• Thief River Falls Open House – Feb. 1
• East Grand Forks Scholarship Ceremony
• Invitation to Alumni
• Perkins Monitoring Visit
• MnSCU Board of Trustees Adopts New Strategic Framework

Thief River Falls Open House – Feb. 1

On Wednesday, Feb. 1, the Thief River Falls Campus will be open for inspection!  During the day, many regional high school students will come to campus to experience the life of a college student.  We have heard that Lincoln High School will send more than 140 juniors for this post-secondary exploration.

Students can either spend time in technical program labs or attend liberal arts classes.  A special session is scheduled for students who want to take classes or earn an associate’s degree with the intention to transfer to a college or university for a bachelor’s degree.  There is also a session that will share information regarding the college application process, career choice, financial aid, and learning services.  The NCTC choir will perform and the Aviation programs will have an information booth set up in the Gunderson Commons so that interested students can talk to program representatives without having to go to the aviation site at the TRF Airport.

In the late afternoon and evening (4-7 pm), the campus will be open to the community.  This time is considered an “Open house/open office” time.  A number of faculty and staff members will be available to visit with community members about the college, liberal arts and technical programs, student services, and financial aid.  College classrooms, labs, and shops will be open for tours.  The Northland Jazz band will perform in the Gunderson Commons.  Athletic coaches will be on hand to talk with students and their parents.

This is a great time to come out and see the campus.

East Grand Forks Scholarship Ceremony

On January 17, the NCTC Foundation held a scholarship ceremony for students on the East Grand Forks campus.  This was another wonderful event celebrating the accomplishments of our students.  Over $12,000 was awarded to 26 students.  Students who received fall semester scholarships were also recognized.

In total, the NCTC Foundation has awarded nearly $150,000 to Northland students this academic year.  This makes a tremendous difference in the lives of our students.  Often the scholarship makes the difference in allowing students to stay in college.

Invitation to Alumni

Perhaps you have noticed Northland alumni in our communities wearing a new “Alum” pin with the Northland logo?  The pin was designed to recognize our alumni and allow them to demonstrate their pride in having graduated from the college. This is an invitation to all alumni to register with the NCTC Foundation.  We really want to get back in touch with you.  In the next few months, the Foundation will increase its efforts to communicate and build an alumni association.  Go to the Northland website (www.northlandcollege.edu), select the “Foundation & Alumni” tab, select the “Alumni” tab.  A registration form will appear for you to fill out.  In response, you will receive a Northland “Alum” pin and a decal with the Northland logo.

Perkins Monitoring Visit

Periodically, institutions that receive federal Perkins funding undergo monitoring visits to assure that the investment is being appropriately used.  Northland teams up with Pine to Prairie Cooperative, in a consortium made up of 28 secondary schools in our region, to provide workforce education.

The Northland / Pine to Prairie Consortium will have a visit from state staff and Perkins Consortium leaders on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.  Dean Dalen, the college’s Learning Services Coordinator has pulled together the schedule and all of the documents that will be reviewed by the team.  We anticipate a positive review.

MnSCU Board of Trustees Adopts New Strategic Framework

Last week the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees formally adopted the new Strategic Framework for the system that had been proposed by Chancellor Steven Rosenstone.  The one-page framework is available for review at:

http://www.mnscu.edu/board/summary/2012/summary-january.pdf

In brief, the framework commits to:

• Ensure access to an extraordinary education for all Minnesotans
• Be the partner of choice to meet Minnesota’s workforce and community needs
• Deliver to students, employers, communities and taxpayers the highest value / most affordable option

In the weeks and months to come, I will address how Northland is contributing to these goals.
Upcoming College Events 

Jan. 27- Pioneer Basketball at Itasca Community College – 6 & 8 p.m.

Jan. 28 – Pioneer Basketball at Fond du Lac Community College – 1 & 3 p.m.

Feb. 1 – TRF Campus Open House

Feb. 4 – Pioneer Basketball Alumni Week-end

My schedule for this week:

Mon., Jan. 23 – TRF – NCTC Foundation Board Meeting

Tues., Jan. 24 – TRF – Perkins Site Visit

Wed., Jan. 25 – TRF – Perkins Site Visit/Exit Meeting

Thurs., Jan. 26 – EGF

Fri., Jan. 27 – TRF – Community Housing Task Group meeting

Have a wonderful week.

• Successful Transfer of Credit – MnSCU Report to the Legislature
• NCTC Foundation Scholarship Ceremony – Thief River Falls Campus
  

Successful Transfer of Credit – MnSCU Report to the Legislature

Responding to concerns about transferability of credits within Minnesota’s public colleges and universities, the 2010 session of the Minnesota Legislature passed a law requiring the Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities to “develop and implement a plan to improve credit transfer within the system.”  The law also requires the Board of Trustees to report to the legislature by February 15 of each year through 2014.

