Stay connected with the latest news from COM!
COM Hosts Virtual Open House
College of the Mainland, in association with National Distance Education Week, will host a Virtual Open House on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. COM faculty and staff will be online to answer questions from prospective students and provide information about the different courses available online at COM. The goal of the Virtual Open House is to allow students, who haven’t thought of taking online courses before, to ask questions to help them get connected to online learning. more »
COM Celebrates Dia de los Muertos
College of the Mainland will be celebrating Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead, Nov. 1, 12:30 to 1:30 in the library. Dia de los Muertos, stemming from Aztec and Mayan traditions, is the celebration of life of those loved ones who have passed. COM Multicultural Team will present a program featuring entertainment, face painting, sugar skulls and pan de muertos. Spanish Professor Rafael Naranjo will give a brief history and explanation of the traditions of Dia de los Muertos. An altar commemorating the memories of deceased loved ones will be on display in the library. more »
College of the Mainland 9/11 Commemoration
To remember the many Americans who lost their lives in the terror attacks, and honor those who wear police, EMS, fire and military uniforms, College of the Mainland, in collaboration with area first responders, held a commemoration event Friday, Sept. 9, in the COM Gymnasium. Events included an emergency vehicle display, commemorative ceremony, tree dedication and a 21-gun salute. more »
College of the Mainland Attains Leader College Status
College of the Mainland has been awarded Leader College status by Achieving the Dream (ATD), a national nonprofit organization that assists colleges and universities help students stay in school and earn a college certificate or degree. COM, one of 23 colleges designated as a 2011 Leader College, was recognized for raising graduation rates, closing achievement gaps and changing lives. COM joins more than 50 other ATD Institutions in the nation that have achieved Leader College status. more »
COM Begins Veterans Support Group
The transition from the military to the classroom can often be a difficult challenge for many of our country's veterans. But veterans enrolled at College of the Mainland now have a place to turn for support. COM recently started a veterans peer support group through Gulf Coast Center. The group is designed to allow veterans to interact with other veterans who are going through some of the same issues as they transition into civilian life. “Education is about self discovery and it’s a change for veterans because they are use to a disciplined regiment where they are told what and when to do things,” said Derick Hutchinson, Student Advisor at COM. more »
COM welcomes nationally-known educator and storyteller
To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, College of the Mainland presents a performance by Dr. Jesús ‘Chuy’ Negrete on Friday, Oct. 7 at 11 a.m. in the Fine Arts Building Room 117. With harmonica and guitar, Dr. Negrete recounts the Mexican and Mexican-American experience through storytelling, poetic song and corridos (running verse ballads) as he traces the history of Mexican-Latino experiences from pre-Columbian times to the present. Dr. Negrete is an engaging teller of tales and master narrator of the Mexican experience through song and ballad. more »
COM Professor Passionate About Travel
“‘Travel makes you a man.’ That’s what my father told me growing up,” said Dr. Bernie Smiley, Professor of Humanities. Smiley has been leading a Study Abroad expedition for College of the Mainland students the past four years. This summer students and community members traveled to Germany and the Swiss Alps. The Study Abroad program gives students the opportunity to experience different cultures and visit historical destinations around the world. more »
COM Offering Ophthalmic Assistance Course
College of the Mainland, in partnership with UTMB Health, is offering an ophthalmic assistant training program for the first time this fall from Sept. 12 through Jan. 16, 2012. This course provides the knowledge and skills to work in an ophthalmologist office, and teaches patient care by having students perform different eye-related clinical procedures. Students will learn about the various functions of the ophthalmic office including: taking medical histories; testing for visual and/or color diseases of the eye; performing certain eye assessments; and fitting eyeglasses and contact lenses. The course prepares students for the certification exam. more »
COM Student Receives Scholarship
College of the Mainland student Carmen Bahena has been awarded a $2,500 scholarship from The Barbara Bush Texas Fund for Family Literacy. Funded by a donation from the family of long-time Texas Fund volunteer Patricia (Pat) Marie Peebler, this scholarship honors Pat’s dedication to programs that support family literacy, working women, and single mothers in Houston. more »
COM Cosmetology Student Enjoys Success
