Wilson Community College 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 sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

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 ...

Wilson, North Carolina Wilson is a city in and the county seat of Wilson County, North Carolina, United States. Located approximately east of the capital city of Raleigh, it is served by the interchange of Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 264. Wilson had an estimated p ...

. It was established in 1958 and is part of the

North Carolina Community College System The North Carolina Community College System (System Office) is a statewide network of 58 public community colleges. The system enrolls over 500,000 students annually. It also provides the North Carolina Learning Object Repository as a central loc ...

History

Wilson Community College (WCC) is a member of the North Carolina Community College System. Established in 1958 as Wilson Industrial Education Center, it is one of the system’s oldest institutions. The first classes began September 29, 1958 in the Charles L. Coon High School Annex. In 1964, the State Board of Education granted authority to award the Associate in Applied Science Degree and the school name was changed to Wilson County Technical Institute. In 1969, the Institute was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The name was officially changed to Wilson Technical Community College in 1989. In 1993, the Department of Community Colleges granted the College the authority to award the Associate in Arts degree. In 1997, the College converted from the quarter system to the semester system. This change was made in the entire North Carolina Community College System to enhance the transferability of students to four-year institutions. In 2007, the official name of the College was changed to Wilson Community College.

Buildings and construction

Construction began on the first building on the current site in 1958. Throughout the years since, many buildings have been added and updated to provide more space for additional programs, a student lounge, a bookstore, and more. In 1997, the Salvatore DelMastro auditorium was completed, allowing the old auditorium to be converted to additional library facilities. The Frank L. Eagles Community Business Center addition to Building G was completed in 2003, adding much needed meeting rooms and classrooms to the College facilities. In 2009, the College opened a new student center that showcased sustainable technologies. In March 2019, the newly-renovated Lee Technology Center opened. In 2021, the Library was renovated and renamed as the A. Dwight Johnson Learning Resource Center. Future renovations are currently being planned on both the Herring Avenue and Lee Technology Center campuses. The College continues to expand programs, facilities, and services, to meet the needs of the community. ''*data from 2018 Campus Facilities report''

Presidents

* 1958 – 1971 – Salvatore DelMastro * 1971 – 1982 – Ernest B. Parry * 1982 – 2003 – Frank L. Eagles * 2003 – 2015 – Rusty Stephens * 2015 – present – Tim Wright

Early colleges

Wilson Early College Academy (WECA) was established August 5, 2009 on the campus of Wilson Community College. Wilson Academy of Applied Technology (WAAT) was established in 2016 and is embedded on the Beddingfield High School campus and the Wilson Community College campus. Plans are underway for construction of a new building for WAAT, on site at the Lee Technology Center.

References

External links

* {{authority control Two-year colleges in the United States North Carolina Community College System colleges Education in Wilson County, North Carolina Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Educational institutions established in 1958 Buildings and structures in Wilson County, North Carolina 1958 establishments in North Carolina