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After two attempts to secure a location for higher education, city leaders banded together to create Temple Junior College in 1926. Thanks to joint efforts of civic, business and educational leaders, the need for a post-secondary institution in Temple was met. In the early years, the college was operated by the public school system and classes met in the city’s high school building. As the student body grew, so did the need for a larger campus. A separate junior college district was established in 1955, enabling the college to build a new facility. The college moved to its present location in South Temple in 1957. Temple College has traditionally offered pre-professional courses leading to degrees in medicine, law, education, engineering and similar fields as well as more general academic courses that enable students to transfer to four-year institutions for baccalaureate degrees. In recent years, a wide variety of credit and non-credit classes, programs and workshops have been offered through business and community education in Temple College sites in Bell, Milam and Williamson Counties. Temple College became a leader in education for health professions with the opening of a new health sciences center and clinical simulation center in 2004. With an enrollment of more than 6100 students, the college is large enough to maintain a flexible and varied program. In 1996, the name of the college was changed to Temple College to reflect its role as a comprehensive college, offering transfer programs, technical education, community education, career and workforce training and cultural activities. |
