2015-2016 General Catalog 
    
    Nov 09, 2024  
2015-2016 General Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

About the College


South Plains College is a comprehensive, two-year community college that offers academic transfer options and college-level technical education programs.

South Plains College serves the greater South Plains area of Texas with innovative educational programs that span the arts and sciences, technical education, continuing education and workforce development. The college’s main campus is located in Levelland. SPC maintains two extension centers in Lubbock that are located at the Reese Technology Center and Byron Martin Advanced Technology Center. The northern tier of the college’s service area is served by an extension center in Plainview. The college’s educational program includes academic transfer courses that parallel university programs for students who plan to earn a bachelor’s degree. SPC also maintains a diverse offering of one and two-year technical programs for students who want to develop specific job skills and then enter the world of work.

Through its Arts and Sciences Division, the college offers students 47 academic transfer options which lead to the Associate of Arts, Associate of Science or Associate of Arts in Teaching degrees. Transfer guides can be found in fine arts, the sciences, social sciences, behavioral sciences, communications, languages, mathematics, engineering, business administration and physical education. Students who attend SPC complete their freshman and sophomore-level course work and then transfer to a university to complete the remaining years of a baccalaureate program. The college’s faculty advisor system helps students plan for successful transfer.

In the Health Occupations Division and Technical Education Division, the college offers another 83 programs that lead to the Associate of Applied Science degree, Associate of Applied Arts degree or a Certificate of Proficiency. Students enrolled in these programs receive first-class training in a variety of career and technical areas, including allied health, nursing, business administration, the creative arts, computer information and electronics technology, industrial technology, and professional services and energy. All technical programs are continually updated with the help of advisory committees composed of representatives from the medical community, education, the professional community, business and industry. In this way, SPC can assure students are receiving career and technical training that is in tune with the region’s workforce needs.

South Plains College also provides short-term training and workforce development programs in a variety of formats that help individuals gain marketable skills for immediate employment or that help them upgrade existing skills to meet emerging job technologies. Through its Division of Continuing Education and Workforce Development, the college is an active participant in the area’s economic development efforts.

SPC takes great pride in its teaching faculty and its teaching facilities. Instructors are highly qualified in their respective areas of study. But more importantly, they are associated with SPC because they want to teach. The college’s instructional facilities are also excellent. Students learn in modern, comfortable classrooms and labs that house some of the most current instructional equipment available. Hands-on training and teaching concepts are an integral part of the educational philosophy. Additionally, there is a commitment to introducing students to advanced technologies and computer applications in all areas.

Nearly 10,000 students take advantage of the educational offerings available at SPC each semester, and nearly half of all SPC students are the first in their families to attend college. An additional 5,500 students enroll in non-credit continuing education or workforce development programs each year.

South Plains College’s accessibility, its excellent facilities and its qualified, friendly teachers are what bring about student success. Personal attention in and out of the classroom is a way of life at SPC.

Campuses and Centers

 SPC Levelland Campus

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South Plains College’s main campus is located in Levelland, Texas, 25 miles due west of Lubbock. Established in 1957 by the residents of Hockley County, South Plains College offers its students a diverse educational program. The program of study on the Levelland Campus spans freshman and sophomore studies for students who plan to earn a bachelor’s degree. These classes, offered through the Arts and Sciences Division, parallel those offered by universities and are fully transferable to these schools. First-class technical programs are also available to students who want to obtain specific job skills in one or two years of college and then go right to work in a good paying job.

SPC is recognized as one of the most modern and complete community colleges in Texas. The Levelland Campus encompasses 42 buildings on a 177-acre campus. Attractively landscaped and maintained, the campus features a contemporary architectural design that enhances an excellent learning environment.

What sets SPC apart from other schools its size are first rate classroom and laboratory facilities that are specifically designed for each teaching area. SPC students have access to some of the most sophisticated and up-to-date educational and training equipment available. Computer technologies can be found in every instructional area.

Nearly 5,000 students enroll for classes each fall on the Levelland Campus. SPC’s student body is diverse in its makeup and character. Geographically, about 94 percent of these students come from within a 100-mile radius of Levelland and Lubbock. Being close to family and jobs at home are important to the majority of SPC students who commute to classes. Even with SPC’s regional makeup, almost all 50 states and a number of foreign countries are represented.

The age of SPC students is also wide ranging. About three-quarters of all SPC students are traditional college-age. The average age of the student body on the Levelland Campus is 22 years.

SPC teachers are dedicated professionals who first and foremost love to teach and who believe in the community college concept. Faculty members are highly qualified in their fields of study and exhibit a wealth of educational experience they are willing to share with you. An average class size of 30 students assures that you receive a personal education. Faculty members work closely with you to help you gain your academic or technical goals.

A professional advising staff can help you set your educational goals. If you are undecided about a college major, SPC advisors can help you determine what you like to do and where your talents lie. They are available, along with faculty advisors, to help you plan your college career. 

