Joe Mulford highlights Pine Tech and Community College’s $25 million addition and program growth
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Summary
On a county-hosted "Coffee with the County" visit to Pine City, Pine Tech and Community College President Joe Mulford described a recent $25 million building addition, growth in health care and manufacturing programs (including a gunsmithing program that draws students nationwide), and new student housing near campus.
Joe Mulford, president of Pine Tech and Community College, described a recent expansion and growing demand for technical and health programs during a county-hosted "Coffee with the County on the Road" interview in Pine City.
Mulford said the college recently completed a $25,000,000 building addition that expanded programming centers for technical and hands-on training. "We recently just completed a $25,000,000 addition, which we had a chance to look at…primarily around our programming centers around our technical programming," Mulford said.
The expansion accompanies steady enrollment gains: Mulford said fall data showed Pine Tech was the fastest-growing college in Minnesota over the last decade, while remaining a rural, small institution. He emphasized that many students come from Aitkin County and surrounding communities and that most graduates stay in the region.
Mulford outlined the college’s largest program areas as health care and manufacturing. "Health care, we would be everything from nursing assistant… Our LPN program, our licensed practical nursing, RN program," he said. On manufacturing, he highlighted welding, machine tooling and an automation program, and called out a unique gunsmithing program that attracts students from across the Midwest and the United States.
The college also promoted transfer pathways and partnerships: Mulford noted Pine Tech’s place in the Minnesota State College system and said many programs now have articulation agreements that let students transfer into four‑year programs (he cited a partnership that allows students to continue toward degrees at Bemidji State University).
Mulford described new student housing created through adaptive reuse of a former nursing home on Cross Lake into dorm-style units two blocks from campus. "It's two blocks from the college…you wake up every day to this amazing view," he said, describing the housing as a draw for students who live regionally and want to cut down commuting.
Throughout the interview, Mulford tied the college’s programs and facilities to local economic development. He said employers — from hospitals to manufacturers — can recruit locally because graduates often remain in the area. The host encouraged listeners to visit Pine Tech and Community College’s website and campus in Pine City for more information.
The program did not record formal actions or votes; the interview served to inform county residents about Pine Tech’s recent capital investment, program offerings, housing options and workforce connections.
