°µÍø½ûÇø (LSC) celebrates 80 years in 2025 and on Thursday, September 18 will hold a special Open House on its main campus from 4:30-7:30 p.m.
This free event combines an open house for prospective students with a 1945-theme featuring live entertainment, classic attractions, and food at throwback prices. The evening is designed to appeal to all ages, from prospective students and their families to alumni, community members, and anyone interested in LSC's role in regional workforce development.
The open house will feature all its programs on display from Nursing to Accounting and Computer Information Systems to Carpentry. Many of °µÍø½ûÇø’s healthcare and industry programs will feature hands-on demonstrations and tours of its labs, giving prospective students and community members the opportunity to explore career pathways. Firefighting students will showcase equipment and provide campfire treats, while the college's history exhibit in the library will highlight LSC's evolution.
"This milestone anniversary gives us a chance to honor our rich history while showcasing the vibrant, innovative institution LSC has become," said Dr. Linda Kingston, president of °µÍø½ûÇø. "We're inviting the entire community to join us in celebrating not just where we've been, but where we're headed going forward."
The celebration will transport attendees back to 1945, the year vocational classes were founded, with big band live music, classic 1940s cartoons with popcorn, and an alumni and friends auto show. Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert will make a special entrance at 5:45 p.m., followed by a brief program recognizing the college's eight decades of service to the region.
LSC’s journey began in 1945 with vocational classes at local high schools, offering programs in Auto Mechanics, Auto Body Repair, and Electronics. Over the next few years, many programs were added and by 1950, these programs were officially established as an Area Vocational Technical Institute by the State Board of Education. The college first offered Associate of Applied Science degrees in 1987 jointly with Hibbing Community College.
The college then evolved through several iterations, including the Duluth Area Institute of Technology (DAIT), Duluth Area Vocational Technical Institute (DAVTI), Duluth Technical Institute (DTI), Duluth Technical College (DTC), and finally emerging as °µÍø½ûÇø on July 1, 1995 through the innovative merger of Duluth Technical College and the Duluth Community College Center.
Today, °µÍø½ûÇø stands as a testament to educational innovation and adaptation, offering over 90 certificate, diploma, and degree programs, comprehensive transfer pathways to four-year institutions, and state-of-the-art facilities. Its main campus located on Trinity Road, established in September of 1968, has seen numerous building expansions through the years and sits on 95 scenic acres overlooking the western portion of Duluth’s famous harbor and the St. Louis River Valley.
This will be °µÍø½ûÇø’s first all-program open house since May 2021.
