Odessa College kicks off year-long 75th Anniversary Celebration
ODESSA (July 21, 2021) – On September 1, Odessa College will kick off its year-long 75th Anniversary Celebration. The day’s festivities for the community, and OC alumni, retirees, employees and students will culminate that evening with a live concert at the historic Ector Theatre featuring the internationally-known Little River Band.
“We are thrilled to share our milestone 75th Anniversary year with the entire community that has grown alongside Odessa College,” said OC President Gregory D. Williams. “We have many wonderful events planned for the kickoff celebration, and we encourage people to join us and see firsthand all of the exciting progress and innovation that our institution has produced and will continue to offer in our next 75 years.”
The morning’s festivities will include a ground breaking ceremony for the new 83,000 square-foot Wood Health Sciences Building, a pep rally with the OC Blues Dance Team and the OC Drum Line, and a Hospitality and VIP Room in the Saulsbury Campus Center. Afternoon activities will include campus tours from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. showcasing schools and programs both on and off campus, including the Sewell Auto Tech facility which opened in the spring of 2020. The entire community, out-of-area alumni, and retirees are encouraged to attend the events throughout the day.
The Little River Band concert, a special Odessa College Music Masters Series concert sponsored by the Odessa Arts Council, will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 plus fees and are available online at https://www.ticketfairy.com/event/odessa-college-75th-anniversary-featuring-the-little-river-band-1sep2021/.
Special lodging rates are available to OC alumni at the Odessa Marriott Hotel and Conference Center and rooms can be booked online at https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1625592106162&key=GRP&app=resvlink.
Odessa College opened in 1946 for night school only and held classes after the regular school hours in the Odessa High School building on 9th Street. In its first year, the college served 186 students, and had five instructors and two administrative office. In comparison, Odessa College had a record unduplicated enrollment of 7044 students for the Fall 2020 session.
About Odessa College:
Odessa College (OC) was chartered in 1946, and as the college celebrates its 75th Anniversary in 2021, students are able to choose their courses of study from over 120 degrees and certificates in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math; public and consumer service; health science; business and industry; and the arts and humanities. With a main campus in Odessa, Texas, OC also maintains extension centers in Andrews, Monahans, and Pecos, Texas, and has an annual unduplicated enrollment of 9,200 students in college credit courses.
OC is one of a very few community colleges authorized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to offer four-year Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science (BAAS) degrees. Further, Odessa College also maintains two Early College High Schools – Odessa Collegiate Academy (OCA) and Odessa Career Technical Early College High School (OCTECHS) – onsite at the main campus in Odessa.
In the past five years, the percentage of first time, full-time students who graduate or transfer from OC in three years has more than quadrupled. More importantly, five years after graduation, OC graduates earn more than double the wages of all other workers in the region.
Odessa College achieved “three-peat” status as a Top Ten Finalist for the 2021 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s preeminent award for achievement and improvement in community colleges. OC previously received Top Ten Finalist recognition in both the 2017 and 2019 Aspen Prize two-year cycles, and is the only college in the history of the Aspen Prize to be awarded Aspen Rising Star status twice (in both 2017 and 2019). The Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence recognizes institutions for their outstanding outcomes in four areas: student learning; certificate and degree completion; employment and earnings; and high levels of access and success for minority and low-income students.
Odessa College is certified as an Hispanic Serving Institution (HIS) and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).