"Where the needs of students and community come first"

Guest Column by Dr. Marsha Danielson, President, Minnesota State College Southeast

April, 2022
Winona Daily News, Red Wing Republican-Eagle

Since becoming president of Minnesota State College Southeast last July, I've learned so much about our college. The MSC Southeast community is versatile, resilient, innovative, and tenacious. The college's greatest asset is our dedicated faculty and staff who are passionate about helping our students.

The work we do is more important now than it has ever been. Our students are the workforce, citizens, and leaders of tomorrow. As a college, we are an engine of social and economic mobility. We are the hope for the future for our students.

I want to share with you my vision for success at Minnesota State College Southeast. From my point of view, what matters most is to be a college where the needs of the students and community come first. I honestly believe that if we use that as our motto, everything else will take care of itself.

I want to lead a college that focuses unwaveringly on the goals of its students, whether that be completion of a degree, entry into the workforce, or transferring to another college. Using data, evidence, and high-impact practices, we must continuously improve student learning outcomes, developing and delivering curriculum that measurably improves learning for all of our students.

We need to be student ready -- ready to meet students where they are, help them to reach their goals, and inspire them. We will match our high academic expectations with high levels of support, so students can stay on the path to completion of their goals.

We will work together to reduce the achievement gap for traditionally minoritized individuals. Ours is a college with an inclusive and equitable community culture, a place where students, faculty, staff, and community members can feel safe, can feel valued, and where they can be their genuine selves.

MSC Southeast must be dedicated to working adult learners, providing education that will enhance their careers. This will require changes in how, when, and where courses are offered and student services are provided. At the other end of the spectrum, due to demographic shifts, there is a declining population of high school graduates. We need to focus on recruiting the 40% of high school students who don't currently chose secondary education after high school.

Every day on the news we hear that there isn't enough workforce available to fill available positions, and every business that I visit says their number one need is for more qualified

workers. We will engage our business, industry, and education partners to help us positively impact the economy and social vitality of our region. We will increase the number of our grads prepared for high-wage, high demand jobs and transfer to university so that our region can continue to prosper.

Realizing this vision will take courage and persistence. I hope Southeast will be a college that has a solutions-oriented mindset, values action over inaction, starts with "yes" and asks, "why not?"

Together, we will grow the success of Minnesota State College Southeast by always putting the needs of the students and the community first. You deserve no less from us. It's why we're here.