Wrapping up for the year

Chancellor James McCormick helped run the spin-to-win game for visitors to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system booth on Monday.

The State Fair is in its final day for the 2009 season. It is everyone’s last chance to roam about the fairgrounds eating foods that normally would make anyone question their actual ingredients. It is also the last day to pick up helpful information at our Minnesota State Colleges and Universities booth.

Visitors tried out the lighted campus map on the last day of the fair.

One event that will definitely be missed after today will be the fun all of us had playing the spin-to-win game with all of you who stopped by and participated for free prizes all through the fair. A special thanks should be given to all of our presidents that took time out of their very busy schedules to come down to the State Fair and represent their respective colleges and universities and mingle with everyone who came out.

We appreciate all the volunteers who worked at the booth this year. It was a great job done by everyone to help out those interested in the institutions represented in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. We look forward to seeing all of you at next year’s fair.
- Justin

Visitors keep coming and coming ....

Jacob Englund, a student member of the Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, helps a fairgoer with questions about college.

Another beautiful Friday here at the great Minnesota get together, and another busy afternoon at the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities booth. Throughout the week, our booth staff have been noticing large numbers walking through the Education Building, but we were never quite sure just how large those numbers were….until today, when we received information from the Minnesota State Fair Daily News newsletter saying as of Wednesday, Sept. 2, the State Fair attendance is up 99,558 over this time last year. No wonder all of our brand new shiny gold pencils have been flying off the displays so quickly!

Students use the lighted Minnesota map to find which campuses offer various academic programs.

It has been interesting helping out today on the Wheel of Luck, where we get a chance to find out where everyone is from and how far they have traveled to come to the State Fair. You always have the typical Twin Cities folks as well as ones from places such as Duluth, Alexandria, Rochester or Bemidji. Well, today I overheard a group discussing that they had come all the way the from the Peach State of Georgia! I guess you can’t get a deep fried Twinkie or walleye on a stick just anywhere.

Spinning to win popular with fairgoers

Today was filled with visits from some very important Minnesota State Colleges and Universities members. Not only did we have the opportunity to visit with three presidents, but also the chancellor of all 32 state colleges and universities, James McCormick, who stopped by to greet future students and fairgoers.

With presidents Kevin Kopischke of Alexandria Technical College, Larry Litecky of Century College and Richard Shrubb of Minnesota West Community and Technical College all in the booth early this afternoon, you could guess they would be vying for chances to host our popular “spin-to-win” game and give away prizes from each of their respective schools.

President Richard Shrubb, center, and volunteer Craig Fautsch, right, from the Office of the Chancellor, watches with a contestant to see where the wheel would stop. If it lands on a state college or university name with a star, the contestant is a winner.



President Larry Litecky, center, visits with contestants spinning the wheel.

At left, President Kevin Kopischke meets a young contestant.

The best moment had to be President Kopischke’s trivia challenge questions for contestants who landed one spot away from the star on our spin-to-win game board. Contestants were stumped time and time again when asked to name one of the lakes in Alexandria.

One contestant finally broke the streak of wrong answers when she said “Lake Darling!”

Stop by and see us – you never know what you will learn next. - Justin

Tuition and the Economy

Since the fair’s opening, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities information booth has been an important stop for people who have lost their jobs. The system has prepared resources for retraining and job preparation. Due to the current economic situation, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities are offering several accelerated certificate programs. These programs and many other certificate and diploma programs are intended to train people for entry-level to higher-level positions and can be completed in one year or less. To view a full list of offerings go to www.mnscu.edu and scroll down to the short-term training link, then download a chart and check out the other information.

Web sites that have been a wonderful resource include:

The Department of Employment and Economic Development: http://www.deed.state.mn.us/dw/index.htm

ISEEK: http://www.iseek.org/jobs/losejob.html

For those just entering college, the system's cost comparison chart has been a great way to talk with visitors about how their education will affect their finances. The chart lays out the annual costs of our 32 state colleges and universities as well as the annual costs of private trade schools, colleges and universities. I have had the opportunity to talk with many fairgoers about the importance of college affordability, and the chart is also a great way for the parent to start the conversation with their student(s).

Please stop by our booth to obtain copies of the cost comparison chart and information about short-term programs.
-Emily