Lake Superior College News Releases

Originally published in the Outlook Edition of the Duluth News Tribune on 3/23/08. Written by Janet Blixt.

An innovative job shadowing program is helping students in Lake Superior College’s electronic industrial controls program understand how their technical education translates into well-paying and challenging jobs. As part of LSC’s curriculum, industrial control students now spend entire days with industrial control professionals at the Sappi paper mill in Cloquet, the NewPage paper mill (formerly known as Stora Enso) in Duluth, the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (WLSSD), Minnesota Power, Mielke Electric, and the USG fiberboard plant in Cloquet. Each student visits every industrial site for a day through a fall and spring semester-long rotating schedule.

The industrial job shadowing program first developed several years ago when NewPage approached LSC with the idea. “Our industrial controls and internship advisory committees and our workforce development department both recognized the need to cultivate workers for area industry. They expanded this onsite job shadowing program for our electronic industrial controls students,” said electronics instructor and faculty member Mike O’Mara. “Students are able to spend time with professionals. They get a sense of what a specific job would entail at a pulp and paper mill, a wastewater treatment plant, a power plant, or with a company that installs and services industrial controls.”

Industry anticipates a sixty percent turnover in these jobs in the next ten years due to retirements. The companies in these areas offer competitive wages and benefits.

“The job market for industrial controls is full of opportunity,” said Steve Wagner, LSC’s vice president of workforce and community development. “The demand for educated and skilled electronic workers is healthy here in the Northland.”

Brooks Thompson is an electronics industrial controls student at LSC and also a full-time maintenance employee in the Georgia Pacific Superwood plant in Duluth. He is enrolled in LSC’s program with financial support from his employer to upgrade his electrician skills.

Thompson was onsite at the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (WLSSD) plant in Lincoln Park, Duluth last October where he spent the day job shadowing master electrician Larry Wolter. WLSSD provides solid waste management and wastewater services for an approximately 500 square-mile region that includes the cities of Duluth, Cloquet, Hermantown, Proctor, Carlton, Scanlon, Thomson and Wrenshall, and the surrounding townships. For WLSSD, the job shadow program is beneficial because it allows students to see their operations and provides an opportunity for WLSSD staff to interact with potential future employees – employees who could likely fill future openings. Because wastewater treatment processes have become highly automated, electricians need expanded skills and experience with computerized operations.

“The trend toward increased automation will continue,” said WLSSD assistant director Marianne Bohren. “This trend not only elevates the level of skills needed to keep our systems running, but it also increases the demand for trained technicians throughout the region. We have a very skilled team in place, but most will be retiring in the near future. Our operation depends on our ability to find qualified replacements.”

Wolter’s job as master electrician for WLSSD involves designing and maintaining operating systems and approving some of the work completed by other electricians and instrument technicians. For the job shadow day, Thompson spent eight hours with Wolter at the wastewater treatment plant. “I watched him install conduit for one of the main compressors in the system,” said Thompson. “We talked quite a bit about why he was running things a certain way. I assisted him with minor tasks like getting tools and holding the flashlight.” Thompson appreciates the job shadow program as a value-added part of his college course. “It’s a great idea to expose you to what you’re getting into by working with the guys in a real job setting.”

Jacob Karas is another LSC electronic industrial controls student who has experienced several job shadow site visits, including the Sappi and NewPage paper mills. “It was an eye opener for me at the mills. I was surprised at how intense it can be at times with a paper roll coming through and then other times, pretty laid back, depending on what’s going on out on the floor.”

Photo caption: Brooks Thompson and Jacob Karas are among the LSC students participating in a new job shadowing program.

New Study Estimates that Duluth’s Community/Technical College Generates More than $98 Million to Local Economy

(Duluth, Minn.) — According to a newly released study, Lake Superior College (LSC) adds an estimated $98,333,357 per year in activity to the local economy and generates 1,294 jobs in the region.

“This research confirms what we’ve known for a long time,” said LSC President Kathleen Nelson. “Higher education is an engine for economic development and Lake Superior College adds greatly to our area’s economic well-being.”

Wilder Research of St. Paul, Minnesota conducted the study, using financial data from the 2005-6 fiscal year, and the results of a student survey conducted in May of 2007. The study included estimates of direct spending by LSC and local spending by LSC students to generate its estimate of economic impact.

The study also reported on the number of LSC students in the region’s workforce. Based on survey results, the researchers report that 78.4 percent of full-time students and 93.9 percent of part-time students hold jobs in the community, with full-time students working an average of 28 hours per week and part-time students working an average of 37 hours per week.

“Perhaps LSC’s greatest impact of all is not captured by the study,” Nelson explained. “As they graduate, our students bring knowledge, enhanced skills, and dedication to the workplace. The result is improved on-the-job productivity and profitability for local employers. More than 70 percent of the LSC students in the survey reported that they planned to remain in the immediate Duluth/Superior area after graduation.”

The report is available online at www.lsc.edu/publicinfo/publications/. For more information, contact Gary Kruchowski, director of public information and government affairs, g.kruchowski@lsc.edu, (218) 733-7600.