The 2012 report will be reviewed by the Board of Trustees at its January 17 meeting.  It is available to review at http://www.mnscu.edu/board/materials/2012/jan18/asa-03-transfer.pdf

In brief, the report makes four primary conclusions:

• A study of best practices in transfer throughout other public systems in the United States reveals that the MnSCU system has implemented almost all of these best practices, including statewide collaborations, communication of policies, academic policies, and use of data.
• Ninety-one percent of students who transfer within MnSCU institutions do so successfully without experiencing problems.  Of the nine percent who have reported problems, one third were related to acceptance of Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) courses and one third were related to course equivalency determinations.  Of those students who appealed after encountering difficulties, 90% were able to have some or all of their disputed credits accepted.
• The “Smart Transfer Plan” is well on its way to full implementation.  The plan focuses on five areas:
  • Colleges and universities will use a common format for course outlines, the primary documentation of course content
  • A complete evaluation of all Minnesota Transfer Curriculum courses was completed; course equivalencies are displayed in u.select, a course equivalency database.
  • Students will be automatically informed of their rights to appeal and the processes through which they can appeal transferability of credits.
  • Information related to transfer on all institutional home pages will be consistent and accurate
  • Advisors and other staff involved in transfer activities will receive on-going and consistent training.
  • Successful transfer is a major priority for the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees.

At Northland, we have embraced the steps underway to insure that students receive thorough advising and guidance in their choices of courses, programs, and majors.  We work with universities to bring representatives to our campuses to meet with students and help them make their transfer plans.  Our Academic Affairs and Standards Council works to insure that course outlines are clear in their communication of intended outcomes and course content.

NCTC Foundation Scholarship Ceremony – Thief River Falls Campus

On Thursday evening, Jan. 12, eighty individual students were awarded more than 130 scholarships by the NCTC Foundation in an event in the college theater in Thief River Falls.  Nearly $75,000 was awarded.

This was a great event – a celebration of academic excellence on the part of our students and a recognition of the generosity of the many donors who have supported student scholarships over many years.  Donors include private businesses, community organizations and individuals, including college retirees, NCTC alumni, educators and employees.  Several of the scholarships have been established in honor of or in memory of family members, friends, or notable individuals.

The tagline of the NCTC Foundation is “Enriching Lives through Investing in People.”  The truth of this statement was in high visibility last Thursday.  I was so pleased to see that nearly all of the student recipients were present to accept their scholarship certificates.  Many donors or representatives of donors were also in attendance to make personal presentations.  The college and the community work well together.  This ceremony is a great example of the support our students enjoy.  A similar scholarship ceremony will be held at the East Grand Forks campus on Tuesday, January 17^th.

Upcoming College Events

Jan. 17 – TRF Campus Health Fair –for employees, students & public – 12-2 – Gunderson Commons

Jan. 17 – EGF Campus Spring Scholarship Awards Ceremony – 7 p.m.

Jan. 18 – Pioneer Basketball vs. Rainy River Community College; 6 & 8 p.m.

Jan. 21 – Pioneer Basketball vs. Hibbing Community College; 2 & 4 p.m.

Feb. 1 – TRF Campus Open House

Schedule

My schedule for this week:

Mon., Jan. 16 – Martin Luther King Holiday – Travel to St. Paul

Tues., Jan. 17 – St. Paul – MnSCU Board of Trustees

Wed., Jan. 18 – Dakota County Technical College – MnSCU Board of Trustees, Travel to TRF

Thurs., Jan. 19 – EGF – Cabinet, Shared Governance Council

Fri., Jan. 20 – EGF – meetings

Have a wonderful week.

While many of us were taking a break during the holidays, NCTC’s student services, facilities, and information technology employees were hard at work.  Today, I will focus on them.

Student Services

Several weeks ago, I talked about the new efforts Northland was taking to encourage greater levels of student success.  This included requiring students to obtain access codes from an advisor prior to registering for spring semester.  This process ensured that all students would talk with someone who could help them assess their progress, their time management abilities, and their likelihood of ending fall semester in good academic standing.  We believe that all of these good outcomes occurred –student success for fall semester will be analyzed after the spring semester is underway.

In addition to this, federal and state definitions of what “satisfactory academic progress” means changed during the last semester, requiring the college to suspend more students.  Suspended students have the opportunity to appeal this action, by providing information to an appeals committee, of factors that will insure a better outcome in subsequent semesters.

Unlike “normal” semester starts, we had a greater number of students filing appeals – many of them successful.  This required a considerable amount of time on the part of committee members who read the files and/or talk with student petitioners.  The staff must organize all of the documents to be considered by the committees.

There were a lot of last-minute registrations.  Before registering, new students must take the assessment tests to assure they take courses appropriate to their academic skills.  And, there was no end of activity for our financial aid people.

We have GREAT, committed, and passionate student services employees at both of our campuses.  Each one has a personal commitment to assuring that each student has his or her concerns addressed.  Please take the time to acknowledge their work.

Facilities

At the same time that we were working so hard to get students situated for the new semester, our facilities staff members at both campuses were taking advantage of slower traffic to get a lot of things done.  I have been on both campuses in the past week.  Floors have been washed, shampooed, and waxed.  Summer-time capital improvement projects got the finishing touches – including a new glass-in entry to the Automotive Tech program at Thief River Falls.  The employee lounge in East Grand Forks was relocated and classrooms were recarpeted.

I think we all appreciate the cleanliness of our campuses.  There is a pride of ownership that shines through and is noticed by people in our communities.

Information Technology

The absence of students for two weeks also gives the IT employees the chance to update all student-oriented computers on our campuses and get them ready for the new semester.  This is not a small job, considering that we maintain nearly 500 student computers.

