Weekly Update

Finally, a weekend we have all yearned for!  After planning, purchasing and painting all of the parts for eight garden boxes and leveling off and tiling a platform for our hot tub, John and I ache in nearly every joint and muscle.  Fortunately, ibuprofen works wonders!  But this is what we waited for all winter – the opportunity to be outside, working on gardens and soaking up the sun.  The achy-ness is a wonderful feeling – a reminder of a weekend well spent.

This is the final week of Northland’s spring semester.  Both students and faculty are feeling the achy-ness of final exams, final papers, grading, and wrapping things up.  And when it is finally over, we will all celebrate jobs well done.   In addition to graduation, the end of an academic year brings many other notable points.  Here are some of the other events we will celebrate this week.

Years of service awards will be presented to the following employees on Monday and Tuesday:

Thief River Falls Campus: 

40 years:  Mike Hanson

30 years:  Becky Lindseth

25 years:  Tiffanie Bieganek, Jodi Halsa, Bob Wold

20 years:  Mark Berg, Shannon Boen, Greg Kalinoski, Kathy Huschle, Rick Nikunen

10 years:  Brad Eriksen, Tim Reuter

East Grand Forks Campus:

25 years: Ellen Brehmer, Mary Fontes

20 years: Debra King, Kari Koenig, Dennis Labahn, Tony Sorum, Dan Sponsler

10 years: Erin Almlie, Jennifer Amiot, Judith Hulst, Jeff Laskowski, Eric Skalicky, Aaron Wentz

We will celebrate the accomplishments and dedication of the following retirees this year:  Rick Morgan (TRF- Farm Business Management, Faith Rud (TRF – Sociology), and Jennie Olson (EGF – Practical Nursing).

Congratulations go out to this year’s Thief River Falls Campus Alumnus of the Year recipient, Dr. Christopher Mills, Stephen/Argyle Central’s Superintendent of Schools.  Dr. Mills will be recognized at the Thief River Falls Campus commencement ceremony.

I want to also congratulate the recipients of this year’s Athletic Hall of Fame awards, as I was unable to attend that event on May 4th:  Terry Wiseth, Rhonda Biermaier, Christel Vigness, Scott Olsen, and the 1992 Men’s Basketball Team.

We recently celebrated many student accomplishments at the Thief River Falls Campus with a Student Life Banquet held on April 25^th.

I commend the accomplishments of three outstanding Northland students, Kaitlyn Lund (TRF), Kirsten Medicraft (EGF), and Halie Anderson (EGF), who earned the nomination to the All-USA Community College Academic Team, presented by USA TODAY with support by the American Association of Community Colleges and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.

Upcoming College Events:

May 13 – Farewell reception for Kent Hanson – 4:30 pm – EGF Commons

May 15 –EGF Graduation Banquet – 6 pm – EGF Commons

May 16 – Florence Nightingale Ceremony – 4:30 pm – TRF Auditorium

May 16 – Thief River Falls Commencement Ceremony – 7 pm, TRF Gym

May 17 – East Grand Forks Commencement Ceremony – 11 a.m. – Chester Fritz Auditorium in Grand Forks

May 28 – Summer Session Begins

My schedule this week:

Monday, May 13 – TRF – VP Screening Committee, Employee Recognition Potluck, EGF – Kent Hanson Reception

Tuesday, May 14 – EGF – Employee Recognition Potluck

Wednesday, May 15 – EGF – Academic Dean Budget Meeting, EGF Grad Banquet

Thursday, May 16 – TRF – Florence Nightingale Ceremony, TRF Graduation Ceremony

Friday, May 17 – EGF – EGF Graduation Ceremony
I will take a break from writing this Weekly Update over the summer.  Look for the next update in August.  For those of you who will be off for the summer, have a great summer!  Thank you for another good year at Northland.

Administrative Services Weekly Update

Swenson House – A purchase agreement has been signed with a buyer (name released at a future time) for the Swenson House!  The best case scenario is that closing will occur this fiscal year and the funds can be used to hopefully end FY2013 with a net profit.

CISCO Telephone System – The college will be implementing a new college-wide telephone system this summer.  The system will provide four-digit extension calling and transferring throughout the college.  The good news is that employee telephone extensions/numbers will remain the same.  Training will be provided during the installation and conversion process.