LSC is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. With more than 4,100 students enrolled this fall semester, LSC is Northeastern Minnesota’s largest two-year college. LSC provides a wide range of programs and services, including liberal arts and science courses for transfer, technical programs intended to provide occupational skills, continuing education, and customized training for business and industry. LSC is also the leader in Internet-delivered courses and programs in Minnesota.

(Duluth, Minn.) — The first annual Lake Superior College “Thrill on the Hill” Scholarship Fund Run for runners and walkers will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 5. Prepare to be challenged by this fun-filled event and its never-ending supply of hills. It is guaranteed to take your breath away!

The “Thrill on the Hill” walk/run traverses a beautiful course through the neighborhoods surrounding Lake Superior College and showcases vistas of the Duluth Harbor and St. Louis Bay. The race course will include parts of the LSC campus, Trinity and Hutchinson Roads, and the Piedmont Ski Trails.

The event includes a 5K run/walk and a 10K course which features a hybrid half road/half trail run. A Husky Dash Kid’s Race is free for kids ages ten and under and starts at 11:30 a.m.

The registration fee is $25. All race proceeds will benefit the Lake Superior College Foundation’s general scholarship fund. Participants are welcome to register online at www.lsc.edu/thrillonthehill. Chip timing will be used. All entrants will receive a “Thrill on the Hill” T-shirt and be eligible for door prizes. The “Thrill on the Hill” also has an official blog site at blog.lsc.edu/fundrun Packet pick-up and race expo is Friday, May 4, 5-7 p.m. in the Lake Superior College main concourse.

LSC is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. With more than 4,800 students enrolled this spring semester, LSC is northeastern Minnesota’s largest two-year college. LSC provides a wide range of programs and services, including liberal arts and science courses for transfer, technical programs intended to provide occupational skills, continuing education, and customized training for business and industry. LSC is also the leader in Internet-delivered courses and programs in Minnesota.

Originally published in the “Outlook” edition (March 18, 2007) of the “Duluth News Tribune.”

Highlighting the vital role of the community in the community college, 250 dedicated volunteers attended a special appreciation event held recently at Lake Superior College. The guests were members of the college’s advisory committees, groups organized to provide input to LSC’s programs and administration. The annual event is an opportunity for the college to thank the committee members for sharing their expertise and time helping to connect the college to the Duluth/Superior community.

“The advisory committee system is a key to keeping our programs current and relevant,” Dr. Kathleen Nelson, LSC’s president, explained. “They are a vital connection to the community and are central to our decision-making process.”

College officials say that community input is needed if the college is to contribute to the economic development of the region. That’s one reason that Dan McElroy, Minnesota’s Commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development, was the keynote speaker at the appreciation dinner. Commissioner McElroy, who also serves as a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities’ Board of Trustees, highlighted the role of education in workforce and economic development.

According to LSC’s Vice President of Academic Affairs, Candace Barnack, input from advisory groups has resulted in major changes in curriculum and development of new programs.

“We have to credit our aviation advisory group with creating the vision for our proposed Center for Advanced Aviation,” Barnack reports. “They helped us identify the training needs for the region’s growing aviation sector and have contributed a lot of energy to the difficult process of advocating for and creating a new training center.”

The college plans to develop a training facility at the Duluth International Airport in response to the growth of aviation manufacturing in the region. LSC currently offers pilot training at the airport and plans to expand offerings, adding an airframe and powerplant technician program in fall 2008, and avionics and aviation manufacturing in 2009. The college has also redesigned its drafting and machining curriculum, renaming it integrated manufacturing, to address the needs of the aviation industry and other precision manufacturers.

Lake Superior College’s Customized Training Office also plays a role in identifying community needs. The unit provides education and training options directly to business and industry.

According to Steve Wagner, dean of community and workforce development, customized training projects respond to emerging training needs in the local economy.

As an example, Wagner says, an industry group, led by Stora Enso, Sappi Fine Paper, Minnesota Power, USG and the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District, has identified the need to train electrical technicians.

“They’re saying that there will be more than 200 job vacancies for electrical technicians over the next couple of years, so we are adapting to meet that need,” Wagner explained. The college has added evening sections of core courses in electronics and will be changing curriculum and expanding internships and job shadowing in its electrical programs as a result of the industry input.

For LSC’s nursing and allied health programs, interaction with regional health care providers is critical. Regional health care providers are active participants in the educational process, providing clinical sites and staff to supervise students participating in clinical rotations.

The health care system is also facing workforce issues, including projected shortages of nurses and other health care professionals as baby boomers in the workforce retire and require higher levels of health care. The college has already increased the number of associate degree nurses (R.N.) it graduates by more than 50 percent over the past three years.

With the participation of active and dedicated new advisory committees, LSC is developing two new programs, sonography and hemodialysis patient care technician, for the 2007-2008 academic year. Curriculum development and instructor recruitment for the new programs is underway and the college will soon accept students for next year, pending final approval of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.

