Timeline of the First 50 Years Page ContentBrowse by decade 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s1960s1960The only public higher education institutions inside Dallas County lines are UT Southwestern Medical Center and Texas Women's University College of Nursing.Private four-year universities, such as Southern Methodist University and Bishop College, boast modest numbers because matriculation costs are too high for the majority of Dallas residents.1964 Mayor J. Erik Jonsson outlines his “Goals for Dallas.” Goal Five calls for the development of an outstanding junior college system.1965On March 1, the Dallas County Junior College (DCJC) Steering Committee, chaired by R. L. Thornton Jr., produces a petition for Dallas County residents to sign and calls for a referendum and bond issue vote. Businessman and civic leader John Stemmons donates $100,000 to run the petition drive. In the end, more than 50,000 citizens sign the petition to call an election. The Dallas County Junior College District (DCJCD) is approved for creation by the Texas Coordinating Board of Higher Education on April 3.The citizens of Dallas County vote May 25 to establish a junior college district.The Board of Trustees meets and approves a district seal June 16.Bill J. Priest is hired as president and CEO of the DCJCD on Aug.4.1966In April, the Sanger Bros. Department Store building on Main Street is purchased for $2,165,036. An estimated 40,000 people attend the open house and dedication of the first Dallas County Junior College. The Sanger Bros. Department Store building(now El Centro College) from the northwest corner of Elm and Market streets.On May 3, the Board of Trustees considers possible names for the first DCCCD college. Suggestions include Crossroads, Coronado, Cibola, Nimitz, Tejas and Trinity. A few minutes before the vote, Hattie Bell Hoffman, executive secretary to the trustees and the only full-time employee of the district, suggests El Centro. The name is unanimously adopted. Dr. Bill J. Priest serves simultaneously as chancellor of the newly formed district and president of El Centro College during its development phase.El Centro College opens in downtown Dallas, and first appointed college President Donald T. Rippey presides over the ribbon-cutting. Enrollment is 4,047 students on the first day of classes Sept. 19.The El Centro College Student Council votes on the college’s colors and mascot (Nov. 1-14). Powder blue and black and the roadrunner, Chaparral, win.The Motley family homestead is sold to DCCCD. The future site of Eastfield College, the land was once farmed by Zachariah Motley, one of the first settlers of Mesquite.The construction of Mountain View College begins on 203 acres atop a rugged limestone quarry.1967Bill J. Priest's job title is changed from "President and CEO" to "Chancellor" starting Sept. 1 by the Board of Trustees.The first Faculty Association meeting is held in September.Eastfield College begins construction on five campus buildings.Eastfield College construction, showing the exterior stairways to the second floor of L building, where the library is located.1968El Centro holds its first graduation ceremony May 29 and graduates 153 students.1969During the 1968-1969 school year, its third year of operation, the El Centro counseling staff holds more than 18,000 interviews with students.Dallas Congressman Earle Cabell and civil rights leader Julian Bond speak at El Centro College.Construction of the Mountain View College campus begins. Return to top1970s1970Mountain View College opens for classes under the leadership of founding President Erwin Dale Douglas, with 77 founding faculty members and an enrollment of 2,060. The entrance sign to Mountain View College.Eastfield College opens for classes under the leadership of President R. Jan LeCroy. The first day of classes is held Sept. 14 with an enrollment of 3,522.1971The formal dedications of Eastfield College and Mountain View College are held April 18, with U.S. Senator John Tower serving as keynote speaker at both events. Intercollegiate sports competition in basketball and baseball is introduced at Eastfield College.1972Dallas County Junior College District (DCJCD) becomes the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) on Jan. 1.Richland College opens for fall classes under the leadership of founding President Deon Holt, with 3,500 credit students and 4,000 noncredit students. Located in North Dallas, the campus includes sheep grazing on the farmland and ducks swimming on the lake that separates the campus buildings. Architects carefully protected the trees, the lakes — even the animals — as they planned the campus.A class is conducted by the lake at Richland College shortly after the college opened in 1972.Mountain View College is granted full accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Faculty member Jean Brown writes the song “A Small Moment” for the college’s first graduating class.The Instructional Television (ITV) Center (now known as the R. Jan LeCroy Center for Educational Telecommunications) opens to produce broadcast-quality telecourses. At the time, DCCCD is one of only