College of the Mainland cosmetology student, Tammy Sybert of Texas City, recently placed second in a cut and color contest through the CHI Environmental School Program and Houston-based Farouk Systems, Inc. The contest challenged students to cut and color a model’s hair. She was awarded a CHI flat iron and blow dryer valued at more than $200. “The students have become more motivated to enter competitions and try different hairstyles after seeing a fellow student do so well in a competition,” said Ellen Chicon, cosmetology instructor. more »
COM Partners with Junior Achievement To Educate Children
College of the Mainland has teamed up with Junior Achievement of Texas to educate school children on free enterprise, business and economics. This past spring semester, six COM staff members spent an hour a week for five weeks teaching students at Northside Elementary School in Texas City. more »
COM Professor receives Regional Award
Dr. Pam Millsap, College of the Mainland professor of psychology and chair of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department, has been awarded the 2011 Association of Community College Trustees Western Regional Outstanding Faculty Member. The award will be presented at the ACCT Leadership Congress in Dallas in October. This distinction makes her one of five finalists for the national 2011 William H. Meardy Outstanding Faculty Member Award that will be announced during the ACCT Leadership Congress in October. “When I learned that the board had nominated me I was incredibly honored. When I found out that I won I was stunned. I appreciate the honor and am glad to work at an institution where people really want to focus on student success,” said Millsap. more »
COM Adult Education Receives State Recognition
College of the Mainland’s Adult Education program was awarded Platinum Level Recognition from Texas LEARNS at the State Adult Education Administrators' Summer Institute in Galveston. This award celebrates the College’s student academic performance and program management for the 2009-10 program year by meeting all federal performance levels and the timely reporting of all program and financial reports, demonstrating the high quality of services, providing accountability and return on investment for the community and the state. more »
COM Mechanical Maintenance Technician Program
The College of the Mainland Mechanical Maintenance Technician program has quickly developed into an asset to the Gulf Coast. In just four years the program is one of the strongest programs in the area. more »
College of the Mainland Trustees take Oath of Office
College of the Mainland Trustees Wayne H. Miles and Roney G. McCrary were sworn in at the Monday, May 23 board meeting. more »
COM Theater Presenting “The Sunshine Boys”
The original Grumpy Old Men hit the stage in COM’s production of Neil Simon’s “The Sunshine Boys,” May 12 through June 5. more »
College of the Mainland Class of 2011
College of the Mainland had the largest graduating class in school history at its graduation ceremony Wednesday, May, 11 at Moody Gardens Convention Center. more »
New SIM Patients at COM Nursing
College of the Mainland Nursing Lab recently admitted two new patients for students to nurse back to health. The new patients are interactive technologically-advanced manikins that allow learners to practice emergency treatments. more »
COM Concert Band to Perform
College of the Mainland’s Concert Band directed by Sparky Koerner will present a concert Monday, May 2 at 8 p.m. in the Fine Arts Building Recital Hall. The concert is free and open to the public. more »
COM Process Technology Program Grad Receives Promotion
Erik Montmayor, one of the first students to go through the Associate of Applied Science Process Technology Program at College of the Mainland has quickly ascended the career ladder. more »
Bellingham Tech Students Visit COM
Six students from Bellingham Technical College in Bellingham, Washington, traveled to College of the Mainland, to learn troubleshooting and operations in the Process Technology Department. more »
Internationally-renowned artist painting mural at COM
Internationally-renowned mural artist Maestro Shinzaburo Takeda, chair of the art department at Benito Juárez Autonomous University of Oaxaca in Oaxaca, Mexico, is painting a mural at COM in collaboration with COM students. more »
Enriching the Lives of Senior Adults
Senior adults have a variety of offerings available through the College of the Mainland Senior Adult Program. more »
COM Student Enjoying Disney Internship
College of the Mainland student, Brooke Sumrall, is currently interning at Disney World. Sumrall is working as an American Representative at the World Showcase at EPCOT. more »
Continuing Education Students Benefit from Program
Two College of the Mainland Continuing Education students have obtained rewarding jobs after completing COM’s Medical Billing course. more »
Gospel Singers to Perform at COM
College of the Mainland’s Multicultural Team presents “An Evening of Gospel Music: Why We Sing,” with special guests Voices of the Mainland from Texas City... more »
World Affairs Documents Have Ties To College of the Mainland
A collection of documents relating to the Gulf Coast Council on Foreign Affairs, Gulf Coast World Affairs Council and Houston World Affairs Council have been acquired ... more »