Rummage Sale – It has been decided that there will be NO campus rummage sales conducted this summer.  Previously electronic equipment was disposed of through the rummage sale process.  Effective this year, we will be participating in a MnSCU shared service for disposal of electronic waste (computers, laptops, cellphones, projectors, etc.).  In the future, these items will no longer be sold on the rummage sales.

Student Housing – Activities are underway to assist with the student housing shortage for the next academic year.

• Short Term Solution (TRF) – The college released an RFP today seeking proposals from apartment complexes in the Thief River Falls community to lease apartments to the college for student housing for fiscal year 2014.
• Long Term Solution (TRF) – This summer an RFP will be released seeking a long-term land lease for a prospective developer to build student housing on the grounds of the Thief River Falls campus.
• EGF – There has been a great deal of community involvement and it is likely that a private developer will be building apartments in close proximity to the college which should relieve the housing shortage for students in the East Grand Forks community.

Safety

• Training – Employees are reminded to complete FY2013 safety training by the end of the day on June 30, 2013.  Employees have been notified of training requirements via email.
• MPCA – The hazardous waste exit conference with Don Beckering is scheduled for Thursday of this week.  MPCA does plan to sporadically visit/inspect MnSCU institutions after July 1 to ensure hazardous waste compliance.
• OSHA – Recently, OSHA has become very active on MnSCU campuses.  Common citations include daisy chaining of power strips, storage within 18 inches of ceiling, blocked (less than three foot clearance) electrical panels, tripping hazards, improper storage and maintenance of personal protective equipment, propped open fire-rated doors, use of improper personal heaters, missing or improper machine guards, parts washers with lids that do not close, and storage in electrical/mechanical rooms.

FY 2014 Budget and Interesting & Exciting Events

As I write this on a Monday morning after a warm and promising weekend, I hear the murmur of employees and students – cheerful and upbeat.  Humans are such cerebral creatures that we hate to admit the influence of atmospheric conditions on our psyches.  I, however, have learned after many years, that all things go better when the sun is shining and when we can spend time outside watching the river flow and the geese flying north, planting gardens, and absorbing sunshine.

Finally, we all have a great platform for approaching the end of the academic year.  With two weeks of classes and a week of finals prior to graduation, there is much to accomplish.  In this update I will discuss:

• FY  2014 budget
• Interesting and exciting Events

FY 2014 Budget

I have been meeting with faculty, staff, and students regarding the budget for the next fiscal year, which begins on July 1, 2013.  It is a frustrating topic because we are not yet sure of what our budget will be.  The legislature is still in session.  Both the House and the Senate have passed their higher education finance bills; a conference committee has been called to reconcile the very different approaches and produce a bill for the governor’s signature.

The House bill is very challenging for MnSCU colleges and universities.  In the interest of relieving students of greater tuition burdens, the House bill disallows any tuition increases and increases the state allocation to cover proposed tuition increases.  This approach, however, does not increase funding of colleges and universities sufficiently to cover increases due to inflation and compensation settlements that were reached with all employee groups.

The Senate bill allows modest tuition increases and somewhat increases the state allocation.  The catch in this bill, however, is that 5% of the total allocation will be withheld pending satisfaction of some new accountability measures, particularly related to retention, completion, and related employment.  The 5% hold-back would, essentially, be a budget reduction during the time prior to release of funds.  Many people feel that, if there is sufficient money, such an approach can be a positive incentive for performance.  When there is not sufficient money, however, this approach may be a penalty, if it requires colleges to reduce programs and services to balance the budget.

As I meet with my presidential colleagues from across the state, we all have different realities on our campuses.  Northland is doing well financially – and is due to conclude a third year “in the black.”  This is due to careful stewardship of resources and an enrollment growth of 4% in the past year.  Many of the rural colleges suffered enrollment declines in the past year and are in much more difficult circumstances.  Many of the metro colleges, because of high sustained enrollments, generate high tuition revenues that buffer changes in the state allocation funding.

Despite Northland’s relative financial health, the uncertainty of the legislative action makes it difficult to finalize a budget for the next year.  Shannon Jesme, our Chief Financial Officer, has modeled a budget with “bookends” based on the two legislative approaches that range from a positive $100,000 in cash balance to a negative $1 million for next year.  So, we may be able to maintain our budget or we may have to do some serious reconsideration of expenditures.

