Western Technical College (Western or WTC) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

technical college An institute of technology (also referred to as technological university, technical university, university of technology, polytechnic university) is an institution of tertiary education that specializes in engineering, technology, applied science ...

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 202 ...

. A member of the

Wisconsin Technical College System Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) is a system of 16 public technical colleges administered by the state of Wisconsin. The system offers more than 500 programs, awarding two-year associate degrees, one- and two-year technical diplomas, an ...

, the Western Technical College District serves 11 counties and enrolls over 5,000 students. The college has six campus locations in western Wisconsin and its main campus is in downtown La Crosse. Western is accredited by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

History

Founded in 1912, the school was previously known as Western Wisconsin Technical College (WWTC), but "Wisconsin" was dropped on March 29, 2006. Western received voter approval for facilities improvement via referendums in 1992 ($8.9 million), 1996 ($3.65 million), and 2012 ($79.8 million).

Former names

* 1912-17: La Crosse Continuation and Adult Schools * 1917-63: La Crosse Vocational School * 1963-65: Coleman Vocational and Adult Schools * 1965-68: Coleman Technical Institute * 1968-87: Western Wisconsin Technical Institute * 1987-2006: Western Wisconsin Technical College * 2006–present: Western Technical College

Locations

Other locations where classes are offered include: *

Black River Falls Black River Falls is a city in Jackson County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 3,523 at the 2020 census. It is located along the Black River and home to the headquarters of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin. ...

Independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

* Mauston *

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

* Tomah * Viroqua

Academics

Western Technical College offers more than 100 programs, providing

associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

s, technical diplomas, and certificates. The college also offers English Language Learners courses, GED/HSED classes, and apprenticeship training. Western has agreements with several colleges and universities that allow students earn credits towards a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

through their programs.

Athletics

Western Technical College's sports teams are called the Cavaliers, who play in red and white colors. The school began athletics in 1967. The Cavaliers are members of the

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is the governing association of community college, state college, and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions across 24 states ...

and the

Minnesota College Athletic Conference The Minnesota College Athletic Conference (MCAC), formerly the Minnesota Community College Conference (MCCC), is a junior college collegiate athletic conference in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The 23 member institutio ...

. In 2020, the Western Cavaliers Women's Basketball team finished the season 25-6 and won the NJCAA Division III National Championship, the first national title in school history.

Transportation

The main campus of WTC is located northeast of downtown La Crosse and is served by the

La Crosse MTU The La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility or MTU is the primary provider of mass transportation in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Using 21 buses, eleven regular routes are provided from Monday through Friday. On Saturdays, the MTU runs six routes, and five ...

transit system, which offers fare-free service to students . Route 4 provides bus service through campus on 7th Street, connecting to downtown La Crosse and UWL. SMRT buses stop on 7th Street providing regional bus service to

Prairie du Chien Prairie du Chien may refer to: Places *Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin Prairie du Chien ( ) is a city in Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Often called Wisconsin's second- ...

, Viroqua, Tomah and other destinations. The

bikeshare A bicycle-sharing system, bike share program, public bicycle scheme, or public bike share (PBS) scheme, is a shared transport service where bicycles are available for shared use by individuals at low cost. The programmes themselves include bot ...

system DriftCycle has a bikeshare station at the center of campus, one of fifteen across the city.

References

External links

*
The History of Western Technical College
Bert Hoch {{authority control Wisconsin technical colleges Buildings and structures in La Crosse, Wisconsin Universities and colleges established in 1912 Education in Juneau County, Wisconsin Education in La Crosse County, Wisconsin Education in Jackson County, Wisconsin Education in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin Education in Monroe County, Wisconsin Education in Vernon County, Wisconsin 1912 establishments in Wisconsin NJCAA schools Two-year colleges in the United States