Continuing to Evolve to Meet Community Needs

April 23, 2025 -

With roots tracing back to 1912 and thousands of students graduating since then, our college has stood the test of time by continuously evolving to meet community needs. Now we are excited to embrace the future as your local comprehensive community and technical college with our new name: 

Lakeshore College


The Road to Lakeshore College
In the very early days of the Wisconsin Technical College System, our college was known as the Sheboygan and Manitowoc Vocational Schools. Back then, the system was based on the philosophy of providing equal educational opportunity for all Wisconsin citizens so they could have the capacity to earn a better living and live a better life. 

In the 1970s, the system’s focus—and ours—evolved to preparing people for useful employment by helping them not only train for a job but to get and hold a job, and advance on the job through additional training. Our expanded offerings moved us to change our name to Lakeshore Technical Institute. With the addition of even more advanced courses and degrees in the 1980s, we evolved into Lakeshore Technical College. 
 

3 previous logos representative of Lakeshore College

In 2022, our college began offering Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees, which are often referred to as pre-bachelor’s degrees. These offerings elevated us from being strictly a technical college to a comprehensive community and technical college. This is when discussions began about changing our name and tagline to better align with our program offerings, which included both the pre-bachelor’s degrees and our traditional technical programs. In 2024, we became Lakeshore College. 

 

Lakeshore College logo

 

What Hasn’t Changed
What has never changed is how we’ve continued evolving to meet the needs of our community. Our mission, vision, and commitment to our communities also has not changed. 

To learn more about our mission, vision, strategic focus and belief statements, visit gotoltc.edu/about/college-mission-planning-reports.

Going Forward
Obtaining an education beyond high school is still the path to a successful career and life. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as workers’ educational attainment rises, their unemployment rates decrease and earnings increase. Lakeshore’s most recent Graduate Outcomes Survey shows our associate degree graduates earning a median salary of $61,355 within six months of graduating—that’s more than many four-year university graduates earn. 

Higher education will continue to be a wise investment and Lakeshore College will continue evolving to help individuals seeking a technical degree in a high-demand field or a starting point for a bachelor’s degree.

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” – Benjamin Franklin

A Brief Look at Our History & More
In 1911, Wisconsin created a statewide system of vocational schools to provide specialized training to adults. Our college was part of that original system. Since then, significant strategic shifts have influenced our college’s growth and identity:

•    1912: Industrial/continuation schools opened in Manitowoc, Two Rivers, and Sheboygan. 
•    1967: The three schools officially merged, forming the Lakeshore Vocational, Technical, and Adult Education (VTAE) District 11.
•    1971: The community voted to construct our centrally located campus in Cleveland. 
•    1974: Classes began at the Cleveland campus and our college was renamed Lakeshore Technical Institute (LTI). 
•    1988: Reflecting our introduction of more advanced courses and Associate of Applied Science degrees, our name changed to Lakeshore Technical College (LTC).
•    2022: We began offering Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees, evolving from a strictly technical college to a comprehensive community and technical college. This began the discussions about changing our name.
•    2024: Our Board of Trustees approved changing our name from Lakeshore Technical College to Lakeshore College, accompanied by the tagline “a comprehensive community and technical college.” 

“FROM CONTINUATION SCHOOL TO COLLEGE” 
This chronology and history of our college was compiled by dedicated retired college employees. First printed in 2014, a revised version was printed in 2015.

THE ARCHIVES
Our library team has archived decades of interesting material related to our college. From videos and yearbooks to  special event invitations, you can enjoy countless hours going back in time.


Remember, you’re always welcome at Lakeshore College!