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Minnesota State outlines student-support riders including Z‑degree textbooks, basic‑needs hub, Mantra mental‑health partnership and emergency grants
Summary
Minnesota State officials told the Legislature’s higher education committee that recent appropriations support a statewide zero‑textbook initiative, a centralized basic‑needs resource hub, a mental‑health supplement with Mantra Health, emergency grants and Title IX reporting infrastructure, and described program reach and costs.
Minnesota State representatives summarized how several budget riders are being used to expand student supports across the system, saying the investments are increasing access to course materials, basic‑needs help, mental‑health care and short‑term emergency aid.
George Sowell, board chair of the Minnesota State Board of Trustees, introduced the system’s presenters and said Minnesota State educates about 270,000 students annually. Associate Vice Chancellor Kim Lynch described the Z‑degree, or zero‑textbook, program and the legislation and funding that support it.
Kim Lynch, Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Development and Technology, said the system received $1,050,000 in fiscal years 2024–25 to expand free course materials and that the base appropriation beginning FY26 is $50,000. She said the program has identified about $12.6 million in student savings, that 10 colleges now offer complete Z‑degrees, 12 campuses are on track or exploring Z‑degree implementation, and that staff tracked roughly 6,200 zero‑cost course sections and over 26,000…
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