General Information

Addresses & Locations

Uvalde
2401 Garner Field Road
Uvalde, TX 78801
(830) 278-4401

Del Rio
207 Wildcat Drive
Del Rio, TX 78840
(830) 703-1550

Eagle Pass
3101 Bob Rogers Drive
Eagle Pass, TX 78852
(830) 758-4100

Jack R. Chittum Technical Campus
1980 North Veterans Boulevard
Eagle Pass, TX 78852
(830) 758-4125

Crystal City
215 W. Zavala Street
Crystal City, TX 78839
(830) 374-3378

South Texas Regional Training Center
402 Carter Street
Hondo, TX 78861
(830) 426-2018

Pearsall
523 E. Florida Street
Pearsall, TX 78061
(830) 334-5004

How to Request Information from Southwest Texas Junior College

Inquiries for specific information should be addressed to the appropriate office as follows:

Southwest Texas Junior College
2401 Garner Field Road
Uvalde, TX 78801-6297
(830) 278-4401

General College Affairs
Main College Switchboard
(830) 278-4401
(830) 591-7354 FAX

Faculty Appointments and Academic Policies
Dr. Mark E. Underwood
Vice President of Academic Affairs
(830) 591-7286
(830) 591-7354 FAX

Information Technology
Frankie N. Pannell
Information Technology Operations & Infrastructure Director
(830) 591-7259
(830) 591-7354 FAX

Admissions, Student Records, and Information
Steve Martinez
Registrar
(830) 591-7280
(830) 591-7396 FAX

Financial Aid and Student Employment
Yvette Hernandez
Student Financial Aid Director
(830) 591-7318
(830) 591-2925 FAX

Housing
Phillip Botello
Director of Residence Life
(830) 591-7284
(830) 591-7340 FAX

Business Office Affairs
Lisa Ermis
Vice President for Finance
(830) 591-2935
(830) 591-7340 FAX

Student Success Services
Ysenia M. Silva
Senior Director of Student Success Services
(830) 591-7376
(830) 591-7396 FAX

Copies of this publication have been distributed in compliance with the State Depository Law, and are available for public use through the Texas State Publications Depository Program at the Texas State Library and other state depository libraries.

Accreditation

Southwest Texas College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award Associate Degrees. Southwest Texas College also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Southwest Texas College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC's website (www.sacscoc.org).

Memberships

The college holds membership in the Texas Association of Community Colleges, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the American Association of Community Colleges, and the American Council on Education.

Equal Opportunity Statement

It is the policy of Southwest Texas Junior College to provide equal opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or veteran status. This policy extends to employment, admissions, and all programs and activities supported by Southwest Texas Junior College.

Catalog Changes

Requirements, regulations, curricula, tuition and fees in this catalog are subject to change without prior notice, in order to keep the college in compliance with state and federal laws, applicable regulations from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Texas Education Agency and other accrediting agencies. The provisions of this catalog do not constitute a contract between any student and Southwest Texas Junior College.

MISSION STATEMENT

Southwest Texas Junior College enriches lives and advances growth through the education of our diverse communities.

BELIEFS AND WAYS OF BEING

We aspire to achieve excellence by purposefully:
- committing to success
- inspiring trust, transparency, professionalism and accountability
- engaging all with empathy and care
We embrace inclusivity by:
- valuing every individual as unique and whole
- fostering a culture of acceptance
- respecting diversity of thought
We champion opportunities for:
- life-long learning
- professional, personal, and community growth
- institutional innovation

PURPOSE STATEMENT

Southwest Texas Junior College is a comprehensive, public college serving eleven counties in Southwest Texas. The College provides accessible, affordable, high-quality education that prepares students to successfully transfer to senior colleges and universities; enter the job market; pursue their professional and personal goals; and contribute to the economic growth of the region.

STATEMENT OF ROLE AND SCOPE

The college implements its mission through a clearly defined set of programs and services that include the following:

College-level Credit Programs

The college offers credit courses leading to associate degrees and certificates in technical fields and designed-to-transfer majors.

Continuing Education Programs

The college provides professional and occupation development to individuals, businesses, industries, and government and health agencies. A variety of non-credit activities for personal enhancement are also available.

