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Minnesota State presidents point to mergers, targeted marketing and scholarships as enrollment rebounds
Summary
System presidents described enrollment strategies including campus consolidations, targeted marketing and workforce partnerships that leaders said contributed to modest enrollment growth after pandemic declines.
Presidents from several Minnesota State campuses told the Senate Higher Education Committee that targeted regional consolidation, marketing and scholarship investments have produced early signs of enrollment stabilization and modest growth.
Speakers described one recent consolidation, localized marketing and outreach programs aimed at K–12 pipeline development, and expanded scholarship and grant activity as principal drivers of improved enrollment metrics.
"In 2022, we became Minnesota North College, which was a one college, six campus, singly accredited system," Mike Ryatch, president of Minnesota North College, told the committee. Ryatch described a three‑year process to merge five independently accredited colleges into one to reduce duplication, create a single registration and transcript system, and centralize administrative services. He said the merged college has since established a grants office that has won more than $7,000,000 in external grants and that workforce training services reach nearly 10,000 individuals annually.
Tim Downs, president of Minnesota State University, Moorhead, said enrollment management and marketing have been central to his campus' recovery. Downs told the committee his campus saw an 8% increase in new students in fall 2024 and that admitted students for fall 2025 were up 28% compared with the prior year; he highlighted targeted programs and local scholarship initiatives intended to retain graduates in their home communities.
Michael Seymour, president of Alexandria Technical and Community College, and John Hoffman, president of Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College, described parallel efforts: Seymour cited recovering enrollments in public safety training and increased scholarship donations for law enforcement and nursing, while Hoffman detailed painful pandemic‑era budget reductions (including workforce reductions) and said Bemidji is now seeing enrollment and retention improve and expects to end the year in the black.
Presidents emphasized partnerships with K–12 districts, tribal colleges and employers to expand concurrent enrollment, create early exposure programs for elementary and secondary students, and align training with local workforce needs. Committee members asked about effective recruitment strategies and programs that can be scaled to other regions of the state.
No formal committee action was taken during these presentations; presidents invited follow‑up visits and further briefings on specific programs and regional workforce partnerships.
