(uplifting music) (uplifting music continues) (uplifting music continues) - Welcome to "Almanac North."

I'm Maarja Hewitt.

On tonight's show, we are joined by administrators and experts in education in the Northland.

What opportunities and challenges are faced by our education system?

That's later on tonight's episode.

But first, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, or WisDOT, is planning essential maintenance work on the Bong Bridge, which connects Superior and Duluth via Highway 2 over the St. Louis River.

This work is scheduled to occur before the Blatnik Bridge replacement project begins, as the Bong Bridge will serve as a detour during that time.

A public meeting to discuss the proposed improvements is set for Wednesday, August 21st from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at the Superior Public Library, located at 1530 Tower Avenue.

The meeting will start with a brief presentation at 5:00 PM.

The proposed maintenance on the Bong Bridge includes spot painting, concrete repairs, replacing the rubber strip seal membrane on the main bridge span's joints, sealing the bridge deck, and replacing light bases and poles.

Construction is slated for the summer of 2025, during which at least one lane of traffic in each direction will remain open.

However, the US 2 on and off ramps on the Minnesota side of the bridge will be closed at various stages, and the sidewalk along the structure will be inaccessible for an estimated two to three weeks.

Residents are encouraged to attend the meeting to learn more, review project details, and ask questions.

For those unable to attend, materials will be available on the project website, and comments on the project will be accepted until September 21st.

This project is a collaborative effort between Wisconsin and Minnesota, with WisDOT leading the Bong Bridge improvements and the Minnesota Department of Transportation overseeing the Blatnik Bridge replacement.

Motorists are reminded that the use of handheld cell phones in Wisconsin work zones is illegal, and driving should always be the primary focus when on the road.

(soft uplifting music) (soft uplifting music continues) Now to the main topic of this episode, access to quality education in our region.

We hope to share with you some of the unique access points to education in our region, as well as examine some of the difficulties and pitfalls that education system faces.

Our first guests joining us tonight are Dr. Patricia Rogers, president of Lake Superior College, as well as Dr. Linda Kingston, Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs.

Thank you so much for joining us today.

- Thank you so much for having us.

- Thank you.

- Maybe we could start with a little background of your history in academics and your roles currently at Lake Superior College.

- I've been in the Minnesota State system since 1996 as a professor, then as a dean, then finally as a provost.

I was at Winona State before I came to Lake Superior College in 2019, so I was one of those COVID presidents.

- Oh.

- Yes.

(chuckles) - Not an easy job.

- Not an easy job, but it's been a wonderful, wonderful experience here.

I love this school.

- And I started teaching actually in a 7-12 district at Minnewaska Area High School, and I've got 24 years of experience in higher education, specifically in the Minnesota State system.

I started in 2000, and I followed Dr. Rogers to Winona State right before I came here.

Followed her here again.

- Oh, wow.

- And I've been here now for four years, and I'm just loving it.

- Wonderful.

Well, a wide breadth of experience here for sure.

So let's talk about Lake Superior College.

When I look at your programs, it is a very wide spectrum.

- [Patricia] It is.

- So when students come to Lake Superior College, what can they leave knowing how to do?

- Oh, many things.

I'll have Linda give you more details, but we are a comprehensive community and technical college.

So we have all of the liberal arts of course, and sciences.

Then we have business and industry, the trades, and then of course healthcare.

And that's a very big unit for us, in nursing and everything else.

So if you wanna give it a little more detail.

- Yeah, we have just a broad array of programs available to students.

Pretty much anything that somebody would look for, anything from our transfer programs that can take a student from their general education and a specific deep dive into math or science or communications and transfer on to universities.

Then we also have programs in carpentry, construction, electronics, firefighting.

Just a whole breadth of programs in the business and industry area.

And then, as Dr. Rogers said, in our healthcare, we've got nursing and radiologic tech, surgical tech, respiratory, dental, just a whole host of programs, something for everybody.

- So it could be a great stepping stone if you are going on to get a four-year degree, but also a wonderful place to get a degree for the trades and start your career.

