Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system
Type | Public university system |
---|---|
Established | 1995 |
Chancellor | Scott Olson[1] |
Students | 300,000[2] |
Location |
,
,
U.S.
|
Campus | 54 campuses |
Colors | Blue and white[3] |
Website | minnstate |
TheMinnesota State Colleges and Universitiessystem orMinnesota State, previously branded asMnSCU,[4]comprises 26 statecollegesand 7 stateuniversitieswith 54 campuses throughoutMinnesota. The system is the largesthigher education systemin Minnesota (separate from theUniversity of Minnesota system) and the third largest in theUnited States, educating more than 300,000 students annually.[5]It is governed by a 15-member board of trustees appointed by the governor, which has broad authority to run the system. The Minnesota State system office is located in theWells Fargo Placebuilding inSaint Paul, Minnesota.
In 2016, the Board of Trustees approved a rebranding of the system to the shortenedMinnesota State. This change was met with criticism as this is also the nickname commonly attributed toMinnesota State University, Mankato.[6][7]The change affected branding but did not alter the legal name of the organization that is identified in state statute.[8]Commonly the system is now being referenced in media as the Minnesota State System, while the institution in Mankato is being referenced as Minnesota State.[9][10][11][12]
History
[edit]In 1991, theMinnesota Legislatureissued legislation which founded the creation of the Minnesota State system. Through this process the then-existing Minnesota state university system, community college system and technical college system were combined into a single higher education system. This initially was to be accomplished by 1995 but due to statewide opposition it wasn't until 1997 that a Central Office was formed and individual institutions began to operate under centralized direction.
The members of the University of Minnesota could not be compelled by the legislature to be part of the new system because it had sued for independence in the form of constitutional autonomy from legislative oversight. This autonomy was affirmed by the Minnesota Supreme Court after the State of Minnesota was formed and was a response to lobbying demands from a newly formed Alumni Association of the University of Minnesota in the early 19th century.[13]
This difference in independence and power has led to significant differences in the way in which the State system operates and educates students. Through this legislation the State system was given the ad-hoc role of educating all students outside of the doctoral research role that theUniversity of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus provides. In addition, individual university and college members have, by comparison, significantly smaller endowments, and receive less funding from thestate governmentof Minnesota than comparable members of the University of Minnesota system.[14][15]An appropriation by the state of Minnesota was supposed to cover 66% of the cost to educate students, and as of 2014 the state provides about 50%.[16][17]
Operations
[edit]Minnesota State offers a wide range of collegiate programs fromassociates degreesto applieddoctorates.[18]All of the system's two-year community and technical colleges have an open admissions policy, which means that anyone with either a high school diploma or equivalent degree may enroll.[19]The system also runs an online collaborative calledMinnesota Online, which is a gateway to the online course offerings of Minnesota State. More than 150 academic programs are available completely or predominantly online. About 93,300 students took online courses during the 2009–2010 academic year.[20]
The economic impact of the Minnesota State system is estimated to be $8 billion per year, with a return of twelve dollars for every dollar invested.[21]
Tuition at Minnesota State is lower than tuition at theUniversity of Minnesota, private universities, or private trade schools.[22][23]More than 80 percent of graduates stay in Minnesota to work or continue their education.[17][24]The job-placement rate based on the last available data at two-year colleges is 88.0 percent in 2006, meaning that 88.0 percent of graduates find jobs in their chosen fields.[25]
The Minnesota State has not designated an official flagship institution;[citation needed]however, Minnesota State University, Mankato and Saint Cloud State University have been referred to as the system flagship at various points.[26][27][28][29][30]
Member universities and colleges
[edit]Four-year state universities
- Bemidji State University
- Metropolitan State University
- Minnesota State University, Mankato
- Minnesota State University Moorhead
- Southwest Minnesota State University
- St. Cloud State University
- Winona State University
Two-year community and technical colleges:[31][32]
- Alexandria Technical and Community College
- Anoka Technical College
- Anoka-Ramsey Community College
- CambridgeCampus
- Coon RapidsCampus
- Central Lakes College
- Century College
