CALENDAR REPORT
RCTC ANNUAL REPORT
RCTC’S CALENDAR REPORT IS PUBLISHED ANNUALLY FOR MEMBERS OF THE RCTC COMMUNITY.
PUBLICATION STAFF
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, MARKETING, AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS
NATE STOLTMAN
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
JENEE MCGURREN
MARKETING SPECIALIST/COPYWRITER
MICHELLE MESSENGER
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
JESSICA CORMICAN
BEN HAIN
MICHELLE MESSENGER
JENEE MCGURREN
ALLISON PASSON
RCTC ATHLETICS
NATE STOLTMAN
EILEEN ZIRBEL
CONTENT MAY BE REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE RCTC COLLEGE RELATIONS OFFICE. COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS CAN BE SENT TO:
COLLEGERELATIONS@RCTC.EDU
RCTC IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND EDUCATOR.
ALTERNATIVE FORMATS OF THIS DOCUMENT ARE AVAILABLE BY CONTACTING DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES AT 507-280-2968.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Established in 1915 through a proposal by Dr. Charles Mayo, Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) holds the distinction of being Minnesota’s oldest public two-year college. Over its 109-year history, RCTC has witnessed countless graduates crossing its stage and achieving their academic goals. Recently, we unveiled our updated mission statement: RCTC empowers students to thrive in an ever-changing, diverse society by providing access to exceptional education. We remain committed to improving lives through learning.
As a significant driver in the regional economy, RCTC supports 1,785 jobs and has an estimated regional economic impact of $234.9 million. Additionally, the College generates approximately $18.7 million in tax revenues for state and local government. Furthermore, the degrees awarded by RCTC are projected to yield an additional state income of $6 billion due to increased productivity. We continue to strive to amplify the College’s influence through diverse collaborations with community and business partners to advance economic impact and career preparedness.
Our 2023-24 Annual Report highlights the remarkable achievements of our exceptional students, faculty, and staff. With 34% of our student body identifying as BIPOC, we are proud to serve students from diverse backgrounds. Our commitment to reducing achievement gaps is evident through intentional student support services and the positive relationships we build with our students. We have also observed an increase in concurrently enrolled students, and we eagerly embrace the opportunity to guide them through their college journey. Furthermore, our student athletes achieved great success, with both our Women’s Basketball and Men’s Football teams finishing as runners-up in NJCAA Championship games and the Men’s Wrestling team securing a national title. Whether you’re a student, faculty member, or part of the staff, there’s a sense of pride and camaraderie that comes with being part of this vibrant Yellowjacket community. Let’s celebrate the achievements together!
On behalf of the entire RCTC community, we express our gratitude for your support and invite you to be part of our future success stories.
Sincerely,
Jeffery S. Boyd, Ed.D. President
STRATEGIC PLAN 2024-2028
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Achieve equitable student outcomes through inclusive collaboration, innovative teaching, and active learning environments that meet the ever-changing needs of students, employers, and the community.
OBJECTIVE 1
Foster a culture of professional growth that expands expertise in culturally relevant pedagogy, innovation, technology, and active teaching strategies
OBJECTIVE 2
Cultivate inclusive and cross-campus collaboration that supports excellent educational outcomes
OBJECTIVE 3
Utilize innovative technology and learning spaces to improve the educational experience and academic outcomes
OBJECTIVE 4
Assess programs, curriculum, modalities, and learning experiences to support continuous improvement in accessibility, equity, and learning outcomes
OBJECTIVE 5
Leverage the experiences and address the unique needs of our ever-changing student body
STUDENT SUCCESS
Maximize student potential through equityminded practices, proactive academic planning, comprehensive support services, personalized communications, and relationship building.
OBJECTIVE 1
Offer students relevant programming, pathways, and wraparound services that support student achievement and growth
OBJECTIVE 2
Provide clear guidance to students to facilitate achievement of personal, education, and career goals
OBJECTIVE 3
Elevate the student voice in decision making and increased student governance
OBJECTIVE 4
Build a more inclusive campus community where students see themselves in all aspects of the College
OPERATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY
Optimize the College’s growth and viability by creating an inclusive culture of excellence and accountability that maximizes resources.
