Bill J. Priest Center
for Community College Education: Its Purpose and Benefactors
Established to prepare leaders and teachers for specific careers in community colleges, the Bill J. Priest Center is unique in the field. Higher Education programs around the country typically include a course or two on community college issues, but few offer a comprehensive education designed specifically to prepare those pursuing careers in community colleges. Because of the Priest Center, the University of North Texas Program in Higher Education is able to offer a Doctorate in Higher Education with a specialization in Community College Education. Students completing this program are highly marketable for community college positions.
Bill J. Priest Center History
The Center was named in honor of Dr. Bill J. Priest, the founding Chancellor of the Dallas County Community College District and the inspiration for the Bill J. Priest Center at UNT. Dr. Priest, former Chancellor of the Dallas County Community College District, served from 1965 to 1981. He is credited with building the community college system in Dallas. Today, the DCCCD is comprised of seven different college campuses throughout Dallas County. Additionally, the DCCCD operates the Bill J. Priest Campus of El Centro College , the R. Jan LeCroy Center for Educational Telecommunications, and various centers across Dallas County.
In addition to being the founding chancellor of DCCCD, Dr. Priest held a leadership position in a number of national community college initiatives including the following:
- Helping to found the League for Innovation in the Community College
- President of the American Association of Community Colleges
- Chairman of the American Council on Education
The American Association of Junior Colleges is now AACC (American Association of Community Colleges), the leading community college association in the nation. It provides a convention each year that attracts thousands of community college presidents, board members, and administrators nationally.
The League for Innovation has grown tremendously over the years and provides leadership and renewal opportunities for community college administrators and faculty through a variety of programs and conferences. The American Council on Education, which Dr. Priest chaired, was founded in 1918 and today provides leadership on higher educational issues nationally and influences public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives.
Although the community college was a major part of Dr. Priest's life, he also has had a lifelong love of baseball. He played professional baseball (a pitcher) and was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame at the University of California at Berkeley. Additionally, he served his country as an intelligence officer for the United States Navy in the Philippines and postwar Japan.
He is a man loved and respected by people nationally who have benefited from his commitment to the community college movement and to the students the community college serves.
The Don A. Buchholz Endowed Chair in Higher Education
The Bill J. Priest Center was made possible by a $1 million gift to the University of North Texas from Mr. Don A. Buchholz, co-founder of Southwest Securities of Dallas, Texas. The endowed chair is named after Mr. Buchholz and is a part of the Bill J. Priest Center and the Program in Higher Education.
Don A. Buchholz is Chairman of the Board of Directors of SWS Group, Inc. (NYSE: SWS), a publicly owned holding company with subsidiaries engaged in providing securities clearing, securities brokerage, investment banking and banking services. Mr. Buchholz co-founded Southwest Securities, now SWS Group's principal subsidiary, as a Dallas-based securities broker/dealer and New York Stock Exchange member firm in 1972.
He also serves on the Board of Directors of U.S. Home Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: USHS), a leading manufacturer, designer, and marketer of custom quality specialty home improvement products, and Southwest Securities Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of SWS Group.
Professionally, Mr. Buchholz is an allied member of the New York Stock Exchange and an associate member of the American Stock Exchange. He previously served as a member of the Board of Governors of the New York Stock Exchange. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Securities Industry Association (SIA) and the National Association of Securities Dealers. In addition, he served on the Executive Committee of the SIA's South Central District and as President of the Texas Stock and Bond Dealers Association.
Active in community affairs, Mr. Buchholz serves as a member of the University of North Texas Foundation Board and a member of the Board of Advisors for the UNT College of Business Administration. In November 2007, Mr. Buchholz was appointed to the UNT System Board of Regents by Governor Rick Perry, further deepening his involvement with UNT. He is also a member of the Dallas County Community College Foundation Board and a Director of the National Center for Policy Analysis, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization based in Dallas.
From 1978 to 1997, Mr. Buchholz served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Dallas County Community College District, including two terms as President of the Board. He also served as President of the Board of Trustees of the Garland (Texas) Independent School District. In addition, he served two terms (1990 through 1996) on the Baylor University Hankamer School of Business Advisory Board, including as Chairman in 1995-96. Most recently, Mr. Buchholz served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and on the Board of Directors for Mannatech, Inc. (NASDAQ: MTEX). He also served as a Director for the Old Red Courthouse, Inc.
Mr. Buchholz formerly was a licensed C.P.A. He holds a B.B.A. Degree from the University of North Texas in Denton and has received many awards through the years, including two from the University of North Texas - the "Outstanding Alumnus Service Award" in 1999 and the "Distinguished Alumnus Award" in 2001.