Message from the President

Our Moment is Now

The COM story is a special story and over the years has come to mean many things to the many people we serve.

Dating back to 1966 when we first opened our doors, the COM story has been a story of community as our college has served as an integral backbone for preparing a skilled Gulf Coast workforce that supports our region through our steady supply of qualified, skilled workers who fill critical industry needs. From health care and public service to petrochemical and engineering, our long legacy of meeting our area’s education and workforce training demands fuels the economic strength of the thriving industries throughout our region.

The COM story is a story of service when our Police Academy program launched in 1969 at the behest of Texas City Police Chief Rankin Dewalt. Since then, nearly 1,800 cadets have graduated from the program ready to serve, protect and make the communities around us a safer place to live and work.

It is a story of innovation when 55 students walked into a College of the Mainland classroom and made history in 1994 as the first class to work toward an Associate of Applied Science degree in Process Technology (PTEC). That not only began the first PTEC degree at COM but the first of its kind in the nation.

It too is a story of progress when our community rallied together to overwhelmingly support the historic 2018 bond measure in an effort to maintain pace with the rapid growth of Galveston County. And since the completion of this first phase of COM’s long-range plan, on time and on budget, our campus has undergone a major facelift that allowed for a new trajectory to be established.

While these moments each leave their own unique imprint on COM’s story, together they paint a bigger picture of the renewed spirit of the College of the Mainland learning experience.

But the COM story doesn’t stop here.

As so many of our neighbors have seen the very landscape of our college campus rapidly transform in recent years, I’m often asked, “What’s next for College of the Mainland?” In order to answer that question, I must first ask myself, what’s now?

Now, there is tremendous regional growth, local industry demand for skilled workers and an increased interest among individuals looking to pursue continuing education and training.

Now, our community stands strong as an economic engine for the booming Gulf Coast region which has seen an expansion in maritime operations and hospitality as well as aerospace/aviation, health care and logistics.

Now, our college is experiencing continued enrollment growth as our classrooms and aging facilities fill to capacity with students eager to transform their lives through top-tier learning experiences.

Now, we’re living in an environment rife with a heightened sense of urgency to ensure that physical security measures exist and that our community feels safe.

Now, many of our neighbors are still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic and looking to College of the Mainland as a much-needed beacon of hope for job recovery.

Now, we have a steady stream of momentum, as countless industry partners are regularly approaching our college with the need for skilled workers, creating endless opportunities to develop new programs and attract new students.

Simply put, now is our moment – a moment for us to boldly transform our community to the next level and ensure that we continue to meet the growing needs of our students and community, now and for years to come.

Looking back at these past 57 years, our college has experienced a rapid period of massive transformation as we have remained committed to offering dynamic learning and training opportunities that are attractive and responsive to local industry and workforce needs. During this time, our community has grown to trust that the College of the Mainland learning experience is forward-thinking and prepares our students with the knowledge and skills needed to fulfill the jobs of tomorrow.

Looking forward to the next six decades and beyond, we know that there is much more work to be done. But I can assure you that by providing a high-quality and innovative educational experience, our college community will be better, stronger and ready to reach limitless potential.

So, as we ponder what’s in this next chapter of the College of the Mainland story, there may still be many unknowns, but one thing is for sure. Our moment is now!

 
Sincerely, 

 
Dr. Warren Nichols 
President, College of the Mainland