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Cook County Higher Education presents rural training, long‑distance education model to House committee
Summary
Cook County Higher Education officials traveled to St. Paul to brief the House Higher Education committee on the nonprofit’s work providing long‑distance college support, workforce training, CDL programs and community learning in a remote northeast Minnesota county.
Cook County Higher Education (CCHE) leaders told the House Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee on March 1 that the Grand Marais‑based nonprofit provides a single point of access for postsecondary education, workforce training and continuing education across Cook County, a remote community in northeast Minnesota.
Karen Blackburn, executive director of Cook County Higher Education, and Kelsey Rogers Kennedy, associate and program director, described CCHE’s services: assistance enrolling in long‑distance college programs, individualized student support (application help, FAFSA assistance, online learning navigation, test proctoring), and a local site for distant students to access coursework. They also highlighted workforce and trades training — including a recent commercial driver’s license (CDL) cohort and certifications such as ServSafe, CPR, chainsaw safety and construction‑related continuing education — delivered locally to avoid multi‑hour drives to Duluth.
The organization, Blackburn said, has four staff and a 10‑member volunteer board, and reported fiscal‑year 2024 tuition generation of $411,345 from students taking 1,512 credits. Blackburn told the committee CCHE consumed its state higher‑education allocation while leveraging grants and local donations; she provided the committee with three years of 990 forms and audited financial statements and a packet of 18 letters of support from local businesses and organizations.
Rob Wells, a former student who now works as a registered nurse and paramedic in Grand Marais, described CCHE’s role in his education. Wells said CCHE provided scholarship, laptop and Internet access support and helped him complete an associate degree and later a bachelor’s degree. He also said he now teaches CPR, first aid and naloxone training through CCHE and that those skills are critical in a rural setting where ambulance response times can be 20 minutes or longer.
Committee members praised CCHE’s community role and expressed support for continued state line‑item funding. Representative Scraba noted CCHE’s local match and community letters of support; Representative Novotny (in a nonvoting capacity for the committee) described the group’s audited financial documents as persuasive and said he supported the funding. Representative Clyburn and others wished the group safe travel back to Cook County.
CCHE said it supports three primary functions: long‑distance college education and student navigation, workforce and professional development training tailored to local employers, and lifelong learning events such as technology and aging‑related classes. Blackburn said CCHE has generated sustained local engagement and that the organization’s presence enables residents and businesses to access training and credentials without a multi‑hour commute.
The presentation emphasized CCHE’s role as a local delivery partner for state and regional higher‑education institutions and as a point of contact for employers that need customized training. The committee did not take a vote on the organization’s funding during the hearing; CCHE remains funded through a statutory line item in the higher‑education budget that committee members noted earlier in the session.
