About 250 volunteers,
foundation directors and donors who support
the Minnesota
State Colleges and Universities were
honored last week at the system’s
Eighth Annual Foundation Recognition.
Among those attending from Anoka-Ramsey
Community College (ARCC) were ARCC
President Patrick M. Johns, ARCC Cambridge
Campus Foundation President Al Nelson,
ARCC Cambridge Campus Foundation Member
John Schlagel, ARCC Cambridge Campus
Foundation Executive Assistant Lynnette
Brambrink, ARCC Director of Resource
Development Luanne Kane, and ARCC Coon
Rapids Campus Foundation Member Mindy
Kveton.
Held at the Harriet Island Pavilion
in St. Paul, the event was sponsored
by the system’s Board of Trustees
and the Minnesota State Colleges and
Universities Foundation.
Board of Trustees Chair Robert Hoffman
noted, “Every year, your work
helps more people recognize and understand
that the Minnesota State Colleges and
Universities provide access to higher
education for more Minnesotans than
anyone else. In a very real sense,
we educate Minnesota and we make it
work.”
During the last fiscal year, private
support to the Minnesota State Colleges
and Universities totaled $85 million,
an increase of 10 percent over the
previous year.
In acknowledging supporters, Chancellor
James H. McCormick said, “Your
efforts - financial and otherwise -
open doors. More students have access
to an affordable and high-quality education.
More programs are housed in state-of-the-art
facilities, and more faculty members
are enriching their teaching skills
and generating innovative research.
“But we also know there are
more doors to open. Private support
for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
has never been more important. For
the past four years, our students have
had to cope with double-digit tuition
increases - a nearly 60 percent increase
since fall 2000. Over the same period,
our state appropriation per student
has slipped by 18 percent,” he
said.
A recent survey done by the Minnesota
State Colleges and Universities also
found that full-time students work
an average of 28 hours a week and part-time
students work an average of 36 hours
a week. Many students are stopping
their academic work or dropping courses
so they can work more hours.
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
system comprises 32 state universities
and community and technical colleges
serving the higher education needs
of Minnesota. The system serves about
240,000 students per year in credit-based
courses and an additional 130,000 students
in non-credit courses.
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