The Evolution of Lakeshore College
With roots tracing back to 1912, our college has stood the test of time by continuously evolving to meet community needs. Today we are excited to embrace the future as your local comprehensive community and technical college with a new name:
Lakeshore College
Our college has been known by different names over the years: Sheboygan and Manitowoc Vocational Schools; Lakeshore Technical Institute; Lakeshore Technical College. We’ve also sported different logos over the years:
What has never changed is how we’ve always evolved to meet the needs of our community. Our mission, vision, and commitment to our communities also has not changed. Today, our new name better aligns with our expanded offerings, mission, vision, and contributions to our communities and our tagline emphasizes our commitment to providing both pre-bachelor’s degree and technical programs.
Whether you’re seeking a technical degree in a high-demand field or a starting point for your bachelor’s, know that you’re always welcome at Lakeshore College.
A Brief Look at Our History
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 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.”
Want To Learn More?
"From Continuation School to College" is a chronology and history of our college compiled by dedicated retired Lakeshore employees. 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. Find it all at Content.mpl.org.
