Collin College

Campuses

The McKinney Campus (also known as Central Park Campus) opened in 1985. The campus features include a multistory parking garage, library, classrooms, offices, and a student development center. The campus library totals 73500 sqft. In January 2016, Collin College added a 125,000-square-foot state-of-the-art Health Sciences Center named after former Collin College district president Cary A. Israel.[[File:CollinCollegeSC1.jpg|thumb|right|Plano Campus|alt=A photo of Plano Campus, also known Spring Creek Campus]]The Plano Campus (also known as Spring Creek Campus) opened in fall of 1988. By number of students, this campus is the largest and hosts the college district's fine arts and athletics programs. The campus features a 30000 sqft art gallery, theatre center, gymnasium (Cougar Hall), and tennis facilities. In January 2013, the college opened an 88,000-square-foot library building with majestic architecture inspired by Thomas Jefferson's design for the University of Virginia.

The Frisco Campus (also known as Preston Ridge Campus) opened in July 1995. In 2014, thanks to a $2 million gift for scholarships by Roger and Jody Lawler of Frisco,{{Cite web|url=https://www.collin.edu/news/PressReleases/2013-2014/20140224lawlerGift.html|title=Record-Setting Gift At Collin College: Frisco Couple Donates $2 Million For Scholarships

The district administration is located in the Collin Higher Education Center (CHEC) in McKinney. The CHEC hosts – among other things – a number of bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs from five North Texas universities: Texas A&M University-Commerce, Texas Woman's University, the University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Tech University, and the University of North Texas. Offerings vary per university. The center is located at the intersection of the Central Expressway (U.S. Route 75) and Texas State Highway 121.

The Public Safety Training Center (PSTC) in McKinney provides reality-based training for law enforcement and firefighter cadets and active first responders. Training elements include law enforcement and firefighter training areas with simulated retail spaces, office buildings, and living areas for reality-based scenario training, three firearms ranges, specialized gas-fired burn structures, a confined-space rescue simulator, and other training obstacles. The facility, which was built in partnership with the cities of McKinney and Allen, opened in September 2018.

The Technical Campus, located in Allen, opened in the fall of 2020.

The Wylie Campus also opened in the fall of 2020. Designed to support 7,500 students at capacity, the campus's opening allowed for the expansion of the college's veterinary medicine program. The campus was built in cooperation with the city of Wylie, which donated about 44 acres across the street from the city's municipal complex toward the project.

Farmersville Campus opened in March 2021. The first building, a roughly 52,000-square-foot facility, is designed to accommodate 1,250 learners.

Celina Campus opened in the fall of 2021. The first phase of the campus is 96,000 square feet and support up to 2,500 students.

The following is a list of the college district's current and planned campuses.

• Celina Campus
• Collin College Technical Campus (Allen)
• Collin Higher Education Center (McKinney)
• Courtyard Center (Plano)
• Farmersville Campus
• Frisco Campus (Preston Ridge Campus)
• McKinney Campus (Central Park Campus)
• Public Safety Training Center (McKinney)
• Plano Campus (Spring Creek Campus)
• Wylie Campus

2017 bond program and current master plan

The residents of Collin County approved a $600 million bond proposition in May 2017 to fund the college district's master plan. Master plan projects funded by the bond included the Technical Campus, the Wylie Campus, the Public Safety Training Center in McKinney, and safety upgrades to existing campuses. Outstanding projects funded by the bond include planned campuses in Celina and Farmersville, an information technology building at the Frisco Campus, welcome centers at the college's existing campuses, and other upgrades to improve student experiences throughout the district.

Coronavirus deaths

Collin College has been repeatedly criticized for its lack of transparency regarding COVID-19 on campus and risks of in-person classes. College president Matkin overruled faculty concerns about virus protections in June 2020, stating the campus would remain open. In August 2020, he downplayed the virus, stating the national case count is "clearly inflated".

During that Fall 2020 semester, a faculty member, a student and a staff member all died of COVID-19. Iris Meda, a recently retired nurse, had begun teaching nursing assistant classes in August 2020. According to her family, she came in contact with a sick student in October and died in mid-November. The staff were informed of her death as an information item 22 paragraphs deep in an email titled "College Update & Happy Thanksgiving!" A student died of COVID-19 in October 2020, and a food-service employee infection led to the closure of the cafeteria, though faculty only learned about the infections informally. The school's services went virtual after classes ended for the semester on December 14. Services resumed in-person, in January, after the normal holiday break.

Later, in August 2021, dean of nursing Jane Leach also died from COVID-19.

