About
Gordon Cooper Technology Center is a public career and technology education center located in Shawnee, Okla., at the intersection of Interstate 40 and State Highway 18. It is part of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education system. The school is named for the astronaut Gordon Cooper, an American aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and one of the seven original Mercury astronauts, the first manned space program of the United States. Cooper piloted the longest and final Mercury spaceflight in 1963. He was the first American to sleep in space during that 34-hour mission and was the last American to be launched alone into space. In 1965, Cooper flew as command pilot of Gemini 5.
GCTC serves around 1,000 full-time students and has over 17,000 short-term enrollments annually. Since opening in 1969, GCTC has gained a reputation for excellence, and is viewed as one of the nation's premier educational and training institutions. Gordon Cooper has been recognized as a Gold Star school every year since 2003.
Gordon Cooper Technology Center is one of 29 career and technical education options within Oklahoma 's globally recognized Career Tech System. GCTC serves an area in East-Central Oklahoma covering the counties of Lincoln, Pottawatomie and Seminole and serving the communities of Asher, Bethel, Bowlegs, Butner, Chandler, Cromwell, Dale, Earlsboro, McLoud, Macomb, Maud, Meeker, New Lima, Paden, Prague, Seminole, Shawnee, Strother, Tecumseh, Varnum, Wellston and Wewoka.
GCTC is an accredited institution offering educational opportunities for
- High School Students
- College-bound Students
- Career Changing Adults
- Career Advancing Adults
- Business & Industry
- Local Communities
The three Gordon Cooper Technology Center campuses houses 23 full-time programs that serve approximately 800-1,000 high school and adults students annually. The school also serves thousands more individuals annually through short-term classes and customized training.
Our Motto
Excellence in all we do.
Mission
Helping People Succeed!
Our Vision
To be the premier provider of training and services; leading to empowered citizens, thriving families, vibrant communities, and economic prosperity.
Our Guiding Principles
Will our idea or decision:
- Positively impact more customers and/or increase the organization’s capacity to do so?
- Contribute to the organization’s ability to provide high demand and high wage opportunities for the customer?
- Allow the organization to serve the customer more efficiently and/or effectively?
- Provide a long-term benefit to the customer?
- Better prepare and/or equip the staff to provide the best training, education, and services for the customer?
