructed RELLIS Campus at Bryan Air Force Base. (RELLIS is an acronym of "Respect", "Excellence", "Leadership", "Loyalty", "Integrity", and "Selfless service".)[7] Blinn College expected to invest $34 million in the site.[8] The groundbreaking ceremony for the Blinn College educational building took place on March 31, 2017.[9]

In 2023, Blinn opened the Waller campus in the former Waller High School.[10]

Service area

Charles Frank Schmidt Building on the Brenham campus

According to the Texas Legislature, Blinn's service area includes the counties of Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Madison, Washington, and Waller. It serves Austin County except for sections in Wallis-Orchard ISD, Fayette County except for sections in Smithville ISD, and Lee County except for sections in Elgin ISD. Additionally it serves sections of the counties of:[11]

Academics

Blinn offers more than 150 degree and certificate programs.[12] The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate's degrees.[13]

Transfer

Blinn boasts the highest transfer rate in the state of Texas, sending students to institutions such as Texas A&M University, Sam Houston State University, Texas State University, the University of Texas and the University of Houston. Its transfer rate to four-year universities is 49% compared to the state average of 27%.[14] Blinn transfers more students to Texas A&M University than any other two-year college. Blinn technical students score among the best in the state on board and licensure exams.[15][16]

In 2001, Blinn and Texas A&M University established the first co-enrollment program of its kind with the TEAM (Transfer Enrollment at Texas A&M) Program. TEAM students enroll in one or two A&M courses at a time while taking the rest of their courses at Blinn. After 60 credit hours and meeting academic standards, students are guaranteed transfer to A&M, with opportunity to transfer before 60 credits/2 years.[17] In 2013, the program was awarded the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's Recognition of Excellence,[18] and in 2014 it received the THECB Star Award.[19]

Student profile

Student body composition as of Fall 2021
Race and ethnicity[20] Total
White 58% 58
 
Hispanic 25% 25
 
Black 7% 7
 
Other[a] 6% 6
 
Asian 3% 3
 
Nonresident Alien 1% 1
 
Economic diversity
Low-income[b] 79% 79
 
Affluent[c] 21% 21
 

For Fall 2021, the college district enrolled 8,779 full-time and 17,909 total students. The student body was 49% male and 51% female.[20] The largest program was Liberal Arts, followed by Agriculture then Nursing, all associates degrees.[21]

Community impact

Blinn College Bryan campus bookstore.

A 2014 study found that Blinn made a $345.3 million impact in its service area, including $239.5 million in added income by former students employed in the regional workforce, $61.3 million in College operations spending and $44.5 million in student spending. The report found that Blinn has made an impact of $247.4 million in Bryan-College Station, $83 million in Brenham, $11.1 million in Schulenburg and $3.9 million in Sealy.[22]

Blinn has also been recognized for its community service. In 2011, Blinn received the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Community Engagement Classification,[23] and in 2012 it was the only community college in the state of Texas to be named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.[24] Each year, Blinn devotes a day to community service, called the Blinn Blitz, and hundreds of students participate in local community service projects.[25]

Athletics

The stone Marie Heineke Memorial Gym is a product of the Work Projects Administration.

The home campus in Brenham has offered intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and has won 30 national championships since 1987. The Blinn Buccaneers play football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, and volleyball. The Division I football program is tied for the fourth most NJCAA national championships, with wins in 1995, 1996, 2006, and 2009.[26] The last of which was won with Cam Newton. The volleyball team won the NJCAA championship in 2008, 2011, 2013 and 2014. The softball team consistently makes the national tournament. Blinn's award-winning cheer and dance teams won the UCA and UDA National Championships in 2014 and 2015.[27]

Notable alumni

Cornerstone plaques to commemorate people from Blinn's history.

Inventor

Politicians

Pop Culture

Athletes

Baseball

Basketball

Football

Track and Field

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Other consists of Multiracial Americans & those who prefer to not say.
  2. ^ The percentage of students who received an income-based federal Pell grant intended for low-income students.
  3. ^ The percentage of students who are a part of the American middle class at the bare minimum.

References

  1. ^ "Blinn's fall enrollment reaches its highest mark since 2019". Blinn College. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  3. ^ Schmidt, B. C. (July 1, 1995) [1952]. "Urbantke, Carl A." Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  4. ^ a b Atkinson, James H. (December 2, 2001) [1976]. "Blinn College". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  5. ^ Miller, Tom (2017-09-07). "Daytonian in Manhattan: The Blinn Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church - Lexington Avenue and 103rd Street". Daytonian in Manhattan. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  6. ^ "Blinn College Campus Choices". www.blinn.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  7. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions: Rellis Campus: Blinn College". blinn.edu. Archived from the original on September 29, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  8. ^ Kuhlmann, Steve (December 15, 2016). "Blinn approves construction deal for RELLIS facility". Bryan-College Station Eagle. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  9. ^ Kuhlmann, Steve (April 1, 2017). "Blinn College breaks ground on RELLIS expansion". The Bryan-College Station Eagle. Retrieved April 2, 2017.,
  10. ^ Surette, Rusty (2023-09-20). "Blinn College District to open new location in Waller". kbtx.com. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  11. ^ Sec. 130.168. BLINN JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
  12. ^ "All Programs". www.blinn.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  13. ^ "Institutions: Blinn College District". SACSCOC. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  14. ^ "Blinn College - College Profile". CompareCollegeTX.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  15. ^ "Vet tech students ace national, state exams with 100 percent pass rate". Blinn.edu. 2014-10-30. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  16. ^ "Nursing grads achieve 100 percent pass rate". Blinn.edu. 2013-10-29. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  17. ^ "TAMU-Blinn TEAM". tamu.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  18. ^ "State recognizes Blinn TEAM program". Blinn.edu. 2013-08-19. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  19. ^ "Texas A&M Blinn TEAM Program earns top honors". Blinn.edu. 2014-11-24. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  20. ^ a b "Blinn College Student Body Diversity" (PDF). Blinn College District.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  21. ^ "College Scorecard: Blinn College District". collegescorecard.ed.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  22. ^ "Blinn College makes $324.6 million impact on local economy". Blinn.edu. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  23. ^ "Headline News". Blinn.edu. 2011-01-21. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  24. ^ "Headline News March 2012". Blinn.edu. 2012-03-21. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  25. ^ "Blinn students give back with fifth annual Blinn Blitz". Blinn.edu. 2014-04-21. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  26. ^ "Member Directory". NJCAA. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  27. ^ "Blinn College cheer and dance teams each win a national title - Blinn". Buccaneersports.com. 2015-04-10. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
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