Horizons 2026 Message From the President
At College of the Mainland (COM), we believe education is more than a credential or a degree.
Partnerships
Aspen Institute Presidents & Trustees Collaborative Alongside our University Transfer Partnerships with colleges like Texas Woman’s University, University of Houston and University of Houston-Downtown, College of the Mainland (COM) is proud to partner with educational collaboratives and industry leaders to support student success. COM President Dr. Helen Brewer and the COM Board of Trustees have
Faculty Spotlight: Dalel Serda
Dalel Serda became a professor of English at College of the Mainland (COM) in Spring 2010. With a background that blends strategic communication and creative expression, she earned her Bachelor of Science in advertising from the University of Texas in 2001 and later completed her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at the University
Faculty Spotlight: Bernie Smiley
For more than two decades, College of the Mainland (COM) professor Bernie Smiley has been a familiar face and an influential force in the lives of COM students. This year the community recognized his impact once again. Smiley earned second place in The Daily News Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Professor, marking his second consecutive appearance among
Student Spotlights
College of the Mainland has a long history of student success stories. This year, we’re spotlighting some accomplished graduates and current students to celebrate. Mario Garza Spring 2025 COM Graduate COM alumnus Mario Garza arrived at College of the Mainland as a driven student eager to move forward, but without a clear sense of direction.
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
COM BOND 2023
Meeting the Education and Workforce Training Demands in our Community The COM Bond 2023 is Phase 2 of the COMPASS 2025 Master Plan created to propel our communitiesforward. Aimed at meeting the booming regional demand for higher education and workforce training, wewill continue to create better jobs, reduce crime and ensure prosperity for decades to
Thank You!
Since the passage of College of the Mainland’s historic $162.5 million general obligation bond in 2018, our college campus has undergone a major facelift that has ushered in a number of new and upgraded learning spaces to better serve the growing needs of our students and community. The new buildings, improved technologies and expanded instructional
Deandre’ Knoxson: A Community’s Investment Breathes Life into A Rising Leader
Back in 2012, DeAndre’ Knoxson was a bright-eyed College of the Mainland student who could regularly be found seated in a Process Technology (PTEC) classroom, eager to learn and ready to make the community around him a better place. Now, you’ll find him in a seat of a different kind – at the dais of
COM Professor Makes an Impact in the Classroom and in the Community
Not many college professors choose to volunteer their time to the community by moonlighting as firefighters. Then again, San Leon Fire Captain and COM Communications Theory Professor Dr. R.E. Davis is far from your average professor. “People are calling 911 when they are having one of their worst days of their lives,” he said. “So