College Overview

San Antonio College was established as University Junior College in September 1925, under the auspices of the University of Texas. The following year, control of the College was transferred to the San Antonio Independent School District and the name was changed to San Antonio Junior College. Following passage of state legislation authorizing junior college districts, the San Antonio Union Junior College District was formed in 1945 and in 1946 assumed control of San Antonio College and its sister college, St. Philip’s Junior College. In 1948, San Antonio Junior College’s name was changed to San Antonio College, and in 1951, the College was moved to its  present location on San Pedro Avenue. Five hundred students were enrolled at that time. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools granted accreditation to the college in 1955.

In the late 1960s, San Antonio College became a comprehensive community college by expanding offerings in occupational and technical courses and by assuming the San Antonio Independent School District’s Continuing Education Program. The name of the College District was changed to San Antonio Community College District in 1978 and in 1982 the District was renamed the Alamo Community College District.

In support of the mission of the Alamo Colleges, San Antonio College responds to Bexar County’s diverse community by providing high quality general education, liberal arts and sciences, career education, continuing education, and developmental education. The college has an average semester enrollment of 22,000 credit students and an average annual enrollment of 16,000 other-than-credit students. San Antonio College is the largest single-campus community college in Texas and one of the largest in the United States.

• Integrity
• Communication
• Community
• Academic Freedom
• Accountability
• Shared Governance

San Antonio College will be nationally recognized for student success and best practices.

San Antonio College is a public community college which provides for and supports the educational and lifelong learning needs of a multicultural community.  As a leader in education, San Antonio College is committed to excellence in helping students reach their full potential, with an emphasis on completion, by developing their academic competencies, critical thinking skills, communication proficiency, civic responsibility and global awareness.

San Antonio College fulfills its mission by offering the following:

• Transfer education designed to provide students with the first two years of the baccalaureate degree.
• General education courses in the liberal arts and sciences to support all college degree programs.
• Career preparation provided through a wide range of programs to prepare students for immediate employment.
• Developmental studies for students needing to bring their basic skills to a level appropriate for college work.
• Continuing education to offer a variety of training, licensure, and professional programs.
• Academic support services that include a comprehensive learning resource center and basic skills activities that complement instruction.
• Student support services to provide assessment, advising, counseling, tutoring, financial assistance, and social and cultural activities for all students, including those with special needs.
• Promotion of cross-cultural understanding and appreciation through instructional and social activities that contribute to cultural awareness and interaction.
• Involvement of business, industry, and professional groups in planning and revising educational programs to meet workforce needs.
• An environment conducive to learning through an attractive physical campus and wellness-oriented programs and services.
• Continuous assessment of programs and services and the utilization of results for improvement.
• And, operation of the college within available fiscal resources to provide accountability to taxpayers of the Alamo Colleges.

San Antonio College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award associate degrees.

The college is also an active member of the American Association of Community Colleges, the Community College Consortium, Association of Texas Colleges and Universities, the National League for Nursing, the Southern Association of Junior Colleges, the Texas Junior College Association, the Texas Public Community and Junior College Association, Texas Educational Theatre Association, and the Texas Association of Music Schools.

The Department of Nursing Education is accredited by the Board of Nursing (BON) for the state of Texas (333 Guadalupe #3-460, Austin, TX 78701, phone: 512-305-7400, fax: 512-305-7401, email: webmaster@bon.texas.gov) and the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC, 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326, phone: 404-975-5000, fax: 404-975-5020, email:  nlnac@nlnac.org).

The Mortuary Science Department is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), 3432 Ashland Ave, Suite G, St. Joseph, MO 64506, phone: 816-233-3747, fax: 816-233-3793.

The Dental Assisting Program is accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation.

The San Antonio College Medical Assisting Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) — located at 1361 Park St.; Clearwater, Florida 33756; phone number: (727) 210-2350 — on recommendation of the American Association of Medical Assistants Endowment (AAMAE). Students who graduate from the Medical Assisting Program, with the exception of the medical office administrative assistant curriculum, qualify for the certification examination conducted by the AAMAE for the certified medical assistant credential.

Students who wish to view the school’s accreditation and licensing bodies documentation, may inquire at the Learning Resource Center Reserve Desk in the Moody Learning Center.

• College Council
• Adjunct Faculty Council
• Student Affairs Council
• Chairs Council
• Student Government
• Faculty Senate
• Staff Council

   Laura I. Rendón

Laura I. Rendón, Ph.D., is San Antonio College’s Outstanding Former Student for 2011-2012.

Dr. Rendón is a scholar with a national reputation for her work on first-generation, low-income students. In 1968 she received an Associate degree from San Antonio College. After graduating from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Journalism, Dr. Rendón taught 8th grade for five years in Laredo. She studied at Texas A&M-Kingsville (then Texas A&I) where she received a Master of Arts in Guidance and Counseling and Psychology.

In 1982 she earned her doctorate in Higher Education Administration at the University of Michigan.

Currently a professor with the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies at the University of Texas-San Antonio, Dr. Rendón is also co-director for the Center for Research and Policy in Education. She is the author or co-author of many academic papers, articles, books, research publications and presentations.

In addition, Dr. Rendón has served on numerous nationally recognized panels and boards for higher education. In 2009 she published “Sentipensante (Sensing/Thinking) Pedagogy: Educating for Wholeness, Social Justice and Liberation.” The book has been called “an inspirational and holistic approach to teaching.”

“I think I am most proud of the whole notion that all of my academic work has been to help students who are growing up just like me, with hopes and dreams but not knowing exactly how to realize them,” Dr. Rendón says.

A native of Laredo, she was the middle daughter in her family and the first to attend college. Before transferring to SAC, Dr. Rendón attended Laredo Junior College.

“I left Laredo for SAC because I had run out of courses to take at LJC. I just wanted to continue, I didn’t want to stop out of college. I wanted to keep going but at the same time I wasn’t ready to transfer,” she said.

In 2010 Dr. Rendón returned to San Antonio as a visiting scholar for UTSA. Today her position allows her to emphasize three things she says are “near and dear to my heart… access to college, retention and graduation.” She is active with Café College and is gathering data for the Lumina Foundation College Completion Agenda.

“Students are still finding it difficult to move from a community college to a four-year institution. The fact that I was able to do that in 1968 was an exceptional event. Most students come into college and don’t make it through,” Dr. Rendón said.

“We need to increase the pool of students from community college to four-year institutions, especially for many Hispanic students who actually view community college as the first point of entry into higher education.”