President's Future Vision

Recently, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Chancellor James H. McCormick described the achievements and challenges that face the system at its ten-year anniversary. His comments apply to Riverland and serve as an affirmation of recent steps we have taken to ensure that we remain a viable, relevant resource to the communities we serve.

"In the decade since the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities formed, the system has become a powerhouse of higher education in the state and a national leader," McCormick said. "Our colleges and universities have evolved into sophisticated education enterprises, working to continually increase quality and efficiency and to enhance the experience of the students we serve."

The system, created in 1995, merged three autonomous systems for technical colleges, community colleges and state universities. Riverland Community College, which now serves southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa with facilities in Albert Lea, Austin and Owatonna, is a member of that system.

Riverland Community College, as we know it today, merged Albert Lea's South Central Technical College, Austin Community College, Austin's Riverland Technical College and its Owatonna training center.

Now, ten years later, our greatest strength is that Riverland is a comprehensive community college. Instead of acting as simply a technical college or community college, we are both. This distinction allows us to provide more services to the communities we serve.

Riverland offers more than 50 technical certificate, diploma, and degree options in the Associate of Arts, Sciences, Applied Science, and Fine Arts degrees. Our Minnesota Transfer Curriculum courses transfer credits to other Minnesota colleges and universities. Further, in southeastern Minnesota, Riverland has developed a variety of services in farm and small business management, as well as customized training for companies and businesses.

Building on Riverland's strong reputation within our system, we re-examined the mission of the college to meet the needs of a contemporary world. We strive to align ourselves with the communities we serve and the higher education needs of Minnesota. We will remain a sophisticated powerhouse of technical and transfer education. Our recent efforts have allowed us to create a mission and vision that will empower us to chart a preferred future.

Recently, the board of trustees for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities approved our mission and vision statements.

Our new mission and vision will help us stay focused on providing access to higher education and premium quality career and liberal arts programs. These statements will become the cornerstone of action for our faculty, our staff and our students.

For a closer look at our value statements and how they guide our decision making and vision for Riverland's preferred future, please use the following link.

Riverland Vision Statements: A Closer Look