NTC In Antigo Opened For Classes Monday

Despite being an educational institution in Langlade County for well over three decades, Northcentral Technical College had that famous “new car” smell on Monday.

Students entering the campus for the first day of the fall term were greeted by a sparking new student services center, the product of a summer-long renovation project, plus a variety of updated equipment and programs.

“So far, so good,” Larry Kind, dean of the Antigo campus, said. “The new offices are up and functioning and I think it is one of the smoothest openings we’ve ever had.”

Students at the Antigo campus have a variety of new offerings as well, including the manufacturing technical and medical assistant programs, with brisk enrollment.

And the new welding lab, created from the old shop that had been gutted over the summer, should be ready by the end of the week.

“It will be technologically to the current standards in industry,” Kind said.

The dean said that as the term opens, the Antigo campus expects to serve about 300 full-time equivalent students. But since most students attend on a part-time basis, the actual number of bodies involved in programs is far higher.

“We serve about 1,900 people who are taking at least one course a year,” Kind said.

The new office complex plus equipment investments and other improvements have the Antigo campus positioned well for the future.

“It’s a new look and a much more welcoming environment,” Kind said. “That’s the message we want to send.”

Patti Andraschko and Larry Kind in the new student center at the heart of Antigo's Northcentral Technical College campus. Classes opened for the fall term on Monday.