three community college districts in the nation and the only community college district in the state to produce and offer telecourses.The Harvester mascot is introduced at Eastfield, and the college colors of brown and orange are selected.El Centro College undergoes three campus expansions from 1972-1977.1973The Instructional Television Center (now the LeCroy Center)'s first telecourse, American Government, begins to be broadcast from KERA Channel 13 television studios; 399 students register.1974Cedar Valley College holds a groundbreaking ceremony Nov. 13.Construction of Mountain View's Olympic-sized swimming pool is completed in December. The pool opens to swimmers in March 1975.A diver takes part in a competition held at the Mountain View College swimming pool.Solar Magnet #29 (Silver Ball), a 4,000-pound sculpture by Italian-born artist Raphaele Martin, finds a home in the Upper Courtyard of Eastfield College.The Thunderduck becomes Richland College’s official mascot. Original college logo colors were red and black.1975Construction of North Lake College begins on undeveloped farmland donated by the John Carpenter family.At one point during the North Lake construction, a mudslide shifts one building’s original configuration, creating an additional open space next to the Performance Hall. Rachel McClung-Beer, the college’s first full-time art professor and a member of the DCCCD Planning Team, asks the administration to designate the space “Gallery” on the new set of plans.North Lake College under construction in 1976.Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby Mason performs in the gym at Mountain View College. Actor, writer and director Ossie Davis also performs at the college.The ITV Center moves to portable buildings on the Richland College campus.1976The Motley family cemetery on the grounds of Eastfield College is designated as a historical site by the Texas Historical Commission.1977North Lake College opens for the Summer I semester under the leadership of founding President Don Newport, the youngest founding president in DCCCD at age 36. During the first fall semester, nearly 2,900 students register for credit classes and 2,000 for continuing education classes.A brick structure at the Walnut Hill Lane entrance features the logo of North Lake College.Cedar Valley College opens for the Summer I semester with Dr. Floyd Elkins as founding president. The formal dedication is held Oct. 23, the same day as North Lake College’s dedication. The Archives and Records Management program is formally established.1978Brookhaven College opens under the leadership of founding President H. Deon Holt, registering 3,565 credit students and 4,235 noncredit students. Located in Farmers Branch, it is the final campus to open in the seven-college master plan.Cedar Valley College begins offering its campus-based Veterinary Technology program, and the college graduates three students in May. The program gives the college the distinction of having a barn and pasture with farm animals. Surgery takes place in the Veterinary Technology program at Cedar Valley College.1979Brookhaven College holds its first commencement ceremony, and 13 students graduate.The college scenes of the movie “The White Lions” with Michael York and Glynnis O'Connor are filmed at Eastfield College. Many students and staff are hired as extras. The movie is released in 1981 and lists “Eastland College” in the closing credits.Richland College is featured in the January 1979 issue of Southern Living magazine. The article highlights the college’s goal of preserving the original features of the land on which the campus sits. Return to top1980s1980Brookhaven College begins its General Motors’ Automotive Service Educational Program (ASEP) in collaboration with GM to train dealership-sponsored automotive technicians.Vice President George H.W. Bush speaks at Mountain View College. View a video of the visit on YouTube.George H.W. Bush gives an address at Mountain View College.1981The Veterinary Technology program at Cedar Valley College is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association.On Nov. 2, the college presidents receive a memo titled “RE: Sharing Day” from Eleanor D. Ott, president of Eastfield College, discussing Conference Day. There is no solid evidence showing for how long, or how formally, the term “Sharing Day” was used among the faculty/administrators before the name “Conference Day” was adopted.Dr. R. Jan LeCroy becomes the district’s second chancellor. He serves for eight years.The ITV Center becomes the Center for Educational Telecommunications.The N Building is completed at Eastfield College.1982Lightning strikes the southwest corner of the Mountain View College campus April 19.The Wellness Program begins for DCCCD employees in June.The District Service Center opens as a business services extension of the District Office in July.A satellite nursing program opens at Brookhaven College as an extension of El Centro’s Associate Degree Nursing program.The Pink Ladies Sorority is founded with the Eastfield College Alpha Moo Chapter.Headquartered at DCCCD, the National University Technology