Upcoming College Events

January 12 – NCTC Foundation Spring Semester Scholarship Ceremony – TRF Campus

January 13 – Pioneer Basketball at Vermilion Community College

January 14 – Pioneer Basketball at Mesabi Range Community College

January 16 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day – No Classes – College Closed

January 17 – Health Fair – TRF Campus

January 17 – NCTC Foundation Spring Semester Scholarship Ceremony – EGF Campus

January 18 – Pioneer Basketball vs. Rainy River Community College

January 21 – Pioneer Basketball vs. Hibbing Community College

February 1 – TRF Campus Open House

My schedule for this week:

Mon., Jan. 9 – St. Cloud and St. Paul – meetings

Tues., Jan. 10 – St. Paul – Leadership Council

Wed., Jan. 11 – TRF All-Employee meetings

Thurs., Jan. 12 – EGF All-Employee meetings

Fri., Jan. 13 – TRF – FBM meeting
Have a wonderful week.

I remember my Dad saying that, as you grow older, each year is a smaller and smaller fraction of your life — so, the passage of time seems to go faster and faster.  Well, I must be getting older, because this year has really flown by.  My weekend was filled with all those comfy activities that prepare a family for Christmas – baking, wrapping, sending off cards and packages, and enjoying the unseasonably warm weather as I bustled on my errands.

Last week was a busy one, filled with many important activities for Northland.  Today, I’ll talk about:

• Visit to Thief River Falls from Commissioners Phillips (DEED) and Tingersol (Housing)
• Minnesota Budget Projection and What it Means to NCTC
• Holiday Greetings

Visit to Thief River Falls from Commissioners Phillips (DEED) and Tingersol (Housing)

Last Wednesday, Dec. 14, Mark Phillips, Commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development, and Mary Tingersol, Commissioner of Housing, arrived in Thief River Falls for a deep discussion of the shortage of affordable housing that has developed in the community because of the rapid growth of Digi-Key Corporation and growth of out-of-area student population at Northland.

Their plan was scheduled to arrive at 9:30 am but, because of fog, the TRF Regional Airport was closed.  Their plane diverted to Grand Forks and the group drove to Thief River Falls.  About 60 people gathered at Northland for the discussion.  Scott Knutson, of Community Partners Research, Inc. presented a study of the Thief River Falls housing situation.  Then, a variety of other speakers presented ideas on how the community could work together to encourage the development of housing options.  A TRF Housing Task Group has been formed and will work together into the future.

At Northland, our primary concern is for students.  Often, to get into an apartment, they must have first-month’s and last-month’s rent and a security deposit – often as much as $1,500 up front.  Also, many rentals require a full 12-month lease, while students may only want or need to rent for nine months.  More flexible, efficiency apartments would be beneficial to our students who come from outside the area.

At the end of the housing meeting, Commissioner Phillips and others met with NCTC personnel involved with the unmanned aerial systems programs.  Scott Fletcher presented a briefing on the importance of the emerging industry for Minnesota and the necessity for Minnesota to develop a proposal to be designated as a UAS integration test site.  In late 2012, the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Bill will designate between four and six areas in the United States for this activity.  Commissioner Phillips pledged to move ahead with this activity.

Minnesota Budget Projection and What it Means to NCTC

On December 1, Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) released its economic forecast.  Surprisingly, an $876 million surplus was projected for the current biennium (2012-2013); a $1 billion deficit was anticipated.  While this is good news for the state, does it have any impact locally on NCTC?

At the recent MnSCU Leadership Council meeting, Vice Chancellor Laura King said “This is not bad news, but it is not necessarily good news.”  What she meant by that was that colleges and universities can now anticipate that they will not lose additional funding within the current biennium.  But, the long-term outlook may not mean that institutions will have additional funding in the future.

So, Northland may have a breather for a year.  The budget we developed for fiscal year 2012 may remain stable through fiscal year 2013.  Rather than once again cutting our college budget, we may be able to hold steady and concentrate on building other sources of revenue and growing our enrollment.

For the 2014-2015 biennium, a $1.3 billion deficit is projected statewide.  Minnesota’s economy has performed better than the national average with a current 6.4% unemployment rate, compared with 8.6% nationally.  Minnesota has recovered 35% of its jobs lost during the recession, compared with 22% recovery nationwide.  But, the insecurity of national and international economic and political situations makes long-term prediction very difficult.

If the $1.3 billion deficit eventually is accurate and if reductions due to the deficit are spread proportionally across the Minnesota state budget, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system will likely suffer additional $21 million cuts in each year of the next biennium.

As always, I will keep you posted as information becomes available.

Holiday Greetings

I wish you all the best as we pause for the holidays.  I hope you all have time to be with family and friends, to reflect on the reason for the season, and to gather your energy and enthusiasm for spring semester.

