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Mark Watkins, Ed.D., President

Welcome to Labette Community College, home of the Cardinals!

Mark Watkins, Ed.D.For a full century, LCC has provided a post-secondary education to students in the four-state area and beyond. Our dedicated faculty and staff continue to adjust program offerings to prepare LCC students to be successful in an interconnected, interdependent, and culturally diverse global society.

What has been remarkable is the sustainability of our founders’ clear vision in an everchanging environment! This means there have been generations of support who have helped us during the last 100 years in times of peace and war, economic booms and busts, good and poor health conditions such as our recent global pandemic. Think about it. To this point, LCC has been “book-ended” by two global pandemics. LCC started shortly after the Spanish Flu Pandemic and most recently, the COVID-19 Pandemic. Through it all, supporters provided a “hand up” in the form of funding, employees, capital, and leadership. We are grateful for the generosity of our southeast Kansas friends!

Dr. Rees Hughes, credited for establishing LCC, had a vision to provide high school graduates a chance to pursue post-secondary education which was both affordable and convenient. This simple formula enabled a beginning cohort of 70 students and eight faculty members who taught 15 courses, to graduate in the spring of 1925 as a class of 26 students. What a joyous occasion that must have been, and continues to be as we continue to celebrate with our students at every commencement in May!

Just as our supporting communities have helped LCC, LCC supports students seeking greater knowledge and experience. Our graduates take their new knowledge and experiences with them to various universities where they finish their undergraduate and graduate studies, or begin with business and industry job opportunities. Sometimes, graduates come back to LCC to renew their skills for greater opportunities in the workforce.

Whatever the reason students come to Labette Community College, they are provided with a comprehensive set of educational packages for wherever they are in their “walk of life.”

Come join the thousands of students who have come before you to learn and laugh with new found friends from other parts of the globe. What an incredible opportunity right here in southeast Kansas!

Thank you for your consideration of Labette Community College.

Go Cardinals!