LSC’s Customized Training Office has also worked closely with the health care industry. The college recently received a $397,000 Minnesota Job Skills Partnership grant funding a customized training project for St. Mary’s Duluth Clinic (SMDC) employees. The project will provide training in “Lean Health,” a system of continuous improvement designed to increase employee satisfaction, improve the quality of work within the organization, and eliminate waste in the medical process, resulting in more efficient and cost-effective health care for residents in Northeast Minnesota.

“Across the board, all of our programs benefit when they interact with the community. The college has made major changes to dozens of programs because our faculty is serious about listening and responding to the industry experts that serve on advisory committees,” Barnack stated. She cites major changes to business administration, integrated manufacturing, and media studies and production as examples of program areas that have been completely redesigned to address industry needs and student success.

“Without the help and generosity of area employers and individual volunteers we wouldn’t be able to adapt to our community’s changing educational needs,” President Nelson stated. “Our graduates will be better prepared to succeed, thanks to them.”

(Duluth, Minn.) — Thinking about returning to or starting college for the first time? The Lake Superior College Diversity Committee, the Minnesota Women’s Foundation and the American Association of University Women (AAUW) will host a one-day conference at Lake Superior College on Saturday, March 17, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to offer support and information for women who want to return to college or have never been to college.

Organized to recognize Women in History Month, the conference is designed for the person thinking about going to college for the first time or as a re-entry adult. “Many of our presenters have experienced difficulties in their lives going to college and completing their degrees,” said Nancy Schumacher, LSC conference contact. “Their stories and advice will be inspiring for other women.” Session topics include financing college, navigating paperwork, learning styles and life goals.

The conference will offer resources from area two- and four-year colleges and community organizations, including Lake Superior College, the College of St. Scholastica, the University of Minnesota Duluth, the University of Wisconsin-Superior, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, and the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, to help women learn more about the undergraduate and graduate degree options. Information on traditional classes, online classes, evening and weekend classes, late start options and accelerated programs will be available.

Karen Diver is the featured keynote speaker. Diver is the newly elected chairwoman of the Fond du Lac Reservation. This position serves as the chair of the tribal government and of the reservation’s corporate and economic development boards. The Fond du Lac Reservation is the largest employer in Carlton County with 1600 employees and more than $300 million in assets.

Previously, she served for three years as the Director of Special Projects for the Fond du Lac Reservation and for eleven years as the Executive Director of the YWCA of Duluth. She is the immediate past chair of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota and a member of the Blandin Foundation Board of Trustees. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Minnesota, Duluth and a master’s degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

The conference costs $10, including lunch. Scholarships are available.For more information, contact Nancy Schumacher, (218) 733-5985 or email her at n.schumacher@lsc.edu

Registration form

Brochure

Lake Superior College is seeking comments from the public about the College in preparation for its periodic evaluation by its regional accrediting agency. As part of its participation in the Academic Quality Improvement Project (AQIP), the College will undergo an on-site, Quality Check-Up visit May 2-4, 2007, by a team representing the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The team will review the institution’s ongoing ability to meet the Commission’s Criteria for Accreditation.

The public is invited to submit comments regarding the college by paper mail addressed to:

Public Comment on Lake Superior College
Commissions on Institutions of Higher Education
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400
Chicago, IL 60602

The public can also submit comments regarding the college electronically to:

www.ncahlc.org/wrapped/thirdparty.php

Comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of the institution or its academic programs. Comments must be signed; comments cannot be treated as confidential.

All comments must be received by April 6, 2007.

LSC is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. With more than 4,800 students enrolled this spring semester, LSC is northeastern Minnesota’s largest two-year college. LSC provides a wide range of programs and services, including liberal arts and science courses for transfer, technical programs intended to provide occupational skills, continuing education, and customized training for business and industry. LSC is also the leader in Internet-delivered courses and programs in Minnesota.

(Duluth, Minn.) — Concerned about the growing number of children who are unable to access needed dental care, Lake Superior Community Dental Clinic and area dentists will provide free dental care to less fortunate children on Friday, Feb. 2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. With the help of professional and student dental hygienists, LSC’s clinic will provide dental cleaning, fluoride, x-rays and restorative dental care as needed.

This program is part of a larger campaign being organized nationwide by the American Dental Association. “Dentists, hygienists, and assistants are coming together to offer this day of free care to make a healthy difference in the lives of children, while raising awareness of the growing number of families who don’t have access to dental care,” said Cindy Upton,  dental clinic coordinator. “We know we can’t treat all of the patients needing care in a single day, but we want to raise awareness of the problem and help as much as we can.”

For more information or an appointment, contact clinic coordinator Cindy Upton at (218) 733-5939 or c.upton@lsc.edu

LSC is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. With more than 2,800 students enrolled this spring semester, LSC is Northeastern Minnesota’s largest two-year college. LSC provides a wide range of programs and services, including liberal arts and science courses for transfer, technical programs intended to provide occupational skills, continuing education, and customized training for business and industry. LSC is also the leader in Internet-delivered courses and programs in Minnesota.