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Senate Higher Education Committee will hold budget hearing at St. Olaf

By Amy Gage
October 5, 2004

Members of the Senate Higher Education Committee will meet at St. Olaf College in Northfield on Tuesday, Oct. 5, at 2 p.m. in the Black & Gold Ballroom in Buntrock Commons. The meeting will include a discussion of the relationship between the college and the community, specifically as it relates to the region's K-12 educators and the business community in Rice County.

"Much of what we do in service to the higher education community in our state takes place at the State Capitol, so we relish these opportunities to visit different campuses throughout the state," said State Senator Sandy Pappas (DFL-St. Paul), the chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee. "These are challenging times for students and administrators at colleges throughout the state, and we look forward to hearing their concerns and issues firsthand. I anticipate that the information we gather will be very valuable as we head into the 2005 legislative session."

St. Olaf College President Christopher Thomforde and Carleton College Vice President for External Relations Kristine Cecil will make opening remarks. In addition to students from both colleges, other scheduled speakers include:

* Northfield Public Schools Superintendent Chris Richardson;

* Financial aid and state grant program experts Kathy Ruby (director of financial aid and interim dean of admissions, St. Olaf College) and Rod Oto (director of student financial services at Carleton Carleton), along with students who benefit from the State Grant Program;

* David Van Wylen, professor of biology and associate dean of natural sciences and mathematics at St. Olaf, on the college's nationally ranked programs and their contribution to the state;

* John Ramsay, associate dean and professor of educational studies at Carleton, on the college's effort to prepare teachers for classrooms in Minnesota and beyond;

* Mark Schelske and Rietta Turner from St. Olaf and Carleton, respectively, on the colleges' participation in federally funded TRiO programs to help at-risk students succeed;

* Todd Olson, outreach program director and assistant dean of admissions at Carleton, on Carleton's outreach programs for high school students;

* Jim Farrell, professor of history and director of American studies at St. Olaf, on the college's efforts to be a national leader in ecological issues.

Sen. Pappas said she is looking forward to hearing from students about the effect the state's lagging economy has had on them, in terms of tuition increases and the availability of financial aid.

"As legislators, we receive a wealth of information on higher education in the form of studies, reports and statistics, but for me there is no substitute for talking with students and administrators in person and hearing their stories," Pappas said. "While much of what we do at the State Capitol is focused on the public colleges in Minnesota, the private colleges play a vital role in educating our students and providing a well-trained workforce in our state."

The St. Olaf hearing is the first stop on a six-campus listening tour the Senate Higher Education Committee is taking in October. Committee hearings will also be held at Bemidji State University (Oct. 7), St. Cloud Technical College (Oct. 12), the University of Minnesota-Morris (Oct. 14), Minnesota State University, Mankato (Oct. 20) and the University of Minnesota (Oct. 21).

Members of the public and students interested in the future of higher education in Minnesota are encouraged to attend and will have an opportunity to offer testimony. For more information contact Jess Myers, researcher for the Senate Higher Education Committee, at 651-296-0265 or Sen. Pappas' office at 651-296-1802.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.