Free speech controversy

On February 17, 2021, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) named Collin College to its 10th annual list of the "10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech: 2021" list. FIRE cited Collin College president Neil Matkin's public condemnation of a tweet sent by history professor Lora Burnett from her personal account that was critical of then Vice President Mike Pence. FIRE also referenced the senior administration's overturning of recommended contract renewals of two faculty members, Audra Heaslip and Suzanne Jones. Both professors had publicly criticized Collin College's handling of COVID-19, and they were members of the Collin College chapter of the Texas Faculty Association, a non-bargaining union disliked by college administration. Collin College declined to renew Lora Burnett's teaching contract for the following year and later settled a lawsuit over her non-renewal for $70,000 and attorney's fees. Jones also sued the university in September 2021.

In January 2022, shortly after settling the lawsuit by Professor Burnett, Collin College fired history professor Michael Phillips following his suggestion that students in his classes consider wearing masks. College administration had previously warned Phillips and other faculty to refrain from recommending students wear masks. Phillips had served for 13 years as a professor at the college. Earlier in the academic year, Collin College had disciplined Professor Phillips for a Twitter post that revealed the college's gag rule banning even the suggestion that students wear masks. According to Professor Phillips, in 2017, President Matkin and other members of the administration admonished him and threatened his job following his campaign to press the city of Dallas to remove its Confederate monuments. but lost the case in court.

Several Collin College employees have claimed that the college requires many employees to sign nondisclosure agreements, an unusual practice in higher education.

On April 24, 2023, the American Association of University Professors issued a report titled "Egregious Violations of Academic Freedom at Collin College." It documents the dismissals of Professors Lora Burnett, Suzanne Jones, and Michael Phillips and concludes that they were " compelled to find that general conditions for academic freedom at Collin College are severely degraded." In addition it placed Collin College on its list of censured institutions. In a statement, the college replied to the report, maintaining that "that tenure and academic freedom are not unqualified privileges that can be extorted by external groups for their own purposes."

Academics

In addition to associate degrees, the college has bachelor's degrees in cybersecurity and nursing established in 2019; this was the first time Collin College made its own bachelor's degrees available. The college had worked with university partners to offer their bachelor's degrees at its Collin Higher Education Center. In 2021–22, the college conferred 26 bachelor's degrees, all of which were in nursing.

Athletics

Collin College's athletic program offers scholarships in men and women's basketball, esports, golf, and tennis, as well as women's volleyball. All teams are known as the Cougars. They compete in the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference in the NJCAA Region 5. Collin College Women's Basketball won NTJCAC conference championships in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2023, and 2024. The team participated in the NJCAA national tournament in 2023 and 2024.

The competition basketball gym and tennis facilities are located on the Plano Campus. Volleyball matches will be held at the Frisco Campus.

Awards

In 2020, the college applied for and was classified among "community engaged" institutions. Collin College was one of three two-year institutions in the nation and one of 119 U.S. colleges and universities to receive the classification; only 11 institutions in Texas were awarded this distinction in 2015 and 2020 combined. That same year, the college was also named a center of excellence in nursing education by the National League for Nursing. The following year, the college's respiratory care program received the Distinguished Registered Respiratory Therapist Credentialing Success Award from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care for the eighth consecutive year. The college was named one of the best higher-education employers in the nation for the second year in a row, according to a survey by The Great Colleges to Work For® program.

Notable faculty

• Levi Bryant – Continental philosopher, influential figure of the Speculative Realism and Object-Oriented Ontology movements.

