Amarillo College announces new campus

By Andrea Godoy

The Hereford Campus of Amarillo College will expand with the help of a single, $3 million donation, President Dr. Paul Matney announced Wednesday at a news conference in Hereford.

“This is truly a historic day for Amarillo College and especially in the life of this AC campus,” Matney said at the Hereford Community Center.

William C. Hanshaw of Scottsdale, Ariz., contributed $3 million toward construction of the Everett and Mabel McDougal Hinkson Memorial Campus, which will begin later this year.

“We will begin tomorrow and hope to have the doors open in the fall of 2013,” said Daniel Esquivel, Hereford Campus executive director.

Hanshaw had approached Hereford Mayor Bob Josserand about constructing something in Hereford to honor his late wife, Mabel, and her first husband, Everett Hinkson. The campus location on the northwest side of Hereford was donated by the Hereford Economic Development Corp. Mike Mauldin, board president of the HECD, officially presented AC with the land Wednesday afternoon.

The new campus, which will cost $5 million, will be funded through Hanshaw’s gift and various grants and bonds, Esquivel said.

Since it opened in August 2005, the Hereford Campus has been located at the corner of Eighth and Grand streets. AC is leasing the facility from the Hereford school district.

When the campus began operation, it had about 170 students. Esquivel said that this year, the campus serves about 500 students. Many students at the Hereford Campus are part of the allied health program. Because the campus lacks science labs, the students must commute to Amarillo for some classes.

Esquivel said the new campus will offer a great selection of programs and cut down on students’ commute. Josserand called the project an exciting time in Hereford. He said that through the generosity of one man, “We can provide for our citizens an opportunity they would not have otherwise. It gives future generations an opportunity we would not be able to give them.”

 

Originally published: Wednesday, October 19, 2011