We have met several times with the student senates at both campuses to discuss the budget and to make proposals for tuition and fees.  If allowed by the legislature, we intend to raise tuition by no more than 3%, or $145 per fully enrolled student per year.  We have also proposed a modest increase in parking fees so that repaving and parking lot improvements can be planned.

With the year running down, it will be difficult to have meaningful discussions about next year’s budget within the college.  The faculty, for the most part, will not be on campus over the summer.  We have already talked with the faculty leadership about the need to schedule a Shared Governance Council meeting in June to lay out what the budget for FY 2014 will be, based on tuition and allocation decisions and how those resources will be expended.

It is really difficult to be Minnesota’s workforce solution when resources are so uncertain and when unavoidable increases in expenditures cannot be matched by increases in revenue.

Interesting and Exciting Events

On a more positive note, I have been lucky to participate in many exciting events and meetings over the past couple of weeks:

• The American Association of Community Colleges annual convention in San Francisco was a gathering of 3,500 colleagues from America’s community and technical colleges.  It is a wonderful opportunity to hear about trends and best practices from across the nation.
• Discussion in St. Paul regarding the plans for the replacement of obsolete hangars with a secure, connecting building between the Swenson Hangar and the classroom building at our Aerospace site at the Thief River Falls Regional Airport
• The Career Expo at the EGF campus on April 24 brought hundreds of high school students on campus to explore educational options.   The prior day, all of Lincoln High School’s junior class toured the TRF campus.
• The IDEA banquet in TRF on Wednesday evening celebrated the innovative ideas of regional inventors and delivered life-time achievement awards to Ron Stordahl, founder of Digi-Key, and Mark Larson, president and CEO of Digi-Key.  All had phenomenal stories of inventive problem solving.
• Dan Klug and I had an exciting luncheon with TRF Mayor Jim Dagg.  There is so much opportunity for collaborative action in this community.
• The student achievement banquet at the TRF campus was reinvigorated this year, through the initiative of Paul Peterson and Abdul Chamma.  It was a great time to recognize our students who participate in music, student government, program-related clubs and athletics.
• Open forums were held on the TRF campus last Friday to answer questions and discuss concerns related to the proposed administrative reorganization.  The sessions were well attended and full of lively conversation.  Two sessions are scheduled for Friday, May 3 on the EGF campus.

Have a great week!

Weekly Update

I’m writing from San Francisco this week.  Conference prep notes told us to prepare for chilly, damp weather.  Instead, it has been bright and sunny with high temperatures in the mid-70s.  I will be coming home with a sunburn – foolish, I know.  But, after spending six months under the rock that is interminable winter in the north, I felt like I was crawling out and didn’t want to crawl back to the safety of shade.  In addition to the weather, the American Association of Community Colleges conference has been great – focused precisely on 2-year colleges and the challenges we face.

On Friday, I took part in the discussions of the Commission on Research, Technology, and Emerging Trends.  The presentation that I found most intriguing is an experiment that is being formulated and implemented in the Kentucky system of community colleges.  There, in a pilot online program, students will have the opportunity to enroll on a month-by-month subscription basis, rather than a credit and tuition basis.  They can access course materials and proceed at their own pace, with progress determined by the acquisition of demonstrated competencies, rather than grades and credits.  The presenter indicated that it is the hope of that system that students might be able to accelerate their education and reduce their costs.

Of course there are many wrinkles that have to be worked out.  How faculty members are engaged in this experiment is still being developed; each student will be assigned to a teacher/coach, who will advise them and guide their progress.  The application of federal financial aid is another issue that has not been fully resolved.  The Kentucky System will be negotiating with the federal Department of Education in the next few months.

Another report discussed by the presidents on the commission was the initial success of the “Statway” program.  The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching funded the development of this program with the intention of improving the success and progression of students who initially test into developmental levels of mathematics.  Statway is designed to replace the sequence of developmental math classes that students take to prepare them for college-level math.  In traditional offerings, that might take as much as three courses in three semesters which, if successfully completed, prepare students for college algebra.  The Statway method requires students to enroll for two full semesters with the same instructor.  Included in the sequence is college-level math competency.  In the California State University system, Statway is accepted as the college-level math for transfer.

