SchChat - School | Central Lakes College

Descriptions

Central Lakes College combines the best of both Brainerd Community College and Brainerd Staples Technical Colleges, with roots deep in liberal arts and career education for Central Minnesota. brainerdcampusBCC and BSTC combined to create CLC on July 1, 1995. The colleges share a long history.In 1938, a community college known as Brainerd State Junior College opened its door on the third floor of Washington High School in Brainerd with 12 students. Two years later 19 graduating students, the Class of 1940, celebrated the earning of college diplomas. The Brainerd School Board approved the inception of a junior college for the community. That board continued to oversee the college’s operation until 1964, when the Minnesota State Junior College System of 10 mission-sharing schools statewide formed. Over a recent, five-year period, CLC experienced 53 percent enrollment growth, pushing to more than 6,000 the number of people taking at least one class from the college during an academic year. Now offering over 70 programs – including an Associate of Arts Honors degree – the college has expanded partnerships with area school districts and the business community to work toward a sustainable economy with a workforce that earns living wages. College-in-the-Schools has built on educational partnerships across the region to enable qualified high school instructors to deliver CLC courses from home school districts to eligible students, all in collaboration with CLC instructors.