- Absolutely.

And we are very much involved with stackable credentials.

So we very much believe in having students come in, gain some insight and some skills, go out into the workforce, and then come back again and continue on with the next level of credential.

- So anything new in terms of programs, initiatives, that we can talk about in the horizon?

- Yeah, well, talking about the stackable credentials, we have two new offerings this year.

One is in our radiological technology area.

We have what's called the limited scope operator.

So they come to us for a year, they go out into industry for a year, and then they can come back and earn their degree.

We did the same thing in our medical laboratory technician area, where you can start as a phlebotomist, then you can go in to be a medical lab assistant, and then up to a medical lab technician.

That also can transfer into a bachelor's and a master's degree in medical lab as well.

So those are two of the new programs that we started with the stackable credentials.

- Oh, wow.

And what is life like on campus for students?

You know, education is obviously a part of it, but there's more to attending a college.

- Definitely.

We have so many clubs that students start, and we also have nationally recognized clay target team, and then we have our men's and women's soccer, so there's athletics there.

We have eSports now is one of our new ones.

So there are many things that students can do while they're on campus, as well as just fun activities that we'll bring up.

We'll have special days.

Our Student Success Day is a wonderful event for the students.

It's a conference-like day where they get experiences going to different breakout sessions.

They learn about the area business and industries, anything.

Financial literacy is another one that may come up in Student Success Day.

- Yeah, in terms of, you know, your location, I understand you used to have a spot downtown, but now you're, is your footprint print growing up on the hill?

- Yes, it is.

- Yes.

- Even as we speak, we are adding on a new wing and remodeling some part of the older building.

So we'll have about 22,000 new square feet of space for our integrated manufacturing.

- [Maarja] Oh, wow.

- Yeah, that will host the welding program, the machine tool program, robotics, prototyping, and CAD, all in that new remodeled and additional space.

- Oh, wow.

That's exciting.

- It is exciting.

- It's very exciting.

- Well, thank you so much for joining us tonight.

We really appreciate it.

- Thank you for having us.

- Thank you so much.

- Next, the "Almanac North" team journey to Grand Rapids to speak with the superintendent of Grand Rapids schools, as well as the principal of the Grand Rapids High School.

Let's see what they had to say.

- Yeah, my name is Matt Grose.

I'm a superintendent of schools for Independent School District 318.

We're a school district in northern Minnesota that covers about 2,000 square miles.

We have schools here in Grand Rapids, as well as a K-12 school up in Big Fork and a preschool up there as well.

So this will be my fifth year here in Grand Rapids.

- My name is Darrin Hofstad.

I'm principal here at the Grand Rapids High School.

This is my 25th year here in Grand Rapids.

I spent 20 of 'em in the classroom teaching math, last five and administrative duties.

- We got some stakeholder input a few years back, and that stakeholder input boiled down to six things that we are working on here.

One of 'em is about providing an equitable education for all kids so that it doesn't matter what your demographic is, that you can expect to have the same achievement levels and opportunities here.

The second part of that has to do with evidence-based approaches.

In other words, are we doing the things that we know work best, and that research say work best, whether that's in the classroom or that's in the lunchroom or on the bus, and are we paying attention to what kids are saying they're interested in?

A third thing is belonging.

And so that's the idea that we want it to feel welcoming.

We want kids and staff to feel connected to our school district, to have relationships that are strong and built on trust and respect.

Another item that we focused on, one of the six, is about partnerships.

The work that we're doing here is too important.

There's too much at stake to do by ourself.

And so we rely on partnerships with our families.

Internally, we have to get along and do work collaboratively, partnerships with our business community and things like that.

And then communication, that's our fifth one, and that's ensuring that we're communicating in a way, transparently, that builds trust and confidence in the school district.

There are a lot of narratives out there, a lot of people that want to tell our story for us.

And so it's really our job to make sure that we're telling our own story so that our parents and our community can trust and build confidence in us.