Upcoming College Events 

Dec. 19-20 – Book Buy-Back Rep at TRF & EGF Campuses

Dec. 20 – TRF Campus Employee Potluck and retirement recognition for Mary Dyrud

Dec. 21 – EGF Campus Employee Potluck and retirement recognition for Dee Olson

Dec. 26 – Holiday – college closed

Jan. 2- Holiday – college closed

Jan. 5 – Faculty In-Service Workshop

Jan. 6-7 – Pioneer Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tourney at NCTC

Jan. 9 – Spring semester begins
My schedule this week:

Mon, Dec. 19 – TRF, Digi-Key Graduation

Tues, Dec. 20 – TRF

Wed, Dec. 21 – EGF

Thurs, Dec. 22 – TRF – Cabinet

Fri, Dec. 23 – vacation

Have a wonderful week and a great semester break.  See you in 2012!

Northland’s fall semester final exams end on Wednesday, December 21.  Next week will be filled with studying, finalizing projects, and taking exams.  On top of that, many of our students are working and taking care of families.  Many students who have come from outside of our communities are making arrangements to travel and must plan ahead for what to take home.  Faculty members will be evaluating tests, papers, and projects and rendering final grades.  Grades are due in the registrar’s office on Dec. 22.

Then, everyone can breathe a sigh of relief and start to enjoy holiday festivities.  WRONG!  Our student services staff will be working steadily to insure that grades are entered, grade point averages are computed, students are informed if their academic standing is in jeopardy, registration for spring semester is verified, and financial aid checks are available for the start of the next semester.  There is so much that underlies the academic process at Northland.  I deeply appreciate the dedication of our employees who put our students first.

In this update, I will discuss:

• Institutional Goals – Strategic Fundraising Plan
• MnSCU System Strategic Framework

Institutional Goals – Strategic Fundraising Plan

Northland has enjoyed great success and notoriety in its awards of two federal Department of Labor grants for development of unmanned aerial systems-related programming.  These awards resulted from proposals that demonstrated vision, collaboration, and innovation.

I believe that it is time for Northland to assertively work to identify other areas within the college that could attract the investment of donors or compete successfully for grant funding.  To this end, Northland will engage in a process, starting in January, to identify a set of college initiatives and priorities linked to current and projected foundation, corporate and federal funding opportunities.  Led by a consultant team with successful experience within MnSCU institutions, Northland will develop a comprehensive strategic fund-raising strategy that will align its resources and priorities to more productively secure increased philanthropic and public funding.

A steering committee is being identified with representatives from the Academic Affairs and Standards Council, the Shared Governance Council, the New Program Development Committee, and the Staff Advisory Council.  The kick-off for the process will be on January 5 – the spring semester in-service day for faculty.

MnSCU System Strategic Framework

I reported earlier this fall on the strategic framework Chancellor Steven Rosenstone had articulated.  In brief, the framework calls for system institutions to ensure access to an extraordinary education for all Minnesotans, to be the partner of choice to meet Minnesota’s workforce and community needs, and to deliver the highest value/most affordable option for students.

At the latest Leadership Council meeting (MnSCU presidents and the Chancellor’s Cabinet), greater detail for these initiatives was discussed.

All colleges and universities must take aggressive action on campuses to improve retention and completion of students, improve the transferability of credits and credentials, speed up student progress through developmental coursework, and slow the growth of tuition.  Northland has aligned itself with these goals through the access and opportunity program, recent revisions to developmental courses, a pilot program linking developmental English and math, and tuition increases at levels less than the maximum allowed by the system and the legislature.  We certainly have more to do and will willingly strive to find pathways for improvement.

A comprehensive workforce development plan is being developed through the MN Department of Employment and Economic Development and MnSCU.  Employment sectors have been identified; geographical regions of the state are being developed.  Data on employment and workforce training needs will be analyzed and deep conversations will occur with industry to determine what the data doesn’t reveal.  It is an ambitious goal – but, by summer 2012, there will be a statewide plan for workforce development that will involve academic and technical programs at MnSCU institutions, customized training, and the Minnesota Workforce Centers.

Additionally, Chancellor Rosenstone and Minnesota’s Commissioner of Education, Brenda Cassellius, have been formulating a common vision to assure that high school students are college ready by the time they graduate.  Exciting stuff!

Upcoming College Events 

Wed, Dec. 14 – Pioneer Women’s Basketball @ Turtle Mountain Community College- 6 p.m.

Fri, Dec. 16 – Sketch Book Send-Off – Sponsored by Art Dept. – TRF Cafeteria – 10 a.m.

Sat, Dec. 17 – Pioneer Men’s Basketball vs. Lake Region State College – 3 p.m.

My schedule for this week:

Mon., Dec. 12 – TRF

Tues., Dec. 13 – TRF – Staff Advisory Meeting, Fed Grant WebEX

Wed., Dec 14 – TRF – Jobs, Inc., Mtg. with DEED Commissioner, Governor’s Housing Task Force mtg.

Thurs., Dec. 15 – EGF – Foundation Executive Committee, Planning Mtg.

Fri., Dec. 16 – EGF

Have a wonderful week.

Many people question the value of a college education, moreover, the value of an Associate of Arts degree. There are innumerable success stories of students from Northland Community and Technical College who have started their post-secondary education in our classrooms. Alumni of NCTC hold prestigious positions throughout the region: Shane Zutz, principal at Lincoln High School, Dr. Chris Mills, Superintendent at Stephen/Argyle,  Dan Boushee, Principal at Goodridge, John Clark, Dean of Students at Mahnomen, and Eldon Sparby, Principal at Badger Greenbush Middle River,  to name a few.

