Day at the Capitol
About Day at the Capitol
Schedule
State Grant Program
What students are saying
About Day at the Capitol
Each year, students from Minnesota’s Private Colleges meet with their legislators at the State Capitol to advocate for student financial aid, specifically the Minnesota State Grant Program. Between February and April 2007, more than 400 students developed skills on how to be effective citizen lobbyists and urged their hometown legislators to support Minnesota students.
Anyone can attend Day at the Capitol — students, professors, parents, or administrators. Please feel free to look at our photo album or watch a segment on the event produced by GACTV from Gustavus Adolphus.
Gustavus students meet with Sen. Dick Day during Day at the Capitol event to advocate for need-based aid
Schedule
Specific days are scheduled for each campus delegation. Participants receive a policy and lobbying briefing including comments from House and Senate members who represent their campus. They then meet with legislators and attend a Q&A session. The Minnesota Private College Council provides training and materials and makes legislative appointments for participants. See two schedule examples.
Here are the 2008 dates:
- Feb. 27 — College of St. Scholastica and Bethel University
- March 6 — Gustavus Adolphus College and Macalester College
- March 12 — Concordia College, Augsburg College and Hamline University
- March 26 — Concordia University, St. Paul and Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
- April 3 — Bethany Lutheran College, College of St. Catherine and University of St. Thomas
- April 9 — Carleton College, St. Olaf College and College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
Hamline students meet with State Rep. Paul Gardener
The State Grant Program
In the last academic year, more than 70,000 low- and middle-income Minnesota students received a state grant, including about 10,000 private college and university students. More than 90 percent of these students were from families with incomes less than $60,000 per year. Minnesota students who are enrolled in an undergraduate program at a public or private college in Minnesota can qualify for a Minnesota State Grant to help with their college expenses. See more information on our grants page.
What students are saying about Day at the Capitol
"As a State Grant recipient, I want to support the continuation and growth of the program."
—Student, St. Mary's
"As a private college student and a political science major, I am concerned with lowering the cost of college."
—Mary Gleich ’10, St. Mary's
"I attended to support the cause. I am an education major and feel passionately about gaining funding for higher education."
—Bethany Berg '08, Gustavus Adolphus
"This was an amazing experience. I would recommend this to everyone I know! Exercising your political voice is so important."
—Megan Berg ‘07, College of St. Scholastica
"It really made me realize how much I am affected by state aid and that I am able to contribute and make a difference."
—Student, College of St. Scholastica
"This was a wonderful experience. I learned a great deal and it felt good to make a difference in college financial aid."
—Michelle Johnson ’09, College of Saint Scholastica
"This was a great experience. I would recommend this event. Thank you."
—Stacy Desmond ‘08, College of Saint Scholastica
"Anybody interested in politics should attend."
—Aaron Wickboldt ’10, College of Saint Scholastica
"I feel I have learned a lot and am proud to represent private schools. It's important that we all are a part of this in order to secure a good future."
—Student, College of St. Scholastica
"It was a spectacular experience to be able to speak up for private schools!"
—Student, College of St. Scholastica
"We were able to show legislators that we are just like public school students; not everyone’s rich."
- Augsburg College
- Bethany Lutheran College
- Bethel University
- Carleton College
- College of Saint Benedict
- College of St. Catherine
- College of St. Scholastica
- Concordia College (Moorhead)
- Concordia University (St. Paul)
- Gustavus Adolphus College
- Hamline University
- Macalester College
- Minneapolis College of Art and Design
- Saint John's University
- Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
- St. Olaf College
- University of St. Thomas
Augsburg College
- Located in Minneapolis with abundant opportunities to gain experience both inside and outside the classroom.
- National recognition for an effective first-year program and for combining learning with service.
