The Wave

The Duluth Police Department Tactical Unit will be on campus Thursday, June 25 from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m.  They will tour the entire campus to become familiar with the layout.  Starting at 4:30 p.m., the S building will be blocked off.  Both Student Services and the Business Office will closed at 4:30 p.m. Starting at 5 p.m. exercises will be conducted in the S building for training purposes. The exercises will include a mock school shooting.  About a dozen staff have volunteered to be “victims” during the training scenarios in order to add a dose of reality.

LSC instructor Mary Grace Werner shows Lindsay Anderson from Two Harbors how to prepare for a blood draw.

No latrine duty or craft projects for these campers.

A group of high school students attended an intensive, three-day health careers camp to learn more about future careers. “When students think of medical careers, they typically think of doctors or nursing,” said Brittany Chopp, health education specialist for the Northeast Area Health Education Center and camp coordinator. “We’re here to show them there are dozens and dozens of health care career choices.”

Thirty 8th to 12th grade students from northeast Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan spent three days at various health care facilities and higher learning institutions to learn about health careers and how to prepare for them through the Health Occupations Today (HOT) Camp.

The health education organization partnered with various industry players, including Lake Superior College, SMDC and the University of Minnesota, to provide on-site, hands-on healthcare experiences for the students.

The HOT Camp runs from June 23-25.  The students were at Lake Superior College on Wed., June 24 learning about dental hygiene,  radiology technology,  massage therapy,  and medical lab tech/ phlebotomy,

Six Lake Superior College students took home 13 awards during the National Leadership/Competitive Event Conference of Business Professionals of America (BPA) in Dallas, Texas June 17-21.

Melodie Schultz, Mandy Newell, Tim Klande, Ryan Waterhouse, Jake Pogorelec and Andrea Johnson represented programs in Computer Information Systems, Accounting, Business, and the Administrative Support at LSC. The skill-based contests pitted the students against nearly 3,000 colleagues from similar college program areas from around the nation at the event.

Of the 13 national placement awards won by LSC, first place awards were won by Pogorelec and Klande for the Database and Fundamentals of XTHML categories, respectively. A second place award went to the Web site design team of Pogolerec, Waterhouse and Klande.

All six LSC students earned finalist status for at least one national award.

“The fact that every student came home with some kind of hardware is extremely impressive.” said BPA Advisor and LSC instructor Barb Struck. “They truly are a snapshot of the high level of learning and dedication shown by Lake Superior College students. I’m so proud of each one.”

Photo caption: Top row, L-R: Tim Klande, Ryan Waterhouse, Jake Pogorelec and Barb Struck. Bottom row, L-R: Melodie Schultz, Mandy Newell and Andrea Johnson.

Earth Machine composter

The Western Lake Sanitary Sewer District (WLSSD) and the Regional Stormwater Protection Team will host a sale of rain barrels, composters and kitchen scrap buckets on Saturday, June 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in LSC’s parking lot. The 55-gallon rain barrels will sell for $40;  the “Earth Machine” composters for $50  and kitchen scrap  buckets for $7.  Cash or check only.  To learn more about the products for sale, go to:

www.earthmachine.com and www.systern.com 

As a result of reductions to state support for higher education, ten employees will be laid off at Lake Superior College.  The layoffs represent a three percent cut to the college’s permanent workforce and will take place over the next several weeks, depending on various contract requirements.

In addition to the layoffs, LSC announced several other cost saving measures today at a series of meetings with employees. These measures include elimination of vacant positions, a voluntary salary savings program and instructional efficiencies.  Altogether the announced measures total $1.4 million. Prior to making the staffing changes, Lake Superior College cut their non-personnel budget by $950,000.

The budget reduction plan was developed in response to cuts to the state allocation and the anticipated gubernatorial unallotment. The reductions announced today affect all operational units and employee groups within the college.  The plan was developed over a five-month period, as various revenue and expenditure information became available.

The actions announced today are “Phase Four” of a five-phase process. College officials say additional adjustments to the budget may be required once impact of the governor’s unallotments, federal stimulus dollars, and legislative actions are fully assessed.

The college anticipates similar financial challenges for fiscal year 2010-11 and the subsequent biennium. LSC’s budget planning includes provisions to position the college to balance its budget into the next biennium.

A new workshop at LSC will show you how a squiggly little creature can recycle your leftover food scraps and turn them into rich fertilizer for your vegetable garden and houseplants.

As an offshoot of their Green 101 Lecture Series, Lake Superior College will host a Green 101 Worm Composting Workshop on Saturday, May 30 at 10 a.m. in room E2018.

Presenter and LSC biology instructor Theresa Hornstein will work with participants to construct a worm bin for indoor composting at home. She’ll also discuss specifics on worm composting (also known as “vermicomposting”), composting indoors and worm care.

For the past 12 years, Hornstein has worked with the Lake Superior College vermicomposting greenhouse, which is a hub for recycling kitchen scraps and coffee grounds.

There is a $15 fee for the event, which covers the cost of the bin, screening and starter kit.

Lake Superior College’s Center for Advanced Aviation will host an open house for its professional pilot program Saturday, May 30 from 1 to 5 p.m.  The event will take place at LSC’s Flight School located near the Duluth International Airport.  Tours, refreshments and demonstrations will be offered.

LSC’s professional pilot program offers both fixed-wing and helicopter flight training.  For more information and directions, call (218) 733-7700.

The Cirrus SR20 is one of several aircraft in the LSC fleet.

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities’ Board of Trustees recently presented Excellence in Teaching awards, the system’s highest academic honor, to four faculty members, including Lake Superior College art instructor Dorian Beaulieu.

