Randolph Community College:
A History

Randolph Technical Institute: 1965-1979

• Fall 1965-With the change from an Industrial Education Center to a Technical Institute, RTI could award an Associate in Applied
  Science Degree. Students could only be granted a diploma before the change.


• Fall 1965-A Technical Institute was required by law to have 12 trustees instead of the eight-member board previously needed. In 1965, Gov. Dan K. Moore appointed four new members.


• 1966-67 School Year-RTI enrolled 142 curriculum students and 2,122 continuing education students.


• January 1967-RTI trustees authorized the drawing of plans and specifications for the first major building program.


• Fall 1967-The first of the College’s specialty programs, Interior Design, was initially offered. Photography and Photofinishing, Commercial Graphics and Floral Design/Commercial Horticulture followed in the next three years.


• October 1967-RTI officials broke ground for the new 9,635-square-foot addition that would house administrative offices, a teaching auditorium, a library, and student and faculty lounges.


• February 1969-RTI received its charter from the N.C. Department of Community Colleges. Later that year, RTI was selected as a center for high school equivalency testing by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction in cooperation with the American Council on Education.


• 1971-RTI added college transfer courses through a contractual agreement with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.


• September 1973-RTI was accredited by the State Board of Education. The accreditation meant that the institution met all academic and other standards of the State Board and that RTI graduates would be able to more easily transfer their credits to certain four-year institutions. Also, the contractual agreement with UNCG was upgraded to allow for the transfer of up to 64 semester hours of credit from RTI.


• September 1974-The school added 19,620 square feet with a larger student lounge, new photography and design studios, classrooms, a campus store and two metal buildings.


• December 1974-RTI was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.


• March 1978-Randolph County citizens approved a $2.5 million bond referendum funding construction of a learning resources center, a vocational-technical building and a student services center.


• 1978-79 School Year-RTI enrolled 1,218 curriculum students and 6,604 continuing education students.


• July 1979-In the midst of the building program, RTI was renamed Randolph Technical College.