History

Trinidad State College (TSC), the first two-year college in Colorado, offers both Academic and Career and Technical Education programs. The legislature of the State of Colorado passed an Act in April, 1925 authorizing the establishment of a junior college in Trinidad, Colorado. In 1937, the State Legislature passed an act enabling counties to organize a Junior College District. Las Animas County immediately took advantage of this act and organized the Las Animas County District. Since that time, the College has continued to grow and develop in its ability to meet the educational needs of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico.

On July 1, 1968, TSC became a member of the Colorado Community College System (CCCS). The College is governed by the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education (SBCCOE). In 1994, expanding the College’s service area, TSC merged with the San Luis Valley Educational Center in Alamosa, Colorado, forming the TSC Valley Campus. TSC has an Advisory Council, who are appointed to provide advice to the college administration, serve as liaisons with the community and promote college programs and services. Members of the Advisory Council represent Trinidad State’s eight-county service area.

The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools has continuously accredited Trinidad State College since 1962. TSC grants Associate of Arts degrees, Associate of Science degrees, Associate of General Studies degrees, Associate of Applied Science degrees, and Certificates of Completion.

Trinidad State College is committed to providing its students with rigorous, integrated, comprehensive academic and occupational-technical curricula for quality academic transfer, occupational degree, and certificate programs. The institution has implemented unique pre-collegiate and specialized educational programs designed to introduce students to an approach to learning that will enhance any student’s potential for success. Reaching out to remote areas, the College offers several methods of alternative delivery including interactive video delivery, online, hybrid and on-site courses providing the opportunity for area high school students and persons in outlying communities to enroll in college-level courses. Additionally, the College has modern computer labs and state-of-the-art classroom technology to enhance the learning environment.

The goal at TSC is to empower students with the ability to compete in work environments and excel in our highly mobile society. The College will continue to explore, examine, develop and implement innovative methods to provide a comprehensive quality education.

Our faculty and staff provide the personalized attention with a student to faculty ratio of 12 to 1. The College has grown from its enrollment of thirty-seven students in 1926 to its present headcount of approximately 1,700 annually between the Trinidad Campus, the Valley Campus, online, and four additional locations.