OBJECTIVE 1
Recruit, develop, grow, and retain employees that reflect the diverse communities that we serve
Grow awareness of the value of an RCTC education and its economic impact
OBJECTIVE 2
Steward current resources and establish additional revenue streams for long-term growth
OBJECTIVE 3
Allocate resources for exceptional facilities, space utilization, energy efficiency, and technology infrastructure for the benefit of our students and community
OBJECTIVE 4
Increase student educational access and opportunity to ensure a healthy institution
OBJECTIVE 5
Nurture a culture of continuous improvement driven by community and employee engagement, transparent communications, creativity, risk-taking, and data informed decision making
OBJECTIVE 2
Align programming and prepare learners to meet current and emerging needs of employers and the community
OBJECTIVE 3
Model diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts on campus and within the community
OBJECTIVE 4
Establish formal structures to grow partnerships
OBJECTIVE 5
Contribute to regional quality of life through engaging entertainment, meaningful events, and lifelong learning opportunities
SEPTEMBER 2024
OCTOBER 2024
HALLOWEEN
NOVEMBER 2024
DECEMBER 2024
SPRING PAYMENT INFO: * Tuition and fees must be paid in full or an approved deferment in place by December 23, 2024. After this date, payment is due at the time of registration. January 10, 2025 is the last day to set up a FACTS/NELNET payment plan. To avoid late fees, account balances need to be paid in full by March 24, 2025.
JANUARY 2025
FEBRUARY 2025
MARCH 2025
APRIL 2025
MAY 2025
SUMMER PAYMENT INFO: * Tuition and fees must be paid in full or an approved deferment in place by May 5, 2025. After this date, payment is due at the time of registration. June 2, 2025 is the last day to set up a FACTS/NELNET payment plan.
JUNE 2025
JULY 2025
AUGUST 2025
FALL PAYMENT INFO: * Tuition and fees must be paid in full or an approved deferment in place by August 4, 2025. After this date, payment is due at the time of registration. August 22, 2025 is the last day to set up a FACTS/NELNET payment plan. To avoid late fees, account balances need to be paid in full by October 20, 2025.
PAST YEAR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND HIGHLIGHTS
COMMENCEMENT 2024
RCTC’s 2024 Commencement Ceremony celebrated the achievements of 913 candidates for Fall, Spring, and Summer graduation. Approximately 40 percent of the candidates graduated with honors or high honors. 313 students joined us in person for the 108th Commencement Ceremony to celebrate with their friends and families. We filled the house!
STAFF AND FACULTY RECOGNITION
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
We did it again! RCTC was voted Best of the Best in the Post Bulletin’s annual awards. RCTC was once again named Best of the Best in Higher Educationthat makes seven years in a row.
RCTC announced the permanent appointment of Kelly Pyfferoen to the role of Vice President of Finance and Facilities. Kelly has been an integral part of the RCTC team for over six years, including Business Office Supervisor, and later serving as Interim Vice President of Finance and Facilities.
RCTC Chemistry Instructor Heather Sklenicka, Ph.D., was the featured woman innovator in the October 2023 issue of Rochester Women Magazine.
Teri Hill, Ph.D., was selected as RCTC's 2023-2024 Outstanding Educator. MaryAnn Matveyenko,Ph.D., was selected as RCTC’s Outstanding Adjunct Educator. A celebration honoring their achievements was held on April 23rd
RCTC announced a new Cybersecurity Associate of Applied Science degree beginning in the fall of 2024. RCTC’s Cybersecurity program is engineered for dual outcomes: immediate employment in cybersecurity and seamless transfer to four-year institutions.
The RCTC College Relations team won a National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR) Silver Medallion Award for its “Just Makes Sense” postcard in the annual national Paragon Awards competition.
The RCTC College Relations team earned honors in five different categories in NCMPR's Region 5 Medallion Awards competition. Winning entries included:
• Postcard: Bronze
• Print Advertising: Gold
• TV/Video Paid Advertisement: Silver
• Outdoor Signage/Displays: Silver
• Novelty: Silver
CAMPUS EVENTS
RCTC’s Surgical Technology program hosted its 50th Anniversary Celebration on April 24th. Alumni, instructors, and current students reminisced and celebrated a half-century of educational excellence.
In January, the RCTC Business program hosted the Business Professionals of America (BPA) Region3 student competition. Approximately 350 high school business students, teachers, and judges were on campus for this competition.
RCTC was once again the host sponsor of the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 STEAM Summit in November. This was the biggest event to date with 110 vendors and 3,200 students attending.
FOUNDATION
The RCTC Foundation announced that alumnus John Haberman, Ph.D., generously donated $30,000 to RCTC for STEM education programs and scholarships for the 2024-2025 academic year. This gift includes $25,000 to create the Haberman STEM Fund for Excellence.
ART, MUSIC, AND THEATER
RCTC Theatre performed its Spring 2024 show in April. The production, “The Curious Savage,” was written by John Patrick and directed by Jerry Casper.
ATHLETICS
The Wrestling team earned the DIII National Champion title at the 2024 NJCAA National Tournament. All-American honors went to Leo Tukhlynovych (3rd), Cohen Wiste (4th), and Antony Tuttle (5th). This is RCTC’s 6th national wrestling championship. Head Wrestling Coach Andy Hackenmueller was presented with the Division III Coach of the Year Award.
The Men’s Basketball team shared the 2024 MCAC Southern Division title, and made it to the NJCAA Region XIII semifinals.