Faculty members who adopt the Statway curriculum become part of a network of instructors who are supported by the Carnegie Foundation with professional development opportunities and collaborators with whom continuous improvement strategies can be shared.  In essence, the program incorporates “productive struggle, explicit connections to concepts, and deliberate practice.”

Carnegie’s nation-wide data indicated that of those students who started at developmental levels of math, only 5.9% completed a college-level math course within one year.  Only 23.5% were able to achieve college-level math proficiency in four years.  The first two years of Statway data indicate that 51% of 1,000 students were able to move from developmental levels through college-level in one year – an impressive statistic.  As the data on Statway and its companion “Quantway” continue to accumulate, many colleges will consider incorporating this method.

Most colleges represented here at the conference are feeling the same incompatible pinches that Northland is:  decreasing resources and the demand for higher levels of performance.  With many students not fully prepared for college, we struggle to provide adequate advising and the one-on-one support that many students need to be successful.  In the years just following the recession, many national conversations were dire and depressing.  What I see emerging today at this conference are innovative ideas that may allow for both efficiency and student success.  Sometimes necessity and challenge is truly the mother of innovation.

Have a great week!

 

Upcoming Events:

April 24 – Shoes 4 Kids Benefit Drive- EGF Campus Commons– 11 am

April 26 – Pioneer 90.1 Alt-Rock Invasion – Empire Arts Center- Grand Forks – 6:30 pm

 

My Schedule for this week:

Mon., Apr. 22 – San Francisco – AACC Conference

Tues., Apr. 23 – Travel to St. Paul, Capitol Bonding Project review at MnSCU, travel to EGF

Wed., Apr. 24 – EGF – Career Expo, various meetings; TRF – IDEA banquet

Thur., Apr. 25 – TRF – Cabinet, mtg with Mayor Dagg, evening student event

Fri., Apr. 26 – TRF – Breakfast meeting, HLC Steering Committee, Employee Open Forums on Re-organization

Weekly Update

This is always the busiest time of the year.  The college is gearing up for graduation and a multitude of program-related celebrations.  Every committee wants to pack in a few more meetings before the end of the academic year.  And I always seem to have a lot of travel in April.  Every month I go to St. Paul for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Leadership Council meeting.  This month, we will be focusing intently on the legislative session and probable outcomes for the system.  I also usually attend the annual conference of the American Association of Community Colleges.  This is a great conference that focuses just on community and technical colleges.  Over the years, I have gotten great benefit from attending sessions put on by peer colleges that showcase best practices.  I am a member of the AACC Commission on Research, Technology, and Emerging Trends; the meeting next Friday should prove to be very interesting as the commission discusses issues and informs AACC staff of how emerging trends are playing out on campuses.

Next week’s update will be written from San Francisco, and will discuss some of the ideas emerging from the conference.  When I return, I hope that winter will have left the northland.  I know that this is probably wishful thinking on a Sunday afternoon when we await yet another storm and deep snow.  Today, I will cover:

• Administrative Reorganization
• Justin Berry and Shelly Koerber Publication
• NCTC Foundation Board Retreat

Administrative Reorganization

Periodically, colleges have opportunities to reevaluate their deployment of administrative resources.  At Northland, the departure of Kent Hanson, Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, provides such an opportunity.  During this academic year, when Kent has been on leave while serving as the interim president of Riverland Community College, the administrators in academics and student services have stretched to fulfill his responsibilities in addition to their own.  Though they have been overwhelmingly busy, all have told me that they have been stretched by the experience and have learned a great deal about their capacity to deal with many complex issues simultaneously.  I am very proud of them.

Now that Kent has been selected to be the permanent president of Anoka-Ramsey Community College and Anoka Technical College, we are planning to refill the vice president’s position.  Having this position filled will bring better balance back to administrative loads and will assure that important issues at the state level are attended to.

Reorganization has been called many things.  At Bemidji State University, “recalibration” occurred to bring the programs of the university in line with available resources.  The MnSCU system calls it “reallocation” when resources are moved from one expense to another.  All of the colleges and universities that are part of the MnSCU system have had to adjust to declining state resources with reallocations.

