Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute
 | |
| Type | Community college |
|---|---|
| Established | 1964 |
| President | Mark Poarch |
| Students | 3,300 |
| Location |
Hudson, North Carolina, USA 35°51′11″N 81°29′00″W / 35.853°N 81.4832°WCoordinates: 35°51′11″N 81°29′00″W / 35.853°N 81.4832°W |
| Campus | Small town |
| Colors | Blue, white |
| Nickname | The Cobras |
| Affiliations | CJCC (NJCAA) |
| Sports | Basketball |
| Website |
www |
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute (CCC&TI) is a public community college serving residents of Caldwell and Watauga counties in North Carolina. CCC&TI is part of the North Carolina Community College System.
The main campus is located in Hudson, North Carolina, but the college also operates a smaller Watauga campus in Boone.
CCC&TI is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees.[1]
History
In 1964, the college first opened its doors as Caldwell Technical Institute with the employment of Dr. H. Edwin Beam as its first president. Health occupations courses were offered in 1965, with the college's first facilities occupied in 1967. Three years later, the institution's name was changed to Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute as the college transfer program was implemented.
Appointed president in 1984, Dr. Eric B. McKeithan was instrumental in further growth of the college as the Watauga Campus opened in 1987. Dr. Kenneth A. Boham took the reins as president in 1995 and retired in 2016. Under Boham's leadership, CCC&TI experienced record enrollment and unprecedented facilities expansion.
Today CCC&TI offers over 100 curriculum programs and a variety of continuing education options.
The Watauga Campus of the college lies 3 miles (5 km) from the campus of Appalachian State University in Boone.
In recent years, the college started competitive athletics programs (men's and women's basketball), using the mascot and nickname "Cobras".[2]
From 1984-88, CCC&TI housed and sponsored the Unifour Jazz Ensemble, 1987 Community College Jazz Ensemble national champions. In 1990, UJE was named Community Jazz Ensemble of the 1980s by the International Association for Jazz Education, and in 2013 its director Tom Smith was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Education Hall of Fame.
CCC&TI now offers a full-time Elementary Education Program from Appalachian State University.
Also on campus is Caldwell Early College High School, where students can get their high school diploma and an associate degree at the same time. The campus also houses the Caldwell Career Center Middle College, which was formerly known as The Career Center.