Adult Education and Literacy

The college provides programs in Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) which are designed to assist students in acquiring a General Education Diploma (GED).

Student Development Programs and Services

The college offers developmental programs and services to enrolled and prospective students to increase their chances for success and enhance their potential for personal, educational, and professional growth.

Economic Development Programs

The college promotes the economic development of the region by providing work force training for new and expanding industries as well as for transfer of technology to developing businesses. The college also supports economic development agencies by assisting in the recruiting of businesses and industries to the area.

Access Programs and Services

The college provides special recruitment, counseling and evaluation services that increase access for students not traditionally serviced by higher education.

Accreditation

Credits earned at SWTJC are transferable at full value to any college or university in the state on the same basis as those obtained in any other college or university. They are also acceptable in most colleges and universities of the nation.

Memberships

The People We Serve

The courses and activities set forth in this catalog are of special interest to at least four groups:

Those who wish to further their education by completing the first two years of college at a moderate cost with the prospect of earning a degree in a liberal arts college or university.
Those who plan to enter one of the professions or fields of specialized services including agriculture, business, education or teaching, engineering, law, dentistry, medicine, nursing, and those who wish to continue their education of higher learning.
Those who expect to complete their education after one or two years at SWTJC and who are primarily interested in acquiring either a well-rounded education or practical occupational preparation in such areas as business, farming and ranching, music, and nursing.
Adults and others who wish to enroll in refresher courses or other fields of special interest; foreign languages, literature, the fine arts, mathematics, science, psychology, social studies, and non-credit short courses that give the adult certain special information.

Historical Sketch

As far back as 1926 a few far-sighted citizens of Sabinal and Uvalde advocated a junior college for this vast Southwest Texas area to be located in Uvalde, but it was not until twenty years later that this dream became a reality. At the close of World War II, when the Army Air Force Flying School at Garner Field near Uvalde was deactivated, many public spirited citizens saw the need for an educational institution of higher learning to serve the returning veterans and the high school graduates of this area. They saw in the beautiful campus and the existing buildings, valued at three-quarters of a million dollars, a plant ideally suited for a college. With the beginning of the year 1946, a series of events brought about a movement that had as its climax the creation of the first tri-county junior college in Texas.

From 1942 to 1945 the buildings and property the college occupies were a part of an Army Air Force Flying School. When the school closed on July 24, 1945, the original intent of the government was to sell everything possible as salvage, even to the point of digging up the grass, palms and shrubbery, leaving nothing but the bare ground. Many public spirited citizens of Southwest Texas took steps to prevent the destruction of the property.

On January 2, 1946, the Commissioners’ Court of Uvalde County passed a resolution endorsing the plan to establish a combination Government Issue (G.I.) vocational school and junior college on the Garner Field site. The following day, the Uvalde City Council approved a plan to organize a tri-county junior college district composed of Real, Uvalde, and Zavala counties. In rapid succession this plan was endorsed by the senior and junior chambers of commerce and other organizations, and a mass meeting was held at the Uvalde County Courthouse with representatives from the three counties heartily supporting the movement. The Reconstruction Finance Corporation approved Garner Field as a site for the proposed junior college. Petitions were circulated in Real, Uvalde, and Zavala counties requesting the State Board of Education to authorize the establishment of a tri-county district. Upon receiving this approval, an election was held on May 18, 1946 in the proposed district. The propositions were passed by a decisive majority and thus, the first joint-county district in the state of Texas came into being.

On September 13, 1946, the city of Uvalde purchased the Garner Field property and leased it to the board of trustees of the new junior college. The institution was named Southwest Texas Junior College, a president was elected, and September 30, 1946 was set as the opening date. However, more time was needed to complete arrangements and the actual opening date was October 14, 1946.

Early in the fall of 1946, SWTJC was approved by the State Department of Education (now Texas Education Agency) as a junior college of the first class. In the fall of 1947, the college became a member of the American Association of Junior Colleges. The college was given an affiliate membership in the Association of Texas Colleges in the spring of 1947. In the fall of 1964, the college was admitted to membership in the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

On August 14, 1958, the Uvalde City Council presented the Board of Trustees the deed to the 79.28 acres of land on which the college is located.