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Minnesota State Extends Contract for Chancellor Malhotra

April 17, 2019

ST. PAUL, Minn., April 17, 2019 – The Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities has voted unanimously to approve an extension of the employment agreement with Chancellor Devinder Malhotra for a period of two additional years beyond its current end date of July 31, 2021. With the extension, the new end date for the employment agreement will be July 31, 2023.

“Devinder has proven himself in this role as a gifted, inspirational, and effective leader,” said Michael Vekich, chair of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees. “The process we have begun under the Reimagining Minnesota State initiative requires the kind of thoughtful and bold leadership that Chancellor Malhotra provides, and this extension will enable us to benefit from the continuity of his leadership over the next several years as the faculty, staff, and leaders of Minnesota State work together to shape the future of higher education in Minnesota.”

Reimagining Minnesota State is a strategic visioning process that will enable the scaling and acceleration of innovation occurring at its 30 colleges and seven universities.

“I am very grateful for the confidence that the Board has shown in me,” Malhotra said, “and I am excited about the opportunity to continue serving as chancellor as we continue on this path to ensure that we are delivering on our unique value proposition to the State of Minnesota, and that all of our students benefit from high quality education that positions them, their families, and their communities for future success.”

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Minnesota State includes 30 community and technical colleges and seven state universities serving approximately 375,000 students. It is the fourth-largest system of two-year colleges and four-year universities in the United States.

Media Contact:

Doug Anderson

Director, Communications and Media

Office: (651) 201-1426

doug.anderson@minnstate.edu

RRCC Spring Newsletter

April 16, 2019

RRCC Announces New Academic Programs in Health Care, History, and English

The Health Care Pre-Professional Certificate is a new academic program at RRCC. It is a 28 credit program that prepares students for careers in the health care field as a nursing assistant, home health aide, or trained medication aide and provides foundational coursework for transfer into many different health programs. The program can also be used as a pathway to the AS Health Science degree.

The English Transfer Pathway AA offers students a powerful option: the opportunity to complete an Associate of Arts degree with course credits that directly transfer to designated English bachelor’s degree programs at Minnesota State universities. The curriculum has been specifically designed so that students completing this pathway degree and transferring to one of the seven Minnesota State universities enter the university with junior-year status. All courses in the Transfer Pathway associate degree will directly transfer and apply to the designated bachelor’s degree programs in a related field.

The History Transfer Pathway AA offers students a powerful option: the opportunity to complete an Associate of Arts degree with course credits that directly transfer to designated History bachelor's degree programs at Minnesota State universities. *The curriculum has been specifically designed so that students completing this pathway degree and transferring to one of the seven Minnesota State universities enter the university with junior-year status. All courses in the Transfer Pathway associate degree will directly transfer and apply to the designated bachelor's degree programs in a related field.

*Universities within the Minnesota State system include Bemidji State University; Metropolitan State University; Minnesota State University, Mankato; Minnesota State University Moorhead; Southwest Minnesota State University; St. Cloud State University; and Winona State University.

RRCC Commencement: Friday, May 17, 2019 at 1:00 PM in RRCC Gymnasium

On Friday, May 17, 2019, surrounded by their classmates, family, friends, faculty and staff, 75 students will be awarded their degree, diploma, or certificate from Rainy River Community College. Welcoming the 2019 graduating class will be William Maki, President of the Northeast Higher Education District. Dr. Roxanne Kelly, Rainy River Community College Provost, will give the Commencement Address, and Eric Davis, Vice Chancellor of Human Resources, Minnesota State, will join President Maki in presenting the awards.

RRCC Women's Softball Begins Season Strong

Spring has sprung and so has Voyageur Softball. This season promises to be exciting as we returned from Florida all battle tested and ready to compete against the NJCAA Division III part of our schedule. We have four solid sophomores that we are building around and that includes Casey Meyers, Dominique Gomez, Justina Hawley and Meoshia Peterson. Incoming freshmen include International Falls, MN graduates Teah Goulet, Marissa Kerry and Janet Humbert. Joining us from Alberta, Canada are Kora Martin and Emily LeMasurier. Our final two freshmen are Aurora Johnson from Two Harbors, MN and Sarah Parker from West Minister, CO. Justina Hawley was selected as the MCAC Northern Division Pitcher of the Week and Janet Humbert as the MCAC Northern Division Player of the Week after returning from our eight season opening games in Titusville FL. Come out and cheer on Voyageur Softball!

RRCC Men's Baseball Has Busy Start to Spring

The Voyageur baseball team, who looks to defend their 2018 MCAC Northern Division Championship, has had a busy start to their spring. They started off their season going to spring training in Tucson, AZ where the team finished 3-5. The team, who is currently 6-1 is young, still developing and working to get ready for the MCAC Northern Division Conference schedule. Home Games include

  • April 19 against Mesabi Range College at 1:00 PM
  • April 28 versus Vermilion Community College at 1:00 PM
  • May 1 versus Northland Community and Technical College at 2:00 PM
  • May 4 versus Hibbing Community College at 1:00 PM
  • May 11 versus Itasca Community College at 1:00 PM

Statistics Class Conducts Project on Climate Change Data

Students in RRCC’s Probability and Statistics class are working together on a project about climate change data, examining the accuracy of various sources of data along with potential bias and subjectivity in the collection, analysis, and representation of climate data. The data sources we are researching include weather stations, satellites, tree rings, ocean sediment, ice cores, and corals. We will also be collecting and analyzing local climate-related data, including high and low temperatures, precipitation, and water levels in area rivers, from the 1950s to today, to determine if any significant changes have occurred in the local region during this time period. This project was inspired by a request from a climate change action group in International Falls, and the end product of the project will be a video that will be aired on KCC TV on Earth Day, April 22.

RRCC Student Senate Members Visit the State Capitol in St. Paul

On February 19th, Student Senate had the opportunity to advocate on behalf of RRCC Students at the annual LeadMN Advocacy Day.

Kaden Bjorkquist and I spoke to Representative Rob Eklund and Senator Tom Bakk on higher education issues including overall campus funding, tuition, food insecurity, transfer pathways, affordable textbooks and open-educational resources and the college promise campaign. Talking to Representatives and Senators may sound like a daunting task but I found it to be a rewarding and empowering experience.

Participating in an event like this with over 100 of your fellow students allows our voice to be amplified and have a greater impact. If you are interested in more information or even joining Student Senate feel free to contact myself, Sara, at sara.swenson@rainyriver.edu or Director of Student Development, Brad Krasaway, at brad.krasaway@rainyriver.edu.

RRCC 1999 Men's Hockey National Championship Team Reunites at Hockey Tournament

Members of the 1999 Rainy River Community College men’s hockey team gathered in Borderland Sunday to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their National Junior College Athletic Association National Championship. The Voyageurs had a record of 25-3 in 1999, beating the SUNY Canton Kangaroos to win the national championship.

St. Thomas Aquinas Students Visit RRCC for Career Day

On Thursday, March 21, International Falls St. Thomas students visited RRCC's campus to learn about the variety of careers and programs offered at RRCC for their Career Day event. Students visited Rainy River Community College, Wagner's Construction, Snap Fitness and Rainy Lake Medical Center.