Network (NUTN) is founded. A consortium of higher education institutions, NUTN provides a networking and professional development arena for the advancement of teaching and learning.1984The DCCCD Retirees Association is formed through the insight of Chancellor R. Jan LeCroy. Its first official meeting is held at Eastfield College on Feb. 28.1985The renowned Brookhaven College Windmill is taken down due to Farmers Branch height restrictions and the windmill’s inability to generate power.The windmill was meant to be a representation of the steps education could take in the search for new energy sources and to honor the history of Farmers Branch as the oldest farming community in Dallas County.Irving’s first indoor pool, an Olympic-sized Aquatic Center, opens at North Lake College. The bubble-roofed pool launches thanks to a partnership between the college, the city and the school district.Eastfield College holds the first Día de la Familia to encourage families to engage with DCCCD college programs and services.1986Novelist LarryMcMurtry, author of “Lonesome Dove” and “The Last Picture Show,” speaks at Brookhaven College as part of Celebrate Texas, the state sesquicentennial.Vice President George H.W. Bush visits Eastfield College in November.1987“Prometheus,” a sculpture by Texas artist Octavio Medellin that is donated by Mr. and Mrs. John Weisenbaker, is unveiled at North Lake College’s 10th anniversary convocation.Astronaut and commander of the Apollo 13 mission James Lovell visits Richland College.1988KDNT-TV 2 begins broadcasting DCCCD telecourses.El Centro Middle College High School (now called Dr. Wright Lassiter Early College High School) is formed.Dr. Larry Tyree becomes DCCCD’s third chancellor, serving for two years.1989The Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development (now the Bill J. Priest Campus of El Centro College) opens May 4, serving individuals and businesses of all sizes with training programs customized to meet their needs. It is a 120,000-square-foot, $7.8 million facility south of downtown Dallas.Motivated by industry needs, North Lake becomes DCCCD’s sole location for construction trades programs. Carpentry, air conditioning and electrical programs are operated out of the Q Building at the college’s Central Campus.Brookhaven College changes its mascot from the Pioneers to the Bears.The State of Texas Academic Resource Link (STARLINK) is established with an initial three-year Perkins State Leadership grant awarded to DCCCD and Austin Community College jointly by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. STARLINK is designed to provide professional development for technical faculty via one-way video and two-way audio live satellite-based programming. It begins as a network of 54 community and technical colleges receiving these video teleconferences. Return to top1990s1990Dallas TeleLearning is established as the national marketing operation for the LeCroy Center, paving the way for national licensing of courses. Groundbreaking begins for the new center on the Richland campus.DCCCD launches its first TV ad campaign using the "Go to School" song, which is written by students. It is filmed at El Centro College.The T Building is constructed at North Lake College to accommodate the college’s Construction, Office Technology, Diesel Mechanics and Information Technology programs.Richland College’s International Multicultural Center (now the Multicultural Center) opens its doors to promote knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the diverse cultures represented by the student body, staff and community.Dr. Bill Wenrich becomes the district’s fourth chancellor. He leads the district for 13 years, becoming, after Dr. Priest, the chancellor with the second-longest tenure to date.1991In March, the Center for Educational Telecommunications moves to its new location and is renamed the R. Jan LeCroy Center for Educational Telecommunications. Today it is one of the largest producers of online learning courses in the nation and the primary distance learning contractor for the U.S. Navy.El Centro College celebrates its 25th anniversary.1992DCCCD celebrates its 25th anniversary at the Grand Kempinski Hotel (now InterContinental Dallas) on Feb. 27. Speakers include Dr. Bill J. Priest (DCCCD chancellor emeritus) and Dr. Bill Wenrich (DCCCD chancellor).Luncheon celebrating the 25th anniversary of Dallas County Community College District.Brookhaven College receives a U.S. Department of Education Title III Grant of $2.5 million to improve student support systems and strengthen academic programs.The Construction Management program at North Lake College becomes the second community college program nationwide to be accredited by the American Council for Construction Education. It has maintained continual accreditation since that time.1993On April 21, the pilot episode of “Walker, Texas Ranger” airs on CBS. Partners Cordell Walker (Chuck Norris) and Sgt. James “Jimmy” Trivette (Clarence Gilyard) first meet in the Natatorium at North Lake College.Richland College hosts its first Computer Arts Festival.The C Building opens at North Lake College. It