Nanotechnology Day 

Area youth and community members will have a chance to learn more about nanotechnology and its infinite applications in business, industry, research, health and more at Nanotechnology Day in Rushford, Minnesota on Saturday, June 8. The day’s events are to include a free Youth Nano Camp, Nanotek Bicycle Trek and Nano Conference.

The Youth Nano Camp is free and open to youth 14 to 21 years. This event runs 9 a.m. until noon. Youth will learn how nanotechnology affects our lives with a variety of hands-on activities.

The 4th Annual Nanotek Bicycle Trek is a great event for the whole family and takes place on the Root River Trail. There are four scenic bluff routes between 10 and 50 miles.

The Nano Conference is scheduled for 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Nanoscience technicians work in research, production, marketing and business environments. The National Science Foundation forecasts a demand for 2 million nanotechnology workers worldwide in 15 years, including 800,000 to 1 million in the United States. Registration to attend the conference is recommended, however walk-ins are welcome.

For more information on about these events contact Alice Zimmer at 507-453-2723 or [email protected].

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Learn more about Southeast Technical's upcoming 3 credit tuition free course.

Guitar Raffle raises more than $2,500

This year’s Guitar Raffle raised in excess of $2,500 for the Roger Benedict Memorial Scholarship fund.  There were more than 500 tickets sold this year, more than doubling last year’s sales.

The raffle winner was Dominic Orrico from Sparta, WI.  Orrico made the trip to Red Wing last week to pick up his prize.  As a guitar player and professional in the field he was ecstatic to win this handmade guitar valued at $4,000.

Stay tuned for next year’s raffle!

Legal Administrative Assistant student Gina Beach is a self-proclaimed court TV junkie, saying, "It's interesting to see the defense and prosecutors do their ‘song and dance.'"

It always nagged at her that she never went on to get her degree. "I barely finished high school. I knew I was smarter than that and could do better." When Beach's sister got her A.S. in Nursing Mobility at Southeast Technical she decided that maybe now was her time too. "I have more focus now because I am doing what I want to do," said Beach, adding "I know the things I am learning now are going to help me later on in my career." Now she maintains an A average.

Beach says she likes the "homey feel" at Southeast Technical, "It seems like there is always someone right around the corner to help you." Her advisor, Mary Stoos has been invaluable in helping her to succeed, "She is a great advisor who is available any time of day. In her classes she focuses on making sure you understand. In class discussions we get the benefit of her personal experiences in the business."

Beach takes classes both online and in the classroom. "It's great for flexibility," she said. "During the week I concentrate on my classroom classes and on the weekends I focus on my online courses. Once you get into your routine, everything clicks." This summer Beach is completing an internship with the County Attorney's office. She is looking forward to it. "I like feedback," she said, adding, "There is so much to learn, the law is changing every day."

Beach's advice for those considering Southeast Technical, "Do it! Life is too short to waste time wondering. Even if you were a bad student in high school, a degree is totally attainable."

8th Annual Community Connections Golf Tournament and Dinner

The Golf Tournament and Dinner was a huge success. With the help of 109 golfers, dozens of volunteers, 83 diners and plenty of auction goers the event raised almost $15,000; about $2,000 more than last year!  These funds will help support Southeast Technical students through scholarships and programmatic initiatives.

The day’s activities included lunch, 18 holes of four person scramble golf, a variety of golf related games, raffle, 50/50 drawing, dinner, wine pull, silent auction and live auction.

Winners

Four Person Scramble Golf

1st - Samantha Braschler, Jeff Deeb, Chris Schultz & Slater Lampman
2nd - Keith Page, Bob Neumann, Ken Attum & Chris Neumann
Mystery Score - Mike Kroening, Nate Emerson, Don Walski, Tom Reeck
Last (most honest) - Rich Pietzrak, Tom Smith, Tom Moyer & Tony VonBargen

Games

Closest to Pin, hole #3 - Aaron Nelson
Closest to $100 bill, hole #5 - John Archbold
Closest to Pin, hole #17 - Pam Gorman
Longest Drive, hole #18 - Matt Hotchkiss
Putting Contest - Kurt Wiksten
Break the Glass – John Archbold

Raffle

$1000 - Dan Massett
$300 - Cheryl Hancock
$200 - Nancy Braschler

Join us for the 5th Annual Alumni and Friends Golf Tournament in Winona on August 5th!

2013 Graduation

More than 700 students graduated from Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical this week. Winona’s graduation ceremony was held Tuesday at Winona State University. Red Wing’s ceremony was Wednesday at Treasure Island. In addition to the ceremony, there were a few other graduation activities that took place, including a guitar show for students to show their hard work, and nurse pinning ceremonies. Photos from all of these events can be seen on the college’s Facebook page.

Professional photography images taken during both the Winona and Red Wing commencement ceremonies will soon be available for purchase from the Jolesch Photography website. Click a link below for your campus.

Winona Commencement

Red Wing Commencement

Winona Nursing

Red Wing Nursing

2013 Outstanding Alumni named

Southeast Technical is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2013 Outstanding Alumni Awards, Michelle Finholdt for the Red Wing campus and Roger Holland for the Winona campus. The Outstanding Alumni Awards honors alumni who have reached significant achievements in their careers or made significant contributions to their communities and Southeast Technical.