A primary goal of Northland’s reorganization is to balance the supervisory loads among the deans.  Currently the number of faculty members supervised by a single dean ranges between 10 and 80 full-time faculty members.  With reorganization, each academic dean will supervise about 40 full-time faculty members.  Also, the lines of reporting and responsibility will be clarified, with more similarity throughout the entire college.  The total number of administrators in academic and student affairs will be reduced from the level that existed in FY 2012.

We also want to strengthen the role and responsibilities of our advancement and external affairs division.  Now is the time for Northland to effectively “sell” itself to the world.  We need more students to insure a healthy enrollment.  If the MnSCU proposal to the legislature for FY 2014-15 funding is approved, we will need to secure matching grants from community and business partners in order to secure MnSCU funding for equipment, internships, and scholarships.  These are labor-intensive efforts.

The reorganization plan has been discussed with the faculty Shared Governance Council and the President’s Cabinet.  In the next month, there will be additional conversations, with the intent to formalize a final reorganization plan in May.  Changes will be implemented on July 1, 2013.

 

Justin Berry and Shelly Koerber Publication

Our two Physical Therapy Assistant faculty members, Dr. Justin Berry and Shelly Koerber, recently had an article published in Research in Sports Medicine.  The article, entitled “Injury Type and Incidence Among Elite Level Curlers During World Championship Competition” presented research on the incidence of musculoskeletal injuries sustained by athletes at the 2008 World Men’s Curling Championship.  Of 568 exposures (71 games x 8 athletes per game), only 5 injuries occurred, three of which were reported to be re-injuries.  This incidence led the authors to conclude that the incidence of injury in curling was lower than that in other sports that are part of the Winter Olympic Games.

 

NCTC Foundation Board Retreat

On Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13, the Board of Directors of the NCTC Foundation met in a retreat in Fargo.  I was happy to be a part of this group of dedicated volunteers who are working to improve Northland Community and Technical College.

The retreat focused on the processes through which other regional fund-raising efforts have succeeded.  John Staley, Director of the Grand Forks Park District who led the campaign to build the Choice Fitness and Wellness Center in Grand Forks, and Rob Bollinger, Exec. Director for University Advancement at Bemidji State University, briefed the directors on projects they have been involved with.  Kelly Bye-Greenlees, Nonprofit Resource Specialist for the Otto Bremer Foundation, presented information on how best to position an institution to attract grants and donations.  The retreat was very thought-provoking and energizing.

Dan Klug and Lars Dyrud did a fantastic job of organizing the event.  I don’t think any of the directors regretted the weekend time they spent focusing on what they might be able to do to strengthen Northland.

 

Upcoming College Events

Pioneer Softball and Baseball -  all games are subject to weather & field conditions

 

My schedule for the next two weeks:

Mon., Apr. 15 – Travel to St. Paul (weather permitting)

Tues., Apr. 16 – FBM state-wide committee, MnSCU Leadership Council, MCAC Presidents’ meeting, BOT

Wed., Apr. 17 – MnSCU Board of Trustees

Thurs., Apr. 18 – Travel to San Francisco

Fri., Apr. 19 – San Francisco – AACC Commission on Research, Technology, and Emerging Trends

Sat., Apr. 20 – San Francisco – American Association of Community Colleges Conference

Sun., Apr. 21 – San Francisco – AACC Conference

Mon., Apr. 22 – San Francisco – AACC Conference

Tues., Apr. 23 – Travel to St. Paul, Capitol Bonding Project review at MnSCU, travel to EGF

Wed., Apr. 24 – EGF – Career Expo, various meetings; TRF – IDEA banquet

Thur., Apr. 25 – TRF – Cabinet, mtg with Mayor Dagg, evening student event

Fri., Apr. 26 – TRF – Breakfast meeting, HLC Steering Committee

Northland’s Completion Statistics & Phi Theta Kappa Induction Ceremonies

The bulk of this update will focus on statistics – particularly those that were cited in the Grand Forks Herald on Friday, April 5.  I’ll conclude with a report on two wonderfully positive events involving our students.

