This is a brief summation of the major events at Paris Junior College over the 20-year presidency of Dr. Pamela Anglin, and was created as part of the search for her replacement.

PJC Programs and Significant Initiatives

Published or Revised December 13, 2023

Dr. Pamela Anglin started at Paris Junior College in August, 2003 and soon instituted a building fund to provide the college with resources to address infrastructure and emergency repairs and replacements.

In 2005, the college began offering a radiology technology program. In what was to be a continued pattern of partnerships, PJC joined with Collin College, Grayson College, North Central Texas College, Northeast Texas Community College, and Texarkana College to form the Northeast Texas Workforce Consortium for Health Care Professionals to help bridge the gap between demand and supply of allied health faculty and health care professionals.

Future growth in Greenville and Sulphur Springs was addressed in 2006 when PJC purchased 172 acres of land west of Greenville High School to build a new campus, and 46 acres of land in Sulphur Springs for a new campus. An architectural firm updated the PJC master plan and designed the first new building to be constructed in Greenville.

In 2007, PJC was named an Achieving the Dream College, setting the institution on a course of institutional improvement using current and effective data to drive decision-making and program evaluations, as well as documenting student progress and completion rates. Ground was broken on the new PJC-Greenville Center and a new interactive video classroom was built with a grant from the Northeast Texas Consortium of Colleges and Universities to promote distance learning.

2008 saw the grand opening of the PJC-Greenville Center, the introduction of a new Emergency Medical Services program, and record-setting enrollment. PJC also joined Northeast Texas Community College and Texarkana College in the Regional Advanced Manufacturing Academy, serving 14 industries with customized job training.

PJC created airframe and powerplant preparatory courses in Greenville at the PJC Aviation Training Center in 2009. A new mandatory success course was instituted to help students successfully complete their courses and graduate. A new residence hall was begun, to house 60 students. PJC experienced a 17.98% growth in enrollment.

In 2010 the College authorized the design the new Science and Technology Center to continue with the facility master plan for all three campuses, held a ribbon cutting for the first phase of the South Campus Residence Hall, and approved the second phase of the project. PJC ended the year named as one of the top 50 fastest growing two-year colleges in the United States, for an 18% growth rate.

In 2011, a ground-breaking ceremony was held for the new Math and Science Building and the South Campus Residence Hall was fully opened. PJC presented at the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development on how participation in Achieving the Dream had boosted fall to spring retention rate from 70 to 82 percent. The Texas Association of Business honored PJC for raising the level of student achievement and taking steps to ensure that more students stuck with their education and earned a degree or certificate.

PJC was again named a top 50 fastest growing college nationally in 2012. The former Aerofit building was purchased to provide additional opportunities in physical education, continuing education, and community courses.

In 2013 the College added certificate programs in Enhanced Nurse Aide and Electrician, and held a grand opening for the new 42,000-square-foot Math and Science Building. The south side of the Administration Building was renovated to create the Frank Grimes Center. An open house was held in the updated electromechanical training facility, showcasing $350,000 in new training equipment. The College launched an Annual Fund Campaign to increase support for students and meet the College's long-term needs, and held a Day of Service with faculty, staff, and student volunteers painting all of Noyes Stadium. Due to increased enrollment, the College added a fall graduation ceremony.

A plumbing certificate program was created in 2014 and the PJC Memorial Fund increased their scholarship allotment so PJC had $1 million in scholarships available. PJC also became the only community college in the state to have an articulation agreement with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston through the biomedical sciences program. PJC launched the first 3-D printing program at a Texas community college with a state grant, including it as a certificate in the Computer Aided Design/Drafting program. PJC also developed the Mathways Project, recognizing that college algebra is not needed for all degrees and that is prevents many students from completing their degrees, so alternative math courses were pursued.

In 2015, PJC was named a Leader College by Achieving the Dream - a national designation awarded to community colleges that commit to improving student success and closing achievement gaps. PJC has shown how data can inform policy and practice to help community college students achieve their goals, resulting in improved skills, better employability, and economic growth for families, communities, and the nation. PJC was also one of 30 colleges chosen to participate in the Pathways Project led by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).

