Ranger College

Ranger College, in Ranger, was organized in August 1925 under the name Ranger Junior College. On September 13, 1926, classes began for the thirty students who had enrolled. The school was governed by the board of trustees of the Ranger Independent School District until August 1950, when the board voted to make the college a separate unit. G. C. Boswell was selected president. Theodore Nicksick, Jr., became president in June 1959. That year the college had twelve permanent buildings, including administration, classroom, science, fine arts, and business buildings, as well as a gymnasium, a library, a cafeteria, and a student union. Two dormitories were provided for men and two for women. The Paramount Hotel, owned by the college, served as an auxiliary dormitory in downtown Ranger, and apartments were provided for married students in this facility. In 1969 the library had 13,000 volumes, and a music library housed over 100 volumes. By 1973 the school had expanded its offerings beyond traditional courses designed for transfer to senior colleges to include vocational and technical training. The curriculum was organized into five divisions: fine arts, natural science, social science, humanities, and practical arts. Courses of instruction prepared students for further study in senior colleges or entry into business or other vocational fields. A terminal two-year program in business was also given. Student enrollment numbered 595 for the fall 1974 term, when Jack Elsom served as president. In 2001 Joe Mills was president of the school. The main campus is located on a fifty-acre site. The college maintains several off-campus instruction facilities in neighboring towns. In the fall of 1998 the enrollment was 827.