The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees today appointed Kent Hanson interim president of Riverland Community College.  His appointment is effective Aug. 2.

In recommending Hanson’s appointment, Chancellor Steven Rosenstone said, “Kent Hanson is an experienced, thoughtful and effective leader. His record of success in collaborating with students, faculty, staff and community leaders will serve the college and its campuses in Albert Lea, Austin and Owatonna well. I am confident that Riverland Community College will be in very capable hands.”

The Minnesota Job Skills Partnership (MJSP) recently awarded Riverland Community College a $100,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development for a Post-acute Care Nursing Competency Training project. MJSP works strategically with businesses and educational institutions to train or retrain workers, expand work opportunities, and keep high-quality jobs in Minnesota.

Riverland Community College Theatre Director Lindsey Duoos Williams announced the Theatre Department’s 2012-2013 season today. The season is themed around “reimagining the classics;” each show is a new or lesser-known interpretation of a familiar, classic work.

After nine years at Riverland Community College, my delightful career as its president came to a close on August 1.

I thank all of you who have made my nine years at Riverland so rewarding. Your support of this wonderful college is a powerful example of how all of us working together can help students achieve extraordinary results.

Riverland Community College has been awarded the 2012 Minnesota Outstanding Postsecondary/Adult Agricultural Education Program by the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE). NAAE recognizes the nation’s most successful agricultural education programs by highlighting the local programs and teachers that achieve success. Winners are educators who have developed an outstanding agricultural education program at either the postsecondary or adult education level. Applicants are judged on a variety of criteria, including teaching philosophy, effective classroom and experiential instruction, development of partnerships, and professional growth.

Riverland Community College has hired Matt Bissonette as the new director of training and development. He replaces Doug Parr, who retired earlier this year. A Stewartville native, Bissonette’s experience includes Walt Disney, Jostens, the nonprofit sector, as well as his own consulting practice working with executives and organizations. Bissonette’s education background started with a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Iowa. Later he received his master’s degree in Transformational Leadership from Bethel Seminary and a Post-Secondary Teaching Certificate from Bethel University.

Riverland Community College has selected Mary Davenport as the Interim Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs. Davenport replaces Ron Langrell who left the college in July. Davenport comes to Riverland from Saint Paul College, where she has been serving as the Interim Dean of Health and Service programs. Prior to that she served in the system office of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) as executive director for state and federal government relations.

The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) Associate Degree Board of Commissioners recently awarded Riverland Community College, in Albert Lea, Austin, and Owatonna, Minnesota, initial accreditation for its five business degree programs.

I am excited to be spending the next year as Riverland Community College’s interim president. I see Riverland as a college with unlimited potential while serving three impressive campus communities and the surrounding region. One thing that I noticed immediately upon my arrival is Riverland’s overwhelming dedication to student success. With the academic year just beginning and the nationwide search for Riverland’s new permanent president moving forward, I felt this was an excellent opportunity to introduce myself and my plan for Riverland this year.

Award-winning poet and essayist Gary Holthaus and internationally acclaimed musician Lauren Pelon team up to offer a unique new program called The Story of Music, Stories from Home. Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 7:30 p.m. at Riverland Community College Austin Campus in the Frank W. Bridges Theatre.

Pelon plays a variety of ancient and modern instruments ranging from lute, lyre, and concertina, to recorders, gemshorn, electric wind controller and pedalboard.  Holthaus reads from his poems and essays. Both the music and the readings offer unique perceptions of the natural world, and celebrate our sense of place, community, and home.

The Riverland Community College theatre 2012-2013 season opens Thursday with Eurydice. Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to the underworld, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her lost love. With contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists, and breathtaking visual effects, Eurydice is a fresh look at a timeless love story. The play is suggested for ages 12 and over.

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system plays an essential role in developing workforce through 1) traditional, credit-based programs, and 2) training for transitional, entrepreneurial and incumbent workers. Within MnSCU, the name for the latter unit is Continuing Education/Customized Training (CE/CT). Our College’s name for the unit is Riverland Training and Development.

Riverland Training and Development strengthens business, industry and public safety organizations through consultation, program development and customized training solutions. This rapid-response division works directly with employers and employees to develop and reinforce the existing workforce. Annually, we work with more than 450 companies and organizations across our region and online, serving more than 5,700 workers.

Riverland Community College, in conjunction with College Application Week, will waive the application for all high school seniors that apply to attend Riverland Nov. 12-16.

Riverland Community College Theatre and Music departments present the classic holiday musical, White Christmas. With music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and book by David Ives and Paul Blake, White Christmas is a modern theatrical adaptation of the classic Paramount Pictures film starring Bing Crosby. In this heartwarming musical, World War II veterans Bob Wallace and Phil Davis have a successful song-and-dance act. With romance in mind, the two follow a duo of beautiful singing sisters en route to their Christmas show at a Vermont lodge, which just happens to be owned by Bob and Phil’s former army commander. Based on the beloved film, the dazzling score features classic Irving Berlin standards including “Blue Skies,” “I Love a Piano,” “How Deep Is the Ocean,” and of course, “White Christmas.” This musical is appropriate for all ages.

The 2013 legislative session will be important for higher education including Riverland Community College and the other 30 institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system. This legislative session comes when our region faces a vexing challenge: many employers in industries such as manufacturing, truck driving, and health care, are in dire need for workers with both strong technical and foundational skills. The painful reality is job openings exist, but many of the 174,000 unemployed Minnesotans lack the education needed for the new economy. We also see projections that show 70 percent of the jobs in Minnesota will require a post-secondary credential by 2018. If left unaddressed, this “skills gap” will take a tremendous toll on individuals, families, employers, and the state’s economy.

Unfortunately, we face significant obstacles in meeting this challenge. We ask for your support of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities request.

The first “Put your Metal in the Kettle” event was held at Riverland Community College on Dec. 11 across all three campuses. The Albert Lea campus raised $1,032. The Austin campus donated $1,062.25 (approximately $100 came from community members) and Owatonna donated $165 to the cause.

Each campus raised funds for the Salvation Army Red Kettle fund’s local chapters in Albert Lea, Austin and Owatonna where Riverland campuses are located.

Riverland Community College Austin Veterans Resource Center will host an Information session for veterans Tuesday, February 5 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Luke Johnson from the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs Outreach Division and Luke Weinandt from the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MAC-V) will be available to assist with benefit questions.

Riverland Community College is pleased to announce the students whose academic achievement placed them on the 2012 fall president’s and dean’s lists. Riverland congratulates these individuals for their outstanding academic accomplishments.