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History of CLC Central Lakes College combines the best of both Brainerd Community College and Brainerd Staples Technical Colleges. The two were combined to create CLC on July 1, 1995. The colleges share a long history. Brainerd Community College was established in 1938 as Brainerd Junior College. Around that time, enrollment was about 50 students in both technical career programs and a college transfer program. Years later, as part of the local school district, the College became part of the Minnesota State Junior College System in 1963 and was separated into Brainerd Junior College and Brainerd Technical Institute. At that time Brainerd Junior College, the first building in Minnesota to be built specifically as a junior college, was completed.Thirty-five years of enrollment growth necessitated building projects in 1969, 1971, 1974, 1989, and 1991. By 1992 the campus had grown to an enrollment of 1800 students and had one of the loveliest campuses in greater Minnesota. Brainerd Technical College was at that time called a technical institute and remained part of the school district until the merger in 1995. Brainerd Technical Institute and its sister institution, Staples Technical Institute, located 30 miles away in the historic railroad town of Staples, developed programs designed to meet the changing needs of business and industry. In 1991, the State Technical College Board combined the administration of both schools creating Brainerd Staples Technical College. With exceptional technological programs such as the Staples program in robotics, the classic secretarial and business programs at Brainerd and the unique heavy equipment program, the college had a well deserved reputation for innovation, creativity, and solid instructional expertise. As both colleges continued to attract more students, and the legislature began encouraging community and technical colleges to cooperate, the first discussions of consolidation were held. The advantages to students were clear. Both colleges volunteered to become one of the first merged colleges in the state, and Central Lakes College was created. The Staples campus with a newly designed building addition in 1985 remains the center for training in heavy equipment, machine tool technology, media and communications and a unique robotics and automated systems technology program. Started in 1950, the campus outgrew the original building and a complete new campus was built on the north edge of Staples near the Crow Wing River in 1971. All three colleges are connected by interactive television and courses are offered from campus to campus with students at all sites. A new $24 million complex was completed in 1996 on the Brainerd Community College campus. This building is on the cutting edge of educational technology with a central core offering several interactive television classroom. This technology allows courses to be brought in from state universities as well as private colleges and world wide satellite downlinks. "Smart classrooms" with multi-media capabilities offer both faculty and students more options to create a learning situation tailored to specific learning styles and teaching needs. Central Lakes College has two exceptional, state-of-the-art campuses, one in Staples and one in Brainerd. Both of which are located in the center of the beautiful lakes and forests of the Minnesota tourism area. |
With a collegiate tradition of athletic excellence and sportsmanship to match academic rigor and enrichment, Central Lakes College recognizes those who have established examples of leadership. Our first four Raider Hall of Fame inductees were introduced at halftime of the Homecoming game in October of 1997. They are Charles Warnberg (left), a member of the college's first football team in 1947; John Pecarich, national junior college basketball scoring leader in 1967; Darlene Palmer, coach of 43 seasons in four sports and founder of the women's basketball program; and Jean Martin, Most Valuable Player and a three-sport standout from 1983-86. |
