Continuing to thrive, ready to move forward

As a regional university we are proud to celebrate being an integral part of Central Minnesota. When I speak around the region and ask folks to raise their hands if they are alumni, there are always several Huskies in the group and they speak proudly of their university and their time at St. Cloud State University.

Here are some fast facts about SCSU that you might not know: We have 131,000 alumni worldwide and among those alumni, 93,592 are living and working in the state. This is a significant part of a workforce that teaches our children, powers our businesses and organizations and fuels our economy. Our SCSU community generates an annual economic impact of $598.8 million. Spending on operations and capital projects generates $336.5 million of the total impact, and student and visitor spending generates $262.3 million. Just as important, our SCSU community has challenged generations of students to be innovative, creative, engaged, and responsible citizens.

As our 154-year history documents, with each passing decade as the world around us changed, we adapted. We transformed from a school developing schoolteachers to a university in service of the educational and research needs of our students, community, state and beyond. We expanded our offerings and became the university we are today. And now, times are changing again. I will argue that higher education is now facing a myriad of changes different from any time in the past. Like other American regional universities across the country, we are feeling the impact of changes on every front, and we must evolve yet again.

We are addressing our current reality of tight resources (and like any family or business, we need to work within a balanced operating budget without using reserves); of intense competition for a smaller number of traditional-age students; of students who are looking for a university experience that puts their needs first and of working adults who want to continue their education or complete a degree. And as we appreciate change can be difficult, we see these challenges as an opportunity, not a threat. Many members of our campus community came together three years ago to reimagine our future, which is outlined in our It’s Time framework. This framework is providing us a road map to identify innovative ways to change and improve our student experience.

It is our responsibility to offer the best residential, educational experience to traditional undergraduates and begin in earnest to meet the educational needs of non-traditional students — those who did not come to us right out of high school. Anyone seeking a career or a career change — no matter their circumstances — deserve the opportunity to pursue an undergraduate or graduate degree when they are ready. We are using data and other relevant information rather than misinformation to inform our next steps using our It’s Time framework.

To that end, we are now offering online programs to adults and working professionals that fit their busy lives, making it possible to pursue a higher education degree. We continue to focus our degree programs to align with student interests and high-demand careers. While some majors with few students are being phased out, others are being enhanced to add distinctive components to current academic units. We support equity and inclusion in our campus engagements and efforts to be a welcoming Husky community. We are working more closely with local businesses to provide educational options that are convenient for their employees so they can continue to work while they expand their skills. We stand well-prepared to continue educating and impacting the lives of future Huskies, strategically restructuring, and investing in new ways to drive enrollment, diversify our student body, and extend our marketing reach, aligning programs that complement each other and connecting faculty expertise to inspire students while meeting workforce demands.

Ours is a story of continuous adaptation, of advancement and progress to match the changing expectations and opportunities that greet each new generation of students. Our excellent faculty of teacher/scholars and professional staff are guiding and working side-by-side with students to prepare them for successful careers.

Some examples include:

· The Professional Selling Institute, endowed with a $1 million gift by alumni Per Rasmussen and Nina Skage to enhance learning opportunities for students, faculty, and professionals in business-to-business sales.

· The online accelerated MBA degree with a concentration in Accounting and the portfolio of six current MBA programs offered by the Herberger Business School this fall.

· SCSU’s new, donor-funded Autism Discovery Center that will bring students cutting-edge, research-based learning through both traditional in-home care and telehealth practices, providing a true training clinic and resource for the community.

· Providing Husky Student Success advisors for every admitted student to guide them through their educational journey.

We have much to celebrate as we turn our attention to the future!

Early on in my tenure as president, our campus came together and declared that it’s time to act in bold and courageous ways to take control of our future. I have no doubt that SCSU will continue to be the vital, thriving, relevant institution of higher education that it always has been ready to keep moving forward. I call on all of you – current, and past Huskies, and friends of SCSU, to speak out in support of our approach to yet again respond to challenges and lend a positive voice to the work we are doing now for the success of our students and the broader community. Go Huskies!

This is the opinion of St. Cloud State President Wacker. To A Higher Degree is published the fourth Sunday of the month and rotates among the three presidents of the largest Central Minnesota higher education institutions.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: SCSU must act with courage to continue thriving