Lake Tahoe Community College

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The alpine town of South Lake Tahoe, located on Lake Tahoe’s southern end, first expressed an interest in hosting a community college back in 1964, a year before the City of South Lake Tahoe was first established. On March 5, 1974, voters approved the formation of a community college district with 66% of the vote, and the first Board of Trustees was elected. Dr. James Duke was hired by the Board in September 1974 as the college’s first president. LTCC opened its doors for the first time on Sept. 18, 1975, in a converted motel on Highway 50. In its first year, 119 classes were offered to 1,407 students. The first graduating class of Spring 1976 consisted of 11 students.
New Campus
The acquisition of a site for a permanent campus was pursued vigorously in 1979. The purchase of a parcel on Al Tahoe Blvd. owned by the Shell Oil Company was negotiated and on Dec. 27, 1979, the title to the 164-acre plot in the center of South Lake Tahoe was recorded in the name of Lake Tahoe Community College.
The West Campus was opened in Fall 1982. It provided space for a library and three more classrooms in addition to what the Highway 50 campus provided. Eventually an expanded art lab and an intimate “Collegiate Theatre” were also included at the new site. This allowed for more space at the original converted motel campus. On July 8, 1986, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on the permanent campus site and construction began on the first phase of the college master plan. The college moved into its present location in October 1988.