Willmar is a city in, and the county seat of, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 21,015 at the 2020 census.
Hutchinson is the largest city in McLeod County, Minnesota, United States. It lies along the South Fork of the Crow River. The population was 14,599 at the 2020 census.
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system or Minnesota State, previously branded as MnSCU, comprises 26 state colleges and 7 state universities with 54 campuses throughout Minnesota. The system is the largest higher education system in Minnesota and the third largest in the United States, educating more than 300,000 students annually. It is governed by a 15-member board of trustees appointed by the governor, which has broad authority to run the system. The Minnesota State system office is located in the Wells Fargo Place building in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Minnesota State University, Mankato is a public university in Mankato, Minnesota, United States. It is Minnesota's second-largest university and has over 145,000 living alumni worldwide. Founded in 1868, it is the second-oldest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system and is commonly referred to as the flagship institution. It was established as the Second State Normal School in 1858 and officially opened as Mankato Normal School a decade later. Minnesota State University, Mankato is a significant contributor to the local and state economies, adding $827 million annually.
Saint Paul College is a open access public community college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. The college enrolls about 11,000 students in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area, and it also employs 126 full-time faculty, 116 part-time faculty, 233 staff members, and 18 administrative members.
The University of Minnesota Rochester (UMR) is a public college in Rochester, Minnesota. It is part of the University of Minnesota system and focuses primarily on general health sciences. It was formally established by an act of the state legislature in December 2006. UMR currently offers two bachelor's degrees in the health sciences, Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and Bachelor of Science in Health Professions.
Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) is a public community college in Rochester, Minnesota. It serves more than 8,000 students annually. The college was founded in 1915 on a motion by Charles Mayo to the Rochester School Board and is Minnesota's oldest original community college.
Minneapolis College is a public community college in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It has one of the most diverse student populations in the state and enrolls nearly 11,100 credit students annually. Minneapolis College is part of Minnesota State, which offers two-year associate degrees, certificates, and diplomas.
The Arkansas State University System, based in Little Rock, serves almost 40,000 students annually on campuses in Arkansas and Queretaro, Mexico, and globally online.
Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) is an academic option open to high school seniors, juniors and sophomores in various US states, such as Minnesota, Ohio and Washington. The options allow students to take courses at the college level. It is possible for a student to graduate with both an associate's degree and a high school diploma at the same time via PSEO. The PSEO program was created in 1985 in Minnesota, and later adopted by Ohio's Department of Education. PSEO enables 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students to complete high school graduation requirements while earning credit at a given college, or university.
Louisiana Technical College (LTC) was an institute for professional technical education in the state of Louisiana, with campuses across the state. Louisiana Technical College had no affiliation to Louisiana Tech University.
Minnesota North College – Mesabi Range Virginia, most recently known as Mesabi Range College (MRC) Virginia campus, which was formerly known as Mesabi Range Community and Technical College) is a public community college campus located in Virginia, Minnesota. In 2022, the board of trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities merged the college with several others into a single institution called Minnesota North College.
Minnesota State College Southeast is a public technical and community college with two campuses in Minnesota, one in Red Wing and another in Winona. The two campuses were originally two separate vocational institutes. The college is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. The Red Wing campus is nationally renowned for its string instrument and woodwind and brass instrument repair programs. There are only a few colleges in the nation which offer these programs. The United States Marine Corps and US Navy send their band instrument repair techs to the school.
Minnesota North College – Vermilion (VCC), previously known as Vermilion Community College (VCC), is a public community college campus located in Ely, Minnesota, adjacent to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Superior National Forest. It several niche programs focusing on natural resources, natural sciences, and outdoor education. The campus offers residential housing to nearly half of all attending students. In 2022, the board of trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities merged the college with several others into a single institution called Minnesota North College.
The Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU) is a system of six public colleges and universities that include four Connecticut State Universities, Connecticut State Community College, and Charter Oak State College, the state's only online college. CSCU enrolls 85,000 students in certificate and degree programs and provides programs in liberal arts, sciences, fine arts, applied fields, and professional disciplines.
Joseph R. "Joe" Gimse is a Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate who represented District 13, which included portions of Kandiyohi, Pope and Stearns counties in the west central part of the state. A Republican, he was first elected to the Senate in 2006, and was reelected in 2010. He also ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2002 against former Senator Dean Johnson. He served as an assistant minority leader. Gimse ran for reelection in 2012 in the newly drawn 17th District, but was defeated by Clara City DFLer Lyle Koenen.
Andrew R. Lang is an American politician and Republican member of the Minnesota Senate. He represents District 17, which includes portions of Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Renville, and Swift Counties in west-central Minnesota. Lang is a major in the Minnesota Army National Guard.
Baker Field at Bill Taunton Stadium is a baseball stadium in Willmar, Minnesota that is home to the Willmar Stingers of the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. Bill Taunton Stadium is also home to Willmar High School baseball, Ridgewater College baseball, two local VFW teams, and an American Legion team. The stadium annually hosts a kickball game between the Willmar Stingers and teachers at nearby Roosevelt Elementary on the last day of school. In 2010, the stadium hosted the Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Tournament.
James Harold McCormick is an American academic administrator who was chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system from 2001 to 2011. He was previously the first chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education for eighteen years.
