2014 Professional Women's Leadership Event

 The annual  Professional Women's Leadership Event (previously known as the Business & Professional Women’s Colloquium) has become a community tradition and one of the most talked about women’s social events of the year. The 2014 event took place on April 16 and was a great success! 

The award for 2014 Business Professional Woman of the Year was given to Julie Eckstrom, First Farmers and Merchants Bank. The other nominees were Dee Whipple of Musty-Barnhart Agency, Patty Brown of the Red Wing Area Chamber of Commerce, Julie Peterson of Sargent's Nursery, Tracy Kirchner of Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical and Cyndi Smith of Edina Realty.

According to the Red Wing Republican Eagle, Julie Eckstrom joined First Farmers and Merchants Bank  in 2003 as a teller. She quickly rose to customer service representative, commercial lending assistant and business banking officer. She works alongside Brett Elford, the bank president, who said, "Our business portfolio has grown due to Julie's hard work in setting up deposit accounts, making loans, dealing with the day-to-day issues of the client and documentation preparation."

Check out our Facebook photo album for pictures from the event, including the Expo,lunch, fashion show and keynote speaker Jessica Miles.

The 2014 schedule: 

 11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Business Expo: Over 28 businesses featured with products and services of interest to women! Check out our Facebook page for up-to-date vendors that will be in attendance. This is also a great time to network with other business and professional women!

12:15 p.m. Luncheon Buffet & Fashion Show A scrumptious "Taste of Italy" luncheon buffet with decadent chocolate desserts will be served. A spring fashion show will entertain over the lunch hour, presenting the newest fashions which will include business and business casual wear.

1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Business Professional Woman of the Year Award

A special awards ceremony honoring all nominees with the presentation to the "Business Professional Woman of the Year." Nominees will receive recognition with a special gift and certificate. The winner will receive a prize package valued at over $300 compliments of Express Employment Professionals.

 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.  
Keynote Speaker Jessica Miles: "Finding the Balance Between Work and Play" 

 As a busy mom to three children, all under the age of four, and as a working professional with a high-demand job as a television anchor and reporter, Jessica Miles is always striving to find the balance between work and "life." Balance in her professional career in a high-stress industry, and balance at home dealing with challenging family dynamics. It’s a constant work in progress. Hear her tips on how to succeed at both, gleaned from the thousands of interviews she has done with high-profile politicians, to business executives, and stay at home moms. Her inside advice on how to make it all work is motivating and inspiring.

Dr. Dorothy Duran appointed president of Southeast Technical 

The Board of Trustees of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities has appointed Dr. Dorothy Duran as president of Minnesota State College - Southeast Technical.  Her appointment becomes effective July 1, 2014.

"Dr. Duran is committed to excellence and student success," said Steven Rosenstone, chancellor of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. "She has a track record of fostering a culture of trust and collaboration and will be a generous partner with business, industry, the public schools and the communities the college serves.  She will be a strong, decisive and effective leader for Southeast Tech."

Dr. Duran has served as vice president for academic affairs at Iowa Western Community College since 2006. Previously, she served at Northern New Mexico College as dean/director of the El Rito campus from 1998 to 2006, and at Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute from 1988 to 1996. She holds a bachelor's degree in English and sociology and a master's degree in educational foundations from the University of New Mexico and a doctorate in education administration from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Dr. Duran said, "I am tremendously honored to be named president of this outstanding college. I look forward to working with faculty, staff, students, and the Winona and Red Wing communities to build upon the college's 65-year record of innovation and collaboration, and to lead Southeast Tech to new levels of excellence."

With campuses in Red Wing and Winona, Southeast Technical provides "Education for Employment," which reflects its rich history of providing excellence in technical training and the liberal arts.  Students select from over 90 programs in six major fields: business, office, and information technology careers; health and human services; liberal arts and sciences; musical instrument and creative arts careers; sales and management; technical careers; trade and industrial careers.  Job placement rates for graduates have averaged over 94% for the last five years.

Dr. Duran succeeds Jim Johnson, who has served as president of Southeast Technical since 1995 and has announced his intention to retire.

Graduating this year? Here are the basics.

Graduation and commencement are two separate events. Graduation is the process by which Southeast Technical officially confers a degree to a learner. Commencement, on the other hand, is the ceremony which publicly recognizes those learners who have graduated or will soon graduate. If you will be graduating soon, please view Graduation Frequently Asked Questions.

The Application for Graduation form is available at both campus reception areas. You need to pick up the form in person because each form has a unique ID code on it. The deadline for submitting the Application for Graduation this year is Friday, March 7th. 

We want to remind all students to complete the process of applying for Graduation.  You need to complete the Application for Graduation Form whether you will participate in the ceremony or not. 

Commencement

The commencement ceremony is a celebration of your graduation. To participate in a commencement ceremony, you must have graduated or be certified for graduation. Participation in commencement does not imply or assure degree conferral. Degrees are conferred when all requirements have been met. 

Southeast Technical College has only one graduation ceremony per year.  Students who will be completing program requirements Spring Semester 2014 (May 14), Summer Session 2014 (August 8) and Fall Semester 2014 (December 19) should apply at this time. 

Red Wing Graduation 
Tuesday, May 13, 2014, 7:00 p.m.
Red Wing High School  

Winona Graduation
Wednesday, May 14, 2014, 7:00 p.m.
Winona State University  

Read more about the whole process on the Graduation page and the Graduation 2014 FAQ page. If you have any questions, please contact the Student Services Office.