Today at 1:00 p.m., members of Minnesota State will present to the Senate Committee on Higher Education Finance and Policy.

This meeting will not be live streamed by the Senate, but Metro area viewers can tune in to tptMN - click HERE for a complete channel listing. Viewers from Greater Minnesota can find your local channel listings at the bottom of THIS PAGE (scroll down to "channel guide").

Chaired by Sen. Michelle Fischbach (R-Paynesville), the 9-member committee will hear about Minnesota State colleges and universities, the students that we serve, our role in sustaining a vibrant economic workforce, and our commitment to the communities that we serve.

The speakers for today's presentation include:

• Board Chair Michael Vekich
• Trustee Basil Ajuo
• Chancellor Steven Rosenstone
• President Merrill Irving, Hennepin Technical College
  
• Brad Thorpe, faculty, Hennepin Technical College
• Jordan Folstad, student in Automation Robotics program, Hennepin Technical College
• Myron Moser, CEO, Hartfiel Automation, and President of the HTC Foundation
• Vice Chancellor Laura King

Thank you to the many trustees, presidents, students, faculty, and staff who will be in attendance or listening from campuses across the state.

Yesterday, Minnesota State provided an overview to the House Higher Education and Career Readiness Policy and Finance Committee. Testifiers were joined by trustees, college and university presidents, and representatives from students, faculty, and staff. Minnesota State is the largest provider of post-secondary education in the state, with 396,000 students at its 37 colleges and universities across 54 campuses. A recording of the presentation can be found at: https://youtu.be/MjYrmCQocds.  

“The work our colleges and universities do truly matters to many people,” said Board Chair Michael Vekich. “Minnesota cannot afford to leave anybody behind.” Minnesota State provides access to 84,000 low-income students and 63,400 students of color.

Trustee Basil Ajuo shared with members his remarkable journey from Africa to Minnesota and to the Board of Trustees. Ajuo is a first-generation immigrant student, born and raised in the Central African country of Cameroon. A graduate of North Hennepin Community College, he shared with members that, “through all of these challenges, North Hennepin Community College helped me to never lose hope. Faculty and staff provided me with the tools, resources, and encouragement I needed to succeed as a student. They helped me find my way in a new culture. They helped me overcome every adversity that could have kept me from crossing the finish line and earning my degree.”

The committee then heard from representatives of Hennepin Technical College. President Merrill Irving stated, “We’re very proud of the programs that we have. We commit ourselves every day to keep these pipelines-to-prosperity open.”

President Irving was joined by Brad Thorpe, Automation Robotics faculty member, who shared with members that “one of my main goals is to provide a high-level of educational experience for my students. We do that through state of the art equipment and lots of hands-on-activities. Many of these experiences would not be available without the donations of our industry partners.”

Jordan Folstad, a soon to be graduate of the Automation Robotics program. “I could see the end after the first semester, I could see where my life was going. I could see a real job at the end of it.” Students from this program have a 100% placement rate and a starting salary of $55,000/year.

Craig Kiffmeyer, a 1988 graduate from the Fluid Power program, joined Hartfiel Automation (headquartered in Eden Prairie) in 1992. “As Jordan shared, I know his future is bright because I know the automation is thriving and there is a huge need in the market to help companies and districbutors to help find innovations.”

Myron Moser, Chairman and CEO of Hartfiel Automation shared with members that of their 200+ employees, 61 are graduates of Minnesota State colleges and universities of which 43 are graduates from technical colleges. Moser also shared the importance of his role as President of the HTC Foundation Board. Since their inception in 1999, the Foundation has raised over $10 million that directly help students. He asked the committee to “invest more in Hennepin Tech, more in colleges, and in doing so you’re helping hard working students build their dream and you’re strengthening your local and state economies.”

Chancellor Rosenstone shared that of the 260,000 students in degree-seeking programs, our colleges and universities serve:

• 63,400 students of color and American Indian students,
• 48,500 1st-generation college students,
• 84,000 low-income students, and
• 10,000 veterans or service members.

“In each of these categories, our colleges and universities serve more students than all of Minnesota’s other higher education options combined. We are a place of hope and opportunity. With open enrollment, anyone with a high school diploma or a GED has an opportunity to create a better future for themselves, for their families, and for their communities,” stated Rosenstone. He went on to share, “every year, 40,000 students graduate from our colleges and universities. 40,000 graduates ready to meet the specific workforce needs of our state and graduates who stay in Minnesota.”   Vice Chancellor King provided a detailed financial overview. Members also received a data book that shared additional information regarding students, academic programs, human resources, finance, and facilities.   Representative Haley (R-Red Wing) said, “I agree with your comments that we need you. The state needs you, my communities need you. The workforce gap coming in the future is our tsunami coming our way. We need your success.”   The information that was shared with members will be available by the end of the week on the Minnesota State legislative page: www.minnstate.edu/legislative.      

Other legislative news

House and Senate negotiators reached a deal with Gov. Dayton’s administration Wednesday on the health insurance premium relief bill (HF1/ SF1*). The bill uses $327 million from the budget reserve to give a 25 percent insurance premium rebate to anyone who purchases coverage on the individual market for 2017. Insurance companies will handle the rebates as part of premium invoices. The bill sets an April deadline for the discounts. The Legislature is expected to pass the plan today. 

Also, on Tuesday, the University of Minnesota delivered its overview presentation to the House Higher Education and Career Readiness Policy and Finance Committee. U of M officials have announced plans to seek a nearly $150 million base budget increase this biennium.