As noted in the introduction, Chancellor Eaton and the Board of Trustees held 12 town meetings across the state in September and October 1996 to test receptivity to the five strategic themes and gain additional feedback from the public. The MnSCU leadership also met with the presidents of MnSCU institutions, faculty, students and staff. Minnesotans and the MnSCU community responded positively. The responses from the town meetings fell into four broad categories, as follows, and have been used to help transform the tentative strategic themes into more precise goals:
1. Strengthen Access, Choice, Quality and Affordability
Time and again, people raised the concern of making sure MnSCU institutions remain broadly accessible and affordable to all Minnesotans, and that they continue to provide a wide range of high quality educational programs. Some people stressed the need for increased access to four-year higher education for both urban and rural communities, while others asked for improved access to short-term occupational training courses.
2. Increase MnSCUs Outreach to Communities and Business
In both the greater Minnesota and Twin Cities areas, people stressed the importance of enhancing the outreach of MnSCU campuses. They also praised the roles that campuses already are playing in their communities. But people asked for more outreach to their surrounding communities to work with local businesses and connect MnSCU course offerings to community needs. Some people said they want to see MnSCU students strengthening their commitment to good citizenship by doing more volunteer work in the community and stressing the responsibilities of all individuals within a democratic society.
3. Strengthen the Partnership with K-12 Education
Many Minnesotans said that MnSCU can do more to inform students of the broad range of courses offered by our technical colleges that can lead to good career opportunities. They believe much can be done in the high schools to increase the prestige and desirability of our technical college programs. Others stressed the importance of working with schools to reduce the number of students in need of developmental education once they get to college. They want MnSCU to collaborate with high schools as they strengthen graduation standards so that students have a better chance of succeeding in higher education.
4. Improve the Quality of Life in Minnesota
The people of Minnesota see MnSCU as a vehicle to enhance their own quality of life, in ways both great and small. Some emphasized the importance of providing a high quality liberal arts education, whereas others stressed the need to focus on job-related skills. For many, quality of life translated into the promise of improved occupational choice and opportunity. For others, it meant access to a high quality education without a substantial decrease in their standard of living to pay for it. Many stressed the importance of encouraging lifelong learning and an educated citizenry.
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