Historic mountain college founded 1883, now a northern hub campus of Hazard Community and Technical College.
Lees College was founded in January 1883 as Jackson Academy by educator John J. Dickey, who sought to establish high schools in Eastern Kentucky county seats. The school was supported by philanthropist Anson G.P. Dodge and later received major donations from Susanna Preston Walker Lees in 1897, after which it was renamed S.P. Lees Collegiate Institute. The institution transitioned through several ownership structures, including Central University and the Presbyterian Church's Southern Synod of Kentucky, before becoming a junior college in 1927. It operated as a private two-year liberal arts college until financial difficulties in the 1990s led to its transfer to the University of Kentucky in 1996, and subsequently to the newly formed Kentucky Community and Technical College System in 1997.
Under President Jesse O. Van Meter (1928–1948), the college achieved full accreditation and expanded significantly from 33 to over 300 students. Van Meter established an early student loan program and secured funding for campus improvements including the Barkley Bowl football field (1935). The college officially changed its name from Lees Junior College to Lees College in 1984. Today it operates as a community and technical college campus offering two-year programs and serving the northern region of Hazard Community and Technical College's service area.
The main campus features the J. Phil Smith Administration Building (formerly Old Lees, the original 1888 brick structure), Van Meter Gymnasium (completed 1957), Jackson Hall (opened 1927 as co-ed dormitory), the E.O. Robinson Library and Science Building, and the Robert L. Telford Technology Center. The Breathitt County Life Skills Center, housed in the former Jefferson Hotel, now serves multiple higher education institutions. Historical facilities including Little Hall, McCormick Chapel, Barkley Bowl, and Bach Hall have been demolished or repurposed.