Students visit Effigy Mounds National Monument 

10 students from the Winona campus and online attended a field trip organized by Student Senate on Friday, October 15, 2021 to Effigy Mounds National Monument in Harper's Ferry, IA. Effigy Mounds is a 1500 year old burial site of the Woodland Indians who lived in this region and built incredibly complex mounds in the shape of bears, thunder hawks, and conical mounds overlooking the Mississippi River. 

 Students from environmental science classes, history classes, PSEO, and sociology classes took part in the trip. Many students commented how good it felt to be around other students and appreciated the opportunity for hands-on learning.

Highlights of the trip included completing the seven mile round trip from the visitor center to Hanging Rock, with 3 miles of it being an advanced hiking trail. We also saw four whitetail deer. The most exciting part of the trip was an eight foot bull snake who demanded to cross the trail in front of us!

The Effigy Mounds Field Trip is held most years in the fall -- take advantage of this wonderful opportunity if it comes up again next year.

To see a complete gallery of photos, including a video of the bull snake, see our Facebook photo gallery.

MSC Southeast hosting Workforce Summits to gather critical feedback from business, manufacturing, healthcare partners

Officials at Minnesota State College Southeast have announced three online Workforce Summits to give the public an opportunity to share trends and ideas with college leadership.  

• Business Workforce Summit
  Wednesday, October 27, 2021, 8 to 10 am

• Health Sciences Workforce Summit
  Friday, October 29, 2021, 8 to 10 am

• Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Summit
  Wednesday, November 3, 2021, 8 to 10 am 

The summits will be held via Zoom; to participate, please email Amy Drazkowski at [email protected] or call 507-453-1479. 

"We believe that in a thriving regional economy, business and education must share a common understanding of the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed by the workforce," said Dr. Marsha Danielson, President of Minnesota State College Southeast. "At our Workforce Summits, we want to learn more about the changing needs of our community partners." 

MSC Southeast is beginning its next round of strategic planning this year. The information generated by the Workforce Summits will inform the college as it lays plans for future program development.  

"We need to be sure that curriculum development and design is keeping current with the needs of area workforce sectors," said Dr. Danielson. "The Workforce Summits will provide an opportunity for the college to deepen relationships with local business leaders and develop pathways to employment for its students."  

College faculty and staff will also participate in the Workforce Summits, with the objective of identifying possible partnerships, better understanding local workforce needs, and determining potential areas for program modification or development. 

Dr. Danielson encourages business, healthcare, and manufacturing partners to participate. "For your business, participating in the Workforce Summit and building relationships with local educators will help create a pipeline of skilled future employees," she said. "We appreciate your commitment to the region's workforce needs." 

For more information, agendas, and Zoom links, please email Amy Drazkowski at [email protected] or call 507-453-1479.