Temple College's Eighth President, Dr. Marvin R. Felder
Dr. Marvin Felder was chosen to be Temple Junior College’s president in July 1973. A native of El Campo, Texas, Felder held degrees from Wharton County Junior College and The University of Texas at Austin, including a doctorate in Junior College Administration. He had held positions at Wharton County Junior College, El Centro College, the University of Texas at Austin, and McLennan Community College prior to assuming the presidency of Temple Junior College. Felder retired in August 1995, and is Temple College’s longest serving president to date.
Highlights of Dr. Marvin R. Felder's presidency (1973-1995)
Fall: In response to the national energy crisis, Temple Junior College began reducing its energy consumption. The first students in the newly created vocational nursing and respiratory care programs began taking classes.
September 4: The still-unfinished dorm is opened for its first student residents.
November 6: The Jackson-Graeter Backstage Theatre was dedicated in the fine arts building. It was funded by former Temple Junior College students John “Jack” and Katie Jackson and named in honor of the Jacksons and Mrs. Jackson’s parents. The dedication was attended by Texas Gov. Dolph Briscoe and his wife.
Spring: The Faculty Council was organized in order to facilitate communication between faculty members and the college administration. It was open to all instructors with a course load of at least 6 hours, librarians and counselors.
September: Temple Junior College offered classes in Cameron and Taylor for the first time. The College also opened the media center, which was located in the library, and received its first calculator, a Monroe 1666 that cost $2000.
Spring: The pedestrian overpass, built over First Street, was completed and opened.
January: The College partnered with Central Texas College to offer an EMT program and began offering welding.
February: The library began offering weekend hours on Sunday afternoons.
March 15: The Temple Junior College Leopardettes played in the first-ever National Junior College Athletic Association women’s basketball championship game. The game was played in Overland Park, Kansas, against the Northern Iowa Community College Lady Trojans. The Leopardettes won with a score of 59-58, winning the college’s only national basketball title.
May 2: The College and the city of Temple celebrated Temple Junior College Leopardette Day with activities honoring the championship team.
April 7: Temple Junior College celebrated its 50th anniversary with a large birthday party.
Fall: The Board of Trustees approved a construction bid for a new vocational/technical and administration building, and a new maintenance building.
October 29: The newly constructed vocational/technical and administration building was dedicated.
Fall: Temple Junior College added a fashion merchandising program to its curriculum.
January 22-23: Temple Junior College applied to the Texas State Board of Nursing Examiners for permission to create an Associate’s Degree in Nursing program.
February 18: The Board of Trustees voted to delay the creation of an Associate’s Degree in Nursing program due to the cost involved and the availability of programs at Central Texas College and McLennan Community College.
March 17: The Board of Trustees approved a 4-1 week class schedule. This schedule moved classes to either Monday and Wednesday, Tuesday and Thursday, or Friday and was implemented during the summer semester.
Spring: The last edition of the college’s yearbook, The Templar, was published.
October: The Board of Trustees prepared a bid to buy the Town and Country Mall.
November 22: Voters in the Temple Junior College district voted against a bond to purchase the Town and Country Mall.
February 16: The Board of Trustees approved an expansion plan that included the construction of a nursing building, remodeling the west campus gym, and expanding and remodeling the vocational/technical and administration building.
November: The Board of Trustees approved plans for a Licensed Vocational Nursing program to be offered in Rosebud, Texas.
April 30: The last issue of Leopard Tales was published.
May 17: The Board of Trustees voted to discontinue women’s intercollegiate golf.
Spring: The Temple Junior College Foundation was founded, and the Surgical Technology program received approval.
Fall: Temple Junior College began offering an Associate’s Degree in Nursing program in partnership with McLennan Community College. The college also began offering its Surgical Technology program.
November 10: The newly constructed nursing building, built over the old VA swimming pool, was dedicated.
Fall: Temple Junior College implemented Computer-Aided Drafting as part of its Drafting and Design program.
February 14: An armed man entered the faculty offices in the fine arts building, shot two instructors, one of whom he held hostage, and then shot himself. The instructors survived, and the shooter died at the hospital.
September: The Board of Trustees proposed aligning the boundaries of the Temple Junior College District with the city of Temple instead of Temple ISD. On the 11th, a birthday party was held in celebration of the college’s 60th year.
December: Due to cuts in state funding and declining enrollment, the Board of Trustees voted to reduce the faculty and staff by 10 percent in the 1986-1987 school year. This was the first time in the school’s history that the board voted to reduce the number of employees.
February: The Board of Trustees voted to discontinue the Licensed Vocational Nursing program in Rosebud, Texas.
April: Voters approved the expansion of the Temple Junior College District to include areas of the city of Temple outside of Temple ISD’s boundaries.
June: The Board of Trustees approved a new pre-Associate’s Degree Nursing program for students who wanted to pursue an Associate’s Degree in Nursing without first receiving a Licensed Vocational Nursing certificate. The Board also voted to discontinue the Medical Records Technology program.
September: The College assumed responsibility for the golf course, which was located on the east campus.
February: The Board of Trustees voted to ban smoking on campus, except for a designated area of the Arnold Student Union Building.
March: The Board of Trustees appointed its first African-American board member, Larry Wilkerson, a Temple Junior College alumnus.
June: Temple Junior College received a laser printer from Texas Instruments for instruction in desktop publishing and postscript language.
November 7: The swimming center on the East campus was named after Harry Q. Cole, a Temple Junior College alumnus and board member.
November 10: The fine arts building was named in honor of Mary Alice Marshall, retired music director.
Spring: Chemistry instructor Robert Schlieker becomes the second Temple College faculty member to receive the prestigious Piper Professor Award, which recognizes the best professors in Texas.
March: Temple Junior College left the Texas Junior College Athletic Conference to join the Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference.
September 13: A party was held to celebrate the college’s 65th year.
April: The Board of Trustees approved the creation of a Pharmacy Technology program, but creation of the program was delayed due to budgetary constraints.
November 7: A student who was unhappy with their mid-term grade held the Sociology department chair hostage. Neither person was harmed.
December: Temple Junior College established a partnership with Supreme Cable Inc. to create an instructional license channel that would include 20 hours of instruction per week broadcast to 12 sites.
Fall: A steering committee was formed to create an Associate’s Degree in Nursing program. The Allied Health Division was expanded to include Pharmacy Technology, Medical Transcriptionist and Medical Office Systems programs.
Spring: Art professor Michael Donahue becomes the third Temple College faculty member to receive the prestigious Piper Professor Award.
Fall: 24 students were enrolled in the newly created Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program.
January: Temple Junior College closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day for the first time. The college also offered 8-week courses for the first time.
August 25: In a ceremony attended by U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, Temple Junior College received the final deed for the East campus, making it a permanent part of the college. The East campus had been given to the college by the Veteran’s Administration in 1968 with a “reverter clause” written into the contract, meaning the Veteran’s Administration could reclaim the land in the future.
November 21: The Board of Trustees began the process of gaining approval for a Dental Hygiene program.
December: Local dentists discussed the need for dental hygienists at a Rotary Club meeting, laying the groundwork for Temple College’s dental hygiene program.
April 28: Temple Junior College received approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for the creation of a Dental Hygiene program.
May 11: The first associate degrees in nursing were awarded to 23 students. The first graduating class had a 100% pass rate on their certification exams. Later in the year, an LVN to RN Bridging program is started for vocational nurses who want to become registered nurses.
August: A class in astronomy was added to the college’s curriculum.