And then finally, stewardship of resources.

That's the idea that we're taking care of the things that have been trusted with us.

Obviously, people think about money when it comes to that, and certainly that's important and we're doing a good job of that here.

But it also has to do with are we taking care of the facilities that we've been given and that our community's paid for?

And are we taking care of the people that have been entrusted with us?

We take it seriously that parents, you know, of 4,000 children are trusting us every day with the most important thing that they have.

Grand Rapids High School has a long tradition of really being a standout high school.

And I'd say right now some of the things that we have going that are really strong, we have an international baccalaureate program, and that's a program of high rigor that you have to go 150 miles, you have to go to the Twin Cities to find that program.

We're the only school in Northern Minnesota offer it.

And the reason why that's special is that rigorous coursework and those credits, and that program is accepted across the globe.

Colleges and universities across the globe accept those credits in that program.

So it's really unique, and it not only increases the rigor of the program that's offered here, but it also creates a culture that's really important of, you know, academic press is important.

- We have some local clubs that have a very large presence in our high school, FFA, BPA, HOSA, Key Club.

These are all just a couple of the organizations that students through, you know, their teacher advisors, are able to connect to businesses and organizations within our community.

We, you know, we know that students, they have certainly a lot of needs outside of the school, and we try to do our best to help support them while they're here in school.

We have very effective care team, a team that's filled with professionals in and support staff outside of the school as well.

- So we partner with North Homes Children and Family Services, and they're a mental health provider in our community.

And so students that are in need of additional mental health support can get that here, whether that's in a group setting, or as much as therapy.

And we start by, you know, we administer a norm referenced assessment.

That gives kids an opportunity to tell us how they're doing in that social emotional space.

And that that, along with other data, we take into account attendance, we take into account grades, other behavior items that might come up to identify our kids that are at risk.

And then those kids get identified and are offered some additional support, whether that's a check in with a counselor or that therapy that I mentioned.

- We have a growth mindset in this district in terms of being able to push ourselves.

We try to hire the best, primarily because we know what it takes in education nowadays.

It takes a great deal of passion, dedication, to continue to work in what a lot of people consider a challenging field.

The systems and processes that we capitalize on right now are designed to get the most out of our students.

But it definitely takes knowledgeable staff and dedicated staff to be able to do that.

- Our next guest visiting today is Julie Gandt, the Community Education Coordinator at Ordean East Middle School.

Julie, thank you so much for joining us.

- Hello, glad to be here.

- So share with us a little bit about what your day-to-day looks like as a community education coordinator.

- Well, community ed is, I'm interacting with the public for the most part.

So I'm in the building afternoon and evenings, and I take care of registrations.

I'm there in the evening when you come to your class, making sure the instructors have everything they need to teach their classes, making sure you know what room your class is in, and I'm there when you leave.

- So what sort of programs can folks find for community education?

- So, here in my building, I do mostly adult enrichment programs.

So it can be anything, from Tai Chi, to sign language, to chair yoga, to, you know, we've got all kinds of stuff.

- How do you figure out your programming based?

Because those seem like some unique hobbies.

- [Julie] Yes, yes.

- So you have to find instructors.

- We do, and for the most part, I have to say, people find us, which is wonderful.

And sometimes people walk in and I feel like I've won the lottery.

We have a couple right now that he's a theology professor and teaches the most interesting classes, and she teaches quilting.

And they come on the same night.

And she even works in, she takes a chair yoga class at five o'clock, and then teaches her class at six.

- Wow.

- Yeah.

- So it's great for lifelong learners.

- [Julie] Yes.

- And it can be, you know, academic or it can be something- - Yeah, it's mostly- - Like yoga.

- You know, it's enrichment, it's lifelong learning, and we get people that maybe wanna get out of the house.

They're looking for a sense of community.

They want to come in and be around other people.

Or they just wanna learn something.

So it's wonderful.

- So who can go to these programs and attend?

- [Julie] Anyone, anyone.

- So you don't need to live within that part of the district or anything?

