Inception

College of the Mainland was a beckoning vision in the minds of community leaders as far back as the early 1960s. The first concrete step was taken in October 1966 when the College of the Mainland Junior College District was formed. The area of the College District encompasses 237 square miles, and its taxing district includes the five independent school districts of Dickinson, Hitchcock, La Marque, Santa Fe and Texas City. Its service district includes Friendswood ISD and the part of Clear Creek ISD located in Galveston County.

The second step toward realization of the dream was taken on December 10, 1966, when the voters of the College District approved a bond issue of $2,850,000 and supporting taxes for debt service and operation. In quick succession, the Board of Trustees selected a president, hired faculty members and staff and located temporary facilities, and College of the Mainland came into existence. The first class of 414 students enrolled in September 1967.

Students attended classes in temporary quarters until the first phase of construction was completed on 120 acres by Palmer Highway and Amburn Road in Texas City. On February 27, 1970, the College moved to its beautiful new campus, which consisted of an Administration Building, Learning Resources Center, Math-Science Building, Technical- Vocational Building and a Central Utilities Building.

On May 16, 1970, the citizens of the Junior College District approved a second bond issue of $4,750,000 and supporting taxes for operation and debt service of the second phase of construction. The second building program included a Fine Arts Building, a Physical Education Complex, a Student Center, a 100 percent increase of the Technical-Vocational Building    facilities and a 60 percent expansion of the Math- Science Building facilities. The second construction phase was completed in September 1972, followed by the building of a print shop and a firing range.

In October of 2019, the new College of the Mainland Conference Center opened. The conference center is 5,887-square feet and when set up auditorium-style seats 540 and about 360 for banquets. The center was made available for use by the community.

Continued Growth

Over the years, programs were added but other  than the addition of the Conference Center little changed in the college’s facilities. To answer those needs, a bond advisory commit- tee, made up of 40 community members from throughout the taxing district, worked with the College that same year to finalize a bond request to move the College into the future.

As a result, in November of 2018 voters within  the College’s taxing district overwhelmingly approved a $162.5 million bond referendum for the construction of two new academic buildings. The approved bond referendum has dramatically changed the landscape of the aging campus. In addition to the new buildings, the bond has allowed for the addition of new programs and the College’s growing enrollment with true state-of-the-art facilities.

Included in the bond package is a new three- story Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) building which  expanded programs in Allied Health and allows the College to increase its popular Nursing Program and the Cyber Security Networking lab. New tech programs include Chemical,  and Mechanical Engineering as well as Surgical Tech, Imaging Tech, Dental Hygiene and Physical Therapy.

The Allied Health programs of Pharmacy Tech, Nursing Assistant, Medical Assistant and Medical Coding that are currently offered in League City were moved to the new STEAM Building.

The former Administration and Enrollment Center, which sustained severe flood damage in 2018 has been replaced with a new Administration building which houses student services such as Admissions, Financial Aid, Advising, Testing and the Veterans Center along with College administrative offices. It also allows for other College operations such as Marketing and Public Affairs and the COM Foundation to move from their current off-site locations to central campus.

The Industrial Careers Building (ICB) will expand the College’s Process Technology Program and add an Instrumentation and Electrical program. It will also be home to the Occupational Safety and Health Technology and the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) programs as well as the Gulf Coast Safety Institute. The ICB is estimated for completion fall 2022.

The bond will also finance additions and renovations to the campus Fine Arts building as well as expansion of the College’s physical plant and technology upgrades.

New Programs on the Horizon

Several new programs have recently launched or are on the horizon. Most notably, COM recently received approval from the regional accrediting board, SACSCOC, to offer an RN-BSN degree.

Also beginning this fall, COM now offers an Associate of Science (AS) degrees in Chemical and Mechanical Engineering and an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Cyber Security. And in spring 2022, the College will expand its allied health offerings to include Radiology and Surgical Technician programs. The College also recently launched an Accelerated Associate of Arts degree at its League City facility.

Other Locations

COM’s growth and expansion goes beyond our main Texas City campus. Our new League City facility is open for dual credit, general education and evening accelerated associate of arts classes. The facility will offer an accessible and convenient option for students residing in that region while also addressing the steady growth in the League City region. We will also soon be relocating and expanding our cosmetology and lifelong learning programs at the Mainland City Centre in Texas City.