In 2015, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center articulation agreement was formalized for five separate programs: clinical laboratory science, cytogenetic technology, cytotechnology, histotechnology, and molecular genetic technology. The College also began giving scholarships for one free summer class to all service area graduating high school seniors. A new location was purchased for the PJC-Sulphur Springs Center, and a new welding shop was constructed. A state-of-the-art renovation for PJC's Texas Institute of Jewelry Technology was also completed.

After an annexation campaign in the five-county services area, in 2016 the taxing base of PJC expanded to include all of Lamar County. The new PJC-Sulphur Springs Center officially opened. PJC presented the Mathways program at a national Pathways Institute in Washington DC, showing other colleges how to remove barriers to student completion. PJC also presented the College's work on the Guided Pathways Project at the national Board of Trustees Institute. The College paid off a 2009 $3.4 million loan for the South Campus Residence Hall. PJC joined the TC3 Consortium with Kilgore College, Northeast Texas Community College, and Texarkana College to receive state funding to purchase a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) software at consortium pricing. PJC was chosen for a free Country Music Television concert headlined by Morgan Myles and preceded by a Resource Fair showcasing workforce technology programs and admissions and financial aid resources.

2017 saw promise programs created for Lamar and Red River County students with the fall semester. PJC's 2016 partnership with Country Music Television’s Empowering Education program was featured at a workshop on innovative partnerships at the American Association of Community College’s Workforce Development Institute (WDI).

PJC received the Overall Exemplar Award at the 2018 Math Pathways Awards during the Texas Pathways Institute in Dallas. PJC also began developing and implementing co-requisite developmental and college level math courses, which are shown to improve student success. The College approved transition of the Surgical Technology certificate to an associate of applied science degree effective 2021 to satisfy accreditation requirements. To offer shorter-term credentials, PJC also created a one-semester Emergency Medical Technician Basic Certificate, and created three stepped certificates to complete the Enhanced Nurse Aide program. PJC's graduation rate increased from 20% in 2012 to 32% in 2018, the second highest community college rate in the state that year.

Three new credentials were approved in 2019, an Associate of Applied Science in Cybersecurity, an Associate of Science in Sport and Recreation Management, and a Public Health option on the Associate of Science in Kinesiology. The Student Center received a major renovation, including window replacements. PJC received a 2019 Texas Pathways Award.

PJC dealt with COVID in 2020, and responded with virtual plays, recitals, and graduations and a temporary switch to mostly online classes except for workforce programs requiring hands-on training. PJC was named second in Texas by the Community College Review for the least amount of debt accrued by students while in college. A five-year plan to begin a Diagnostic Medical Sonography program was approved.

In early 2021, PJC nursing students pitched in to help the county health department give thousands of COVID vaccinations, this led to PJC receiving the Gerald Bawcum Award for Community Service from the St. Joseph's Community Foundation.

In 2022, PJC was selected to participate in Caring Campus hosted by the Institute for Evidenced Based Change. PJC Cares has been implemented by the faculty and staff is following the faculty lead in preparing for implement of PJC throughout the support staff.

Major HVAC installations/renovations happened in 2022, with new equipment installed at the Workforce Training Center and a complete renovation of the Administration Building (which led to the building's closure into 2023 as ceilings were dropped). Major renovations required to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act were approved in several locations across the Paris campus. Five years in on Pathways, PJC has shortened the time to graduate and the hours needed to complete a degree. The first students in the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program started classes. Dr. Anglin received the 2021 Carol A. Luthman Meritorious Service Award from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Another major initiative was converting many 16-week classes to 8-week terms to increase student success.

In 2023, PJC was chosen to participate in Talent Strong Texas Pathways, a $16 million five-year statewide economic mobility grant administered by the Texas Success Center designed to increase the number of credentialed Texans prepared for high-demand careers that offer a living wage. Newly approved was an Aviation Maintenance Technology - Airframe Mechanic, with Level 1 and 2 Certificates and an Associate of Applied Science. PJC was named as one of the 150 institutions eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation's signature recognition of high achievement and performance among two-year colleges, in 2025.

PJC held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new 23,000-square-foot training facility at the PJC-Greenville Center. The College also received the 2023 “Exemplar” ROSE award in Recognition of Scaling Excellence from the Texas Success Center - PJC is the first community college in the state to have achieved the goal of reaching scale in the essential practices across all four pillars of the Texas Pathways strategy.

PJC has strong financial reserves and has no financial stress indicators as determined by the THECB Annual Community College Financial Condition Report.