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Minnesota West tells Granite Falls council campus is growing; college highlights workforce programs and scholarships
Summary
Minnesota West briefed the council on rising enrollment, expansion of career-technical programs at the Granite Falls campus and financial aid aimed to retain students in southwest Minnesota.
Terry Gwick of Minnesota West gave Granite Falls officials an update on the college's regional operations and local campus activity, saying the system's enrollment rose about 9.9% last year and the Granite Falls campus is serving roughly 249 students this fall, including about 100 high-school students.
Gwick described rapid growth in career-technical education across the college's campuses and said the farm business management program now includes 16 full-time faculty who will serve nearly 700 producers this year. "Career technical education is on fire," he told the council, and the college has reinvested in programs and equipment to expand training in areas such as power-line work and welding.
On local capacity, Gwick said Granite Falls has the equivalent of about 140 full-time-equivalent students this term and noted that the system has about 130 online students overall. He described efforts to bolster retention in the region by expanding high-school college-course partnerships: research cited during the talk indicated that students who take college-level courses in high school are more likely to remain in the region after graduation.
Gwick also outlined financial aid and workforce scholarship efforts aimed at making two-year education affordable: he cited workforce-development scholarships that can reduce tuition by $2,500 and an additional $2,000 credit for students who take college courses in high school, and he referenced the Northstar promise for families earning under $80,000.
Council members asked about capital needs at the Gran ite Falls campus. Gwick said the college has invested in upgrades such as HVAC, power and sewer work but has not been successful in securing a $15 million capital campaign for a full remodel; he asked the council for help spreading awareness of campus programs and partnerships with local schools on technical training. He also introduced a new lineman instructor, Aaron, who transferred from another community college.
The presentation concluded with an offer to provide further information and campus tours for council members and local organizations.