The Softball team was co-champions of the MCAC South Division, and NJCAA DIII Softball World Series representatives from Region 13. Four of the Yellowjackets were selected to be part of the AllRegion 13 Team including Aubrey Grover, Jada James, Mirrah Wells, and Zoey Clark.
The Women’s Basketball team continued their run of outstanding NJCAA tournaments with a Runner-up finish in 2024. The Yellowjackets were the defending National Champions from 2023 and also finished third in 2022.
The Football team beat #3 North Dakota School of Science (NDSCS) 24-16 to take home the MCAC Championship trophy. The Yellowjackets qualified for the 2023 NJCAA DIII Football Championship in Glen Ellyn, Illinois against the College of DuPage. It was an exciting championship game with the Yellowjackets finishing as the Runner-up. RCTC Head Football Coach Terrence Isaac was named MCAC and Region 13 Coach of the Year, leading the Yellowjackets to a regular season championship, Region 13 championship, and a trip to the NJCAA DIII championship game.
The Soccer team advanced to the Midwest District semifinals. McKenna Baker earned First Team AllAmerican honors and Mackenzie Polson earned Second Team All-American honors.
The Baseball team was the MCAC South Division Champions and one of four teams to advance to the Region XIII/North Plains District Tournament. Three RCTC baseball players were named All-MCAC First Team including August Mungarrieta; Griffin Olson; and Luis Rodriguez. RCTC head coach Clark Jones earned the South Division Coach of the Year Award.
The Music Department hosted both the Spring Finale Concert featuring the Concert Band, Concert Choir, and Jazz Band, and an informal Coffeehouse Concert in the fall and spring.
RCTC Music’s much anticipated festive holiday music concerts included sacred, secular, modern, and traditional music from the Concert Choir under the direction of Nick Johnson, and the Wind Ensemble under the direction of William Frame.
The Art 2281 Professional Portfolio students hosted a public reception of their artwork in the RCTC Gallery. The exhibition entitled HeART Strings featured student work all focused in some way on emotional connections between the artist and their work. The students were responsible for all aspects of making the exhibition happen, from designing and executing their projects, to installing and documenting the work, creating publicity, and organizing the public reception. Showcased artists were Elena Bremen, Dione Emerson, Kat Kiers, Alaina Hentz, Jessica Cormican, Destiny White, and James Shooter (aka Bryan Ford). Art mediums included photography, textile, digital drawing, and painting.
PAST YEAR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND HIGHLIGHTS
ART, MUSIC, AND THEATER CONT.
RCTC hosted its 2024 Alumni Art Exhibition featuring four former students. The alumni are at various stages of their post-RCTC career and returned to show their current work. The four alumni exhibiting include:
• Kristen Brown,'17, who transferred to Minnesota State University, Mankato and completed a Master of Arts degree.
• Ajay Jorgenson,'20, transferred to Winona State University and completed a bachelor's degree.
• Danielle Jordan transferred to Northern Illinois University and completed both a Bachelor of Science in Geology and a Bachelor of Arts degree.
• Sam Vo,'14, is a multidisciplinary studio and tattoo artist who splits his time as a tattoo artist between Minnesota and Brooklyn, New York.
RCTC’s Art+Design Faculty Show titled "Exquisite Deliciousness," held a public reception in November. The exhibition consisted of new work by Suzanne Szucs, Robert Banker, Simon Huelsbeck, Jeffrey Jacobsen, Kevin Condit, Anthony Rostvold, Daniel Vedamuthu, and Crist Dahl.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
Suzanne Szucs led monthly discussions for the RCTC Common Read: We Are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World. RCTC also hosted Common Read featured authors Mona Susan Power and Erin Sharkey.
Mona Susan Power was featured in RCTC's Common Read book with her piece, "The Courage to Hold Together, The Courage to Fall Apart.”
Power is the author of four books of fiction including The Grass Dancer (awarded the PEN/Hemingway prize), Roofwalker, Sacred Wilderness, and A Council of Dolls (longlisted for the National Book Award).
RCTC welcomed Erin Sharkey to campus as a featured author in RCTC's Common Read book. Sharkey, author of Breath: A Meditation in Uprising, is a writer, arts and abolition organizer, cultural worker, and film producer based in Minneapolis.
RCTC showcased the display "Still We Rise-Rochester's Black Legacy.” During Black History Month this display, the first of its kind in Rochester, highlighted the key leaders and events that shaped our local community and its history. Topics included early Black Minnesota settlers, local Black pioneers, early Black medical professionals, and current efforts to enhance our community. The exhibit was coordinated by Andre Crockett Sr., an RCTC alumnus, and Nicole Asong Nfonoyim-Hara.
Student Life hosted the "This is Me" Fashion Show as a way for students to express their culture, lived experiences, beliefs, identities, abilities etc. through clothing pieces.