houses biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics classes.Cedar Valley College is accredited as an independent institution by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, with accreditation reaffirmed in 2003 and 2013.1994DCCCD begins offering early retirement to faculty districtwide.1995Eastfield College celebrates its 25th anniversary.The Global Learning Network is established as the first virtual learning environment for online courses for DCCCD.1996Colleague, an accounting system, is implemented districtwide.Mountain View College becomes a Hispanic-Serving Institution.The T Building opens at Eastfield College. Today it houses the Career Technologies Division as well as the Automotive Technology and Auto Body Technology classrooms.1997Eastfield College men’s basketball team is NJCAA Division III National Champion.Eastfield College's 1996-1997 championship team.North Lake partners with the city of Irving, the Irving Community Library, the Texas Workforce Commission and Irving Cares to open the South Irving Center.The Virtual College of Texas is founded.1998Rolling Stone magazine features Brookhaven College as one of the best community colleges in the country for its curriculum, job placement services and relationships with local businesses.Renovations are completed on the west side of the Mountain View College campus to enhance student services.The DCCCD Foundation, under the leadership of Chairman Robert L. Thornton III, creates the Rising Star program to remove financial barriers for students from low-income families who want to attend a college of DCCCD.1999The colleges of DCCCD welcome their first group of 693 students into the Rising Star program.The Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development aligns with El Centro College, officially becoming the Bill J. Priest campus in 2005.Richland College begins offering its Women in Technology program.Richland College’s men’s basketball team is named NJCAA Division III National Champion. The team also won this distinction in 2009 and 2015.The Mountain View College Garden of Learning is dedicated. Return to top2000s2000DCCCD presents the first African-American Read-In in February as part of a national celebration honoring African-American contributions in literature and writing.In September, the DFW Education Center opens. The joint educational enterprise between North Lake College and the Construction Education Foundation houses 60,000 square feet of classrooms and labs providing both management and skill-based education for the construction industry.David England, president of North Lake College, opens DFW Education Center in Irving.The construction industry contributes $1.25 million of the $1.5 million cost of North Lake’s new “West Campus” facility and handles all labor. Work is completed within 90 days.As part of its 30th anniversary celebration, Mountain View College creates an urban wildlife sanctuary that becomes the first one certified on a college campus by the Humane Society of the U.S.Eastfield College celebrates its 30th anniversary. Dr. Jerry Henson, one of Eastfield’s first professors, writes “The Person-Centered College: Reminiscences of the First 30 Years at Eastfield College.”Richland College is one of 12 American and Canadian community colleges selected by the international League for Innovation in the Community College to develop institution-wide learning college models during a five-year project: The Vanguard Learning College Project.Richland College dedicates its first Peace Pole and hosts its first Intercultural Festival. The Peace Poles, in a peace trail through campus, have since become an institutional tradition, and the Intercultural Festival is one of Richland’s largest spring events each year.2001Eastfield College’s men’s baseball team is named NJCAA Division III National Champion. The team also won in 2006 and 2011.Cedar Valley College’s men’s basketball team is named NJCAA Division III National Champion.The Distance Learning Veterinary Technology program at Cedar Valley College is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association.North Lake College celebrates its 25th anniversary by opening a time capsule buried in front of the A Building on Charter Day in 1978.The Ellison Miles Geotechnology Institute opens at Brookhaven College, honoring Texas wildcatter and DCCCD supporter Ellison Miles. Today it is housed primarily in the Miles Building, which was rededicated in 2013.Fall enrollment figures establish El Centro College as a Hispanic-Serving Institution for the first time in its history by reaching a milestone 25% credit, full-time equivalent enrollment of Hispanic students.2002Richland College’s men’s soccer team is NJCAA Division III National Champion. Richland’s men’s soccer team also took the title in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007.Richland College’s men’s baseball team is NJCAA Division III National Champion. The team also won in 2003, 2004 and 2009.Brookhaven College reports a record enrollment of more than 10,000 credit students.El Centro College undergoes expansion with construction of the Student and Technology