Central Texas College (CTC) is a

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...

Killeen, Texas Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 153,095, making it the 19th-most populous city in Texas and the largest of the three principal cities of Bell County. It is the principal city ...

. Founded in 1965, it has branch campuses in Europe and on military installations across the U.S.

History

Central Texas College was established by a vote of the citizens of

Central Texas Central Texas is a region in the U.S. state of Texas surrounding Austin and roughly bordered by San Saba to Bryan and San Marcos to Hillsboro. Central Texas overlaps with and includes part of the Texas Hill Country and corresponds to a p ...

in 1965 to serve the western section of

Bell County, Texas Bell County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in Central Texas and its county seat is Belton. As of the 2020 census, its population was 370,647. Bell County is part of the Killeen–Temple, Texas, Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

and Coryell County. The campus was constructed on more than 500 acres of land donated by

Fort Hood Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarters ...

between Killeen and Copperas Cove. In September 1967, the school opened its doors to 2,068 students. CTC has been accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

since 1969. As defined by the

Texas Legislature The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful arm ...

, the official service area of CTC comprises: * All of Coryell,

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...

, Lampasas, Llano,

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

Mills Mills is the plural form of mill, but may also refer to: As a name * Mills (surname), a common family name of English or Gaelic origin * Mills (given name) *Mills, a fictional British secret agent in a trilogy by writer Manning O'Brine Places Un ...

, and San Saba Counties * Killeen Independent School District, located in Bell County * Copperas Cove Independent School District, located in Bell and Coryell Counties *

and North Fort Hood in Bell County *

Brady Brady may refer to: People * Brady (surname) * Brady (given name) * Brady (nickname) * Brady Boone, a ring name of American professional wrestler Dean Peters (1958–1998) Places in the United States * Brady, Montana, a census-designated pl ...

, Lohn, and Rochelle school districts located within McCulloch County * Burnet Consolidated Independent School District located within Burnet County *

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

and Marble Falls school districts * The portion of the Lampasas Independent School District located within Burnet and Bell Counties * Fredericksburg ISD and Gillespie County, added effective September 1, 2015 after legislative approval. Due to its proximity to the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, c ...

installation at Fort Hood, Central Texas College has a large number of military-affiliated students. CTC instituted classes and programs on Fort Hood in 1970 and in Europe in 1974. Success with the military led to branch campuses at military installations such as

Fort Leonard Wood Fort Leonard Wood is a U.S. Army training installation located in the Missouri Ozarks. The main gate is located on the southern boundary of The City of St. Robert. The post was created in December 1940 and named in honor of General Leonard Wo ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas to ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

, and on-ship with the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets of the US Navy in 1976. By the early 1980s, CTC offered classes to military personnel in the Pacific Command, Alaska, and Panama. CTC offered classes for the

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails ...

in the prisons at

Gatesville, Texas Gatesville is a city in and the county seat of Coryell County, Texas, United States. Its population was 16,135 at the 2020 census. The city has five of the nine prisons and state jails for women operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justic ...

, in 1976. In addition to its Texas locations, CTC still has a presence on more than 20 US military installations, in Europe and deployed locations offers more than 100 programs fully online
www.ctcd.edu/locations
Central Texas College had a nationally ranked tennis team in the early 1970s, playing as the Golden Eagles. In 2013, a campus-wide vote led to the selection of CTC's new official mascot, the Eagle.

Degrees offered

Students enrolled at CTC may select a degree plan from Associate of Arts degree programs, Associate of Science degree programs, Associate in Applied Science degree programs, or Associate of Arts in General Studies. There are more than 40 certificate programs.

Main campus

At the main campus in Killeen, the central courtyard has a memorial statue to

Lyndon Baines Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

, and a fountain by which are metal markers indicating the boundary between Bell and Coryell counties. CTC's main library is named in honor of

Oveta Culp Hobby Oveta Culp Hobby (January 19, 1905 – August 16, 1995) was an American politician and businessperson who served as the first United States secretary of health, education, and welfare from 1953 to 1955. A member of the Republican Party, Hobby wa ...

. CTC's older buildings are built in Spanish Colonial Revival Style. CTC is also home to the

beautiful music Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM, B/EZ or BM/EZ for "beautiful music/easy listening") is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in North American radio from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Easy listening, elevator mu ...

station KNCT-FM.

References

External links

Central Texas College Home Page
* {{authority control Education in Bell County, Texas Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Community colleges in Texas Educational institutions established in 1965 Buildings and structures in Bell County, Texas 1965 establishments in Texas