After decades of service to Paris Junior College, its students and community, Dr. Pam Anglin has announced her retirement as president at the end of the year. A first-generation college student and the first female president of the College, she has served since 2003 and is a true community college success story.
“I’ve heard it said that you’ll know when it’s time,” Dr. Anglin said, “and I’ve realized that time has come. I’ll be relocating to start a new chapter and be closer to family. I’ve loved my time at PJC – the students, the employees, and the communities. I’ve made many dear friends here.”
Despite size and rural location, PJC has been a national leader in the community college shift from open-door access for all to successful completion of a certificate or degree, allowing students to pursue a good job or transfer to university with strong academic underpinnings for continued success.
As confirmation, PJC was chosen for the national Pathways Project in 2017, boosting the College’s work to improve student engagement in the classroom and help students master the knowledge and skills needed. PJC was recognized with an Overall Exemplar Award in 2018 for refining the math courses students needed and removing barriers to help them finish with a certificate or degree and the Texas Pathways 2019 Excellence in Implementation and Scaling award.
“I began working in community colleges because I wanted to make a difference in student lives and I believe community colleges remain at the forefront of that effort,” Dr. Anglin said.
Recently, PJC was one of seven colleges in Texas and 72 nationally chosen for a student success project with the Institute for Evidence-Based Change. These include proven steps for faculty and staff to implement to further boost success for students.
“Dr. Anglin has done a wonderful job for PJC and the community. She’s been a very progressive leader while maintaining excellent financial condition at the College and we wish her well in her new endeavors,” said PJC Board of Regents President Curtis Fendley. “Her legacy has set a high bar.”
When Dr. Anglin arrived in 2003, PJC had a two-month operating reserve. Now, despite historically having one of the smallest tax bases among the 50 Texas community colleges, the State of Texas consistently reports the College has no financial stress indicators. She implemented the return-on-investment concept for student success and retention in 2005, developed a facilities’ master plan that saw new campuses in Greenville and Sulphur Springs, and new and upgraded buildings at the Paris location. A recent groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new workforce training facility in Greenville.
Dr. Anglin also led PJC to begin participating with Achieving the Dream, a national initiative for student success, in 2006 and PJC named an Achieving the Dream Leader College in 2015. The College was twice recognized as one of the fifty fastest growing community colleges in the nation and received the 2012 Excellence in Education Award from the Texas Association of Business.
Dr. Anglin has supported outcomes-based funding at the state level, embracing success points to encourage innovation for student success at all Texas community colleges. This movement culminated in the successful passage of HB 8 in the most recent Legislative session. She developed mandatory orientation to increase student success and has helped develop many national initiatives to improve student success through data usage and career pathways.
Encouraging partnership among local colleges, Dr. Anglin helped form the Texas Community Colleges Consortium for Shared Resources to pursue cost savings in new enterprise resource planning software and annual allocations from the Texas State Legislature. From 2016 to 2018 she chaired the Northeast Texas Consortium of Colleges and Universities (NETnet), which was comprised of 13 member institutions. She was chair from 2008 to 2012, and vice chair in 2007-2008 and 2016-2017.
She served two separate terms on the American Association of Community Colleges Board of Directors and two terms on the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Board of Trustees. She has served on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Community and Technical College Formula Advisory Committee intermittently since 2007; as vice chair in 2008 and chair in 2012 and 2018.
Closer to home, Dr. Anglin has served on the Northeast Texas Workforce Board; the Texas Association of Community College Trustees Advisory Board, 2007-2010; and chaired the Upper East Texas Higher Educational Regional Council, 2005-2006 and 2022-2023. She was also a founding board member in 1990 and board vice president of the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs in 1994. The group was created to focus on teaching and learning, as opposed to research, and accredits two- and four-year business programs and schools.
In the area of two-year postsecondary educational concepts, Dr. Anglin has published “Financing Community Colleges: Where We Are, Where We’re Going,” in the Community College Journal of Research and Practice, and “Applying financial analysis to student retention.” Increasing Effectiveness of the Community College Financial Model: A Global Perspective for the Global Economy; Eds. Stewart E. Sutin, Daniel Derrico, Rosalind Latner Raby, and Edward J. Valeau.
Dr. Anglin was recognized with the Teamwork Award 2014 from Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas. She has been named to the Phi Theta Kappa CEO Hall of Honor, the PTK Texas Region Hall of Honor, and received PTK’s Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction.
She received her associate’s degree from Grayson County College before earning her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and her master’s from Texas Christian University. She earned her EdD in educational administration from Baylor University and studied at the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University.
A Certified Public Accountant, Dr. Anglin taught accounting prior to becoming an administrator. She began her higher education career as a business officer at Texas Christian University.
Paris Junior College — located in Paris, Texas, about 100 miles northeast of Dallas — has been a part of the Lamar County community since 1924.
Paris Junior College offers Associate in Arts, Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science degrees, as well as Certificates of Proficiency in technical/workforce fields. The college has expanded its academic curriculum through the years to encourage associate degree and university transfer candidates. Since establishing its first vocational program — jewelry and watchmaking in 1942 — the college has been aggressive in adding technical/workforce programs that will benefit students entering the workforce.
The campus of 54 tree-shaded acres includes 20 major buildings and residence halls and provides students a unique and pleasant environment for learning.
Paris Junior College also operates centers in Sulphur Springs, Texas, and in Greenville, Texas.
Vision
To be the educational provider of choice for the region.
Mission
Paris Junior College is a comprehensive community college serving the region’s educational and training needs while strengthening the economic, social and cultural life of our diverse community.
