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Wisconsin Technical Colleges history
Wisconsin Technical Colleges company history timeline
1912 Industrial, Commercial, Continuing Evening School founded in Superior
Based in part on Wisconsin’s lead, Congress passed the Smith-Hughes Act in 1917, the first federal legislation specifically designed to promote “vocational” education.
In 1917, the Legislature changed the name of the State Board of Industrial Education to the “State Board of Vocational Education”, authorized it to employ a state director and designated it as the sole agency to work with a newly created federal board under Smith-Hughes.
In 1937, the board became the “State Board of Vocational and Adult Education”. During that same period, the Milwaukee vocational school began to offer college transfer courses.
In 1949, Kenosha Vocational School breaks ground at 52nd Street and 6th Avenue and becomes the first vocational school to offer one-year practical nursing program.
The Field Service Department, which was responsible for adult part-time programs to be offered throughout the district, began functioning in the fall of 1967.
A glorious new era began when Southwest Vocational Technical Institute (SWVTI) opened its doors in September 1968 with enrollment of 107 students.
In 1968, Walworth County joins the Kenosha Vocational District.
The account clerk and clerk-typist classes were held in a wood frame building known as the “White Building,” which also served as the district office until the spring of 1968.
Programs selected for the first year of operation in 1968 were clerk-typist, account clerk, auto-tractor mechanics and welding.
Ronald H. Anderson was appointed District Director on June 1, 1969.
In 1971, the Racine Technical Institute merges with the Kenosha Technical Institute and its Walworth County campus in Elkhorn, first as Kenosha-Racine-Walworth Technical Institute, then as Tri-County Technical Institute.
Although Gateway wasn’t named “Gateway” until 1972, it nevertheless has a history in Southeast Wisconsin that stretches back to the beginning of the 20th Century.
In 1972, Tri-County Technical Institute changes its name to Gateway Technical Institute and moves the Racine Campus to its current location at 1001 S. Main St
Between 1912 and 1972, campuses operated more independently and were branded separately. For example, WITC-Superior operated as Superior Technical Institute, and vocational districts 17 and 18 were merged to create one district in 1972.
The 1974-75 year was a banner year enrollment-wise in that the full-time enrollment for the first time went over 1,000 for a total of 1,149 and the part-time enrollment soared to 19,500.
In 1993, the System was renamed the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS), and the state board became the Wisconsin Technical College System Board and what had been known as “District VTAE schools” became technical colleges.
The Southwest Tech Foundation purchased Eastview Apartments in 1997.
In 2013, Charley’s opened.
With over 88 higher education institutions in Wisconsin, Best Colleges’ 2016 findings, ranks Southwest Tech first in academic quality, affordability, and student experience.
In early 2020, WITC hired CLARUS Corporation to conduct a large market research project that, in part, focused on WITC's brand, perception of the college, and the name.
©2021, Northwood Technical College.
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| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison College | 1912 | $71.4M | 12 | 102 |
| Fox Valley Technical College | 1912 | $213.7M | 2,000 | 131 |
| Western Technical College | 1970 | $28.4M | 125 | 18 |
| University of Wisconsin System | 1848 | $61.0M | 572 | 941 |
| Nwtc Esl Outreach | 1972 | $320,000 | 9 | 6 |
| DCN | 2004 | $2.0M | 198 | - |
| Colorado Community College System | 1967 | $530,000 | 5 | 22 |
| Kishwaukee College | 1967 | $9.9M | 500 | - |
| Rio Salado College | 1978 | $213.7M | 1,750 | - |
| Spartanburg Community College | 1963 | $21.9M | 554 | - |
Wisconsin Technical Colleges history FAQs
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Wisconsin Technical Colleges may also be known as or be related to Wisconsin Technical College System, Wisconsin Technical College System Board and Wisconsin Technical Colleges.