Each student’s experience is unique, depending on the factors that bring them to NCTC. A well-prepared, college-ready student can complete an AA degree in the requisite four semesters; there is a variety of courses from which to select.  Every student intending to transfer to a university is advised to identify the university of their choice early in their program of study at NCTC. In doing so, this can assure a well-organized plan to take courses that will fulfill the requirements of the desired Bachelor’s degree program.

Liberal Arts courses offered over a two-year period provide ample opportunity for students to fulfill the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum and electives requirements of the AA degree. Courses are offered on campus at Thief River Falls and East Grand Forks and online.  Students are invited to explore all possibilities when planning their registration. Careful and deliberate planning, coupled with assistance from academic advisors and instructors, allows a student to map out their path to completing their AA degree and have a smooth transfer to a university or college for continuation of their education in a baccalaureate program and beyond.

Students intending to complete diplomas and/or AAS degrees in career and technical education (CTE) programs have opportunities beyond NCTC as well. For example, MSU-Moorhead and NCTC have an active articulation agreement that accepts technical credits earned in CTE programs as a block of credits toward completion of a Bachelors of Science degree in Operations Management, and all transfer credits earned are accepted. This arrangement allows a student to continue their studies and will prepare them for advancement in their career as supervisors and managers. Due to the existence of this articulation agreement, students do not need to “start over” when their life/work situation requires them to seek additional education.

Over the past few years NCTC has embarked on deliberate evaluation and selection of courses to be included on semester schedules. The guiding principles used in course scheduling include assurance that all courses needed for students to complete associate degrees are available according to the specific program plans.  The number of sections of some courses have been reduced to maximize efficiency and to provide a more robust learning environment. NCTC continues to have small classes. Currently the largest classes are in Biology and Natural Science where the lectures have a maximum enrollment of 48 students and the associated labs have 24 spaces available. Rather than wholly eliminate courses that had consistently low enrollment, e.g. some literature courses, a two-year course rotation was devised to allow the courses to be offered on a rotating schedule. This two-year rotation is published on the NCTC website and all advisors have access to this information. The use of the two-year course rotation allows courses to continue to be offered but it requires students to be more aware of when a class is available.  Students will need to implement an academic plan that will get them to graduation on time. Additionally, NCTC has been able to continue to offer courses, such as Physics, to a broader student population through our online learning consortium.  In response to the increased demand for online classes, NCTC and our Distance Minnesota partners have been able to offer a wide variety of courses available online.  Every Minnesota Transfer Area has courses on the distance schedule every semester and the inventory of courses online is increasing each term.

Desire to Learn (D2L), the learning management system used for online instruction, has also been leveraged by most faculty members at NCTC.  The most popular feature is the grade book, where students have access at any time, every assignment is itemized, and students are able to assess their progress. The use of D2L has provided other opportunities for students and faculty to communicate and enhance the educational process.

Northland Community and Technical College remains a strong regional education choice for many students. Please feel free to contact either of our campuses for more information.

Norma A. Konschak
Dean of Academic Affairs

Eugene Klinke
Director of Enrollment Management

College Events this Week:

Tues:  Real Deal Crazy Game Show – EGF Commons- 11:30 a.m.

Thurs.:  Grocery Bingo – TRF Commons – 6 p.m.

Friday:  VEX Robotics Competition Practice  - TRF Commons – 10-2

Friday:  Pioneer Basketball vs. Anoka Ramsey Community College – Women’s @ 6 p.m., Men’s @ 8 p.m.

Saturday:  Pioneer Basketball vs. Riverland Community College – Women’s @ 1 p.m., Men’s @ 3 p.m.

Saturday:  Pioneer 90.1 – Live broadcast, dance, and social for “Saturday Morning Barn Dance”- TRF Commons – 7 a.m.

An issue that arose out of our Thief River Falls Community Advisory Committee meeting in October was a notion that community colleges may suffer from an “identity crisis.”  As we discussed the role of the college in higher education and serving our communities, members of the committee pointed out that some people think we focus on liberal arts (transfer education) and others think we focus more on trades.  Also as our discussion progressed, it was pointed out that the local communities may be unclear about the progression from high school to a community and technical college to a university.  Also, many advisory members felt that the transfer opportunities for students are often unclear.  Northland Community and Technical College is like any of the roughly 1,200 community colleges that exist across the country.  The purpose of my article this week is to shed some light on the role of community colleges and hopefully address any misperceptions that may exist regarding your community college in Thief River Falls and East Grand Forks.

A very large number of students consider community colleges as their first choice to continue their education beyond high school.  Millions of students attend community colleges across the country.  In fact, according to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) (www.aacc.nche.edu), community colleges serve close to half of the undergraduate students in the country.  Additionally,  the AACC suggests that half of the students in the USA who receive a baccalaureate degree attended community colleges at some point.  Northland Community and Technical College is a comprehensive community college that offers courses and programs designed for transfer, entering the workforce, personal enrichment, and/or continuing education/customized training for the incumbent workforce.  Approximately one-half of our students intend to transfer on to a university.  Minnesota has historically differentiated between community colleges which have typically been designed for transfer education, and technical colleges which have been designed for students entering the workforce.  The reality today is that it appears that there is a movement towards the comprehensive college, which prepares students for both transfer and the workforce, as some Minnesota technical colleges have gone through a mission change to become comprehensive, as opposed to only training for the workforce.  Most states do not combine the words community and technical in college names as the word “community college” signifies the comprehensive mission of transfer and workforce education.