Michelle Finholdt, Red Wing Outstanding Alumna

Michelle Finholdt graduated in 1994 from the Southeast Technical Professional Nanny program, now a division of the Early Childhood Education program. Upon graduation she created the non-profit childcare center, Under the Rainbow. They have grown from four children enrolled on day one when it was located on the Southeast Technical campus, to now, 180 enrolled in their new and expanded building on Technology Drive in Red Wing.

Finholdt says that there is always room for improvement. She is never satisfied with just maintaining the program. "It doesn't matter how long you've been in the business, you are always learning," said Finholdt. Each of her classrooms has an education plan suited for those students. The four to five year old program’s primary focus is to prepare the students for kindergarten. "Every year expectations are a little higher to enter kindergarten," says Finholdt. "All these little ones learn in a different way." In addition to preparing the children for kindergarten, Under the Rainbow focuses on language enrichment and literacy development.

Besides running a growing daycare center, Finholdt is very active in the early education community. Under the Rainbow serves as an intern site for Early Childhood and Nursing students from Southeast Technical; she served for six years on the Board of Directors for Child Care Resource and Referral which serves all of Southeast Minnesota; and currently serves on Southeast Technical's Early Childhood program advisory council.

Roger Holland, Winona Outstanding Alumnus

Roger Holland graduated in 1976 from the Winona Area Technical Institute (Southeast Technical) Tool and Die Program, now known as CNC. After 22 successful years in the industry and during a recession he was laid off. After finding new work, the following year he was laid off again. This time his employer told him why he was being laid off: his computer skills were not up to the level of new graduates coming out of technical colleges. This was the push he needed to return to school for an update. With two children in college and two in high school, his wife, Arlene (who is also an alumna of Southeast Technical) kept the family going while he returned to school and received an Associate of Applied Science degree in Mechanical Design and Drafting. While in school he worked for Trane Company in La Crosse. After completing his degree he took on the role of Machinist Trainer at Trane Company for four years.

When he found out that Southeast Technical (his alma mater) was looking for an instructor in the Machine Tool and Die program (now CNC) he knew it was meant for him. Over the years at Southeast Technical Holland has served on a variety of committees; volunteered to speak and present at various events; is active with MSCF; worked with the Custom Training department to provide ongoing training to area industry; provided continuing education courses for high school Industrial Technology teachers; often made recruiting visits to area high schools; helped move the CNC program to the Airport campus in 2005 and back again in 2012; and used his drafting and design skills to design the floor plan for the new computerized precision machining technology lab at the main campus.

"I like to help. I get a good feeling knowing my efforts have helped someone," said Holland. In addition to an active education and career, he is active in the community through his church, serving on a variety of city boards, booster clubs and as a youth coach. "I've been coaching since 1985," said Holland, adding, "I learned of my love for teaching through coaching."

Holland began working towards his bachelor’s degree in 2003. In 2012, at the age of 56, he completed his coursework and received a Bachelor of Science in Career and Technical Education from Bemidji State University. Most of Holland’s adult life has been dedicated to education in one form or another, either as a student or a teacher. "There is always something to learn, in everything you do," said Holland.

View past Outstanding Alumni Awards Recipients.

The National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships announced Monday that it granted national accreditation to Southeast Technical's concurrent enrollment program. NACEP accreditation validates the quality of college courses offered in high schools and ensures that the course content and expectations for student work match the standards of the sponsoring post-secondary institution.

"I am ecstatic that our Connect 2 College program earned NACEP’s national accreditation," said President James Johnson of Minnesota State College – Southeast Technical. "This accreditation validates to our partners throughout rural southeast Minnesota of the deep, collaborative relationships our leadership team and faculty have fostered with secondary schools. Students throughout the region benefit from the advanced post-secondary standing they earn by successfully completing our courses."

NACEP Accreditation Committee Chair Becky Carter remarked: "I'm very pleased to recognize Connect 2 College (C2C) at Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical as one of a select group of 89 concurrent enrollment partnerships nationwide accredited through NACEP's extensive peer-review process. Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical has demonstrated to its peers that the college courses it offers in high schools are of the same quality as courses offered on campus."

To earn accreditation from NACEP, concurrent enrollment programs conduct a self-study, document how their programs adhere to NACEP's 17 standards, and are evaluated by peer reviewers from NACEP-accredited programs. NACEP’s standards were developed and refined over many years, serve as a model for quality standards in 15 states, and are adaptable to a wide range of higher education institutions.

Community Connections Golf Tournament and Dinner

Southeast Technical Foundation is now accepting registrations for the 8th Annual Community Connections Golf Tournament and Dinner at Mount Frontenac Golf Course. The proceeds from this event will help support Southeast Technical students in need through scholarships and programmatic initiatives. Each year about 700 students graduate from Southeast Technical. Approximately 80 percent of our graduates stay in the area, and 91 percent find jobs in their chosen fields, contributing their talents to our workforce and community.

Thanks to the many generous contributors to our scholarship funds, the Foundation awarded more than $108,000 in scholarship support to 115 qualified and deserving students in academic year 2012 -2013.

Register or more information