History
In 1965, the citizens of Central Texas joined together to authorize the building of a community college that would serve the western section of Bell County; Burnet, Coryell, Hamilton, Lampasas, Llano, Mason, Mills and San Saba counties; portions of McCulloch and Williamson counties; as well as Fort Hood and the state correctional facilities in Gatesville. The campus was constructed on 560 acres of land donated by Fort Hood through the Department of Education and with funds supplied through a local $2 million bond issue. Central Texas College, under Section 130.04 of the Texas Education Code, opened its doors with an initial enrollment of 2,068 students in the fall of 1967. The number of students and the locations of offerings have steadily increased since that time. Central Texas College (CTC) has maintained its institutional accreditation status with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges since first being awarded accreditation in 1969, and was reaffirmed most recently in June 2015.
CTC initiated on-site programs on Fort Hood in 1970 and in Europe in 1974. CTC’s success at Fort Hood and Europe led to the explosive expansion of CTC’s locations including Fort Leonard Wood (Missouri), South Korea and the U.S. Atlantic and Pacific Fleets in 1976. By the early 1980s CTC offered programs to military personnel stationed in the Pacific Command, Alaska and Panama as well as throughout the Continental United States. This expansion occurred locally as well with the initiation of instructional programs and services for the Texas Department of Corrections in Gatesville in 1976.
In 1970, CTC began to offer broadcast telecourses to the citizens of Central Texas. College credit classes were first delivered by video conference in the service area in 1994 and from the Central Campus in 1996, enabling area high schools and other colleges in the geographical region to receive CTC courses. At the same time, Central Campus faculty began to enrich traditionally taught courses with professionally produced multimedia materials and with materials selected from the Internet. CTC taught its first online course in 1998. In 1998, CTC was invited to list its online courses in the inventory of the Electronic Campus of the Southern Regional Educational Consortium. CTC’s membership in the Sloan Consortium was approved in 1999. In 2000, the PricewaterhouseCoopers firm invited CTC to become an educational partner in the new Army University Access Online (eArmyU) project for the soldiers in the United States Army. Entire associate degrees were available online for the first time in the spring of 2001. CTC continues expanding its distance education offerings and delivery methods and is a leader among two-year institutions in providing distance education courses and degree programs.
In 2014, Killeen Independent School District (KISD) applied for Texas Education Agency approval to partner with CTC on the creation of an Early College High School. Early College High School (ECHS) is a dual credit model where students work on obtaining a high school diploma at the same time that they’re working on an associate degree. The goal is to finish both by the time they graduate with a high school diploma. Approval was granted and ECHS was launched on Central Campus in 2015 with a cohort of 150 students and 150 enrollments. All students work toward an AA Interdisciplinary Studies degree, and tuition and textbooks are paid by the district, KISD. Initially, only juniors and seniors participated in this program, but it expanded to include sophomores and grew to 1,265 students and 5,680 enrollments by the 2020-2021 school year. The inaugural ECHS graduating class of 113 students finished in Spring 2019, followed by 125 in 2020 and 145 in Spring 2021 with many in each class graduating with honors.
Today, CTC consists of administrative units referred to as campuses: the Central Campus and Service Area, the Continental Campus, the Europe Campus, the Fort Hood Campus and the Navy Campus. The Pacific Far East Campus established in 1980 officially closed July 31, 2017. Of these, the Central Campus, Service Area and Fort Hood Campus operate within the state of Texas. Instruction is provided to a variety of students to include military, civilians and incarcerated students.
Students enrolled in CTC may select a degree plan from 69 Associate of Arts, Associate of Arts in Teaching, Associate of Science and Associate of Applied Science degree programs. In addition, students choosing to earn a certificate may enroll in any of the 90 certificate programs. Campuses may offer the full range of degree programs and services or only those identified through local needs assessments. CTC also provides a wide range of education and training opportunities for those students who do not select a degree or certificate option. Committed to serving all students, CTC provides comprehensive programs and services for special populations: disability support services, single parent/homemaker support services and nontraditional career support services as well as tutoring. To meet occupational training needs, CTC offers a variety of credit and noncredit professional development and job-related skills programs such as basic literacy, leadership skills, foreign language skills and occupational skills programs.
Mission and Purpose
Mission
Central Texas College provides accessible and quality educational opportunities that support a diverse student population and promotes student success, completion and employability.
Vision
Central Texas College serves our diverse global community through engaging and innovative education.
Values
Central Texas College, in meeting the educational goals and needs of students, is committed to:
- Belief in the worth and dignity of the individual
- Excellence in all aspects of operations
- Highest standards of ethical professional practice
- Accountability and responsibility in the stewardship of public trust and resources
Institutional Purpose
Central Texas College is a two-year, open admissions institution that provides accessible educational opportunities to diverse student populations locally and worldwide. The purpose of CTC is synonymous with its mission and, in accordance with Section 130 of the Texas Education Code, provides the following programs and public education services:
- technical programs up to two years in length leading to associate degrees and/or certificates,
- vocational programs leading directly to employment in semi-skilled and skilled operations;
- freshman and sophomore level courses in arts and sciences;
- continuing adult education programs for occupational upgrading or cultural enrichment;
- compensatory education programs designed to fulfill the commitment of an admissions policy allowing the enrollment of disadvantaged students;
- a continuing program of counseling and guidance designed to assist students in achieving their individual educational goals;
- workforce development programs designed to meet local and statewide needs;
- adult literacy and other basic skills programs for adults; and
- such other purposes as may be prescribed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board or local governing boards in the best interest of postsecondary education in Texas
Strategic Planning
Central Texas College has established a Strategic Planning Task Force that has the responsibilities to revise a strategic plan and periodically review the institution’s mission and purpose statements. The committee has developed a vision statement and has established broad goals that center on instruction, research, public service and institutional support and ancillary operations. Specific objectives that are measurable have been developed for all institutional goals. The committee has been assigned the responsibility to annually assess the institution’s progress on meeting the goals and objectives. Results of the assessment are used to develop strategies to be implemented by the departments and units. During the annual budget process, resources are identified and committed in order to implement the strategies. Copies of the current Strategic Planning documents are available in the Office of Institutional Effectiveness (IE) and on the IE webpage.