- White Bear LakeCampus
- MahtomediCampus
- Dakota County Technical College
- RosemountCampus
- Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College
- CloquetCampus
- Hennepin Technical College
- Brooklyn ParkCampus
- Eden PrairieCampus
- Inver Hills Community College
- Inver Grove HeightsCampus
- Lake Superior College
- DuluthCampus
- Minnesota State Community and Technical College
- Detroit LakesCampus
- Fergus FallsCampus
- MoorheadCampus
- WadenaCampus
- Minnesota State College Southeast
- Minneapolis Community and Technical College(MCTC)
- Minnesota West Community and Technical College
- CanbyCampus
- Granite FallsCampus
- JacksonCampus
- PipestoneCampus
- WorthingtonCampus
- Normandale Community College
- BloomingtonCampus
- North Hennepin Community College
- Brooklyn ParkCampus
- Minnesota North College
- HibbingCampus
- ItascaCampus
- Grand RapidsCampus
- Mesabi RangeCampus
- Rainy RiverCampus
- International FallsCampus
- VermilionCampus
- ElyCampus
- Northland Community & Technical College
- East Grand ForksCampus
- Thief River FallsCampus
- Northwest Technical College
- BemidjiCampus
- Pine Technical and Community College
- Pine CityCampus
- Ridgewater College
- HutchinsonCampus
- WillmarCampus
- Riverland Community College
- AustinCampus
- Albert LeaCampus
- OwatonnaCampus
- Rochester Community and Technical College(University Center Rochester)
- St. Cloud Technical and Community College
- Saint Paul College
- South Central College
- North MankatoCampus
- FaribaultCampus
Enrollment and state policy initiatives
[edit]Minnesota has been experiencing a net loss of college students to institutions out of state since 2001.[33]Minnesota’s net migration of students has been consistently negative, with a net migration of -7,886 reported for the 2022-23 school year.[34]At postsecondary institutions across the state, a trend of declining enrollment has been present for the past 14 years.[35]This downward trend has been particularly intense within Minnesota State two and four-year colleges and universities between 2018 and 2022.[36]Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Minnesota state government took measures to reinvest into higher education. This included a $650 million investment into theMinnesota Office of Higher Educationincorporated into the One Minnesota Budget signed into law by Minnesota GovernorTim Walzin May 2023.[37]The North Star Promise Scholarship Program was amongst the many inclusions of the Higher Education portion of the One Minnesota Budget. The program covers the cost of tuition and fees for Minnesota resident students with a familyadjusted gross income(AGI) of less than $80,000 who attend a public or tribal institution for higher education.[38]
The 2023-24 academic year yielded a long absent positive trend of undergraduate enrollment within Minnesota’s post secondary institutions: a 1.2% increase estimated by theNational Student Clearinghouse.[35]The North Star Promise Scholarship Program is set to take effect for the fall 2024 semester across public Minnesota colleges and universities. Once in effect, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education has estimated a positive financial impact, as it relates to higher education, for more than 15,000 students statewide.[38]Other initiatives from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education include Direct Admissions Minnesota. This program works to streamline the admissions process for high school seniors into public Minnesota post secondary institutions for those interested. Nearly all schools part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system participate in the Direct Admissions program.[39]
References
[edit]- ^"About Minnesota State Chancellor : Scott Olson".Minnesota State. Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. RetrievedJanuary 17,2024.
- ^"About Minnesota State System".Minnesota State. Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. RetrievedSeptember 17,2023.
- ^Minnesota State Identity Standards(PDF). Minnesota State System Office. RetrievedOctober 17,2017.
- ^"Goodbye, MnSCU; hello, Minnesota State". Saint Paul Pioneer Press. February 19, 2016. RetrievedApril 22,2016.
- ^"About Minnesota State System".Minnesota State. Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. RetrievedJanuary 17,2024.
- ^Editorial Board (April 23, 2016)."Our View: MnSCU name New branding proposal is confusing". Mankato Free Press. RetrievedApril 29,2017.
- ^Editorial Board (April 27, 2016)."MNSCU Hops on the Rebranding bandwagon". Minneapolist StarTribune. RetrievedApril 29,2017.
- ^Burger, Kevyn (July 26, 2016)."Rebranding the state's largest university system". Minnesota Business. RetrievedApril 29,2017.
- ^Goessling, Ben (August 15, 2016)."Small college, special teams helped Adam Thielen bring 'toughness factor' to Vikings". ESPN. RetrievedAugust 25,2016.
- ^"Minnesota State Mavericks". ESPN. January 15, 2016. RetrievedAugust 25,2016.
- ^"Minnesota State looking to join NCHC; WCHA commish Robertson 'deeply disappointed'". USCHO News. July 13, 2016. RetrievedAugust 25,2016.