Center. The two-story building adds 26,800 square feet of classroom and student center space.The Irving Community Library opens on the North Lake College main campus in partnership with the city of Irving. Though the partnership dissolves several years later, the library continues to serve North Lake students and houses the Student Resource Center and Workforce Development Center.Las Llaves del Éxito (The Keys to Success) is started in the fall to give Hispanic students and their families encouragement to continue their educations in college.2003Cedar Valley College’s women’s volleyball team is NJCAA Division III Champion.Dr. Jesus (Jess) Carreon becomes chancellor. He serves until 2006.2004Brookhaven College’s women’s volleyball team is NJCAA Division III Champion. The team also won in 2005, 2008 and 2009.Richland College’s women’s soccer team is NJCAA Division III National Champion. The team also won in 2006 and 2009.Richland College’s five nonscholarship athletic teams are the first in NJCAA/NCAA history to hold simultaneously three national championship titles. They repeat this feat in 2009. As of 2015, Richland has won more than 15 national championships.The Cedar Valley College Center at Cedar Hill begins operation.In May, Dallas County voters overwhelmingly approve a $450 million bond package to provide facilities for all seven colleges and create five new community campuses.2005Richland College is the first community college to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest honor for performance excellence. It is presented by the president of the United States and the secretary of commerce.Richland College is the first accredited institution of higher education in Texas to receive the Texas Award for Performance Excellence, the state's highest honor for performance excellence. It is presented by the governor of Texas and the Quality Texas Foundation.Mountain View College celebrates its 35th anniversary with a gala featuring entertainer Harry Belafonte as the guest speaker.A stand-alone arm of DCCCD for its first 16 years, the Bill J. Priest Institute becomes a campus of El Centro College.Cedar Valley College’s new building for Student Services, Building L, opens.The Dallas Fort Worth chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) selects Richland College to receive AIA’s 25-Year Award for the original architectural design of the campus and for continued aesthetic consistency in building design.The Texas House of Representatives issues a resolution congratulating Dr. Stephen Mittelstet for 25 years of service as the president of Richland College.El Centro College President Wright L. Lassiter Jr. presides over the ribbon-cutting of the college’s new Student Center.2006DCCCD celebrates its 40th anniversary Feb. 23 at the Garland ISD Special Events Center. Speaker R.L. Thornton III presents “It All Begins Here ... Our Heroes and the Journey.”North Lake College’s men’s basketball team is NJCAA Division III National Champion. The team also won in 2008.Brookhaven College Early College High School opens, and 29 seniors receive their college diplomas in May 2010. In 2014, the high school is named a DOE Blue Ribbon School.Trinidad Garza Early College High School opens at Mountain View College.Richland College receives a charter from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to operate a dual-credit high school for juniors and seniors, the first of its type at a community college. Successful students can graduate from Richland Collegiate High School with 60 or more college credits, with many simultaneously earning an associate degree.Richland College and President Mittelstet are featured in the May 2006 issue of Dallas CEO.Dr. Wright Lassiter Jr. becomes chancellor and serves for seven years.2007On May 17, Cedar Valley College becomes the first DCCCD college to sign the Presidents’ Climate Commitment, a national pledge toward addressing climate change. By April 2012, all seven colleges of DCCCD have signed.El Centro College celebrates its 40th anniversary.Cedar Valley College celebrates its 30th anniversary, which includes a concert by Kirk Whalum and Wayman Tisdale at the Meyerson Symphony Center in February 2008.North Lake College celebrates its 30th anniversary with a community festival and convocation featuring former college Presidents Dr. Don Newport, Dr. Jim Horton and Dr. David England.The New York Times lists Richland College among 11 model community colleges nationwide for their high commitment to funnel students into four-year colleges.Head Start of Greater Dallas opens a center at Brookhaven College that includes a preschool for 176 children and a training facility for the college’s Child Development program.Mountain View College begins its Common Book Project with the novel “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini.DCCCD student delegates travel to the Community College National Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C., from Feb. 12-14. Executive Director of Public and Governmental AffairsJustin Lonon accompanies the students and establishes the trip as an annual DCCCD tradition.2008In the fall, North