College News

Ridgewater College’s Customized Training and Continuing Education department is offering a seminar for first responders helping them understand the effects of trauma on children.

Ridgewater College, a community and technical school with campuses in both Hutchinson and Willmar, will host a team representing the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools on Feb. 18–20.

To expand access, increase technology skills, provide exciting and inspiring course content, and maximize efficiency and use of taxpayer resources, Governor Tim Pawlenty and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) Board of Trustees Chair David Olson today announced a goal to have 25 percent of all MnSCU credits earned through online courses by 2015.

By Janene Hodges Gilman, University of Minnesota Extension

One of the last things any parent and student wants to hear is that college costs are raising. College tuition can be an overwhelming expense. The sooner you start preparing for it, the easier it will be when the time arrives. What are the benefits of higher education for your children? What are the real costs of getting a degree?

Ridgewater College’s Center for Customized and Continuing Education Child Development program has scheduled an introductory course on equine-assisted therapy. The course is set for 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6, on the Hutchinson campus.

Ridgewater College’s Center for Customized and Continuing Education Child Development program is offering a seminar next month on emotional behavioral disorders.

The seminar, which takes place from 7 to 9 p.m., Oct. 23, at the Hutchinson campus, will help participants understand children’s mental health disorders and their impact on learning and functioning.

Andrew Nordin started his art education with an associate of arts degree from what is today’s Ridgewater College’s Willmar campus. He was planning on a career in graphic arts.

By the time he graduated from St. Cloud State University in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, the painting courses he thought would enhance his graphic design interests had become his focus.

Prospective students, business owners exploring customized training options for employees and the general public will all find something of interest when Ridgewater College has its second annual College Showcase open house next week.

The open houses, from 4 to 7 p.m., take place Tuesday, Sept. 23, at Hutchinson and Thursday, Sept. 25 at Willmar.

The College Showcase is an event planned with the community in mind, according to Sam Bowen, the Ridgewater’s marketing director.

Students heading to Ridgewater College next month will find that the school is joining other higher education institutions in Minnesota in implementing a tobacco-free campus policy on its Willmar and Hutchinson campuses.

The policy will be effective at the start of fall semester, Aug. 25. No tobacco use of any kind will be permitted on the school’s grounds. The new policy expands on one prohibiting tobacco use in college buildings and vehicles that has been in place for several years.

Students attending college in Minnesota this fall may be eligible to receive a $1,200 Achieve Scholarship if they took rigorous high school courses.

The Achieve Scholarship was established and funded in 2007 by the Minnesota Legislature and Gov. Tim Pawlenty and is designed to encourage students to make the most of their high school opportunities by challenging themselves with rigorous high school courses. Scholarships are awarded to students on top of any federal or state grants, or college scholarships and a separate application is required.