Northland offers certificates, diplomas, associate in arts (AA) degrees, associate in science (AS) degrees, and associate in applied science (AAS) degrees.  Certificates (9-30 credits), diplomas (31-72 credits) and associate in applied science degrees (60-72 credits) are designed for students to enter the workforce.  However, the Minnesota Transfer general education component (i.e. psychology, college algebra, college composition) within these programs is slated for transfer.  These programs may also have specific articulation agreements with four year schools to aid in transfer of all or most of the workforce education credits to specific related university programs.  The associate in science degree (60 credits) is designed for transfer, but could also lead to employment.  These degree options articulate to specific baccalaureate programs within our Minnesota State College and University (MnSCU) System, as well as other universities outside of MnSCU.

The 60-credit associate in arts degree (often referred to as Liberal Arts) is designed for transfer to a university.  An associate in arts degree requires completion of at least 40 credits of general education curriculum that fulfills the 10 Minnesota Transfer Curriculum goal areas.  All of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum courses offered by NCTC will transfer within the MnSCU and University of Minnesota (U of M) systems.  North Dakota universities also typically accept our transfer curriculum courses.  The AA degree is typically associated with the first two years at a four year institution.  Students who complete the AA degree are assured a smooth transfer to universities within MnSCU and the U of M.  The AA degree is usually accepted at most out of state universities.

Students choose to come to Northland, as well as other community colleges, due to a number of factors.  Probably one of the biggest factors is the smaller class sizes and personal attention that students receive.  Northland is very proud of how we help students succeed.  Another factor for students and parents to consider is that community colleges are less expensive to attend than universities.  Even though attending Northland is less expensive, it doesn’t mean that the quality of education is less.  In fact, we are very proud of our teaching mission at Northland.  One interesting note is that we have many students who come to us who have already completed a baccalaureate degree.  This phenomenon is called “reverse transfer” and is common among students who already have four year degrees and are seeking out an occupation that can provide a comfortable living wage.

College Events this week:

Mon, Nov. 28 – 7 p.m. – Men’s Basketball @ Lake Region State College

Mon-Thurs, Nov. 28-Dec. 1-  High School Girls’ Basketball Holiday Tournament @ NCTC-TRF Gym

Wed, Nov. 30 – 7 p.m. – Men’s Basketball vs. Jamestown JV (Home)

Fri, Dec. 2 – 6 & 8 p.m. – Women’s & Men’s Basketball @ Minnesota West Community College

Sat, Dec. 3 – 1 & 3 p.m. – Women’s & Men’s Basketball @ Ridgewater Community College

Dr. Kent Hanson
Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs

• “Quality Matters” in Online Education
• College-in-the-High School Annual Fall Conference
• PowerPoint Presentation from “State of the College” events

“Quality Matters” in Online Education

Over the past several years, Northland has been offering more and more online courses.  This has been an important addition for many students for whom travel or relocation to our campuses is an impossible barrier to education.   Many “on-ground” students also take online classes because of the convenience and broad array of available courses.  Northland is part of the Distance Minnesota Consortium, consisting of Northland, Northwest Technical College, and Alexandria Technical and Community College.  Courses from all three colleges are available to students at Northland.

In the past academic year, when Northland’s total enrollment was 2,827.5 full-year equivalents (one FYE = 30 student credits), online courses generated 517.2 FYE, or 18.3% of our total enrollment.  Statewide there is an initiative to increase online education to 25% of all credit offerings.  With this much of our educational effort online, the faculty at Northland have been committed to assuring that the quality of these courses is top-notch.  I applaud them in this effort and have designated our quality effort as one of the college’s goals for this year.

“Quality Matters (QM) is a nationally recognized, faculty-centered, peer review process designed to certify the quality of online courses and online components.  Colleges and universitiesacross the country use the tools in developing, maintaining and reviewing their online courses and in training their faculty.”  This statement from the QM website summarizes what we are undertaking at Northland to assure high quality in our online courses.

At Northland we are implementing a “Quality Matters” initiative aimed at enhancing the quality of courses and the learning experience of students in online offerings.  During the current year, at least three faculty members will be trained as Quality Matters peer reviewers.A first cohort of online instructors will be trained in the “Quality Matters” peer review rubric, the most widely used set of standards for the design of online and blended courses at the college level.  At least 15 faculty members will be trained in incorporating the rubric into their online course designs.  We will initiate instructional reviews of online courses by cadres of three peer reviewers, including one from outside of NCTC.  Peer reviews will focus first on instructors who volunteer to have their courses reviewed.  During this year, at least three courses will be reviewed.

College-in-the-High School Annual Fall Conference

On Thursday, Nov. 17, Northland hosted the 6^th annual fall conference for College-in-the-High School.  Northland collaborates with several regional high schools in offering college courses at these schools.  High school instructors who have the qualifications to teach college courses are paired with college faculty members as mentors.  The same courses that are taught at Northland are taught in these high schools to students who are ready to succeed at this level.

