Central Community College is a two-year Nebraska public college with three campuses, in

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

, Grand Island, and

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

. In addition the college has learning centers in Holdrege, Kearney, and Lexington. Under the terms of a 1971 Nebraska state law, Central is one of six regional community colleges in the state, serving a group of 25 counties and funded by property taxes within those counties in addition to state aid, tuition and fees, and grants.Historical Development
Nebraska Community College System, retrieved April 8, 2010.

History

Central Community College at Hastings (opened 1966 as Central Nebraska Technical College, later known as Central Technical College) occupies part of the site of the

Naval Ammunition Depot The Naval Ammunition Depot Hastings (NAD Hastings) near Hastings, Nebraska was the largest United States World War II naval munitions plant operating from 1942 to 1946 and produced over 40% of the U.S. Navy's munitions. History World War II and ...

and uses some of its former buildings. It was the first multi-county vocational-technical college in Nebraska. Central Community College at Columbus (opened 1969), near the city limits in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

, was originally Platte Junior College, then Platte Technical College, and was the first county-supported community college in Nebraska. Central Community College at Grand Island opened in 1976; the college's central administration had been established in Grand Island in 1974. The Kearney Center originated in 1958 as a practical nursing education program sponsored by

Kearney Public Schools Kearney Public Schools is a school district serving the area of Kearney, Nebraska, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United S ...

. The Lexington Center was established in 1977 to serve four counties. The Holdrege Center opened in 1995 to improve services to the southwest portion of Central Community College's service area. Central Community College was approved as an Academic Quality Improvement Project (AQIP) college in 2002.

Academic programs

Central Community College offers a variety of programs in general education, academic transfer subjects, agriculture, automotive (at Hastings only), business, construction, electronics and information technology, health care, human and social services, manufacturing and fabrication, and media arts and graphic arts. Central Community College at Columbus is a

National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) is a national training organization with its headquarters located in Morgantown, West Virginia. NAFTC is a West Virginia University program founded in 1992. Its objective is to decrease the Unit ...

training center. Like all Nebraska community colleges, Central offers the Navy Tech Prep program in Electronics in association with the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

. Of the programs offered at only some Nebraska community colleges, Central offers the Health Information Management Systems, Paralegal, Fire Training, and Respiratory Care Technology programs. It has a library collection sharing program with Metropolitan Community College. All the community colleges offer distance learning; Central also offers individualized learning programs that enable students to enroll or leave at any time.

Fine Arts

Central Community College at Columbus offers courses in art, music, and theatre. Concerts, plays, and two art shows are staged throughout the year in the Fine Arts Theater.

Athletics

Central Community College at Columbus Raiders teams compete in men's and women's basketball, men's golf, women's softball, men's and women's soccer and women's volleyball.Athletics
, Columbus Campus, Central Community College, retrieved April 8, 2010.

References

Sources

External links

Official website
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1966 Two-year colleges in the United States Community colleges in Nebraska Buildings and structures in Adams County, Nebraska Buildings and structures in Buffalo County, Nebraska Education in Dawson County, Nebraska Education in Hall County, Nebraska Education in Phelps County, Nebraska Education in Platte County, Nebraska Education in Adams County, Nebraska Education in Buffalo County, Nebraska 1966 establishments in Nebraska NJCAA athletics