SPC maintains residence halls for men and women on its Levelland Campus. The residence hall program offers comfortable and economical housing and dining facilities for students who want to live on campus. The college maintains nine residence halls plus the Smallwood Apartment Complex, housing 278 men and 392 women. The college’s newest residence hall, Tubb Hall, opened in 2012 and houses 104 students.

Student activities, student organizations, intercollegiate athletics, recreational activities and rich college traditions give the Levelland Campus a resident-college flavor.

To View the Levelland Campus Map Click Here  

 SPC Reese Center

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An extension center of South Plains College, the SPC Reese Center offers a wide range of programs and courses designed to provide academic transfer, technical education, adult and continuing education, workforce development and other specialized training programs in cooperation with the universities, business, industry and the professional medical community of the South Plains area of West Texas.

South Plains College has been providing educational programs in the immediate Lubbock area since 1970 when it first began offering courses at the former Reese Air Force Base. Located off West 4th Street and Research Blvd., the SPC Reese Center offers freshman and sophomore-level college-credit courses in both academic transfer, selected technical programs and workforce development non-credit courses. While a variety of classes are offered during the day, the center maintains an extensive evening class program. This schedule allows Lubbock area students greater flexibility and convenience in taking college courses at night.

The college’s facilities at the Reese Center include seven buildings, including six classroom buildings, SPC Buildings 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8. The college maintains administrative and student services offices in SPC Building 8 at 819 Gilbert Drive. Registration takes place in this facility.

The campus enrolls more than 3,500 students each semester in its associate degree and certificate programs. Students, for the most part, are residents of Lubbock or surrounding communities. Many are older adults entering college for the first time to gain marketable job skills.

The 16 technical programs offered at the SPC Reese Center are designed to prepare students for employment in a specific occupation through a prescribed course of study. The college offers technical programs in health occupations, business administration and industrial technology areas. These programs consist of college-level, semester credit hour courses and award either an Associate of Applied Science degree or a Certificate of Proficiency. The programs have been developed by South Plains College faculty members in direct consultation with advisory committees made up of individuals from education, business and industry.

The Center for Clinical Excellence, a state-of-the-art health occupations simulation facility, is housed in SPC Building 1. The Center houses four simulation suites with equipment furnished by area hospitals. The suites are home to patient simulators which mimic human responses to illness and the treatment received.

Adult and continuing education programs are available to satisfy the professional and personal interests of area residents. Specialized training programs are offered to business and industry as workforce development needs arise in Lubbock and the South Plains area.

South Plains College is committed to assuring student success in college programs through a broad spectrum of support services which include career counseling, testing and skills assessment, computer-aided learning laboratories, and tutoring in basic skills and specific courses. The college also provides special services for persons with disabilities, workforce literacy courses, developmental and remedial programs, library and research services, veteran services and job placement services.

Click Here To View the SPC Reese Center Map  

Byron Martin Advanced Technology Center

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The Byron Martin Advanced Technology Center (BMATC) is a unique educational partnership located at 34th and Avenue Q in Lubbock. Involving South Plains College, the Lubbock Independent School District and a number of community partners, the center is designed to deliver cooperative technical education programs to support the development of a skilled technical workforce for Lubbock and the South Plains region.

At the BMATC, South Plains College offers college-level technical education programs and courses that focus on business administration, computer technology, fire technology, industrial manufacturing and automotive technology. Career guidance, counseling, library and tutoring services support the center’s instructional efforts.

Through an extensive workforce development program, the BMATC also serves the training needs of non-traditional students and workers who need to upgrade job skills or retrain for new jobs. The facility enables South Plains College to collaborate with its educational partners to provide rapid response training to attract new business and industry and customized job training to support and retain existing businesses.

Maintained by the Lubbock Independent School District, the BMATC houses more than 87,000 square feet of instructional space and features high-tech computer classrooms with Internet access, a multimedia tiered conference room, and multimedia instructional support library with access to online services. Additionally, the facility houses 13 instructional classrooms with multimedia capabilities, mill work lab, metals lab, and automotive technology lab. State-of-the-art equipment in all instructional areas provides students with “high-tech, high-touch” instruction and hands-on application of skills.

Many individuals who need certain college classes to advance in their jobs, find these college classes at the Byron Martin Advanced Technology Center useful, convenient and relative to their needs.

SPC Plainview Extension Center

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The South Plains College Plainview Center opened in September 2005 and offers selected technical education programs, academic transfer courses and other workforce development programs. Located at 1920 W. 24th St. in Plainview, Texas, the center is designed to serve the northern tier of the college’s service area through distance education initiatives.

SPC maintains technical programs in cosmetology, vocational nursing and associate degree nursing at the Plainview Center. A variety of college-level general education courses are offered during the daytime and evening hours at the center to accommodate the needs of working adults. The center features interactive two-way video classrooms, computer labs and student services offices. College admissions, financial aid, career counseling, testing and skills assessment services are also provided for students.

Adult and continuing education programs are available to meet the workforce development needs of the Plainview community. SPC is committed to creating greater access to educational programs for rural residents through the Plainview Center.

 

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