A RICH HISTORY OF SERVING THE COMMUNITY

Fifty years ago, forward-thinking citizens came together with the vision of creating a college for their community. People like John A. Winship, W.W. Thorne and Joe Airola laid the ground work for what was to become Lone Star College. Starting with 613 students in 1972 to welcoming more than 80,000 students today, the Lone Star College story of growth, focus on student success and looking toward the future is a testament to those who made this school into one of the elite community colleges in the nation.

The early 1970s was an exciting time for Houston. The city was booming and construction of what is now George Bush Intercontinental Airport played a pivotal role in the growth north of Houston. That growth spurred the need to develop a community college and voters in Aldine Independent School District, Spring ISD and Humble ISD agreed. Thus, the North Harris County Junior College District was born.

Architectural plans for the new college, then known as North Harris County College, were drawn and construction began on what became the flagship campus for Lone Star College offering both academic and workforce programs.

North Harris Community College Under Construction

Thanks to the early success of the college, five more independent school districts in New Caney, Tomball, Conroe, Splendora and Willis joined the college district, helping it reach even more students and leading to what would become LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Tomball and LSC-Montgomery.

This new multi-campus system allowed the college to provide access to more students looking to further their education close to home. With these additions, the college system name was updated to North Harris Montgomery Community College District to better reflect the communities it served.

As Houston welcomed in the 21st century, residents welcomed LSC-CyFair in 2003 and the North Harris County College District, which began in 1972, was renamed and became the Lone Star College System in fall 2008.

Lone Star College Logo - 2008

Lone Star College Logo - 2008

In 2009, LSC purchased the former world headquarters of Compaq Computer Corp. to create LSC-University Park, which opened its doors in 2010 making it the second largest office space transaction of the year in the United States.

LSC Honors Students

LSC-Houston North Victory

LSC-Online Student

Now that the Lone Star College System was established, it was time to ensure students had access to programs that could elevate their education. Several student success initiatives were developed including the building of world-class workforce programs, the creation of the Lone Star College Honors College, launching LSC-Houston North to address an underserved area of Houston and the addition of bachelor’s degrees for students looking to advance their education.

In July 1994, Lone Star College partnered with Aldine ISD to offer Dual Credit courses to high school students. Forty students took part in the inaugural class and today more than 20,000 students take advantage of getting an early start on college each year.

LSC continues to redefine the community college experience, helping students to make the college their first choice when it comes to higher education. LSC recently launched its eighth campus, LSC-Online, which is dedicated to supporting students who are taking classes fully online.

Not just an innovator in the classroom, Lone Star College is also recognized as a leader in higher education, having been named a “Great College To Work For” by the Chronicle for Higher Education eight times and five years in a row.

The story of Lone Star College is one of leaders in the community who possessed extraordinary vision and dedication that lives to this day. Throughout the past 50 years, the college has witnessed remarkable growth, both in enrollment and student success. Since 1972, Lone Star College has helped more than 2 million students earn nearly 29 million credit hours. Lone Star College is proud of the work done by faculty and staff who continue to strive toward making sure LSC continues to offer world-class education one student at time.