Cowley Community College

Last updated
Cowley College
Cowley County Community College logo.gif
Type Public community college
Established1922 (1922)
President Michelle Schoon [1]
Students2,166 (Fall 2023) [2]
Location
Arkansas City
,
Kansas
,
United States [3]

37°3′39″N97°02′33″W / 37.06083°N 97.04250°W / 37.06083; -97.04250
Colors Black and Orange
   
Website www.cowley.edu

Cowley College is a public community college in Arkansas City, Kansas. It also operates locations in nearby Wellington, Winfield, Mulvane, and Wichita. In addition to an online presence the college offers on-site courses at nine area high schools. Cowley College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Contents

History

Cowley College held its first classes on Sept. 11, 1922. At this point, it was known as the Arkansas City Junior College (ACJC), and, like most junior colleges of the time, operated under the directorship of the local school district. Classes were held on the top floor of the Arkansas City High School, but were soon relocated to the basement, earning it the nickname "Basement University." In 1936, a combination auditorium-gymnasium was constructed, and in 1952, ACJC held its first classes in a dedicated college building.

During the mid-1960s, ACJC began a process of name changes in an attempt to keep current with state legislation designed to spur growth of junior colleges and vocational schools in Kansas. After no less than two revisions, in 1965, it was given the name Cowley County Community College and Vocational-Technical School, which was commonly abbreviated CCCC. [4]

In 1967, the citizens of Cowley County elected a six-member board of trustees for CCCC, and on July 1, it assumed control of college operations. The new board appointed Paul Johnson as the first president of the college. Johnson had been the dean of the college under the school board's direction. The county continues to elect members to the board of trustees in four-year terms. Johnson died the following year and was succeeded on an interim basis by William S. Scott until the end of June. On July 1, 1968, Gwendel A. "Gwen" Nelson was appointed president of the college by the board of trustees. Immediately, Nelson began a far-reaching program of expansion and upgrades. When he arrived at the college, it owned no property (the land on which the buildings stood was rented from the school district), and its program offerings were limited. During his tenure, which lasted until 1987, Nelson would be instrumental in land negotiations with the school board, resulting in the college's ownership of all of its main campus and the adjacent old high school. His leadership resulted in great expansion of academic programs, including upgrading the vocational school, and he would oversee the construction of six new buildings, including the college's first dormitories.

In 2017, Sumner County passed a half-cent sales tax increase to fund a second campus of Cowley College to be built in Wellington. Sumner County Campus of Cowley College was planned to open for classes in the fall of 2018. The Short Family of Oxford, Kansas, donated the property for the campus to be built on the south side of Highway 160. [5]

On February 2nd, 2023, the Cowley College Board of Trustees voted unanimously to terminate President Randy Smith's contract. Michelle Schoon was appointed to serve as Interim President. [6]

Campus

The college's main campus is in Arkansas City, Kansas. It also operates locations in nearby Winfield, Mulvane, Wellington, and Wichita. In addition to its online presence the college offers on-site courses at nine area high schools. Cowley College's Ireland Hall, was designed by architect Charles Sumner Sedgwick and constructed in 1890 as the Arkansas City High School. [7] It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Old Arkansas City High School and considered one of the oldest, standing buildings in the city.

Alumni

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sumner County, Kansas</span> County in Kansas, United States

Sumner County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat is Wellington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,382. The county is named after Charles Sumner, a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts who was a leader of Reconstruction politics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sedgwick County, Kansas</span> County in Kansas, United States

Sedgwick County is located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat is Wichita, the most populous city in the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 523,824, making it the second-most populous county in Kansas. The county was named for John Sedgwick, the highest ranking Union general killed during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowley County, Kansas</span> County in Kansas, United States

Cowley County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat is Winfield, and its most populous city is Arkansas City. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 34,549. The county was named after Matthew Cowley, first lieutenant in Company I, 9th Kansas Cavalry, who died during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkansas City, Kansas</span> City in Cowley County, Kansas

