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Blinn College

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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.

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 Historic District
Blinn College Historic District is located in Texas
Blinn College Historic District
Blinn College Historic District
Blinn College Historic District is located in the United States
Blinn College Historic District
Blinn College Historic District
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

History

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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 Historic District (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. 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 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.

Campuses

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

Blinn has six campuses in the following locations: Brenham, Bryan (Villa Maria Road), RELLIS (SH 47 in Bryan, shared with Texas A&M University), 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 in Bryan, 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 2015, Blinn announced that it would cancel expansion plans at the Villa Maria campus and open new facilities at the Texas A&M RELLIS Campus instead.[7] The groundbreaking ceremony for the Blinn College educational building took place on March 31, 2017.[8] In 2022, Blinn opened a new $32 million administration building at RELLIS, incorporating 19 new classrooms in addition to offices for student enrollment.[9]

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

Service area

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The Texas Legislature defined the service area of the college as such:[11]

Of those areas, the only portion within the college's taxation area, which means the only portion eligible for in-district tuition, is Washington County.[12]

Academics

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Blinn offers more than 150 degree and certificate programs.[13] The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate's degrees.[14]

Transfer

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Blinn has 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%.[15] 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.[16][17]

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.[18] In 2013, the program was awarded the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's Recognition of Excellence,[19] and in 2014 it received the THECB Star Award.[20]

Student profile

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Student body composition as of Fall 2021
Race and ethnicity[21] 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.[21] The largest program was Liberal Arts, followed by Agriculture then Nursing, all associates degrees.[22]

Community impact

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Blinn College Bryan campus bookstore.

Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) conducted a 2014 study which concluded 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.[23]

Blinn has also been recognized for its community service. In 2011, Blinn received the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Community Engagement Classification,[24] 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.[25] Each year, Blinn devotes a day to community service, called the Blinn Blitz, and hundreds of students participate in local community service projects.[26]

Athletics

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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.[27] 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.[28]

Notable alumni

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Cornerstone plaques to commemorate people from Blinn's history.

Inventor

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Politicians

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Pop Culture

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Athletes

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Baseball

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Basketball

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Football

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Track and Field

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See also

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Notes

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  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

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  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 March 16, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Atkinson, James H. (December 2, 2001) [1976]. "Blinn College". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  5. ^ Miller, Tom (September 7, 2017). "Daytonian in Manhattan: The Blinn Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church - Lexington Avenue and 103rd Street". Daytonian in Manhattan. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  6. ^ "Blinn College Campus Choices". www.blinn.edu. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  7. ^ "Blinn halts construction on new Bryan campus; will build on A&M's RELLIS Campus". KAGS-LD. Bryan, Texas. May 31, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  8. ^ Kuhlmann, Steve (April 1, 2017). "Blinn College breaks ground on RELLIS expansion". The Bryan-College Station Eagle. Retrieved April 2, 2017.,
  9. ^ Oliver, Bill (August 17, 2022). "Public Is Invited To Friday's Grand Opening Of The Blinn College RELLIS Campus Administration Building". WTAW (AM). College Station, Texas. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  10. ^ Surette, Rusty (September 20, 2023). "Blinn College District to open new location in Waller". kbtx.com. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  11. ^ Texas Education Code Sec. 130.168. BLINN JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
  12. ^ "Residency Information". Blinn College. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  13. ^ "All Programs". www.blinn.edu. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  14. ^ "Institutions: Blinn College District". SACSCOC. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  15. ^ "Blinn College - College Profile". CompareCollegeTX.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  16. ^ "Vet tech students ace national, state exams with 100 percent pass rate". Blinn.edu. October 30, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  17. ^ "Nursing grads achieve 100 percent pass rate". Blinn.edu. October 29, 2013. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  18. ^ "TAMU-Blinn TEAM". tamu.edu. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  19. ^ "State recognizes Blinn TEAM program". Blinn.edu. August 19, 2013. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  20. ^ "Texas A&M Blinn TEAM Program earns top honors". Blinn.edu. November 24, 2014. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  21. ^ a b "Blinn College Student Body Diversity" (PDF). Blinn College District.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  22. ^ "College Scorecard: Blinn College District". collegescorecard.ed.gov. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  23. ^ "Blinn College makes $324.6 million impact on local economy". Blinn.edu. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  24. ^ "Headline News". Blinn.edu. January 21, 2011. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  25. ^ "Headline News March 2012". Blinn.edu. March 21, 2012. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  26. ^ "Blinn students give back with fifth annual Blinn Blitz". Blinn.edu. April 21, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  27. ^ "Member Directory". NJCAA. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  28. ^ "Blinn College cheer and dance teams each win a national title - Blinn". Buccaneersports.com. April 10, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
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