100 Years of North Central Texas College

For a century, North Central Texas College has stood as a pillar in the communities of North Texas through educating the workforce and supporting students, local businesses and the community through triumphs and adversity. Established in 1924 by Randolph Lee Clark, NCTC is the oldest, continuously operating two-year college in Texas.

NCTC began in 1924 as Gainesville Junior College, an extension of the local public school system, in 3 rooms of the Newsome Dougherty Memorial High School building in Gainesville. The inaugural class of NCTC was 32 students who paid $25 a semester. In the 1930’s, despite the onset of the Great Depression, Gainesville Junior College found a way to continue serving its students and the community, even the students who could not afford tuition. The graduating class of 1940 was the largest the college had seen yet with 59 students receiving degrees. As the small town of Gainesville, Texas fought its way out of the Great Depression, Gainesville Junior College worked with them and began contemplating a move to separate facilities, apart from the high school, to begin serving more students.

In 1952 the vote to separate the college from the City of Gainesville passed, but separating from the school system would take several years. On March 19th, 1954 Gainesville Junior College was officially renamed Gainesville College. On September 14th, 1959, the first day of classes in the new Gainesville College facility located on Bonner Hill were held.

In 1962 John Henry Parker became the fifth president of the newly organized Cooke County Junior College (CCJC) District and the CCJC became fully accredited and recognized by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. During John Henry Parker’s tenure as president, enrollment would hit 1,000 students for the first time.

In 1970, Dr. Amos Eugene “A.E.” Shasteen, a Korean War veteran, replaced President John H. Parker as the Interim President. Under Dr. Shasteen’s leadership, the college expanded, opening a new dormitory on campus and offering new programs such as Welding, Nursing, and Cosmetology. In 1974, Dr. Alton Laird would replace Dr. Shasteen as President of the newly named Cooke County College as the “Junior” designation was dropped.

In the 1980’s the college would strive to bring more than traditional academic courses, offering numerous vocational and technical programs for the first time. Cooke County College began offering Automotive, Drafting, Electronic Data Processing, Farm and Ranch Management, Machine Shop, Photography, Police Science, Real Estate, and Secretarial Science.

In 1990, Cooke County College accepted over $10,000 in grants to expand its computer networking courses to keep up with technological advancements. On June 1st, 1994, the college officially changed its name to North Central Texas College to reflect its broadening service area and positive relationship in Denton County. By the end of the 20th century, NCTC was celebrating its 75th anniversary with lively celebrations. And in January 2000 the NCTC Corinth Campus opened its doors for the first time to provide students in Denton County with an instructive and administrative facility.

The NCTC Corinth Campus began offering Health and Fire Science and academic transfer programs to support the needs of the growing Denton County area. But the growth didn’t stop there because also in 2000 NCTC was able to expand its services into Bowie, Texas thanks to the support and generosity of the Bowie community.

In March 2005, Dr. Eddie Hadlock stepped into the role of President of NCTC and in 2009, the citizens of Graham, Texas voted to join the NCTC service area and approved their own branch-campus maintenance tax. During this time enrollment continued to grow, and from 2000 to 2010 the number of students enrolled at NCTC increased by 88%.

In January of 2011 NCTC opened the Flower Mound campus in Parker Square. With Dr. Hadlock announcing his retirement in the spring of 2014, NCTC moved into an exciting new chapter under the dynamic and enthusiastic leadership of its 11th President and first ever Chancellor, Dr. G. Brent Wallace. In 2019, the college opened its fifth campus, located in the center of historical downtown Denton, the NCTC Denton Campus. In the spring of 2023 NCTC officially began offering Continuing Education and specialized industry training courses at the NCTC Champions Circle location in South Denton County. Today, the college is poised for continued growth and innovation as it moves into its next 100 years of service to the North Texas Community.

NCTC has celebrated this momentous anniversary throughout 2024. If you would like to look back on NCTC’s legacy with us you can purchase the NCTC Centennial Book which is available for purchase on the NCTC 100-year website!