- No, I even, I live in Superior, and they let me work there, so.

No, and I get that question a lot.

"Do you have to be a Duluth resident?"

No, you do not.

- And is this part of, like, the school district?

Is there a fee associated with, a different fee for- - Yes.

Each class will have a registration fee.

So some instructors are looking to offer a class, they don't wanna get paid, but we still have to pay for the software that registers everyone.

So most of them will have a minimum $5 registration fee up until, you know, whatever.

But you're not gonna get rich teaching a community education class.

So we do try and keep the prices pretty reasonable, or at least what we think is, you know, reasonable.

So yeah, a lot of times people are making enough just to cover gas when they teach.

- They probably feel some fulfillment.

- [Julie] Oh, absolutely.

- You know, they're not doing it to make an income, but to share something that they are good at and enjoy.

- Exactly, that's exactly it.

- Has there been any classes that you've taken or you've seen that- - I don't get to take classes too much because I'm busy, but I laugh because, you know, one of my dear friends, who was the coordinator before I was, you know, she was happy when she retired.

She said, "I finally get to take classes."

And she has.

So that's kind of our joke is, well, maybe when I retire I can take a class.

But we have a couple of virtual classes coming up that I'm actually planning on taking.

- Oh, nice.

- So, yeah.

- What is the benefit, or why is it important to keep that education going as you get older?

- Well, you know, just to keep your brain working.

But a lot of our classes would be, you know, exercise classes, so keep your body moving.

But I think it, you know, community is important, and it is nice to not just meet new people, but, you know, just interact with other humans.

- Yeah, there's a social aspect to it as well.

- [Julie] Absolutely.

- And that can be just as important as what you're there for.

- Yeah, I mean, we have a sign language class, which is a lot more difficult than people think, but they'll start with the same group in the fall, and then by spring they've gotten to level six, and you know, it's a real cohesive group.

And this last one, they were meeting outside, you know, to practice, and it was wonderful just hearing about it.

- Yeah, see the bond that's born.

So if folks are interested in checking out the classes... - Well, our next brochure will come in the mailbox right after Labor Day.

- [Maarja] Okay.

- So it's at the printer right now, and registration opens on September 9th.

- So there's a deadline coming up.

- Yeah, there is.

- Good to know.

Thank you so much for joining us tonight.

- You are very welcome.

(soft uplifting music) (soft uplifting music continues) - And our final guest for this episode is Ryan Sandefer, the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the interim Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at the College of St. Scholastica.

Ryan, thank you for joining us.

- Well, thank you so much for having me.

I'm really pleased to be here.

- You know, I'm sure many people have heard of the College of St. Scholastica, but maybe you could share a little bit about the general mission of the university and its goals.

- Happy to do so.

The college was founded in 1912 by the Sisters of the Saints Scholastica Monastery.

They came to St. Scholastica from St. Joseph, Minnesota, to create schools and healthcare institutions.

And the college is one of those.

We started in 1912 and have been providing education to the area ever since.

The mission of the college is shaped by the Catholic Benedictine tradition.

We provide responsible living and meaningful work for our graduates.

And so ultimately our mission is to provide education to students to go out and transform the world in whatever way they deem appropriate for them at the time.

So we're really excited about the work that we're doing and looking forward to an upcoming academic year that kicks off right after the late Labor Day.

- Yeah, it's a busy time for you, I'm sure.

And looking at your programs, I mean, you have bachelor's programs and then also master's programs.

What are some of the wide array of programs that you offer at Scholastica?

- Yeah, the college has undergraduate and graduate programs.

We currently educate about 3,000 students every single year.

50% of those students are more traditional aged undergraduate students, residential on campus here in Duluth.

The other 50% are graduate and non-traditional students, either in online or graduate programs in Duluth, in St.

Cloud, at our health science center here in Duluth, or completely online around the world.

So we provide education in many areas.

We have education in healthcare, we have education in business, education in the other health sciences.

