Gateway Technical College
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Type | Public technical college |
|---|---|
| Established | 1911 |
Parent institution | Wisconsin Technical College System |
| President | Morgan Phillips |
Administrative staff | 621 |
| Students | 25,000[1] |
| Location | , , United States |
| Campus | Urban |
| Mascot | Rudy the Redhawk |
| Website | www.gtc.edu |
Gateway Technical College is a public technical college in southeastern Wisconsin. It is one of the largest members of the state-run Wisconsin Technical College System, serving Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth counties.
With over 20,000 students, Gateway offers associate degrees in 47 fields and 179 different diplomas and certifications.[2] The college also offers certification and permit courses, as well as helping students attain GED and HSED diplomas. There are more than 37 standing credit transfer agreements with other colleges and universities, particularly UW–Parkside.[3][4]
Gateway has three main campuses, in Elkhorn, Kenosha, and Racine, and six other educational centers located throughout the region.
The Wisconsin continuation school program was established by Governor Francis McGovern in 1911. Later that year, the Racine Continuation School became the first to open under this program,[5] and the first publicly funded technical school in America.[6] In its earliest years, the school rented space in downtown Racine, as well as using the high school and Bull Elementary buildings for night school classes. The first class consisted of about 150 students. By 1916, the enrollment had expanded to over 1,000, the bulk of which were taking English and/or citizenship classes.[7] Renamed the Racine Vocational School in 1917, expansion continued and over 3,000 students were enrolled in 1920. Racine's program was said to be a model for other technical schools throughout the state and country.[8] The school purchased a site west of downtown at 800 Center Street in 1928, and the completed building, which brought all of the school's programs under one roof, opened in 1931. The school, later known as the Racine Technical Institute, opened satellite campuses in Burlington, Union Grove, and Waterford in 1967.[5] The Racine Technical Institute building, at 800 Center Street, is now used as an annex to Racine's city hall.
The Kenosha Vocational School was founded in 1912, at the request of Kenosha superintendent Mary Bradford. A building was constructed for the school in 1914, and by 1920, with 914 students enrolled, that building had already been outgrown, requiring the school to share space with local factories.[8] A larger building was constructed later that decade, which is now part of the Kenosha Medical Center. The Vocational Act of 1963 authorized the school to construct a new building near Bradford High School, the cornerstone of which was laid in 1965 by Governor Warren Knowles. In 1968, Walworth County was added to the Kenosha vocational district, and a satellite campus began construction in Elkhorn, although it was not complete until after the 1971 merger.[9]
The Racine and Kenosha vocational schools shared a long partnership, serving similar roles in the heavily industrial cities of southeastern Wisconsin and operating under the authority of the state of Wisconsin. Together, they pioneered vocational nursing education in 1949 and later introduced two-year associate degree programs in 1959. In 1971, the Wisconsin Technical College System merged these school systems together to form what was designated District 6. The newly formed system was named the Tri-County Technical Institute. It became Gateway Technical Institute the following year. The current name, Gateway Technical College, was given in 1987, as part of a statewide change. Since the 1990s, Gateway has continually expanded both its enrollment and facilities, and has placed a focus on smaller educational centers that are separate from the major campuses.[9] Today, Gateway has over 25,000 students, 6,000 of whom attend school full-time.
