Riverland Community College kicks off their 75th Anniversary celebration year with the Bikers of Student Success (BOSS) ride this Saturday morning, July 26. The BOSS Ride is an annual event that brings together motorcycle enthusiasts to raise money for scholarships to support Riverland students who need financial assistance to continue their education/career pathway.

The Be Your Best College Prep Academy will be celebrating their annual graduation on Thursday, July 31 at 4:30 p.m. at Riverland’s Austin Campus’ West Building cafeteria. This year, the Be Your Best academy includes participants from Austin, Albert Lea, Medford, Northfield and Owatonna high schools.

Riverland Community College Theatre Director Lindsey Duoos Williams announced the Theatre Department’s 2014-2015 season today. This season brings a mix of classic dramas, comedies and contemporary musicals to the Riverland stage.

Riverland will host an Open House/Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for its new Fire/Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Training Center Thursday, Sept 25 from 5 to 8 p.m. in Room C104 of the West Building on the Austin campus. The Austin Area Chamber of Commerce ambassadors will perform the ribbon cutting and a short program will begin at 5:30 p.m.

Riverland Community College Music Department is again collaborating with the Minnesota Music Coalition and the Paramount Theatre to offer an afternoon of free performances, workshops, and networking opportunities for musicians interested in "making it" in the music industry Friday, Sept. 26. These events are open to the public.

Riverland Community College Theatre and Music departments will launch their 2014-2015 season on Oct. 8 with Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein, a musical revue that combines many of the greatest hits from beloved classic musicals by the duo. Some Enchanted Evening celebrates their music by presenting their most popular songs in a new context. The songs featured in the show include “If I Loved You,” “I Have Dreamed,” “I Cain’t Say No,” “I Enjoy Being a Girl,” “Hello, Young Lovers,” “Shall We Dance,” “This Nearly Was Mine,” “A Cockeyed Optimist,” and “Younger Than Springtime,” among many more.

The Otto Bremer Foundation awarded the first grants to fund the Finish Line Scholarship Program within the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system Thursday. The program, announced in May, will provide up to $4 million in scholarships over two years to select MnSCU colleges located in or near Bremer Bank communities. Riverland Community College receives $200,000.

Riverland Community College, in conjunction with “College Knowledge Month,” will waive the application fee for all high school seniors that apply to attend Riverland Oct. 27-31. The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system is participating in “College Knowledge Month,” a statewide effort to provide every graduating high school senior with the preparation, opportunity, and support needed to apply to college.

Riverland Community College will host the MnSCU Charting the Future Gallery Walk Oct. 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Atrium at the Albert Lea Campus. Students, faculty, staff and the community are all welcome to attend this open-house style event to learn more about the work of the Charting the Future (CTF) teams and – most importantly – provide feedback about the initial ideas.

History Theatre’s adaptation of Tim O’Brien’s award-winning novel will be presented at Riverland Community College’s Frank W. Bridges Theatre. The Things They Carried by Worthington native Tim O’Brien is considered by many to be the quintessential book about the experience of American soldiers during and after the Vietnam War. Stephen D’Ambrose, directed by Leah Cooper, performs the novel adapted for the stage by Minnesota storyteller Jim Stowell as a one-man show.

Riverland Community College Theatre continues its 2014-15 season with the classic comedy She Stoops To Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith. This boisterous and charming comedy of mistaken identities has delighted audiences for over two centuries with its outright hilarity and nonstop frolic. Two well-bred young men arrive at the country estate of Mr. Hardcastle, intending to court his daughter Kate and her cousin Constance, but when a mischievous relative plays a practical joke on the two urbanites, the Hardcastle household is launched into a dizzying romp that examines romance and social manners as well as the art of love.

Riverland Community College Foundation received a $13,000 AT&T donation today to support its scholarship programs during a check presentation on the Austin campus. The AT&T donation will support 13 scholarships at $1,000 each for Riverland Community College freshmen who are pursuing a STEM-based (science, technology, engineering and math) career pathway.

Riverland Community College will host several information sessions for Austin students who will be graduating in June, summer or fall 2015 and want to learn about the Cycles for Success scholarship process and the basic financial aid process.

Coldspring, one of the largest natural stone quarrier and manufacturers in North America serving the architectural, memorial, residential and industrial markets since 1898 recently collaborated with Riverland Community College to provide scholarship support to Industrial Maintenance and Mechanics (IMMR) students. Facing the growing shortage for skilled labor across Minnesota, Coldspring sought out a partnership with a quality community college program to support students preparing for a career in industrial maintenance and mechanics.

Today, Riverland celebrated a significant milestone, the notification that its 50th course has received Quality Matters® (QM®) certification for online courses. This achievement places Riverland at the forefront of the QM® movement among public institutions of higher education in Minnesota and demonstrates Riverland's commitment to providing a high-quality online educational experience to its students. Currently, Riverland courses represent 20 percent of all of the QM certified courses within the U of M and MnSCU public higher education systems.

Riverland Community College is pleased to announce the students whose academic achievement placed them on the 2014 fall president’s and dean’s lists. Riverland congratulates these individuals for their outstanding academic accomplishments.

Donovan Germain, a Riverland Alum performs at Riverland Sunday for a one night only concert as part of the nationally-known group, the Cat’s Pajamas. Although, the time to promote the appearance was limited, Blankenbaker couldn't pass up on an opportunity to feature one of Riverland’s talented alums. “We are excited to be able to bring The Cat’s Pajamas to Austin. These guys were featured performers on NBC’s The Voice tour this summer and have built a reputation for their high-energy, high-quality performances."

Riverland Community College’s student organization, The Nursing Forum, and Nursing program will host a Health and Wellness Fair on Thursday, Feb. 19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Austin Campus in the East Building Main Street area. The Nursing Forum wanted to provide an opportunity for Riverland students, faculty, staff and community to get information about the promotion of good health and wellness in a fun and interesting way.