About 60% of our student body are in programs that are either pre-professional in the clinical areas or in a clinical educational program.

We educate about 300 undergraduate nurses a year and we graduate 300 undergraduate nurses a year.

We have PA medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, exercise physiology, social work.

And so we have a broad array of academic programs that really are intended to meet the needs of the local industry and the demands of our students.

- Are there any challenges you see higher education facing right now that you'll need to be overcoming in the next few years?

- Yes.

(Maarja laughing) Yes, I would say that that is clearly the case for higher education.

Like many industries, higher education has been greatly impacted by the global pandemic.

And with higher ed, our enrollments suffered across the board.

That's a national trend.

And when you have a smaller class in higher ed at a four-year institution like St. Scholastica, those smaller classes stick with you for four years.

So now we are through that, but there are still some challenges associated with the desires of students to attend college today.

The other challenges are just about trying to understand the value of higher education currently in terms of what it provides now and into the future.

And that's been compounded a little bit recently by quite a disastrous rollout of the federal financial aid package called FAFSA.

And so as our prospective students and their families are trying to understand the cost of attending college today, it means that we have a real challenge of educating them on the actual cost, what kind of financial aid is available to them, what are the true costs after that financial aid, and how to make that affordable for them so they can achieve their dreams.

So those challenges are real, and something that we're working with students on a daily basis to overcome.

- Yeah, that can be a lot to navigate as a upcoming student.

How do you ensure that the programs you're offering align with what students are looking for?

Do you have any programs on the horizon, or any growth initiatives?

- That's a great question.

Well, we do a lot of research.

So we do a lot of market research in terms of demands of the industry.

We have a lot of advisory boards, so we partner annually with industry partners to understand their needs, the needs of their workforce, and how we may play a part in that.

We listen to our students in our families in terms of what they're asking for.

And so we are always looking at the environment and trying to pivot where appropriate and offer programs that meet the needs of our students.

An example of this would be, you know, we have many different nursing programs.

The most recent one that we've launched is the acute care nurse practitioner program.

So the college has a long history of providing nursing education, more significantly in the family nurse practitioner, kind of the outpatient family practice setting.

But the industry has been calling for more nurse practitioners, advanced practice nurses, to be trained and educated on the hospital side, the acute care side.

And so we've partnered with our local healthcare institutions, namely Essentia Health, to develop a program and to be able to launch that.

It's been quite successful, it's one of our fastest-growing nurse practitioner program now, and one that continues to meet the needs of the institution, our local partners, and the patients that they're serving.

So really excited about those initiatives.

- Yeah, you listened, right?

Well, thank you so much, Ryan, for joining us, and good luck with the upcoming school year.

- Well, so glad to be here, and thank you.

- Well, before we go, let's take a look at what you might be up to this weekend.

Already underway and continuing through the weekend is the Itasca County Fair.

2024 is the 131st, and is packed with all sorts of fun, food, rides, and games.

Entry to the fair is free.

Parking is $10 per day or $25 for the entire event.

Midway attractions require tickets, which can be purchased in a variety of quantities.

The fair opens at noon through the weekend.

This Saturday from noon to 3:00 PM, Carlton County Animal Rescue is hosting an adoption event at PetSmart in Duluth.

August 17th is National Black Cat Appreciation Day, and Black Cats, along with a wide variety of dogs and cats, will be available to adopt.

You can begin your adoption paperwork online to begin the adoption process.

And Saturday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the downtown Holiday Inn and Suites is the Duluth Psychic, Paranormal and Wellness Fair.

The event offers a day of readings and community.

There will also be a variety of vendors, including Tarot card readers, mediums, psychics, reiki energy healers, as well as vendors selling crystals, stones, candles, jewelry, incense, and other merchandise.

Tickets are only $5 and are available online.

Well, that's it for this week's show.

Make sure you go out and enjoy your weekend.

For everyone here at "Almanac North," I'm Maarja Hewitt.

Thank you for joining us.

Good night.

(soft uplifting music) (ethereal music)