The History of Midland College

Midland College began in September 1969 as the Midland campus of the Permian Junior College system. It was re-created in 1972 with the formation of the Midland College District. Bonds in the amount of $5,100,000 were issued for the construction of a 115 acre campus. Ground breaking at the new campus was held October 23, 1973. In 1975, spring semester classes were held in the new buildings. The Pevehouse Administration Building (which holds the I. A. O'Shaughnessy Presidential Suite and the Orpha Olsen Gibson Board Room), the Abell-Hanger Science Faculty Building and the Maintenance Facility were the forerunners of the complete campus. The Murray Fasken Learning Resource Center, the Dorothy and Clarence Scharbauer, Jr. Student Center (which houses the Harriet and Harvey Herd Faculty Lounge and the Carrasco Room), the Technology Center and the Physical Education Building were completed for the Fall 1975 semester. With an eye for continued growth, enrollment and programs, the Allison Fine Arts Building, including the McCormick Gallery and the Wagner & Brown Auditorium, an addition to the Technology Center and the Al G. Langford Chaparral Center with a seating capacity of 5,000, were dedicated in 1978.

A residence hall for athletes was built in 1983. The Davidson Family Health Sciences Building, including the Davidson Lecture Hall and the original Helen L. Greathouse Children's Center, was completed for the 1985 Fall semester. Landmarks of the Midland College campus are the beautiful Hodge Carillon Tower, the Marian Blakemore Memorial Fountain and the Mr. and Mrs. Carlton Beal Plaza. Fifty-six additional acres were purchased in 1988.

A twelve-court tennis center is the result of a joint project of the City of Midland and Midland College. Six new courts were added in 1991. In the fall of 1991, an addition doubling the size of the Scharbauer Student Center was completed, and in 1992, the Cogdell Learning Center was established. The Williams Regional Technical Training Center of Fort Stockton opened in 1996 and was dedicated in 2002. The Davidson Distinguished Lecture Series was also established in 1996. Fifty-three acres north of the campus were purchased in 1999, yielding a campus of 224 acres. Also in 1999, O'Shaughnessy Hall, a women's residence hall, was dedicated, and the Phyllis & Bob Cowan Performing Arts Series was established.

The Advanced Technology Center, including the Franz Weis Industrial Technology Center and the Elizabeth & Herb Blankinship Lecture Hall, and a men's residence hall opened in 2000. The Jack E. Brown Dining Hall and the Dorothy and Todd Aaron Medical Science Building, including The Gregory Bartha, M.D. Atrium, were opened in 2001. The Nadine & Tom Craddick Resident Hall was dedicated in 2003 and the Dollye Neal Chapel and Hall's Way, a pedestrian bridge between Midland College and Midland Community Theatre, were dedicated in 2004. The Petroleum Professional Development Center was acquired and renovated; the Cogdell Learning Center was renovated; and the Fox Science Building, including the Joseph Earnest Daniel Lobby, was dedicated in 2005. A $41.8 million bond was also issued for the expansion of learning facilities and campus improvements, and the college was accredited as a Level II (four-year) institution to offer a Bachelor of Applied Technology degree. In 2006, construction began on the bond projects. The Pedestrian Mall, the Cogdell Learning Center renovation and the Maintenance Facility were completed in 2007. The F. Marie Hall Academic Building was completed and dedicated in 2008. The new Helen L. Greathouse Children's Center and the Phase II of the Fox Science Building were completed in 2009, and in 2010 the Scharbauer Student Center, Physical Education Building and the Cogdell Learning Center were renovated.