SCC History

Celebrating 50 years of SCC (PDF)

In 1971, the Nebraska Legislature passed a bill that combined junior colleges, state vocational-technical colleges, and area technical schools into one system of two-year institutions. The consolidation originally established eight technical community college areas. The number was reduced to six when the Lincoln and Southeast areas merged in 1973. As conceived in 1971, Nebraska community college areas were to be governed locally by elected boards.

SCC is governed by an 11-member Board of Governors, two each from five districts within the 15-county service area, and one at-large member representing the entire 15-county area.

SCC’s Beatrice Campus, approximately 45 miles south of Lincoln, offers technical and transfer programs, including a laboratory farm operation where students receive hands-on education in areas such as agronomy, horticulture, livestock, and precision agriculture. The main part of the campus includes classroom buildings, a gymnasium for intercollegiate athletics and intramurals, and student housing.

The Beatrice Campus is a former John J. Pershing College that operated from 1966 to 1971. SCC began utilizing the campus in the late 1970s, and in 1986, operations at Fairbury Junior College were moved there.

SCC has had a presence in Lincoln for decades. It offers more than 25 technical areas of study in Lincoln, as well as a robust transfer program for students who wish to continue their education at a four-year institution. Students can choose various paths while demonstrating their newly acquired skills.

In addition to the Lincoln Campus at 8800 O St., SCC operates additional facilities in Lincoln: Education Square downtown at 1111 O St., the Jack J. Huck Continuing Education Center at 301 S. 68th St. Place, and The Career Academy, which is part of the Lincoln Campus. Education Square offers transfer courses as well as Graphic Design/Media Arts and Criminal Justice programs. The Career Academy is a partnership between SCC and Lincoln Public Schools and provides high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to complete high school and college credit through numerous career pathways.

The Milford Campus of SCC, just 25 miles west of Lincoln, was the original technical college in Nebraska, the Nebraska State Trade School. It began in 1941. Milford has a long history of offering high-quality high-tech two-year programs. There are more than 25 career/technical education programs at Milford.

SCC also operates six Learning Centers in communities throughout the 15-county service area. They are in Falls City, Hebron, Nebraska City, Plattsmouth, York, and Wahoo. Non-credit and credit classes, workforce training, and other opportunities are offered at the Centers.

Beyond SCC’s physical spaces is the Southeast Nebraska Career Academy Partnership. More than 50 school districts within SCC’s 15-county service area participate in SENCAP, where high school students can earn dual credit (high school and college) and get a head start on their college careers.

In 2020, the College launched its second Strategic Plan (2020-2024) which continues to advance its transformation. From 2018-2021, SCC opened several new facilities. They are Homestead Hall (residence hall) and the Academic Excellence Center at Beatrice; Health Sciences Building at Lincoln; and Prairie and Meadow halls (residence halls) and the Crete Carrier Diesel Technology& Welding Center at Milford.

In 2022, new and renovated space on the Lincoln Campus became the Student and Academic Support Center. Woodhaven Hall, the first on-campus student housing in the history of the Lincoln Campus, was scheduled to open in January 2024, and the Sandhills Global Technology Center, also on the Lincoln Campus, was scheduled to open in Fall 2024.