- Top majors are business, science, teaching
- A diverse community of 3,000 students
Bethany Lutheran College
- Located in Mankato overlooking the Minnesota River Valley
- A community of 540 students -- most live on campus
- Popular majors include business administration, communication, psychology, and elementary education
- Focus is on a solid, Christian education
Bethel University
- Located on a residential, wooded campus in a Twin Cities suburb
- Enrolls 5,600 students in 100 undergraduate, graduate, and seminary programs
- Integrates faith, learning and the translation of Christian belief into global service
- 20 international programs; top 3 percent ranking of students who study in foreign countries
Carleton College
- Residential campus in the small community of Northfield
- Ranked one of the country's top liberal arts colleges
- Noted for its bright and talented students and strong faculty
- Enrollment of 2,000 students of diverse backgrounds
College of Saint Benedict
- Together with Saint John's -- 3,800 undergraduate students have many opportunities
- Located on 3,200 acres of woods and lakes west of St. Cloud
- A focus on globalism includes an extensive international study program
- A commitment to experiential learning, research and internships
College of St. Catherine
- Largest and most comprehensive Catholic college for women in the U.S.
- Beautiful campuses in St. Paul and Minneapolis
- Committed to meeting the educational needs of women of all ages; offers liberal arts, healthcare and professional programs in traditional and weekend formats
- Serves 5,000 students
College of St. Scholastica
- Main campus in Duluth; also in St. Paul, St. Cloud, Brainerd
- Undergraduate and graduate programs in traditional, accelerated and online formats
- Top majors: Health information management, management, education, nursing
- 3,200 students; 1,940 undergraduates on Duluth campus
- U.S. News ranking in top tier of Midwestern universities
Concordia College
- Located in the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area that includes 20,000+ college students
- Serves more than 2,700 students
- Top programs include the sciences, education and music
- Recipient of NAFSA Simon Award for Campus Internationalization
- Home of world-renowned Concordia Language Villages
Concordia University
- Located in the St. Paul metro area
- Serves 1,500 undergraduate and 300 graduate students of all ages and backgrounds
- Top majors include Christian education, business and teacher education
- A laptop university with 24/7 Web access
Gustavus Adolphus College
- Oldest Lutheran college in Minnesota; Swedish heritage; home of the Nobel Conference
- Beautiful residential campus located in St. Peter, overlooking the Minnesota River Valley
- Prepares 2,500 undergraduates for lives of leadership, service and lifelong learning
- Recognized science, writing, music, athletics, study-abroad, and service-learning programs
Hamline University
- Ranked first in Minnesota among comprehensive universities according to U.S. News
- 4,400 undergraduate, graduate, and law students
- Located in residential neighborhood of St. Paul
- Intimate environment of small classes and personal attention along with the opportunities of a comprehensive university
Macalester College
- 1,900 undergraduates come from every state and 90 countries
- Located in a friendly St. Paul neighborhood
- Emphasis on global perspectives; more than half study abroad
- Produced many Fulbright and Rhodes scholars
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
- 700 students; 14 majors in fine arts, media and design
- Located next to the Children's Theater and Minneapolis Institute of Arts
- Studio-based and business-oriented programs; BFA, BS and MFA degrees
- Only art and design school to be named a Best Midwestern College by Princeton Review
Saint John's University
- Together with Saint Benedict -- 3,800 undergraduate students have many opportunities
- Located on 3,200 acres of woods and lakes west of St. Cloud.
- A focus on globalism includes an extensive international study program
- A commitment to experiential learning, research, internships
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
- Values-based, results-oriented education in the Catholic, Lasallian tradition
- Outstanding environment for learning, living and recreation
- 400-acre Winona campus in the bluffs of the Mississippi River Valley
- 1,300 traditional undergraduates, with 4,100 graduate and professional students at other locations
St. Olaf College
- Environmentally aware, 300-acre residential campus in historic Northfield
- 3,000 students; top majors are music, mathematics and the sciences
- Nation's top liberal arts college for study abroad
- College of the Lutheran church -- where conversations about faith are part of daily life
University of St. Thomas
- Minnesota's largest private university with 10,500 students (5,500 undergraduates)
- 95 undergraduate majors
- Main campuses located in a stately St. Paul neighborhood and in downtown Minneapolis (other campuses in Owatonna, Minn. and Rome, Italy)