Dorian Beaulieu

The honorees were selected from the group of outstanding educators nominated by their college presidents. “The Board of Trustees’ Excellence in Teaching Awards are a clear demonstration of the board’s strategic direction to promote and measure high-quality learning programs and services,” said Dan McElroy, who chairs the board’s Academic and Student Affairs Committee.  “In honoring the best of the best within our system, we also can take great satisfaction in presenting to those outside our system the excellent faculty who are truly great teachers.”

A panel of judges that included faculty members, presidents, administrators and students reviewed the nominees and recommended the four honorees to the trustees.  In addition to Beaulieu, Chris Austin, economics instructor at Normandale Community College; Ernie Parker, fluid power engineering technology instructor at Hennepin Technical College; and Deborah Roiger, biology instructor at St. Cloud Technical College also received the award.

The awards panel cited Beaulieu for his emphasis on developing and helping students rediscover their creative talents and self-confidence. His use of problem-solving and small-group work informs his approach to artistic creativity. His respect for individual perception and the value of a creative attitude are integral to his classes. Student art exhibits also are a key component of his teaching methodology.

Chancellor James H. McCormick said, “The faculty members who are honored today are living examples of how the core of program and college excellence is teaching and learning.  These teachers are the ones who bring knowledge, experience and a passion for learning to our students. I am very proud that we are recognizing teaching as the cornerstone of our colleges and universities.  For me, there is no higher calling.”

The four honorees were selected from among 29 Board of Trustees Outstanding Educators. Cynthia Annable, an instructor in Lake Superior College’s Respiratory Care Practitioner program, was among the Outstanding Educators nominated for the award and recognized as an Outstanding Educator by the Board of Trustees.

This is the third year that the board has presented its Excellence in Teaching Awards. Each of the four honorees receives $5,000 and a medallion hand-crafted in the jewelry design and manufacture program at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. A short video about the program featuring the four award winners is available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYqZQeexXSE.

Additional information about this year’s award winners and nominees is available at www.mnscu.edu/media/newsreleases/current/article.php5?id=95.

Northern Bridge Logo

Lake Superior College and Mesabi Range Community and Technical College will receive an “Innovation in Student Affairs Programming” award from the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system for the Northern Bridge program.

The colleges collaborated to create the Northern Bridge program, a network of disability service coordinators and education and employment planning professionals in northeastern Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Northern Bridge promotes professional growth through networking and best practice discussions, and connects service providers in the area. The collaboration helps to remove barriers for students with disabilities and overcome obstacles in their transition to higher education.

Georgia Robillard, LSC’s Disability Coordinator, was a key contributor to the project.

The award is one of several “Outstanding Achievement in Academic and Student Affairs” honors that are conferred annually.  Selected by a panel of academic and student affairs administrators from various campuses, recipients will be  given awards in four categories for work in the 2008-2009 academic year.  The awards are being presented on May 28 on the Eden Prairie campus of Hennepin Technical College. This is the ninth year the awards have been presented.

“These awards reflect the creative and innovative leadership of faculty and staff at our colleges and universities to better serve students,” said the system’s Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs Linda Baer.  “I am heartened, that during difficult times, our college and university communities remain grounded in their commitment to serve students first through quality programs and services.”

A complete list of the awards recipients is available at http://www.mnscu.edu/media/newsreleases/current/article.php5?id=93.

Respiratory care program graduates pose for group photo.

The DECC auditorium was packed with proud family, friends, faculty and staff on Monday, May 18 to witness the graduation of Lake Superior College’s class of 2009. Colonel Penny J. Dieryck, the Mission Support Group Commander, 148^th Fighter Wing, Minnesota National Guard, was the keynote speaker.

In her welcoming remarks, Dr. Kathleen Nelson, president of LSC, noted the diversity of the graduates: “Today we are awarding approximately 1,150 degrees, diplomas and certificates to approximately 1,105 students.   148 of these graduates are graduating with honors, and another 170 with high honors.  While only about half of our graduates could join us today, we pay honor to all of them.  What wonderful accomplishments we celebrate!  Our graduates this afternoon are diverse and truly reflective of the community we serve.   Let me create a sketch of our graduating class for you.  35% of our graduates are men and  65% are women.  39%  are under the age of 25 and 7% are 40 or older.  25% of our graduating students are married, and all of our graduating parents have between them more than 681 children.  We even celebrate, this afternoon, the graduation of 75  grandparents who are hearing the cheers of more than 62 grandchildren!  Think about all of those potential LSC students! Our graduates are dedicated not only to their studies but to their families and to their non-academic work as well.  67% of our graduates have worked part-time during their academic careers, and nearly 21% of our graduates have worked full-time jobs during their educations.  While they are not studying, nearly all of our graduates volunteer regularly, including time spent volunteering in spiritual activities, sports’ leagues, children’s activities, and community committees or sharing time with and caring for aging parents.

Upon graduation this afternoon, 214 of our graduates will return to LSC to work on another academic award, while another 279 will transfer to another higher education institution. Our working community will welcome more than 600 of our graduates following this afternoon’s ceremony.  This afternoon’s graduation ceremony is truly a family affair, as many of our graduates are related to one another.  We have husbands and wives graduating this afternoon, parents and their children, brothers and sisters, cousins and nieces and nephews.  We truly are an LSC family!  What a wonderfully diverse graduating class we celebrate this afternoon!  Congratulations, graduates!”

(Pictured above:  Top row, left to right: Cassandra Schilling, Mary Cusack, Elena Hanzel, Maryanne Bendas, Alena Pekkirinen. Deanna  Lempi, Brianna Streu, Anita Ramirez,

Leah Isaacson, Sammie Sheets, Sahra Ali, Lisa Goerdt,  Sandra Stenzinger, Sheila Smith)