Lake College opens its North Campus in Coppell.DCCCD launches its social media presence on Facebook and Twitter.Eastfield College opens its Pleasant Grove campus and begins operation in August. The new G Building opens at the college’s main campus.Brookhaven College is named a Presidential Awardee of the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.President Bill Clinton speaks at Mountain View College during an early vote rally for Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign.Groundbreaking for El Centro College’s new West Campus is held, and the college’s Allied Health and Nursing building opens in Dallas’ historic West End.Cedar Valley College launches its first Early College High School program and puts an emphasis on dual credit enrollment.Richland College and President Mittelstet are featured in the June 2008 issue of D CEO.2009The District Office moves to 1601 South Lamar St.In February, the Workforce Development Center opens on the main campus of North Lake College, offering an LEED center with dedicated space for workforce education and continuing education programs.In April, North Lake’s South Campus opens.In November, the G Building opens at North Lake College, providing space for classrooms, the human resources department, art and video technology labs, and faculty and administration offices.Eastfield’s Pleasant Grove Campus opens and begins operations in August.Richland’s Garland Campus opens to offer highly specialized corporate and workforce training to the city of Garland’s manufacturing corridor. Funding is provided by Skills Development Fund grants awarded by the Texas Workforce Commission. Richland has received training grants totaling more than $2.5 million for Dallas County Manufacturers’ Association companies as of 2015.Mountain View College holds a celebration and ribbon-cutting for the expanding campus. The new Student Services, Economic Workforce Development, and Science and Allied Health Buildings open, as well as the remodeled Performance Hall.The DCCCD STEM Institute is established to provide a transformative experience for students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math in preparation for university transfer. Return to top2010s2010The Health Careers Resource Center opens to DCCCD students in May. The center serves as an information clearinghouse, providing the nuts-and-bolts resources students need to choose a health career, from advisement through enrollment — with job placement services after graduation.The African American Male Academic Bowl is established. It features a day of intense competition and mental focus for students in grades 4-8.The Sabine Hall science building opens at Richland College and achieves the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest LEED certification, Platinum.Sabine Hall also received the 2010 Best Green Project - Public award from Dallas Business Journal, the 2011 Honor Award from AIA Dallas and the prestigious 2012 Louis I. Kahn Citation by American School & University magazine, honoring design excellence in education projects. Sabine Hall was the cover page feature article in the industry trade magazine Landscape Architect in October 2013. Dallas TeleCollege changes its name to Dallas Colleges Online, and OnlineCommunityColleges.org is formed.The Brookhaven College Memorial Garden is established to honor deceased college employees.Mountain View College celebrates its 40th anniversary with guest speaker Donna Brazile.Mountain View College opens the Business Incubator in its Economic Workforce Development Building.Cedar Valley College opens its new Allied Health/Science Building, Building M, which receives LEED®Gold certification in 2012. The college’s new Industry Technology Building, Building H, also opens.Richland College reaches the U.S. Department of Education’s designation as an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution, becoming Texas’ only college or university with this recognition.2011Mountain View College’s men’s basketball team is NJCAA Division III National Champion.The T Building expansion and Buildings W and K open at Eastfield College.President Barack Obama visits Eastfield College on Oct. 4.President Barack Obama talks with children in the Eastfield College Center for Child & Parent Studies.The LeCroy Center receives the National University Technology Network (NUTN) Institutional Achievement Award.Mountain View College opens its nursing program.2012North Lake College kicks off its fall semester with a convocation address by American Association of Community Colleges CEO Dr. Walter G. Bumphus, who served as Brookhaven’s president from 1991-1997.In December, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) opens a light rail station on the North Lake College central campus. 