Autry Technology Center

Autry Technology Center (“ATC”), with an enrollment of 22,724 students, is located at 1201 W Willow in Enid, Oklahoma.[1] ATC is one of 29 CareerTech schools across the State of Oklahoma.[2]

History

Following approval in May of 1966 of State Question 434 establishing vocational school districts in Oklahoma,[3] ATC was established in 1967 as one of the five original vocational technical schools in the state.[4] The school opened as the O.T. Autry Area Vocational Technical Center, named after Otwa Tilden Autry, who served as the first superintendent through the Enid School System.[5] In 1993, the “Autry Technology Center” name was officially adopted for marketing purposes.[5]

Programs

The school provides 25 full-time career training programs for high school students and adults, with five Advanced Medical programs.[4] ATC’s most popular course is its Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology program.[6]

ATC offers comprehensive services to more than 500 business and industry partners, offering not only 5,000 different classes, but also customized training as needed by its partners.[4] One business, which was building a 500-person operations and service center, specifically named ATC as a reason they located the center in Enid.[7]

The school also offers non-traditional courses. Along with full-term programs running from August to May, ATC has short-term programs that can run from a single day to just a few months.[8] These may include English as a Second Language, Automotive Car Basics, iPhone Photography, and Home Maintenance Basics.[8]

Some traditional courses may be offered in a flex format.[9] For instance, while the Long-Term Care, Nurse Aide program lasts the full 88-hours (72 classroom hours and 16 clinical hours) that are required by state law, a student may choose to finish the program in as little as two to three weeks, or in the allotted 12 weeks.[9]

The school’s James W. Strate Center for Business Development has been opened to help new entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses.[4] Services that participants receive may include business space, equipment, financial advice, assistance in incorporating the company, and the opportunity to develop relationships with other startups.[10] Residents have a typical three-year-long occupancy, although tenants have spent as little as six months at the center.[10] Startups coming through the facility have an 80% success rate, compared with 20% for startups without incubator services.[10]

ATC has been recognized for its cutting-edge approach, as in 2020 when the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education granted their "Regents Business Partnership Excellence Award" to ATC and Northern Oklahoma College for innovative collaborations that further the education of Oklahoma’s workforce. [11]

Other campuses

Besides the main campus, ATC has the Autry Woodring Campus at 1026 S. 66th Street in Enid, which accommodates industrial training programs, seven classrooms and the youthful offender welding program.[12] Autry also offers a number of on-line courses.[13]

Enrollment and accreditation

ATC serves some or all of the Billings, Chisholm, Cimarron, Covington-Douglas, Drummond, Enid, Garber, Hennessey, Kremlin-Hillsdale, Mulhall-Orlando, Pioneer-Pleasant Vale, Pond-Creek Hunter, Timberlake, and Waukomis school districts.[14] Enrollment in FY2022 was 22,724, up from 18,690 in FY2021.[15]

ATC is accredited by the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education and the Oklahoma State Department of Education.[16]

Cost

The 2023 tuition & fees for ATC, such as for its most popular course, is $2,100, whereas the average tuition & fees of all community colleges is $8,547.[6][17]

Alumni

Jamie McGuire, New York Times best-selling author[18][19]

References
  1. "Autry Technology Center". Google Maps. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  2. "Mack tapped as CareerTech interim director". Barbara Hoberock, Tulsa World, July 23, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  3. "Major Milestones of Career & Technology Education in Oklahoma" (PDF). Oklahoma.gov. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  4. "Autry Technology Center". Main Street Enid. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  5. "History". Autry Technology Center. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  6. "Paying for Autry Technology Center". Univstats.com. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  7. "SW Bell planning new site in Enid". AP Wire Service (assessed on TulsaWorld website). Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  8. "Autry to offer new and returning slate of classes this fall, year-round". Enid News & Eagle, July 27, 2022.
  9. "Autry' Technology Center's nurse aide program goes flex". Stillwater News Press, April 20, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  10. "Autry Tech's Strate Center preparing businesses for their best and worst days". Enid News & Eagle, February 6, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  11. "NOC honors Autry Technology Center with Business Partnership Excellence Award". Northern Oklahoma College. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  12. "Autry Woodring Campus". AutryTech. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  13. "Online Learning Training". AutryTech. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  14. "Oklahoma Technology Center Districts". Oklahoma CareerTech. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  15. "Tech Center Profiles". Oklahoma.gov. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  16. "Autry Technology Center". Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services. 7 September 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  17. "Autry Technology Center". CollegeEvaluator. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  18. "Beautiful Disaster". GoodReads. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  19. "A Beautiful Disaster - New York Times Bestseller". Justin McClure Creative. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
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