Victoria College is a community college serving Victoria, Texas and the surrounding counties. The college first began classes in the Patti Welder High School on February 4 1925. After World War II, because of the growth of the surrounding area and the college population from returning GIs the college built its own campus and changed its name from the Victoria Junior College to its current name of Victoria College. The college shares some facilities with the University of Houston–Victoria. The Victoria Junior College, located in Victoria, Texas, was established as a part of the Victoria school system on February 4, 1925. As part of the system, the college was racially segregated serving white and a small number of Hispanic students. During the first session of operation, classes were conducted on the third floor of the Patti Welder High School while a new building was being constructed to house the college. This building, which joined the Patti Welder Junior High school, served as the college home until the end of the 1948-49 session. The growth of the community in the war and post-war years gave the impetus to an expansion movement, making the college a county-wide institution. This change was accomplished by the people of the county in a special election on December 2, 1947. In June of the following year the people of the county voted a $750,000 bond issue to provide a new site and new buildings for the growing institution. On January 10, 1949, the Board of Trustees changed the name from Victoria Junior College to The Victoria College. A new site for the college was purchased in 1948, and four new buildings were constructed during 1948 and 1949. All college activities were transferred to the present campus in September, 1949, but African Americans remained segregated and were not allowed to enroll in classes at the new campus until 1954. Since the first bond issue in 1947, the voters of The Victoria County Junior College District have approved four tax bond issues totaling $15,850,000 and the college has issued $3,160,000 in revenue bonds. The funds from these bond issues have been used to purchase additional land and construct a number of buildings to accommodate the growth of The Victoria College and the University of Houston-Victoria.
The Victoria College is a multipurpose, open-access public community college serving Victoria and the surrounding counties. Its mission is to create and provide high-quality educational programs and services which fulfill the needs of the individual and the community for intellectual growth, workforce training, and cultural and personal enrichment. The Victoria College's commitment to its Mission is guided by the following values:
- Integrity and honesty, teamwork and loyalty, openness and equal opportunity
- Respect for the unique characteristics and abilities of individuals regardless of age, gender, race, religion, or disabling conditions
- The right of individuals to pursue their desired levels of education
- Stewardship of entrusted resource
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