Support Minnesota State: Invest in workforce education to invest in your community

By Dr. Marsha A. Danielson, President, Minnesota State College Southeast

At Minnesota State College Southeast, many of our students are adults returning to college for upskilling, reskilling, or workforce education. They have homes of their own and are juggling busy lives with work and family responsibilities. 

These students need more skills-based training to find jobs that yield a family sustaining income. 

At the same time, Minnesota is facing a significant shortage of workers with the training and the talent employers need. This has become a critical concern in several sectors of the economy, including healthcare, business, construction, and manufacturing.

That's where the colleges and universities of Minnesota State come in. With 26 colleges, 7 universities, and 54 campuses, Minnesota State is the third largest system of state colleges and universities in the United States and serves 300,000 students each year. 

As a member of Minnesota State, Minnesota State College Southeast is continuing to advocate for the system's agenda throughout the Spring 2023 legislative session. 

Minnesota State's budget proposal for the next two academic years (2023-2025) includes funding to upgrade learning environments and increase Workforce Development Scholarships. Obtaining these funds will have a tremendous impact on our college and our students.

Many of today's high demand occupations are subject to rapid changes in the skills employers need. This means that the skills and credentials offered by our colleges and universities must also change to stay current. 

We are continually working to maintain and upgrade our facilities and equipment so students can have access to labs that provide "real world," hands-on learning experiences. In this effort we have had tremendous support from our business, industry, and foundation partners. 

For example, a gift from the Jones Family Foundation and Red Wing Area Fund made it possible to purchase and install a coordinated suite of new equipment in the Bicycle Design and Fabrication lab in Red Wing. This included CNC lathes and mills with full enclosure machining centers. 

In Winona, aging equipment has been replaced in the Welding lab and more equipment is being added to accommodate increased capacity. As an exercise in hands-on learning, our current students built the new booths for 12 new pulse welders -- by welding together the components! 

Advanced manufacturing equipment is available to students in our credit-based academic programs as well as adult learners who are sponsored by employers for training through our Customized Training and Workforce Education division. 

But we can't stop there. Additional state funding to support our campus-wide need for improvements in technology and equipment will benefit our students by providing them with access to a state-of-the-art learning environment in all of our programs.

College affordability remains an important issue. Funded by the state legislature, Workforce Development Scholarships have been proven to have a powerful and positive impact on our students. Minnesota State is requesting additional funding to provide more than 12,000 scholarships over the next two years, helping three times as many students to get workforce training.

These scholarships make education more affordable, provide incentives that improve student success, and encourage students to enroll in high-demand fields to meet the state's workforce needs.

Additional funding would also be used to add eligibility for three new degree fields --construction, education, and peace officers/public safety. This would impact students in our Construction Technology, Early Childhood Education, and Criminal Justice programs. 

Workforce development is a vital issue for the Southeast region and beyond. That's why we are asking for your support of the Minnesota State funding request. Investments in the colleges and universities of Minnesota State are investments in your community and it drive Minnesota's economy.

Thank you for supporting Minnesota State and our system of public higher education during the legislative session this spring!