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February 2005 In This Issue
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GATHERING CHALLENGES TO ECONOMY, EDUCATION STIMULATE DISCUSSION WITH COMMUNITY, EDUCATION AND GOVERNMENT LEADERS This research is now finding an audience at the Minnesota Legislature. On Wednesday, February 2, the Minnesota Private College Council shared the demographic research with the House Higher Education Budget Committee and did the same in the Senate on February 15. In addition to presenting the challenges, there are some recommendations for moving forward. Among the current models offering significant promise to help address the challenge, and the centerpiece of the Council’s legislative recommendation, is the Minnesota State Grant Program, providing financial assistance to students with demonstrated need. State Grants can be applied to tuition at any college or university, private or public and allow students to choose a school that best suits their needs and talents. Also among the Council’s recommendations are calls to: expand TRIO programs, which prepare low-income, first generation K-12 students for college success; restore the maximum Postsecondary Child Care Grant to help more young parents with children attend college; and, ensure excellence in the research-related functions of the University of Minnesota. The demographic trends make it clear that action is needed in the short- and long-term to educate more Minnesotans for work in the knowledge economy. Our shared future depends on it. The Council is working to stimulate a wide-ranging discussion of how to meet the challenges in which we all have a stake. RECRUITING FOR THE FUTURE One of several initiatives they are supporting is Admission Possible, a non-profit organizations whose mission is to help make college admission possible for talented, motivated and economically disadvantaged students in Minnesota by providing ACT test preparation services and admissions and financial aid consulting. In addition to financial support, Minnesota's private colleges and universities host student practice tests and campus visits. The investment is paying off. Since Admission Possible's inception in 1999, almost 350 students have completed the program. Over 95 percent of program participants were admitted into postsecondary institutions. A quarter of all program participants have attended or are attending a Minnesota private college or university. Commitment to cultivating diverse learning communities is a long-established value of member colleges and universities. Last year, our colleges and universities conferred 30 percent of all bachelor’s degrees and 27 percent of all master’s degrees awarded to people of color in Minnesota, a greater percentage than state universities. In addition, the median family income of private college students is less than that of students attending the University of Minnesota and reciprocity institutions in other states and about the same as students attending Minnesota state universities. STUDENTS SHARE RESEARCH AT THE CAPITOL In many instances, faculty-guided student research addresses a range of issues relevant to the public. Hamline University student Justin Byma analyzed the relationship between declining dairy herd size and economic policy. Saint John’s University student Donald G. Harris worked to determine the long-term health effects of a low-carbohydrate, high-fat, high-protein diet in mice. Ben Keys, of Augsburg College, studied the impact of negative pretrial publicity and defendant testimony on juror verdicts. And the list goes on... The Scholars at the Capitol event highlights the important contribution private colleges make to research in the state. Collectively, students and faculty from Minnesota’s private colleges and universities are currently working on over 60 research projects supported by nearly $23 million in funding from federal grants and contacts. A booklet from the event with abstracts from all of the scholars' projects is available as a printable pdf. HANSON NAMED 1ST WOMAN PRESIDENT OF HAMLINE UNIVERSITY As president of the College of Santa Fe, Hanson spent the last four years leading a process to develop a new vision for the college, produce innovative interdisciplinary academic programs, restructure the administrative and academic infrastructure, relocate a campus in Albuquerque and return the college to financial stability. Prior to her work at the College of Santa Fe, Hanson held the positions of vice president for university relations, assistant provost for executive education and president of the Seattle University Foundation at Seattle University. She also was the president of Independent Colleges of Washington and the vice president for development at Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi. A graduate of Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma, Hanson went on to earn her doctorate in educational leadership from Seattle University. FRANZ NAMED 12TH PRESIDNET OF SAINT MARY'S Since 1997, Brother Franz has served as president of Saint Mary’s College of California in Moranga, Calif. During his tenure, he oversaw the implementation of a strategic plan that tripled the college’s endowment, allowed for the construction of seven new campus facilities, enhanced academic programs, opened additional campuses and enriched technological resources. From 1994 to 1997, Brother Craig served at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota as executive assistant to the president and dean of the school of mathematics and science. Brother Craig began his career as a high school teacher in Philadelphia and graduated to administrative roles at the University of Rhode Island, La Salle University in Philadelphia and Saint Mary’s University. A graduate of Bucknell University, Brother Craig went on to earn his master’s degree in environmental studies from Drexel University and a doctorate in biology/marine ecology from the University of Rhode Island. POINT. CLICK. ENGAGE. PCAN MEANS ANYONE CAN
The Minnesota Private College Council, Fund and Research Foundation represent 17 of the state’s most respected four-year, liberal arts colleges and universities as well as more than 54,000 students. We are: Augsburg College, Bethany Lutheran College, Bethel University, Carleton College, Concordia College (Moorhead), Concordia University (St. Paul), College of Saint Benedict, College of St. Catherine, College of St. Scholastica, Gustavus Adolphus College, Hamline University, Macalester College, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, Saint John’s University, St. Olaf College, and the University of St. Thomas.
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On February 2, 28 students from 11 of our colleges and universities shared their academic research with state legislators at the second annual Minnesota Private College Scholars at the Capitol event. The presentations included a wide range of disciplines from economics to computer science, psychology to prairie ecology, and organizational management to health. The students' projects were displayed on posters, and students discussed their findings with lawmakers, legislative staff and the public.