The value of this program is that students who are farther away from Northland’s campuses can still participate in the Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program and earn college credits while still enrolled in high school.  Even at closer high schools, the College-in-the-High School program allows students to remain in their own school throughout the day rather than relocating to the college campus.

Northland and the participating high schools are working together to provide flexible options for students.  At the fall conference, faculty and counselors were updated on many issues, had the chance to exchange information and experiences, and were given a tour of the Northland Thief River Falls campus.

PowerPoint Presentation from “State of the College” events

If anyone is interested, the PowerPoint presentation from the “State of the College” events is available on the college web site at:  http://www.northlandcollege.edu/president/

Upcoming College Events

(Remember to view and post college events and announcements on the Northland NOW link on our website) http://www.northlandcollege.edu/now/events/

Tuesday, Nov. 22 – Pioneer Basketball -Women’s @ 6 p.m., Men’s @ 8 p.m. vs. M-State-Fergus Falls

Thursday-Friday, Nov. 24-25 – Thanksgiving Holiday – No classes – campuses closed

Sat, Nov. 26 – Pioneer Basketball – Women’s @ 1 p.m.; Men’s @ 3 p.m. at Central Lakes College

My Schedule for this week:

Mon,Nov. 21– TRF – Afternoon drive to Minneapolis

Tues, Nov. 22– Minneapolis – Rural Economic Development (RED) Forum

Wed, Nov. 23– Vacation

Thurs, Nov. 24 – Thanksgiving Holiday

Fri, Nov. 25 – Thanksgiving Holiday

Have a wonderful week.

This week’s topics:

• Access Codes and Advising
• Art at East Grand Forks Campus
• Visit from US Senator Amy Klobuchar
• Technology Fair at NCTC – TRF

Access Codes and Advising

As indicated last week, I intend to describe Northland’s goals for this year.  The second goal relates to student success.  Along with fiscal sustainability, student success is one of the MnSCU Board of Trustees’ highest priorities.  Each MnSCU institution, through its own strategies, is contributing to accomplishing the Board’s goal of higher levels of completion, graduation, and transfer.

Northland will implement a process that requires all students to obtain access codes from professional advisors or program faculty members before they are able to register for the next semester.  In the past, students could register without talking with an advisor and were not necessarily aware of how they were doing academically or if they were on track to complete the programs they were enrolled in.  This new process leads to early intervention, two full months prior to the end of a semester when grades are submitted and student status is determined.

A cohort of nearly 500 students who are on probation or continuing probation and are at risk of suspension will receive intensive advising, including identifying factors contributing to poor academic performance, review of progress toward completion, and review of financial aid ramifications. The professional advising session can provide mitigation of suspension, if in the opinion of the advisor, the student is taking the right steps to be successful.

The results of this new procedure may not be evident immediately because of the fact that several factors are changing simultaneously.  However, the cohort of nearly 500 students will be analyzed to determine how many students who were at risk for being suspended continued to make progress at Northland.

Art at East Grand Forks Campus

There is something new at the East Grand Forks Campus – ART!  In the past couple of weeks, people have noticed the installation of a major art work on the front face of the building, just south of the main entrance.  The work, entitled “Windsmithing Light,” was created by Robert Smart.  It was commissioned by the college using the One Percent for the Arts funding required with every capital bonding project at public facilities in Minnesota.  This work accompanies the addition of the nursing wing and major renovation of the campus in 2009.

Artist Smart provided the following:

Built off the theme of “Transition,” I turned to the forces of nature and how they dictate growth and ultimate flight.  This image is similar to a student’s path:  collaborating, changing and evolving.  A three-dimensional composition of 20 metal arcs are anchored to the front entrance exterior wall.  Each arc is mounted in relief for the duality of light and shadow effects at night and during the daylight hours.  During the day, the sun creates shadow-play from the floating sculptural arcs.  At night, when ambient light is reduced, the work becomes more saturated with the subtly transitioning collared light emanating from programmable light emitting diodes.  The light will provide a potent transitional image and icon for campus recognition.

Visit from US Senator Amy Klobuchar

On Saturday morning, US Senator Amy Klobuchar visited the aviation campus.  She is a great supporter of community and technical college and was eager to hear of the opportunities opening up for NW Minnesota through the emerging unmanned aerial systems industry.  She pledged to assist the college with acquisition of highly specialized equipment and is engaged in the airspace issues that are critical to the development of the civilian applications of the UAS technology.

I was so pleased to witness Sen. Klobuchar’s intense personal interest in every aspect of the training we provide students in both the aviation maintenance program and the UAS program.  We talked at length about the need for colleges to partner with both regional high schools to provide students with pathways to success and employers to assure the trained workforce needed for economic growth.

Technology Fair at NCTC – TRF

Don’t forget the Technology Fair scheduled on the Thief River Falls Campus on Saturday, November 19 form 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Through a grant from Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities, the City of Thief River Falls, the TRF Chamber of Commerce, and NCTC personnel have joined together to plan a technology fair.  During the day, people can attend several of the 24 sessions that are offered and can visit with a variety of technology vendors.  Sessions cover topics such as using a Mac, features of smart phones, using the internet and e-mail, setting up secure wireless networks, and digital cameras.The event is totally FREE!  And food service will be available.

