Community College Highlight: Lamar Community College

Date: 3/28/2022

By Cait Fitzpatrick

Lamar Community College

Lamar Community College (LCC) is situated in eastern Colorado in a small, rural town known as Lamar. LCC was founded in 1937 and is currently the smallest member of the Colorado Community College System. Although small in size, it is mighty in its impact on eastern Colorado, the citizens of Lamar and many other surrounding areas such as Southern Wyoming. It was originally founded as the Junior College of Southeastern Colorado on 115 acres of land just off Highway 287. Several resources explain that the junior college was originally founded with the mission to help impoverished residents living in rural Colorado receive an education despite difficult circumstances such as the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.

The original building is still intact and sits at the corner of Eighth Street and Walnut. In 1965, the junior college shifted to “Lamar Community College.” It’s large campus boasts many instructional buildings and facilities, a Wellness Center, an Equine Complex and several residence halls, which can be rare for community colleges in the United States. In 2008, LCC was given nearly $2million by the US Department of Higher Education to initiate three new programs in the STEM fields, as well as investments in Construction, Renewable Energy, Secondary Education and Sports and Fitness Management. The funds helped secure decades of successful, small classroom learning for it’s students. 

Because of its location in the state of Colorado, LCC attracts many students interested in studying agriculture and equine studies as well as other niche trades such as Nursing and Cosmetology. LCC works closely with other major institutions such as Colorado State University, also well known for their programs in agriculture technology. Lamar Community College may be small, with a population of roughly 800 students, but it’s mission is rooted in student support and therefore delivers a powerful message that college should be accessible to all.