2013Outlook becomes the new official email system for employees in September 2013 (rest in peace, GroupWise!)The Counseling Center at Brookhaven College wins a Texas Higher Education Star Award for its SkillsShops program.North Lake is awarded LEED Silver Certification for its Student Life Center.Cedar Valley College hosts an “Evening of Recognition” at the Dallas City Performance Hall to honor Chancellor Wright L. Lassiter Jr. and raise funds for student scholarships.Early College High School is initiated at Eastfield College with W.W. Samuell High School.The halls of Samuell ECHS are adorned with pennant banners from several regional colleges and Universities.Dallas TeleLearning changes its name to Dallas Learning Solutions.DCCCD receives grants from the Texas Workforce Commission for the College Credit for Heroes program, which provides U.S. veterans with college credit for their experience and training.The Richardson Chamber of Commerce Business and Industry Awards honors Richland College for achieving LEED Platinum-level U.S. Green Building Council certification from 2010-2013.2014The Ready2Go online associate degree debuts at Cedar Valley College. The degree plan lets students take two eight-week classes at a time to graduate in two years.Dr. Joe D. May is named the seventh chancellor in February.Wind turbines are installed on the rooftop of El Centro’s Downtown Campus, making the building the first Dallas County structure to harness its own wind power. As of summer 2015, the college has installed 80 wind turbines that provide 10% of the building’s power.Dallas' Reunion Tower is seen behind El Centro's new line of wind turbines atop their Downtown Campus.The Bill J. Priest Institute (BPI) celebrates its 25th anniversary in November. Festivities include a time capsule opening, a green contribution presentation, an open house and a luncheon with speakers Chancellor Emeritus Wright Lassiter Jr., BPI Provost Emeritus Glen Bounds and current El Centro President José Adames.The Alpha Zeta Omicron Chapter of Cedar Valley College is named Phi Theta Kappa’s 2014 Most Distinguished Chapter out of 1,300 international chapters. Richland College is among 16 community colleges named an Achieving the Dream Leader College, a national designation awarded to select community colleges that are committed to improving student success and closing achievement gaps.Harvester Community Garden is unveiled at Eastfield College, and student enrollment breaks 15,000.Brookhaven College is designated a Tree Campus USA by the national Arbor Day Foundation, an honor received again in 2015.El Centro’s Middle College High School name is changed to Wright L. Lassiter Jr. Early College High School.The DCCCD Digital Archives Collection opens its "virtual doors." Mountain View College opens its community garden.M2M (Military to Manufacturing) begins in fall 2014 when the Texas Workforce Commission launches the Veteran and Industry Partnership, uniting industry associations, local workforce partners and community colleges to develop key industry training for veterans.DCCCD joins an elite group of educational institutions in a handful of cities across the U.S. in Goldman Sach’s 10,00 designed to help small business owners develop a growth plan to increase revenues and hire new employees.Dr. Joe May announces the joining of DCCCD and 10,000 Small Businesses.Project OnRamp, part of JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s New Skills at Work program, launches, providing free training for certified nurse aides to become patient care technicians.2015 Ready2Go receives the DCCCD Innovation of the Year award.North Lake College wins its fifth national championship for Waste Minimization in the RecycleMania tournament, ranking first out of 142 colleges and universities. Prior wins were in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine names Mountain View College among 16 “Most Promising Places to Work in Community Colleges.”Dallas Colleges Online debuts its new website: online.dcccd.edu.C2:SAFE (College Counts: Securing Assets Through Financial Education), launches, providing free financial services to lower-income students.Brookhaven College receives the inaugural Community College Safety Planning and Leadership Award at the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Awards of Excellence presentation.Mountain View College reaches more than 8,800 enrolled students, with a record-breaking 405 students participating in the 2015 graduation ceremony.Cedar Valley College reaches an all-time high in graduation numbers, with nearly 600 graduates and 330 participating in the 2015 graduation ceremony.Trinidad Garza Early College High School at Mountain View College is nominated for National Blue Ribbon honors. For the third consecutive year, DCCCD is awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association.El Centro College enters an educational partnership with Texas A&M University and Chevron to offer the Texas A&M-Chevron Engineering Program, beginning fall 2016. This innovative program enables students to spend the first two years of study at El Centro College while co-enrolled in one of 16 engineering majors available through the Texas A&M Dwight Look College of Engineering.Dr. Joe May announces new engineering academy at El Centro College.Dallas Learning Solutions wins the Davie Awards for website design. Aug. 28, 2015: DCCCD celebrates its 50th anniversary at the Mesquite Convention Center. Chancellor Joe May presents “Think Like a Founder.”