• Northland’s Completion Statistics
• Phi Theta Kappa Induction Ceremonies

Northland’s Completion Statistics

I want to take this opportunity to correct some impressions of Northland Community and Technical College that may have been created through the publication of some statistics about college completion rates in the Grand Forks Herald last week.  In bold, oversized print, the Herald publicized that the percentage of students who graduate from Northland is 29.8%.  This data was drawn from a “College Scorecard” published by the College Affordability and Transparency Center.  The White House has been promoting college completion as a serious problem and increasing completion as a worthy goal for all colleges to attain.  The data is correct……as far as it goes.

My intention in this update is to put the published statistic in context and provide alternative data that is equally valid.

The “Scorecard” data is drawn from first time, full-time students who complete programs at the colleges where they start their education.  Typically, these are the traditional students of whom steady progress through their education is expected.  So often, people refer to the “kids” who attend college – those recently sprung from parental oversight, those with parental contributions to their education financing, and those with few responsibilities outside of their educational pursuits.  Northland, on the other hand, serves a very different student body.

Minnesota has a strong, centralized system for its public colleges and universities.  One of the strengths of this system is that it has standardized data gathering processes and has defined metrics that make sense for the types of institutions in the system.  Community and technical colleges cannot be compared with selective liberal arts colleges.  In the Minnesota State Colleges and University system (MnSCU), there are 25 “two-year” colleges where similar data can be collected and compared.

I have put the words “two-year” in quotation marks because that time-line is really unrealistic for many of our students.  The “two-year” moniker grew out of the fact that such colleges deliver degrees that are half the credits of “four-year” institutions.  And “four-year” degrees are most easily attained by traditional young students, supported by parents, and with few other life responsibilities.

A quick profile of Northland’s students in 2012:

• 54% were under the age of 25, 45% were 25 or older
• 61% of the student headcount were part-time students
• 55.8% of our students were from groups underrepresented in higher education (first generation students, students of color, students from low-income situations who are Pell Grant-eligible)
• 60% of our students receive some form of financial aid.

Many of our students work full-time or part-time while they are students.  Some do this out of necessity, others because they choose to pace their education with work so that they can finish their programs without debt.  Many of our students have families and other responsibilities that prevent them from attending college full-time.  Because of Northland’s proximity to the University of North Dakota, the University of Minnesota-Crookston, and Bemidji State University, many students “swirl” between institutions or transfer prior to completing associates’ degrees from Northland.

Cognizant of the profiles of “typical” community and technical college students, the MnSCU system has developed metrics that are truly meaningful for this type of institution and provide reasonable comparisons with similar institutions.  The MnSCU system defines its persistence and completion metric as “the percentage of an entering cohort of students who have graduated from or been retained at the same institution or who transferred to another institution.” The metric does focus on full-time students who are considered to be seeking a degree, diploma or certificate.

Through the MnSCU metric, Northland’s persistence and completion rate (from the first fall semester of enrollment to the second fall) for 2012 was 64.4%.  The time to degree completion rate (which measures how many full-time students complete their degree in three years) was 55.2%.

Additionally, Northland stands out as the third largest producer of practical nursing graduates in the nation. A high percentage of non-physician medical professionals in regional hospitals have graduated from Northland.  We have been deemed a “military-friendly” college by GI Jobs.  Our graduates fill many of the construction trades and manufacturing jobs in the region.  We have been innovative with the creation of “first-in-the-nation” aerospace programs.  And our students who transfer from Northland do very well in their baccalaureate institutions.

I strongly encourage students and families who are considering where to attend college to review Northland’s comprehensive Fact Book.  It is available on our web site at http://www.northlandcollege.edu/about/facts/

Phi Theta Kappa Induction Ceremonies

In the past week the campus chapters of Phi Theta Kappa have held induction ceremonies.  Phi Theta Kappa is the national honor society for community and technical colleges.  At Thief River Falls, the inductees were invited to designate an educator who had contributed to their academic achievement. Vanessa Martell is the faculty advisor of the group.  The inductees and their honorees are included in the attached picture.

At East Grand Forks, eighteen new members were inducted. Lynette Neppel is the faculty advisor. The program for this ceremony cited that the purpose of Phi Theta Kappa ‘shall be to recognize and encourage scholarship among two-year college students.  To achieve this purpose, Phi Theta Kappa shall provide opportunity for the development of leadership and service, for an intellectual climate for exchange of ideas and ideals, for lively fellowship for scholar, and for stimulation of interest in continuing academic excellence’. Congratulations to all the PTK inductees on their accomplishments and to all current PTK members for their commitment.
Have a great week!

