History
1940: Austin Junior College
According to Academic Dean Ruben Meland’s document “Austin Junior College – Nine Years of Community Service”, Austin Junior College opened on September 3, 1940. Enrollment was 138 freshmen, served by a faculty of five full-time and four part-time instructors.
1951: Austin Area Vocational-Technical School
According to the “Selected Report on Austin Junior College Prepared for Minnesota Junior College Board dated December 1963”, “The Austin Area Vocational-Technical School was established in Austin, Minnesota as a part of the public school system in 1951 and at present (Dec. 1963) provides post high school training to an enrollment of about 250 in: Carpentry, Farm Equipment Mechanics, Welding, Machine Shop (tool & die), Automotive Mechanics, Auto Body Rebuilding, Industrial Electronics, Practical Nursing, and Cosmetology (beauty school).”
1966: Austin Junior College moves to new location, changes name to Austin State Junior College
Ruben Meland, college dean and president, wrote in his memoirs, “In June 1966, we moved our offices into the new administration wing and we opened for classes September 22, 1966, (our 26th year) with about 850 students and a faculty of 40. At this same time our name was officially changed to Austin State Junior College. The new college campus was officially dedicated on January 29, 1967.”
1968: Albert Lea Area Vocational-Technical School established
According to “A Brief History of the MN AVTI System and Directors”, “Albert Lea was tentatively approved by the State Board of Education on September 30, 1968. They received the final approval on November 4, 1968.” Mr. Wayne Broecker is the Director of the AVTI at Albert Lea.”
1971: Austin State Junior College Owatonna Extension Center opens
An Owatonna People’s Press advertisement dated September 16, 1971, reads, “Austin State Junior College Owatonna Extension Center, classes starting Monday, September 20, 1971 at 12:30 p.m.” An Owatonna People’s Press advertisement dated November 17, 1971 reads, “Let’s start college in Owatonna, Minnesota, Austin State Junior College. Owatonna campus located on the beautiful grounds of the State School.”
1972: Austin Area Vocational-Technical School changes name to Austin Area Vocational-Technical Institute
An undated document created for the Mower County Historical Society states, “During February of 1972 the move from the various sites started and the total moving of all programs to the new Austin Area Vocational-Technical School were completed in March of 1972. It was also during this time that the State Department of Education changed the names of all Area Vocational-Technical Schools to Area Vocational-Technical Institutes.”
1985: Owatonna Higher Education Center opens
A March 3, 1998, memo from Tim McManimon, Owatonna community leader, to John Gedker, college president, reads, “Riverland Community College has served the Owatonna area for the past 13 years, primarily in the area of customized training for business and industry. It is the Owatonna community vision to create a seamless link between education, work and the community."
1991: Minnesota Riverland Technical College
According to “Historical Overview 1945–1995, 50 Years Minnesota Technical College System”, “Minnesota Riverland Technical College, District #2501, was formed on July 1, 1991. MRTC is comprised of the Austin, Faribault, and Rochester campuses and the Owatonna Technical Training Center.”
1996: Riverland Community College established on July 1, 1996
A November 1996 memorandum from John Gedker, college president, reads, “Riverland Community College was established on July 1, 1996. Austin Community College (established in 1940 as Austin Junior College), Riverland Technical College–Austin (established in 1951 as Austin Area Vocational School) and Owatonna campuses, and South Central Technical College–Albert Lea (established in 1968 as Albert Lea Technical Education Center) campuses merged to form Riverland Community College.”
2001: Owatonna College & University Center
According to a March 22, 2003, Owatonna People’s Press article, “January 14, 2002 was the first day classes were held at Owatonna College and University Center. Currently, Riverland is the host institution at OCUC and also offers classes at the site. Concordia University, St. Paul; Minnesota State University, Mankato; Southwest State University; University of St. Thomas; and South Central Technical College also offer classes.”
2008: The Owatonna College And University Center (OCUC) is acquired by Minnesota State
The OCUC Celebration brochure dated February 17, 2009, states: “In April 2008, Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed into law a bonding bill that allowed the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system to acquire the Owatonna College & University Center. On December 31, 2008, MnSCU finalized the sale. Three Partners. One Purpose. Minnesota State University, Mankato, Riverland Community College, and South Central College."
Austin is a city in, and the county seat of, Mower County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 26,174 at the 2020 census. The town was originally settled along the Cedar River and has two artificial lakes, East Side Lake and Mill Pond. It was named for Austin R. Nichols, the area's first European settler.
Owatonna is a city in Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 26,420 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Steele County. Owatonna is home to the Steele County Fairgrounds, which hosts the Steele County Free Fair in August.
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system or Minnesota State, previously branded as MnSCU, comprises 30 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 340,000 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.
University Center Rochester (UCR) was a higher education facility in Rochester, Minnesota. It was part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System.
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.
Area code 507 is the telephone numbering plan code for the southern fifth of Minnesota, including cities such as Rochester, Mankato, Worthington, Fairmont, Albert Lea, Northfield, and Austin. It was the third area code created for use in the state in 1954, following the original 218 and 612. It was created from the southwestern portion of 218 and the southern portion of 612.
Alvin James Baldus was an American Democratic politician who served as a member of Congress for Wisconsin from 1975 to 1981 as well as two tenures as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
Minneapolis Community and Technical 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.
Minnesota West Community and Technical College is a public community and technical college in Minnesota with five campuses: Canby, Granite Falls, Jackson, Pipestone, and Worthington. The college also has learning centers in Luverne, Marshall, and Redwood Falls. Students have the opportunity to earn an Associate Degree, Diploma, or Certificate in more than 60 disciplines.
Terrence Leas is a retired American academic. Leas most recently served as president of Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake, Washington from 2012 to 2020. Leas is an advocate of "asynchroncity", an approach to education that "dismisses the longstanding model of teachers lecturing in a fixed place and time while students listen".
Pine Technical and Community College (PTCC), formerly Pine Technical College, is a public community college in Pine City, Minnesota. PTCC is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, which comprises 31 state universities and community and technical colleges in Minnesota.
Joan Claire Graham is a songwriter, playwright, publisher, editor, and writer. Among other literary endeavors, she is known for her chronicling of Minnesota history.
Hennepin Technical College is a public technical school with two campuses in suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Jeanne E. Poppe is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represented District 27B, which includes all or portions of Dodge, Freeborn, and Mower counties in the southeastern part of the state. She is an educator and counselor at Riverland Community College, with campuses in Albert Lea, Austin and Owatonna.
Southern Minnesota Normal College, was a normal school and business school located in Austin, Minnesota that operated from 1897 to 1925. It was founded with the Austin School of Commerce.
This is about a high school athletic conference in Minnesota. For the more well-known college sports conference that played under that name from 1899 to 1917 and from 1946 to 1949, see Big Ten Conference.
Mayo Clinic Health System is a system of community-based medical facilities. It is owned by Mayo Clinic and was founded in 1992. The organization focuses on providing medical care in rural communities in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. As of 2022, its facilities include 16 hospitals, 53 multispecialty clinics and one mobile health clinic. The President of Mayo Clinic Health System is Prathibha Varkey.
Sandy Wollschlager was an American chemist and politician.
