On April 6, Riverland celebrated a combined appreciation banquet and advisory committee meeting in the West Building Commons with more than 160 advisory committee members and other partners of Riverland career-technical programs.

Riverland Community College's Computer Technology program was named a World Organization of Webmasters (WOW) Academy in April. Bill Cullifer, founder and executive director of WOW, announced this honor after a computer technology industry summit with local business leaders focusing on web development and the computer technology profession.

WOW is a non-profit professional association established in 1996, providing community, education and certification for Web professionals worldwide.

Riverland Community College’s MN GreenStar house project is ready for public listing. Each year, Riverland’s carpentry technology and construction electrician students construct a home through a unique learning opportunity. Students build and wire the home under supervision and in cooperation with local sub-contractors. The home is available for sale to the public through a bidding process.

Riverland Community College ends another successful year at this month's college commencement. Given this excitement, you may wonder why I have chosen to address the topic of "financial crisis" in this month's column. The answer is simple: we understand the College's effect on the region we serve and want to be as transparent as possible in our communication as we plan for an uncertain future. The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system's recent news about tuition increases at campuses across the state has also raised awareness in the media.

On May 14, Riverland celebrated another successful academic year with 546 graduates in the Class of 2010. The end of the year also provides the opportunity to celebrate the achievement of our students, employees, and college. In a year that brought record enrollments and financial challenges unparalleled in our history, I want to share a few of our recent accomplishments.

Laura Meyer (Minneapolis), a Riverland Community College sophomore and Blue Devil softball player, received national recognition for athletic play during the 2010 season.

Meyer batted .535 this season for Riverland, collecting 77 hits in 144 at bats and had a 40-game hitting streak this spring. She led the team in batting (.535), hits (77), and runs (48) while her team finished as division champions, Fourth in the Minnesota Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) state tournament and runner-up in the Region 13 championships.

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Chancellor James H. McCormick said today he will recommend Scott R. Olson, provost and vice president for academic and student affairs at Minnesota State University, Mankato, to be the interim vice chancellor for academic and student affairs.

“Scott Olson brings a wealth of administrative and academic experience to this demanding job,” McCormick said. “Given the pressing challenge we have to produce more graduates, I am confident that we will continue to make progress on that front under Dr. Olson’s leadership.”

The National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) recently granted accreditation to Riverland Community College's concurrent enrollment program because the college has demonstrated their commitment to offering high quality concurrent enrollment programming.

The Board of Directors granted accreditation to Riverland's concurrent enrollment programs at its April 2010 meeting.

The Hormel Foundation will fund Riverland Community College's new Cycles for Success scholarship program at $200,000 annually for five years.

Riverland created Cycles for Success to inspire students at Austin and Pacelli High Schools to graduate and earn a college education locally and thus provide employers with a skilled workforce in high-wage, high-demand occupations.

The Board of Trustees for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system today appointed Jessica M. Stumpf as interim president of Anoka-Ramsey Community College in Coon Rapids and Cambridge and Shari L. Olson as interim president of Anoka Technical College.

Stumpf, 57, is vice president of academic affairs at Minnesota State College - Southeast Technical, with campuses in Red Wing and Winona.

Olson, 49, serves as a system director in the Office of the Chancellor, coordinating projects related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and dislocated worker training.

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees today appointed Scott R. Olson to be the interim vice chancellor for academic and student affairs.

Olson, 51, is the provost and vice president for academic and student affairs at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

The Board of Trustees for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system today appointed Beth H. Buse as the executive director of internal auditing.

Buse, 45, has been deputy director of internal auditing for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system since 1998. Previously, she was senior system development auditor for Norwest Audit Services and audit director of the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor.

Riverland Community College is introduces a new certificate in Business for students who are interested in entering the workforce or updating their existing skills. Students interested in the Business Certificate take 22-credits of business classes during two consecutive semesters starting this fall. The curriculum includes 12 required business credits and students select the remaining business credits based on interest or employment needs.

Riverland Community College recently announced Cycles for Success, a new scholarship program that is a milestone in the history of the college and especially significant because of its transformative effect on education locally.

The Hormel Foundation helped make the program possible by funding the new Cycles for Success scholarship program with $1 million over the next five years.

Doherty Staffing Solutions sponsored the Fourth Annual Doherty Scholarship Golf Classic to raise funds for Riverland Community College student scholarships. The event included an 18-hole tournament in a four-person scramble format.  A social hour, dinner with program and prizes followed the tournament.

Amber Engebretson (Bricelyn), John Jorgenson (Austin) and TJ Lynch (Hayfield) became national champions for Crime Scene Investigation. These law enforcement students showed superior skills working as a three-person team to process a crime scene. The judged criteria for competition required the team to legally search for, properly collect and remove evidence from an established crime scene scenario. One member of the team was required to lift a latent fingerprint from a pre-selected item of evidence. After the scene was processed, the team wrote their report, drew a crime scene sketch and marked all evidence.

The Riverland Community College Diesel Technology program on our Albert Lea Campus and our Collision Repair program on our Austin Campus have received certification by National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) and The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE).

Riverland Community College begins its 70^th academic year of classes on August 23. With this milestone comes the knowledge and pride that as a college we have successfully educated thousands of students for transfer and career training. Our recent academic strategies ensure that we will continue that tradition of excellence in teaching and learning.