| Motto | "Real Education. Real Results." |
|---|---|
| Type | Publictechnical college |
| Established | 1970 |
Parent institution | Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System |
Academic affiliation | MnSCU |
| President | Michael Berndt |
Academic staff | 80 full-time instructors; 100 adjunct |
Administrative staff | 130 |
| Students | 3,000 full-time and part-time credit students per semester; 6,000 customized training students per year |
| Location | ,, United States 44°44′15″N93°04′40″W / 44.7375°N 93.0778°W /44.7375; -93.0778 |
| Campus | Rosemount campus: Rural; 108 acres (44 ha) owned; 105 acres (42 ha) leased |
| Colors | Blue & black |
| Nickname | Blue Knights |
Sporting affiliations | NJCAA |
| Website | www |
 | |
Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) is apublictechnical college inRosemount, Minnesota, United States. It is located inDakota County inside theMinneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. DCTC belongs to theMinnesota State Colleges and Universities System and is one of five stand-alone technical colleges in the state.
 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(September 2021) |
Approved by the 1969Minnesota State Legislature, Dakota County Technical College started in 1970 with 50 students in three programs. The college's permanent site was a research farm formerly owned and operated by theUniversity of Minnesota. The 185,000-square-foot (17,200 m2) main building opened in 1973, offering 30 academic programs to nearly 700 students.
At the state level, theMinnesota State Colleges and Universities System Board of Trustees serves as the college's governing authority. In 2011, the school received a 10-year re-accreditation without conditions from theNorth Central Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (NCA-CIHE).[1]
The college has had four presidents in its history. David L. Schroeder served from 1970 to 1999. Ronald E. Thomas, Ph.D., was DCTC's president from 1999 to 2013. Tim Wynes, J.D., who also served as president atInver Hills Community College, led from 2013 to 2018. Starting July 2, 2018, Michael Berndt served as interim president of the two colleges and was confirmed as permanent president of both institutions in March 2020.
The DCTC main campus is located on the outskirts ofRosemount, Minnesota, a city of 25,650 about 14 miles (23 km) south ofSt. Paul, the capital ofMinnesota. The Rosemount campus houses the majority of the college's instructional programs, which are separated into seven academic departments (see below). The college is going forward with a 22-acre (8.9 ha) prairie grass and wildflower restoration project on the Rosemount campus that is designed and maintained by faculty and students in the Landscape Horticulture program.
DCTC also delivers 10 programs of study in the Business and Management department at the Partners in Higher Education building inApple ValleyMinn., as well as Programming & Development, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Networking, Cisco Networking, Database, IT Foundations, and Web/Graphic Design courses at the IT Training Center inEagan, Minnesota
The college has 46 instructional programs under eight academic departments:
The college's General Education department offers individualized studies, general education and transfer curriculum, Minnesota transfer curriculum, and developmental education courses.Awards offered by DCTC include certificates, diplomas, A.S. degrees and A.A.S. degrees.
Partnering with more than 100 area businesses and industries, DCTC offers customized continuing education in a number of areas. In a typical year, more than 6,000 students are enrolled in the college's customized training programs.
In 2008, DCTC received a $3 million grant from theNational Science Foundation to develop the Midwest Regional Center for Nanotechnology Education (Nano-Link) on the DCTC campus.[2] Deb Newberry, the director of the college's Nanoscience Technology program, was appointed to head Nano-Link, which provides resources and support to colleges deliveringnanotechnology education and research throughout a five-state region. Six two-year colleges inNorth Dakota,Minnesota,Wisconsin,Illinois andMichigan partnered to develop this center.
Sports programs at DCTC include women's and men's soccer, softball, baseball, men's basketball, and volleyball.
DCTC has a range of student organizations and clubs under the college's Student Life umbrella. Headed by a six-member executive board, the Student Senate manages a budget that funds social activities, scholarships and charitable projects. The Multicultural Student Leadership Organization, DCTC CampusLions Club,Phi Theta Kappa andSkillsUSA are all active on campus.
