Mar 28, 2024  
2023-2024 Panola College Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Panola College Catalog

About Panola College



President’s Letter

Image of President Gregory S. Powell

Welcome to Panola College!

Here at Panola College we pride ourselves on individual attention and smiling faces. We are known for an environment that is academically challenging, for our caring faculty and staff, for our commitment to bringing you the highest quality instruction, and for providing you the latest technology. Completing one of our pathway degree or certificate programs will transform your life!

Why should you attend Panola College?

  • Panola College is student-focused.
  • Panola College offers an exceptional education at an affordable price.
  • Panola College graduates succeed whether their goal is to transfer to a university or enter the job market in their chosen field.

I invite you to come to Panola College for a visit. Tour our on-campus student housing. Take a stroll through the Charles C. Matthews Foundation Student Center or the state-of-the-art Health and Natural Sciences Building, or the Frances B. Ross Music Building. Eat a meal in the dining hall or grab a coffee or a Starbucks latte in Charlie’s Bistro. Watch an intercollegiate ball game or a fine and performing arts production. Our students, faculty, and staff genuinely like studying and working at Panola College. Just ask them! I look forward to seeing you on campus.

Sincerely,

 

Dr. Gregory S. Powell
President


Board of Trustees

  • William Goolsby, Chair
  • Bobby Phillips, Vice-Chair
  • Richard Thomas, Secretary
  • Kevin Smith
  • Brooke Lipsey
  • Fatha Burchette
  • Mark Roberson

Accreditation

Panola College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award Associate Degrees. Degree-granting institutions also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Panola College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org) 

Vision Statement

Panola College is committed to excellence in instructional programs, student services, service to the community, and leadership in economic development and cultural enrichment of the region.

Mission Statement

Panola College is dedicated to providing excellence in education. The range of educational offerings includes university transfer programs, workforce programs, instruction designed to increase academic proficiencies, and continuing education to enrich lives and improve skills. Our aim is to engage students to achieve success.

History of Panola College

Like many similar institutions, Panola College was founded during the post-World War II period when returning veterans and the G.I. Bill fostered the founding of junior colleges across Texas. Its original name was Panola County Junior College.

Economic conditions in Panola County were favorable because of the recent development of a vast natural gas field. Q. M. Martin, innovative superintendent of schools in Carthage, became the driving force behind the establishment of the college. Organization began in 1947. A thirty-five-acre tract was secured at the western edge of Carthage, the county seat, and registration was first held during a snowstorm on January 19, 1948. Shortly thereafter, opening classes were conducted in a structure pieced together from two buildings obtained from Camp Majors in Greenville at a cost of $205. Moving expenses considerably exceeded the purchase price. The original dormitory was purchased from Camp Fannin in Tyler for $107.50, and a quonset hut served as the first fieldhouse.

In 1948, after voters approved a $400,000 bond, the first permanent structures soon began to be erected on the campus. The first president of Panola County Junior College was B. W. Musgraves (1947-1950). He was succeeded by Floyd Boze (1950-1951), M. P. Baker (1951-1967), Q. M. Martin (1967-1973), Dr. Charles Hays (1973-1974), Arthur Johnson (1974-1981), Dr. Gary McDaniel (1981-1992), Charles Hughes (1992-1993), Dr. William Edmonson (1993-2000), and current President Dr. Gregory S. Powell (2000-present).

The original faculty included President Musgraves and five teachers who taught five demanding class days each week and then met in conference for half a day on Saturdays.

In the spring of 1948, fifty-five charter students enrolled in the initial courses. By the next fall, the student body numbered 185. For several years, enrollment varied and even declined to 116 in 1953. In 1958 the student body exceeded 300, and the college began to grow steadily, especially after the establishment of an occupational-technical center in 1971.

Panola College confers associate degrees in the arts and sciences, associate of applied science degrees, and certificates. Panola College is accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). SACSCOC is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. 

Since 2000 enrollment at Panola College has grown by more than 89 percent. Today, more than 2,700 credit students and 1,400 Workforce and Continuing Education students are enrolled in one of 56 programs of study offered through Panola College.

During the regular meeting of the Panola College Board, the trustees, in a unanimous vote, approved calling for a bond election to be held May 11, 2013. The bond passed with an overwhelming 84 percent of voters’ support.

The College’s original 35-acre campus has expanded to 48 acres through the purchase of property east and contiguous to the original campus.

Completed and ongoing construction and renovation projects include the following:

  • M.P. Baker Library renovation and expansion
  • New student apartments (160 additional beds) constructed
  • Arthur Johnson Gymnasium renovated
  • Roy Monk Building renovated
  • Health and Natural Sciences Building constructed
  • Charles C. Matthews Foundation Student Center constructed
  • Smith Building renovated
  • Frances B. Ross Music Building constructed
  • Added additional parking, lighting, and directional signage
  • Matthews Foundation Energy Building constructed
  • Transportation facility constructed
  • New commercial grade laundromat
  • Sid Baker Turner Memorial Chapel renovated
  • Added artificial turf and stadium seating at Baseball Field
  • Upgraded Rodeo Facilities with new barn and stalls
  • New outdoor classroom
  • New performance pavilion in the Quad
  • Added Frances B. Ross Millennium Clock Tower, water fountain with 1.5 size bronze Pony statue, 15 ton Floating Granite Fountain

Courses Approved By

  • Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), 3390 Peachtree Road, NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30326; 404-975-5000
  • Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)
  • Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education
  • American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
  • Board of Nursing (BON) for the State of Texas
  • Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
  • Department of Veterans Affairs
  • National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS)
  • Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
  • Texas Education Agency
  • Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
  • Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services
  • Texas Workforce Commission

Memberships

  • Association of Community Colleges
  • American Chemical Society
  • American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
  • American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
  • American Library Association
  • American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP)
  • Association for Career and Technical Education
  • Association of Higher Education and Disabilities
  • Community Colleges Chief Student Affairs Administrators
  • Government Financial Officers Association
  • Junior College Student Personnel Association of Texas
  • Instructional Technology Council
  • National Association for the Education of Young Children
  • National Association of Biology Teachers
  • National Association of College Stores
  • National Association of Developmental Education (NADE)
  • National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
  • National College Testing Association
  • National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association
  • National Junior College Athletic Association
  • National League for Nursing (NLN)
  • Phi Theta Kappa International
  • Region XIV Athletic Conference
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
  • Southwest Association of College/University Housing Officers
  • Texas Administrators of Continuing Education
  • Texas Association of College Technical Educators
  • Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers
  • Texas Association of Collegiate Testing Personnel
  • Texas Association of Collegiate Veterans Programs Officials
  • Texas Association of Community College Business Officers
  • Texas Association of Community College Foundations
  • Texas Association of Community College Human Resources Professionals
  • Texas Association of Community College Trustees and Administrators
  • Texas Association of Community Colleges
  • Texas Association of Music Schools
  • Texas Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
  • Texas Association of Vocational Nurse Educators (TAVNE)
  • Texas College Instructional Administrators
  • Texas Community College Teachers Association
  • Texas Council of Academic Libraries
  • Texas Educational Theatre Association
  • Texas Junior College Speech Association
  • Texas Junior College Speech/Theatre Association
  • Texas Intercollegiate Press Association
  • Texas Library Association
  • Texas Music Educators Association
  • Texas Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (TOADN)
  • TexShare Electronic Information Working Group