- ^Paisly, Joe (July 13, 2016)."NCHC may be expanding after Minnesota State applies for membership". Colorado Springs Gazette. RetrievedAugust 25,2016.
- ^"University of Minnesota A Century of Memories"(PDF). University of Minnesota Alumni Association. January 1, 2003. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on June 1, 2016. RetrievedApril 9,2016.
- ^"2016-17 Governor's Budget, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities"(PDF)(Press release). State of Minnesota. January 27, 2015. RetrievedNovember 15,2015.
- ^"2016-17 Governor's Budget - University of Minnesota"(PDF)(Press release). State of Minnesota. January 27, 2015. RetrievedNovember 15,2015.
- ^"Performance Measures and Financial Information"(PDF). MNSCU. January 20, 2015. RetrievedNovember 18,2015.
- ^ab"FY2013 Operating Budget (Second Reading)"(PDF). MNSCU. January 20, 2015. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on February 21, 2016. RetrievedNovember 18,2015.
- ^"Academic Program Search". State of Minnesota. January 1, 2016. Archived fromthe originalon April 21, 2016. RetrievedApril 9,2016.
- ^"Admission Requirements". State of Minnesota. November 1, 2015. Archived fromthe originalon November 19, 2015. RetrievedNovember 18,2015.
- ^"'iCollege' at $199 a class? Idea may appeal, but Pawlenty knows e-learning is neither cheap nor easy". MinnPost Paper. June 16, 2010. RetrievedNovember 18,2015.
- ^"Minnesota State Driving Economic and Social Vitality across Minnesota - FY2017 Economic Contribution Analysi"(PDF).Minnesota State System Economic Impact. Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. RetrievedNovember 14,2018.
- ^"College Cost Comparison". State of Minnesota. November 1, 2015. Archived fromthe originalon November 17, 2015. RetrievedNovember 18,2015.
- ^"Go MN: Your 2013-2014 Guide to Minnesota State Colleges and Universities"(PDF). State of Minnesota. January 1, 2014. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on March 28, 2016. RetrievedNovember 18,2015.
- ^"Amazing Facts"(PDF). MNSCU. January 1, 2010. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on November 19, 2015. RetrievedSeptember 26,2014.
- ^"Evaluation Report MnSCU Occupational Programs"(PDF). The Office of the Legislative Auditor of Minnesota. January 1, 2006. RetrievedNovember 28,2015.
- ^"President Davenport responds to Free Press questions". Mankato Free Press. RetrievedJuly 22,2015.
- ^"Making a monetary mark: economic impact". Archived fromthe originalon September 19, 2014. RetrievedJuly 22,2015.
- ^Debra Leigh (February 29, 2012)."MSR Readers: Make your own judgment on the state of St. Cloud State"(Newspaper).Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. RetrievedApril 28,2016.
- ^Jeff Johnson (December 4, 2014)."MnSCU enrollment projections".LetFreedomRingBlog. Let Freedom Ring Blog and Periodical. RetrievedApril 28,2016.
- ^Bies, Jessica (August 17, 2015)."Davenport: MSU excelling as flagship university".The Mankato Free Press Website. The Mankato Free Press. RetrievedApril 28,2016.
- ^[1]ArchivedDecember 12, 2005, at theWayback Machine
- ^"MnSCU College Search: Begin your search". MnSCU.edu. Archived fromthe originalon January 7, 2016. RetrievedNovember 15,2015.
- ^Knox, Liam."State Support Turns Minnesota's Enrollment Tide".Inside Higher Ed. RetrievedJuly 27,2024.
- ^"Number of first-time degree/certificate seeking undergraduate students enrolled, state or jurisdiction of residence at application, and migration at Title IV institutions, by state or jurisdiction: United States, Fall 2022".National Center for Education Statistics. July 26, 2024.
- ^ab"Minnesota's higher ed enrollment is up, but officials say gaps remain to reach 2025 target - Session Daily - Minnesota House of Representatives".www.house.mn.gov. RetrievedJuly 27,2024.
- ^"Enrollment Trends by Minnesota Institution Type".www.ohe.state.mn.us. RetrievedJuly 27,2024.
- ^"One Minnesota Bill Includes Historic Investments in Higher Education".www.ohe.state.mn.us. RetrievedJuly 27,2024.
- ^ab"North Star Promise Scholarship Program".www.ohe.state.mn.us. RetrievedJuly 27,2024.
- ^"Direct Admissions Minnesota".www.ohe.state.mn.us. RetrievedJuly 27,2024.