![Clover Park Technical College Health Sciences Building 2015](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Clover_Park_Technical_College_Health_Sciences_Building_2015.jpg)
Clover Park Technical College (CPTC) 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 ...
in
Lakewood, Washington
Lakewood is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 63,612 at the 2020 census.
History
Lakewood was officially incorporated on February 28, 1996. Historical names include Tacoma/Lakewood Center and Lakes Distric ...
. There is also a smaller campus located at
Thun Field in
Puyallup, Washington
Puyallup ( or ) is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States, located about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Tacoma and 35 miles (56 km) south of Seattle. It had a population of 42,973 at the 2020 census. The city's name comes from th ...
(South Hill), for Aviation Training.
Academics
The main CPTC campus has an enrollment of 3,500 full-time and 18,000 part-time students. The areas of study offered are:
* Aerospace & Advanced Manufacturing (South Hill campus only)
* Health Sciences & Human Services
* Business & Hospitality
* Science, Technology & Engineering
* Transportation & Trades
Depending on the program, CPTC offers Bachelor of Applied Science, Associate of Applied Technology (AAT) degrees and certificates. In fall 2014, the college launched its first applied baccalaureate program with its Bachelor of Applied Science in Manufacturing Operations.
Since 2002 the college has undergone an extensive construction program to convert what was once a World War II navy supply base into a modern, pedestrian-oriented campus. The college employs 431 full- and part-time faculty, exempt and classified salaried employees.
CPTC also manages the Northwest Career & Technical High School. NWC&THS allows high school students to complete their diploma while simultaneously taking classes in their career program. In Fall of 2003 NWCTHS opened with 21 students. In 2005 it had 16 graduates. The NWC&THS currently has around 200 students.
History
The college was created by the Clover Park School District in 1942 as a vocational school to train 3,500 civilians as auto mechanics for the nearby
McChord Field and
Fort Lewis Army Post, and shipfitters, welders and blueprint readers for
Tacoma shipyards.
After the war training was expanded to include aircraft mechanics, and Civil Aeronautics Administration certification. In 1954 the vocational school moved to its current location, and since has added over 50 training programs in a wide range of specialties.
Originally named "Clover Park Vocational Technical Institute," in 1991 the school became Clover Park Technical College when the Washington state legislature passed the workforce training bill, converting the state's five two-year vocational schools into technical colleges, and joining them with the state's 29 community colleges.
The school is the home of I-91 FM-
KVTI
KVTI (90.9 FM) is a National Public Radio affiliate station operated by Northwest Public Radio, licensed to Tacoma, Washington, and operates at 90.9 MHz with an ERP of 51 kW. As an "NPR & Classical Music" station, it broadcasts NPR new ...
, a 50,000 watt, student operated radio station and "CollegeVision" (Comcast ch28 and Click! ch89) which is an educational cable channel available in
Pierce County.
The CPTC campus was the site of
Tacoma Speedway
Tacoma Speedway (sometimes called Pacific Speedway or Tacoma-Pacific Speedway) was a (approximate) wooden board track for automobile racing that operated from 1914 to 1922 near Tacoma, Washington. In its time, the track was renowned nationwide a ...
prior to World War II.
See also
*
Clover Park High School
Clover Park High School (CPHS), located in Lakewood, Washington, is one of two secondary schools within the Clover Park School District.
History
The high school was established in 1938 due to the rapid expansion of nearby military posts at F ...
*
Clover Park School District
The Clover Park School District (CPSD) is the fourth largest school district in Pierce County, Washington, United States, and the 28th largest public school district in the state.
Location
The Clover Park School District is located directly south ...
*
Tacoma Speedway
Tacoma Speedway (sometimes called Pacific Speedway or Tacoma-Pacific Speedway) was a (approximate) wooden board track for automobile racing that operated from 1914 to 1922 near Tacoma, Washington. In its time, the track was renowned nationwide a ...
References
https://www.airfieldsfreeman.com/WA/Airfields_WA_Tacoma.htm#cloverpark
https://www.cptc.edu/history
https://www.cptc.edu/schools
External links
Official website
Universities and colleges in Tacoma, Washington
Community colleges in Washington (state)
Lakewood, Washington
Universities and colleges accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Technological universities in the United States
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