 

Upcoming College Events

April 9 – Christopher Carter Show – 12-1 – EGF Campus Commons

April 10 – Career Choice Planning – 10-11 a.m. – TRF Campus

Upcoming NCTC softball and baseball schedules are subject to weather/field conditions.

My schedule for this week:

Mon., Apr. 8 – EGF am – Valley Prosperity Partners (VPP), TRF pm – TRF Student Senate Consultation

Tues., Apr. 9 – EGF am – GFREDC mtg with VPP Consultants, Impact 2020 Leadership Group (Bagley); TRF- pm

Wed., Apr. 10 – EGF – BGEA mtg, TRF – assorted meetings

Thurs., Apr. 11 – EGF – 1^st mtg of VP Academic and Student Affairs Screening Committee, Shared Governance

Fri., Apr. 12 – EGF am, 2-day NCTC Foundation Board retreat (Fargo)

Sat, Apr. 13 – Foundation Board Retreat (Fargo); TRF Chamber Banquet

President’s Weekly Update

Things seem to be rolling forward smoothly as we move toward the end of this academic year.  I have just a couple of positive notes this week.

• EGF Community Advisory Committee and Program Advisory Committee meetings
• Summer and Fall Registration
• Marketing Awards
• Steven Nelson Completes his Ph.D.
• Athletics Complications due to Snow

EGF Community Advisory Committee and Program Advisory Committee meetings

We had a great chance to get input from our community and program advisors in the past couple of weeks.  Last Monday, the community advisory committee for the East Grand Forks campus met and discussed a broad array of topics.  As at the TRF Community Advisory Committee meeting the week before, housing for students was a topic of concern.  Additionally, there was talk about possible new programs, the impact that changes within the North Dakota University System might have on Northland, and our strategies for enrollment growth.

On Tuesday, a large gathering of employer and professional advisors came together for dinner with faculty members before breaking into individual technical program advisory meetings.  The involvement of employers and technical professionals is an essential part of having relevant, current technical programs.  We so appreciate the willingness of these people to invest their time, experience, and advice in making our programs better and better.

 

Summer and Fall Registration

Registration begins this week for summer and fall terms.  Current students have the opportunity to register first.  Assessment, advising, and registration dates for new students are scheduled at both campuses.  Information on registration dates and processes is posted on the college website at www.northlandcollege.edu/admissions

 

Marketing Awards

Our marketing and communications staff came back from the recent National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) conference with several Paragon awards.  The Aerospace viewbook and college viewbook “Take Your Life North” won gold and silver awards in the electronic viewbook category.  The college recruiting postcard won a bronze award in the postcard category.  This was a great achievement, given that there were more than 1,700 entries.

According to a news release from NCMPR, “the Paragon Awards recognize outstanding achievement in communications at community and technical colleges.  It’s the only national competition of its kind that honors excellence exclusively among marketing and PR professionals at two-year colleges.”

 

Stephen Nelson Completes his Ph.D.

Stephen Nelson, new philosophy instructor at the Thief River Falls campus just defended his dissertation and completed his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota.  The title of his dissertation is “Committing Ourselves to Nothing: An anti-orthodox view of existential quantifier expressions.”  Stephen teaches Intro to Philosophy, Intro to Ethics, Philosophy of Religion, and Morals & Medicine.  Congratulations Dr. Nelson!

 

Athletics Complications due to Snow

Our snow cover is causing problems for our baseball and softball teams.  It is simply impossible for them to play in the northern half of the state.  So, our student athletes have to travel south to meet the conference game schedule.  We had quite a different situation last year, when temperatures were running in the 60s and 70s.

Have a great week!

 

My schedule for this week:

Mon., Apr. 1 – EGF

Tues., Apr. 2 – EGF – GGF Chamber of Commerce – Economic Forecast Luncheon

Wed., Apr. 3 – TRF – Weekly Call-ins

Thurs., Apr. 4 – GFREDC Board Meeting, Cabinet, EGF Student Senate, GFREDC Annual Meeting

Fri., Apr. 5 – TRF – SEM Team