Upcoming College Events

Nov. 15 – Men’s Basketball @ Lake Region State College

Nov. 17 – Great American Smokeout

Nov. 18-19 – Men’s & Women’s Basketball at Bismarck Tourney

Nov. 19 – Technology Fair

My schedule for this week:

Mon,Nov. 14– TRF – Multi-Events Center Joint Powers Board

Tues, Nov. 15– EGF

Wed, Nov. 16– TRF

Thurs, Nov. 17 – TRF – Campus Revitalization meeting

Fri, Nov. 18 – Undetermined

Have a wonderful week.

This week, I’ll cover:

• State of the College Events
• Presidential Goals
• FY2011 Budget Balanced

State of the College Events

On Wednesday and Thursday last week, “State of the College” events were held on our campuses in both East Grand Forks and Thief River Falls.  I want to thank the Chambers of Commerce in both communities for their organization and promotion of the event.  In total, more than 150 community members participated.  The events were supported by many sponsors.

In East Grand Forks these businesses and institutions supported the event:  Altru Health Systems, EGF Economic Development Housing Authority, JLG Architects, University of North Dakota, WidsethSmithNolting, Bremer Bank, Drees-Riskey-Vallager, Ltd, Emerging Strategies, General Atomics, Grand Forks Regional Economic Development Corporation, Ideal Aerosmith, Unmanned Applications Institute International, US Bank, and Wells Fargo.

In Thief River Falls, the event was supported by:  Aspen Arboriculture Solutions, Digi-Key Corporation, Genereux Realty, Northern Motors, Northern State Bank, NCTC Foundation, and Sanford Health.

Kent Hanson and I described the societal and economic context in which the college exists today.  We described how the college has adapted to change.  I focused on questions related to the sustainability of rural colleges, some perceptions that the Thief River Falls campus is vulnerable, and how some of the changes that have come to the campuses reflect positive evolution.  Kent focused on the results of the academic reorganization of the past year.

In short, Northland is well poised to deliver on the new framework that Chancellor Steven Rosenstone has outlined.  More than anything, this will insure continuing success.  We provide access to exceptional educational opportunities, we respond to the needs of employers and economic development by educating the workforce of tomorrow, and we provide the greatest value for higher education at the most reasonable cost.  Chancellor Rosenstone has also challenged colleges to redesign the way we do things, to empower colleges to be innovative and entrepreneurial and to partner with others who share our passion and values.  Northland has demonstrated all of these characteristics.

We are absolutely committed to the success of both of our major campuses.  They are distinctive and serve different types of populations.  During the past year, we have made great improvements to learning spaces on both campuses and at the aviation site.  What we will continue to do is to push for excellence so that Northland stands out.

Presidential Goals

Each year, I am required to submit a set of annual goals upon which my performance and that of Northand Community and Technical College are evaluated.  In each of the next few weeks, I will describe one of my goals for the current year.

GOAL 1:   “Enhance collaboration with other higher education institutions to create opportunities and increase efficiencies.”

In these times of restricted resources, all of MnSCU’s colleges are looking for ways to become more efficient.  The System Office has initiated shared services cooperatives to encourage concentration of certain activities throughout the state.  Such activities include payroll functions, some business office functions, and some financial aid functions.  In addition, purchasing at a state-wide level should reduce costs substantially because of volume.  Northland is carefully investigating these shared services opportunities to assure that there will be real savings without reduction of service to students and employees.

Other collaborative arenas we are considering include working with subject matter experts at other colleges and/or universities to develop specialty courses for emerging programs, sharing expertise in institutional research, sharing administration of specialized programs with other colleges, and expanding the reach and breadth of offerings through the Distance Minnesota consortium.

FY2011 Budget Balanced

Chief Financial Officer Shannon Jesme announced that the final accounting for FY 2011 was completed at the System Office.  Northland’s budget, after all depreciation and accruals were factored in, ended the year in the black by $7,000!

This is a great accomplishment in our current challenging times.  I must commend CFO Jesme and all of the college’s budget managers for keeping a careful eye on expenditures during the past year.  Thanks to the careful consideration of so many, Northland’s Composite Financial Index is healthy.

Upcoming college events during the next two weeks:

Nov. 8 – EGF Fall Advisory Board dinner & meetings

Nov. 8 – Women’s Basketball (6 pm) & Men’s Basketball (8 pm) @ home versus Central Lakes College

Nov.11 – Veterans Day Holiday – College Closed

Nov.11-12 – Pioneer Volleyball @ NJCAA National Tournament @ Rochester, MN

Nov. 12 – Women’s Basketball (1 pm), Men’s Basketball (3 pm) at M-State Fergus Falls

Nov. 15 – Men’s Basketball (7 pm) @ Lake Region State College

Nov. 17 – The Great American Smokeout

Nov. 18-19 – Women’s Basketball tourney at Bismarck

Nov. 19 –Technology Fair at TRF Campus

My schedule for this week:

Mon,Nov. 7 – TRF

Tues, Nov. 8 – EGF – All Employee Meetings

Wed, Nov. 9 – TRF – All Employee Meetings

Thurs, Nov. 10 – EGF – Cabinet, Shared Governance Council

Fri, Nov. 11 – Veterans Day Holiday

Have a wonderful week.