About Howard College

The Howard County Junior College District was created by a county-wide vote on November 17, 1945. Seven citizens of Howard County were elected on that same ballot to serve as a Board of Trustees. Howard College was first housed two miles west of downtown Big Spring in the hospital area of the former Air Force Bombardier School. The first session began on September 30, 1946. On September 12, 1951, the college was moved to a one hundred acre campus located in southeast Big Spring. On November 6, 1979, the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to establish the SouthWest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf as a part of the Howard County Junior College District. The first classes offered through this program began on August 25, 1980.

Howard College Big Spring

The Howard College/Big Spring physical facilities are located on a spacious campus. The 120-acre campus contains an administration-classroom complex, a two-story science building, a 14,000 square foot library building, a fitness center, a student union building, a music building, a practical arts building, an applied science center, a 28,000 square foot occupational building, residence halls for men and women, a 90,000 square foot coliseum complex, a baseball park, a softball park, and a football stadium with a seating capacity of ten thousand, utilized and maintained by the Big Spring Independent School District. The Howard County Junior College District property includes 276 acres of land in Martin County, near Stanton, Texas, which is used as an agricultural research and demonstration center. The college also leases 20 acres three miles east of Big Spring that houses a rodeo arena and livestock pens.

Howard College Lamesa

The Lamesa campus of Howard College, 45 miles north of Big Spring in Dawson County, was established in 1972. A variety of learning opportunities are available, including academic transfer and workforce education courses. The building, owned by Dawson County, includes three large classrooms, a computer lab, office space, and a distance learning classroom with interactive video equipment for receiving courses from the Big Spring and San Angelo campuses. High school students are also able to take courses at Lamesa High School for dual high school and college credit.

Howard College San Angelo

The San Angelo campus of Howard College serves the citizens of the Concho Valley, including Tom Green County and surrounding communities, on the San Angelo Campus, at the West Texas Training Center and Goodfellow Air Force Base. The purpose of Howard College at San Angelo is to provide learning opportunities that challenge all persons to a commitment of self-growth, personal fulfillment, and preparation for their roles in society. Instruction on the San Angelo campus is predominantly in technical/occupational fields of study leading to certificates and/or associate in applied science degrees. Compensatory programs for adult learners, selected continuing education courses, and training programs leading directly to employment also are available.

SouthWest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf

SWCID is located at the site of the former Webb Air Force Base in Big Spring. The primary purpose of SWCID is to provide a comprehensive educational environment assisting deaf students in achieving their educational and career objectives. Courses in developmental/preparatory studies, college transfer programs, and vocational/technical training are available. Hearing individuals preparing for vocations in deafness-related fields may pursue their educational and career objectives at SWCID. In addition, professionals employed in the field of deafness are provided opportunities to upgrade their skills/knowledge through workshops and seminars sponsored by SWCID.

SWCID offers students several educational programming options:

  1. Self-contained classes offered on the SWCID campus by instructors skilled in the use of sign language and communication modalities,
  2. Mainstreamed classes offered on the Howard College-Big Spring campus facilitated through the use of skilled sign language interpreters,
  3. A combination of self-contained and mainstreamed course work with some classes being taken on both campuses; and,
  4. Educational outreach provided through extension courses in Big Spring and in other communities.