Arkansas City is a city in Cowley County, Kansas, United States, situated at the confluence of the Arkansas River and Walnut River in the southwestern part of the county. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winfield, Kansas</span> City in Cowley County, Kansas

Winfield is a city and county seat of Cowley County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Walnut River in South Central Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,777. It is home to Southwestern College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wichita, Kansas</span> Largest city in Kansas, United States

Wichita is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mulvane, Kansas</span> City in Sedgwick and Sumner County, Kansas

Mulvane is a city in Sedgwick and Sumner counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,286.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washburn University</span> Public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States

Washburn University (WU) is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,100 undergraduate students and nearly 800 graduate students. The university's assets include a $158 million endowment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwestern College (Kansas)</span> Methodist college in Winfield, Kansas

Southwestern College is a private Methodist college in Winfield, Kansas. It was founded in 1885 as Southwest Kansas Conference College and graduated its first class of three in June 1889. The name of the school was changed to its current form in 1909.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cloud County Community College</span> Community college in Concordia, Kansas, United States

Cloud County Community College is a public community college with campuses in Concordia and Junction City, Kansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K-55 (Kansas highway)</span> State highway in Kansas

K-55 is a 12.049-mile-long (19.391 km) west–east state highway in the U.S. state of Kansas. The highway's western terminus is at U.S. Route 81 (US-81) roughly 11 miles (18 km) north of Wellington and the eastern terminus is at K-15 in Udall. It passes through the city of Belle Plaine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. John's College (Kansas)</span> Former Lutheran college in Winfield, Kansas

St. John's College was a two-year college located in Winfield, Kansas, and was operated by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). The school began operation in 1893 under the English Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri and Other States and ceased operation in 1986, after over 9,000 students had been through its programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wichita metropolitan area, Kansas</span> Metropolitan area in the United States

The Wichita, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, is an area consisting of four counties in south central Kansas, it’s only principal city is Wichita and it’s only central county is Sedgwick County. As of the 2013 American Community Survey, the MSA had a population of 637,989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garden City Community College</span> Community college in Garden City, Kansas, U.S.

Garden City Community College is a public community college in Garden City, Kansas. It was established in 1919 to provide a means for post-secondary education for area residents. The school initially shared facilities in Sabine Hall and Calkins Hall in the 100 block of Buffalo Jones Avenue with Garden City High School and opened with a first class of less than three dozen students. The college moved to the then-new Garden City High School building in 1954. The Kansas Legislature passed the Community College Act in 1965, authorizing establishment of 22 independent colleges including GCCC. Today GCCC is one of 19 Kansas community colleges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wichita USD 259</span> Public school district in Wichita, Kansas

Wichita USD 259 is a public unified school district headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, United States. The district includes most of the cities of Wichita, Bel Aire, Eastborough, and Kechi.

The Kansas Star Casino is a casino and hotel in western Mulvane, Kansas, United States, owned and managed by Boyd Gaming. It is located on the west side of the I-35.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Arkansas City High School</span> United States historic place

The Old Arkansas City High School, now known as Ireland Hall and part of the Cowley Community College campus, is located at 300 W. Central Street in Arkansas City, Kansas. It was built in 1890–91. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

References

  1. ↑ "President's Message". Cowley Community College. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
  2. ↑ "Board of Regents Announces 2023 Fall Semester Enrollment" (PDF). September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  3. ↑ "GNIS Detail - Cowley College". geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "Cowley College - Our History and Heritage". www.cowley.edu. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  5. ↑ "Cowley College Announces Location of Sumner County Campus". www.cowley.edu. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  6. ↑ "Cowley College fires president after less than 7 months on the job".
  7. ↑ Pankratz, Richard D. (August 14, 1974). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Old Arkansas City High School / Arkansas City High School". National Park Service . Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  8. ↑ "Tiger Sports". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  9. ↑ "Rosenthal named to National League All-Star team". Cowley College. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  10. ↑ https://cowleytigers.com/inside-athletics/hof/bios/louis_rabbit_weller.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.