References

References

1. "Personnel Head Count – Collin College".
2. "District Statistics – Collin College".
3. (September 16, 2019). "Collin College marks highest enrollment in 35-year history {{!}} Community Impact".
4. [https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.175. COLLIN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.]
5. "Central Park Campus". Collin.edu.
6. Luna, Nicole. (January 20, 2016). "Collin College Opens New Cary A Israel Health Sciences Center".
7. (June 23, 2015). "Spring Creek Campus Library Design". Collin.edu.
8. "Collin College – Athletics". Collin.edu.
9. "Collin College – THE ARTS Gallery". Collin.edu.
10. "Gallery Listings".
11. "Collin Theatre Center". Collin College.
12. "Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Education". Collin.edu.
13. "[http://www.collin.edu/chec/maps.html Maps/Visit Us]." ([https://archive.today/20130717215313/http://www.collin.edu/chec/maps.html Archive]) Collin College. Retrieved on July 17, 2013.
14. Ritter, Cassidy. (September 18, 2018). "Collin College opens Public Safety Training Center in McKinney".
15. Ford, Greg. (September 15, 2020). "Collin College celebrates Technical Campus opening".
16. Engbrock, Chad. (September 26, 2020). "Collin College holds Open House for Wylie campus today".
17. (May 24, 2021). "Collin College celebrates opening of Farmersville Campus".
18. (September 20, 2021). "Collin College holds Celina campus ribbon cutting and library dedication". Celina Record.
19. Beattie, Chris. (July 2, 2016). "Collin College to build Wylie campus, centers in Celina, Farmersville". Celina Record.
20. "Celina Campus".
21. "Collin College Technical Campus".
22. "Collin Higher Education Center".
23. "Courtyard Center".
24. "Farmersville Campus".
25. "Frisco Campus".
26. "McKinney Campus".
27. "Public Safety Training Center".
28. "Plano Campus".
29. Mott, Brit. (July 21, 2016). "Collin College to open Wylie Campus in 2020 – Plano Profile Connecting Collin County".
30. "Wylie Campus".
31. Luna, Nicole. (May 7, 2017). "Collin College $600 million bond passes with more than 55 percent of the votes".
32. Zeeble, Bill. (11 November 2020). "Collin College Doesn't Post A COVID-19 Dashboard. Faculty, Students Ask Why.". KERA News.
33. (August 13, 2021). "Collin College Dean Of Nursing Dies From COVID-19 Complications".
34. Zeeble, Bill. (December 9, 2020). "Collin College Ends In-Person Classes Until 2021, Publishes COVID-19 Dashboard". KERA News.
35. Redden, Elizabeth. (August 24, 2020). "College president faces criticism for how he communicated a professor's death from COVID". [[Inside Higher Ed]].
36. Wright, Lawrence. (December 28, 2020). "The Plague Year".
37. Salcedo, Andrea. (November 24, 2020). "A 70-year-old came out of retirement to teach nursing. She died of complications from Covid-19 after a student exposed her.". [[The Washington Post]].
38. Pettit, Emma. (November 24, 2020). "'One of Us': A President's Message Stuns Faculty After Their Colleague Dies of Covid-19". [[The Chronicle of Higher Education]].
39. Tompkins, Lucy. (December 1, 2020). "Retired only a few months, a nurse felt compelled to help. And then the virus hit her.". [[The New York Times]].
40. Zeeble, Bill. (October 29, 2020). "Collin College Student Dies After Contracting COVID-19". KERA News.
41. Zeeble, Bill. (2021-08-13). "Collin College Dean Of Nursing Dies From COVID-19 Complications".
42. FIRE. (February 17, 2021). "10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech: 2021".
43. Vasquez, Michael. (April 13, 2021). "'That Man Makes Me Crazy': How one president shattered norms, played down Covid-19, and sent his critics packing.".
44. Richman, Talia. (January 25, 2022). "Former Collin College professor who claimed retaliation over tweets resolves lawsuit with school.".
45. "USCourts : Case 4:21-cv-00733 Document 1 Filed 09/22/21".
46. (January 31, 2022). "Days After Settling a Lawsuit, a Texas College Ousts Another Outspoken Professor".
47. (March 30, 2021). "At Collin College, a Collision Over Free Speech". [[D Magazine]].
48. (March 8, 2022). "LAWSUIT: A history professor advocated for removing Confederate statues. Then his college fired him.". [[Foundation for Individual Rights in Education]].
49. McGee, Kate. (November 14, 2023). "Jury rules against Texas professor who claimed suburban community college retaliated against him for political speech". [[The Texas Tribune]].
50. (November 9, 2021). "Amid controversies over COVID-19 and fired professors, some blame Collin College's president". Texas Standard.
51. (2023-04-21). "Egregious Violations of Academic Freedom at Collin College".
52. Quinn, Ryan. "AAUP Censures Emporia State, Collin".
53. "AAUP Condemns Collin College on Academic Freedom". Inside Higher Ed.
54. Panicker, Jobin. (June 20, 2019). "Collin College to offer four-year bachelor's degree programs". [[WFAA]].
55. "NJCAA Region 5".
56. (April 4, 2024). "Women’s Basketball closes out post-season run".
57. (February 10, 2020). "Collin College Honored with 2020 Community Engagement Classification From Carnegie Foundation".
58. "NLN Announces 2020 Centers of Excellence (COE) in Nursing Education".
59. "CoARC – Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care – Awards and Scholarships".
60. (September 14, 2020). "Collin College Named a '2020 Great College to Work For'".