As new and returning students arrive for the Fall 2005 semester at Anoka-Ramsey Community College (ARCC), the college begins a year-long celebration marking its 40th anniversary.

The college kicked off the year by delivering a bit of 40th-anniversary spirit to the college’s faculty and staff. Retired faculty and staff were invited to attend an all-staff preparatory meeting in late August. Former staffer Norma Paulson, who joined the college in 1965 as “the registrar, business officer, switchboard operator, President’s secretary, and personnel officer,” led attendees back in time with tales of how much the college has changed. She accompanied her talk with a photo presentation illustrating those changes.

“When the college began, tuition was $5 a credit,” Paulson reminisced. “The first years of the college had spring formal dances, yearbooks, and a variety of sports - baseball, softball, women’s basketball, men’s basketball, wrestling, volleyball, football, men’s and women’s tennis, and there even were speech teams!”

She also reminded them that the college opened its doors in 1965 in a temporary location, the Centennial School District in Circle Pines, Minn. Originally known as “Centennial Campus of Metropolitan State Junior College,” the college welcomed 579 students to its first classrooms.

In fiscal year 2004, student headcount totaled 9,797.

Along the way, the college has grown and changed a great deal. The Cambridge Campus was added in 1978. The Training and Development Center was added in Coon Rapids in 1985. The college has continued to add and expand its facilities, academic programs, and student and community services. It has built ties with colleges and universities, some across the globe. And it has established hundreds of partnerships with businesses and K-12 schools.

Welcoming New Faculty
Amidst the 40th anniversary reminiscences, ARCC faculty and staff were introduced to four new full-time faculty members.

Joining the faculty are:

	Melissa Bergstrom, music instructor and director of choral activities on the Coon Rapids Campus. Bergstrom has a B.A. in music from Augsburg University and an M.A. in music from the University of Minnesota. In addition to her past teaching experience, she has served as director of music for churches and as an active vocalist and flutist performing with various groups in the Twin Cities.
	Jennifer Bluth, mathematics instructor on the Coon Rapids Campus. Bluth has a master’s degree in mathematics from Northern Illinois University and a master’s in education from St. Mary’s University. She completed her undergraduate work in mathematics education and computer science at Bemidji State University. Before pursuing her master’s degree, she previously taught math for six years at Milaca High School and served as a math and computer science teacher for Mille Lacs Academy.
	Kate Maurer, English instructor on the Cambridge Campus. Maurer has a B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and a Ph.D. in English from Marquette University. Prior to joining ARCC, she was an assistant professor of English and composition for nine years at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She has several publications forthcoming, including a textbook focusing on professional writing in the arts.
	Alexandra Verkhovtseva, mathematics instructor on the Coon Rapids Campus. Verkhovtseva has masters degrees in applied mathematics and economics from North Carolina State University. Her undergraduate work was in economics and business management at Cherkassy State Technological University in the Ukraine. She most recently taught math at Coastal Carolina Community College in North Carolina, and prior to that, she taught economics at Wake Technical Community College in Selma, North Carolina.
Honoring Past Faculty
	Former ARCC faculty member Anne Levig speaks to faculty and staff after receiving the Distinguished Faculty Emeritus Award.
The college also highlighted one past faculty member, Anne Levig of the Cambridge Campus, with the Distinguished Faculty Emeritus Award. Levig is only the fifth recipient of the award, which was established in 1983 to honor and acknowledge distinguished professional contributions to the college, the community and the profession. Levig joined the Cambridge Campus at its inception and worked in many leadership capacities that helped the campus grow. “Being part of the Cambridge Campus in its early years afforded me many special opportunities, including many firsts,” Levig said when accepting her award. “I helped with our first College for Kids program in the summer of 1982 and worked with our first alumni organization that year. In 1985, I was one of the first instructors in our College for Seniors Program, which later evolved into Post Secondary Education Options (PSEO).” Levig’s contributions also included reinstituting foreign language classes in French, German, Spanish, and Swedish, coordinating the Cambridge Honors Program, and building the Cambridge Campus chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa international honor society. Future Celebrations The next 40th anniversary celebration will coincide with the Coon Rapids Campus Foundation’s fall scholarship fundraiser, Prairie Home Delights, on Thursday Sept. 29. To purchase the $25 tickets for the event, which includes silent and live auctions as well as fine food and music, call 763-422-3329. In addition, a larger 40th-anniversary event is being planned for early 2006.