Academic Affairs
Dr. Jesse Mason
Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Jesse.Mason@MinnState.edu
Welcome to Academic Affairs
The Academic Affairs unit supports the Minnesota State mission by developing initiatives that promote quality and accountability of academic programming as we strive to prepare all students for the workforce and professional careers in a globally, culturally and linguistically diverse world.
We are focused on effective and innovative teaching with an assurance of collaboratively planned and high-quality academic programs throughout the state. Most importantly, we provide knowledgeable support and shared resources for those on our campuses who directly serve students in the fulfillment of their aspirations and learning achievements.
We work with Minnesota State faculty, staff, and students to make sure all students can plan sensible and straightforward educational paths to their certificate and degree completion.
Academic Policy
Academic Programs
The Academic Programs team provides leadership and support for academic programs, policies, and procedures, and manages the official inventory of Minnesota State academic programs. Newly proposed programs begin as an informal Letter of Inquiry then become a Notice of Intent, which invites statewide public comment.
Students enroll in Minnesota State colleges and universities with varying levels of academic readiness in core course subject areas like mathematics, reading, and writing. In order to ensure students have the highest likelihood for success in their courses, a variety of assessments may be used to best align a student’s level of academic readiness with the coursework they enroll in.
Assessments of Academic Readiness
Students can demonstrate their academic readiness based on their performance on a variety of assessments. Students may submit any of the following assessment scores to determine their course placement and enrollment into college-level courses.
- Subject area test scores from a nationally-normed college entrance exam, including the ACT and the SAT. Students who meet college-level benchmarks on the ACT or SAT are not required to take a developmental-level course in that subject area.
- Starting in the 2017-2018 academic year, students who attended a Minnesota high school can submit subject area test scores from the high school Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) in reading and mathematics. Students whose grade 10 MCA Reading and/or grade 11 MCA Mathematics scores that meet the designated benchmark in the subject area, within the validation window, are not required to take a developmental-level course in that subject area.
- Subject area test scores from a course placement assessment, Accuplacer, may also be considered to demonstrate academic readiness to enroll in college-level courses. Each of the Minnesota State colleges and universities
offer the Accuplacer assessments.
Course Placement and Developmental Education
When students meet the qualifying benchmarks in a subject area on any of the eligible assessments, they can enroll in college-level courses that have that indicating course prerequisite. If a student does not meet qualifying benchmarks on any of the eligible assessments, they may need to enroll in additional coursework to increase their foundational academic skills to improve their likelihood of success in
The Minnesota State Board Policy 3.3 and System Procedure 3.3.1 outline the system-wide requirements for assessing academic readiness to enroll in courses that require college-level reading, writing, and/or mathematics skills.
Career and Technical Education
We are proud to support the mission of Minnesota State by implementing the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, also known as the Perkins V Act.
The Career and Technical Education (CTE) office provides statewide leadership, guidance, and support to Minnesota State colleges and secondary school districts through a collaborative partnership model known as the Minnesota CTE Consortium. Across the state, there are 23 Perkins/CTE consortia, each made up of at least one college and one or more school districts working together to strengthen career and technical education.
The College Faculty Credentialing team develops policies and procedures to assure qualified individuals perform faculty work in our two-year colleges through system-established faculty minimum qualifications under Board Policy 3.32 College Faculty Credentialing and Procedure 3.32.1 College Faculty Credentialing. This applies to faculty positions governed by the Minnesota State College Faculty bargaining agreement.
Search Credential Fields with their associated minimum qualifications. A credential field, assigned field, or license field means a defined area of knowledge and skill that is specifically related to a program, service, or academic discipline, and for which system-established minimum qualifications have been created. Assigned fields are associated with faculty positions formerly governed by the Minnesota Community College Faculty Association bargaining agreement and license fields are associated with faculty positions formerly governed by the United Technical College Educators' bargaining agreement.
Credit for Prior Learning
Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) is academic credit awarded to students who successfully demonstrate college or university-level learning achieved through informal or formal learning outside of the classroom.
Dual Enrollment Programs
Dual enrollment programs allow high school students to earn college credit at no cost.
Over 50,000 high school students participate in dual enrollment programs across Minnesota each year, making college education more accessible, more affordable, and can decrease the time to degree completion.
PSEO
The post-secondary enrollment options (PSEO) program allows high school students to take college-level courses on a college or university campus to earn credits simultaneously towards their high school diploma and their college education at no cost.
Concurrent Enrollment
The concurrent enrollment program allows high school students to take college-level courses offered at their high school to earn credits simultaneously towards their high school diploma and their college education at no cost.
Transfer
Minnesota State institutions work together to make transferring as easy as possible. Whether its the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MNTC), Transfer Pathways, or the transfer agreement with the Minnesota Tribal Colleges, Minnesota State has the answers you need.
Jesse Mason
Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
651-201-1496
Jesse.Mason@MinnState.edu
Daniel de Moraes
Director of Program Support and Quality Assurance
Daniel.deMoraes@MinnState.edu
Latrice Eggleston Williams
Interim Director of Accreditation and Assessment
Latrice.EgglestonWilliams@MinnState.edu
Barbara Embacher
Director of Academic Programs and Special Projects
Barbara.Embacher@MinnState.edu
Jessica Espinosa
Director, College Transitions
651-201-1651
Jessica.Espinosa@MinnState.edu
Krystle Igbo-Ogbonna
Director of Student Access and Academic Partnerships
Krystle.Igbo-Ogbonna@MinnState.edu
Gabriel Lindo Ardila
Interim Academic Program Director
Gabriel.Lindo.Ardila@MinnState.edu
Jessica Migler
Director for Transfer
651- 201-1815
Jessica.Migler@MinnState.edu
Anthony Miller
System Director of P-20 and Student Success
Anthony.Miller@MinnState.edu
Sandi Quiñones
Assistant to Associate Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs
Teams: 651-724-9012
Sandi.Quinones@MinnState.edu
Brenda Rustad
Administrative Assistant
Brenda.Rustad@MinnState.edu
Nou Vang
Academic Advising Coordinator
Nou.Vang@MinnState.edu