Temple College Centennial

Your Community's College Today

As Temple College enters its Centennial year, it does so during a period of growth, campus transformation and expanding opportunity for Central Texas students. Since becoming the College’s 11th president in 2019, Dr. Christy Ponce has guided a renewal marked by rising enrollment, record giving, major capital investment and stronger partnerships with employers and universities. Since 2021, enrollment has increased more than 28 percent.

Presidents of Temple College

Learn more about Temple College's 11 Presidents

Did You Know?

Temple College’s fierce Leopard identity was born in a moment of student creativity -- and a little romance. In January 1928, the basketball team ditched the idea of being the Templars and chose a sleeker, bolder symbol -- the Leopard -- a perfect match for their fast, stealthy style of play. But it was a campus love story that truly sealed the deal. Later that year, student Harry “Hal” Jackson presented a ginger-furred kitten, orange with spots, to Mary Alice Reaves, the leader of the pep squad, as their official mascot. That playful gift did not just charm a cheerleader, it gave Temple College its iconic colors and mascot. By the fall of 1928, athletes and cheerleaders proudly wore orange sweaters with black leopard heads. The Temple College Leopard still stands today as the College's most recognized spirit symbol.