CONSTRUCTION
Contractors completed the reconstruction of the Heintz Center south parking lot in August. This significant project involved rebuilding the lot from the foundation up including new grading, base, concrete, and curb. Improvements were also made to sidewalks and curbs near the Sports Center and Science and Technology Building.
RCTC YOUTH CAMPS
Summer Youth Camps were expanded from just two camps in 2023, to five camps in 2024. New additions this year included Aviation, Healthcare Explorers, and Oil Painting. Returning for their second year were Theatre/Improv and Football. We expect to grow our camp offerings again for the 2025 summer.
RETIREES
RCTC said goodbye and thank you to five long-time faculty and staff who retired in 2023-2024.
• Liz Fleck, Math Instructor (32 Years)
• June Meitzner, Purchasing Manager (46 Years)
• Deb Pesch, Dental Clinic Lab Assistant (19 Years)
• Carol Schultz, Dental Assistant Instructor (29 Years)
• Paula Theisen, Accounting and Business Instructor (37 Years)
IN MEMORY
Retired Project and Business Analyst, Jeremy Sell, passed away on March 25, 2024 at the age of 67.
Former TRIO Upward Bound Administrative Assistant, Linda Risser, passed away on January 13, 2024 at the age of 77.
Retired Music Instructor, Willard Johnson, passed away on December 14, 2023 at the age of 98. Willard taught in our Music Department for 27 years (1958-1985).
Retired Math Instructor, Anne Benson, passed away on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. Anne taught math at RCTC from 1984 to 2011, serving the College for over 25 years.
Retired Health Information Technology (formerly Medical Secretary Program) Instructor, Kathleen Olson, passed away on September 17, 2023. Kathy taught at the College from 1982 to 2011, totaling 29 years at RCTC.
EMPLOYEES RETIREES, IN MEMORY, SHINING STARS, AND NEW BEES
NEW EMPLOYEES
• Roberto Acuna, Accounting Officer Intermediate
• Ben Byrne, Buildings and Grounds Worker
• Shaun Case, A/V Design Engineer, Systems Analyst and Programming Specialist
Feras Al-Kaisi, Michele Altman, Shelli Arneson, Jason Bonde, Nicole Bretzman, Teresa Brown, Ben Byrne, Ruth Casper, Alex Catevenis, Alan Charon, Mona Cravath, Jennifer Dahle, Othelmo da Silva, Aaron Davis, Wayne Dean, Beth Diekmann, Anfa Diiriye, Derek Dolan, Lexi Fernandez, Brenda Frame, Greg Frana, Kim Glarner, Larry Gottschalk, Matt Haack, Guy Hamernik, Mike Harding, Josh Henslin, Michelle Messenger Herber, Sam Herrick, Teri Hill, Darin Hoffman, Kodi Hoscheit, Simon Huelsbeck, Cris Kellas, Brooke Kosok, Joe Kroeger, Dennis Kronebusch, Rebecca Kruetzfeldt, Jesse Krusmark, Terrence Isaac, Atif Jahic, Rhonda Jensson, Katrina Maass, MaryAnn Matveyenko, Tony McKinney, Eric Mesa, Rod Milbrandt, Cheryl Klingsporn Morgan, Craig Narveson, Tricia Olinger, Ren Olive, Dennis Olson, Ursula Olson, Melissa Pentz, President’s Cabinet, Kelly Pyfferoen, Michelle Pyfferoen, Heather Ruffin, Jennifer Schnaedter, Jamie Schroeder, Heather Sklenicka, Jen Steinberg, Nate Stoltman, Cathy Swessel, Amanda Swintek, Paula Theisen, Paul Titus, Britt Tolbert, Cuong Tran, Bryan Wayne, Rick Yankowiak
• Natalie DeGrand, Management Analyst
• Joe Duffy, Director of Sports Facilities
• Lexi Fernandez, Student Engagement Specialist
• Sue Eckenrode, Front Desk Coordinator in Welcome and One Stop Center
• Denise Gifford, College Lab Assistant for Dental Assistant and Dental Hygiene programs
• Sam Herrick, Student Life Coordinator
• Terrence Isaac, Student Athlete Retention Specialist
• Bryan Kern, General Maintenance Worker
• Sarah Langenfeld, Curriculum and Scheduling Analyst
• Tracie Lee, Learning Center Writing Specialist
• Amanda Melin, HR Associate
• Kerry Novotny, LIFE Program Director
• Alissa Oelfke, Associate Vice President of Academic Operations and Institutional Effectiveness
• Erin Reed, Customized Training Representative
• Jen Stenberg, Nursing Instructor
• Tyler Stork, Groundskeeper
• Jennifer Teske, Customized Training Representative
• Emma Uphus, Customer Service Specialist in Dental Clinic
• Laura Wolf, Accounting Technician
