Riverland History
Riverland Community College, a Technical and Community College, was established July 1, 1996 as a result of the merger of Minnesota Riverland Technical College-Austin, Austin Community College, and South Central Technical College-Albert Lea. As a comprehensive college, Riverland Community College offers students over 90 Career Technical program options that range from six-month certificates to two-year associate degrees.
Austin Junior College was established in 1940; classes were held on the top floor of the Austin High School. The first part of the present building, now known as the East Building, was built in 1966. When the State Junior College Board became the Minnesota State Board for Community Colleges, the College's official name became Austin Community College.
Austin Area Vocational Technical Institute began in 1951. The school eventually built a new locally financed facility, presently known as the West Building, in 1972. In 1991, Austin Technical College merged with Rochester Technical College and Faribault Technical College to form Minnesota Riverland Technical College.
Albert Lea was designated as a Manpower Development and Training Center in 1965. In 1968, the Center was designated as a Vocational-Technical School and the following year, the new Albert Lea Vocational-Technical Institute was constructed.
In 1986, Riverland began providing custom training services to businesses and industries across the service area through the Owatonna Higher Education Center. In January 2002 Riverland began a new era of higher education services through Owatonna College & University Center (OCUC). OCUC, a 24,000-square-foot facility was built through a joint effort among Riverland, the City of Owatonna, the Owatonna Economic Development Authority and local business and industry, along with partnering colleges and universities. This center was designed to meet the ongoing education and training needs of the residents and employees of the Owatonna/ Steele County service area.
On Dec. 30, 2008, Minnesota Colleges and Universities system purchased Owatonna College and University Center. The system officially added Owatonna as a third campus location of Riverland Community College in 2009.