Denton Main Street Association member and sponsor, North Central Texas College, is celebrating its 100 year anniversary this year. Help us celebrate this impactful two-year college and their continued impact in our community!
From the Beginning…
Founded by Randolph Lee Clark, North Central Texas College (NCTC) was officially established May 20, 1924 — making it the oldest continuously operating two-year college in Texas today! NCTC was originally named Gainesville Junior College and operated out of a shared space with the old Gainesville High School.
Today, with the help of the local communities, donors and other funding, NCTC now has six campuses and a training center throughout North Texas, including a few in Denton County.
A brief timeline of NCTC’s growth:
1924: The first NCTC campus was opened in Gainesville.
1999: Started construction on a second campus location in Corinth.
2000: Opened the Corinth campus to students.
2011: NCTC opened a location in Flower Mound’s Parker Square to allow for the vast overflow of Denton County students to attend classes.
2019: Opened the Downtown Denton campus in the old Denton Record Chronicle building off Hickory Street.
2022: Opened the Champions Circle industrial training location to reach the southern Denton County and Alliance corridor, offering trade courses including industrial, allied health, HVAC, plumbing, and other workforce training opportunities.
The downtown Denton campus is a special location for NCTC. They are excited to be part of the tight-knit downtown community, close to UNT and TWU campuses, and able to partner with many local businesses. However, things took a challenging turn after COVID hit just months after their new campus opening and growth was not as fast as other campuses.
But for the last couple of years, the downtown Denton campus has seen quick growth — both with the student population and exciting offerings. They added a state-of-the-art science lab, providing students with an immersive lab experience. The Black Box Theatre, an intimate theatre experience you can’t find anywhere else, is still operating and widely used by their Drama and Band departments.
A True [Community] College
Not only has NCTC been making a big impact in the community for students over the last 100 years, but they’ve also been heavily involved in giving back and engaging with the community to the present day in many ways.
NCTC staff (including financial aid, advisors and recruiters) regularly attend local high schools to provide ample opportunities for graduating seniors to access higher education — removing the barriers for applying and meeting students and parents where they are. This includes offering FAFSA Nights, offering sponsorships and scholarships. They also participate in Adopt a School fundraisers and have a partnership at C.H. Collins.
Associate Vice Chancellor of Campus Operations, Jessica DeRoche, is also an active board member of the Denton Main Street Association (DMSA). NCTC is a Platinum Sponsor of DMSA and helps out often with DMSA events, including Twilight Tunes, by offering their parking garage to the public during the concerts. The Downtown Denton campus also hosts many DMSA events, including the recent Annual Member Meeting and Promotions Committee meetings to discuss upcoming events.
They support downtown businesses for their events and offer up their space to many other downtown events, including utilizing classroom space for some sessions during the Denton Black Film Festival.
NCTC holds true to the heart of being a community college by offering enrichment classes (also known as community or hobby classes) offered year round at most campuses. Enrichment classes are offered through Continuing Education, their non-credit branch of the college that focuses on hobby and entertainment, and also includes career training and certifications. These one- and two-day enrichment classes evolve often, and are easy for the public to register for (even just days before the class begins).
Fun fact: the NCTC Downtown Denton campus was the first location to offer both 8-week and 16-week courses, and the only campus with a parking garage.
Celebrating 100 Years (& Many More)
NCTC celebrated on the Denton Campus with an Open House with public officials present including Judge Eads who signed a declaration for their 100 years as a college.
NCTC also hosts an annual foundation gala every year, but this year will be even bigger! The Centennial Gala will be held on April 6th at Winstar with live entertainment, drinks, dancing and much more. It will be a celebration of everything the community and donors have done for the college so they can keep impacting local students. Tickets are on sale now.
Instead of multiple smaller graduation ceremonies, this year NCTC will be doing one big commencement at the UNT Coliseum on May 4th. Their band will do a performance, the NCTC mascot will be there, and it will be a special 100 year celebration to remember for all graduating students.
Last but not least, the Performing Arts department is getting together to do a performance for “100 years of NCTC,” including reenactments, special songs, and much more at their Performing Arts Center in Gainesville on April 20th and 21st. Tickets are on sale now.
Learn more about NCTC Celebrating 100 Years!
Author: Courtney Stucky with Aspiro Agency