RCTC Foundation Annual Report - 2013 by Rochester Community and Technical College

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Rochester Community and Technical College has touched the lives of tens of thousands of individuals living in Rochester, in surrounding communities, and throughout the world. RCTC will celebrate its 100th Anniversary in 2015! The 100th Anniversary is about celebrating the generations of students, faculty, and staff and the experiences and events that have shaped their lives. Alumni stories provide unique perspectives on how others have succeeded through their RCTC education. From raising a family to building a thriving business, each story provides inspiration for alumni and students to achieve their potential. Share your story at: http://www.rctc.edu/100th/stories.

2013 Beat the Odds

In January, nearly 500 Rochester area business and community leaders came together at the 13th Annual Beat the Odds Award Ceremony to honor five students from the greater Rochester area who overcame significant obstacles in their young lives to become both personally and academically successful. These students have shown incredible perseverance despite challenges that range from losing a limb, to surviving poverty and abuse, to caring for disabled parents. Each of these students was awarded a $2,500 scholarship to the accredited college of their choice. Since its inception, Beat the Odds has provided over $163,000 in scholarships to more than 100 amazing students.

2013 Outstanding Alumni

The RCTC Foundation concluded Homecoming week with the 2013 Outstanding Alumni Award celebration on September 21, 2013. RCTC Interim President, Gail O’Kane proudly presented the award to Mr. Wayne Ford and recognized him for his community service work. Wayne Ford always proudly said that enrolling at Rochester Junior College in 1969 and playing for the Yellowjacket Football Team was probably the one action that put his life on a positive trajectory. He grew up in Washington D.C. and graduated from Ballou High School, voted “most likely not to succeed” by his classmates. Turning his life around from that point on, he went on to RCTC and then to Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa where he excelled both in the classroom and on the football field. He received a Bachelor of Science in Education from Drake and did graduate course work in Public Administration at Drake and in Social Work at the University of Iowa. Ford’s dramatic rise from D.C.’s inner city to Iowa’s capitol has been chronicled in numerous publications, including The Des Moines Register, The Washington Times, The Washington Post, The Source and Parade. In 2001, award-winning journalist Dan Rather personally selected Ford’s unique life story for his best-selling book, The American Dream. In 1976, Ford founded Concerned Citizens for Minorities Affairs; which evolved into the nonpartisan Iowa Brown & Black Presidential Forum, which focuses candidate’s attention on issues of significance to minorities in conjunction with Iowa’s first in the nation presidential caucuses. In 1985 he founded Urban Dreams, to serve the needs of Des Moines’s low income residents. In 1996, Ford was elected to serve his community as an Iowa State Representative and during his tenure as a State Legislator he was recognized as a champion for people in need. Ford retired as a State Representative in 2011. Ford is active with many organizations, doing what he loves ... “Works of Good.” He has been inducted into numerous Halls of Fame, including the RCTC Alumni Hall of Fame in 1994. Wayne has participated in Yellowjacket golf fund-raisers in past years and supports the good works of the RCTC Foundation.

2013 Annual Report | Making a Difference: Foundation

Foundation

President’s Message

RCTC

Interim President’s Message

When I started to reflect on my last year as President of the RCTC Foundation I kept coming back to the same theme...Giving Back, Moving Forward. Four simple words summarized how I felt the year had progressed. The most important initiative was providing $241,096 in scholarships to 223 RCTC students. The average scholarship amount was $1000 which covered a quarter of the tuition for a full year at RCTC. One student wrote in a thank you note, “A huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders due to the scholarship I received. I currently work almost full time hours to support myself while attending college. This scholarship will make it possible to for me to work fewer hours and spend more time studying so I can master the nursing curriculum.”

Thank you, donors, for your commitment to Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) and the RCTC Foundation. Your contributions make a difference in the lives of our students and their families every day, and helps the faculty and staff of RCTC fulfill our mission of providing accessible, affordable, quality learning opportunities to a diverse and growing community.

Due to forward thinking donors who were generous enough to add the Rochester Community and Technical College Foundation in their wills, the foundation received more than $127,000 this year in restricted endowed funds from estates to provide scholarships for future RCTC students. These special types of gifts over the last 52 years have aided in the growth of the endowment which has now reached 3.9 million dollars as of August, 2013. The message from our treasured benefactors is they are giving back to help move our community forward.

RCTC has been an educational provider of quality learning in our community since 1915, and for more than 50 of those years, the Foundation has been there to support and partner with the College to secure necessary resources to promote lifelong learning.

I am sure the year ahead will hold as many challenges as opportunities for the board. Public funds alone are not enough any longer to fill the programming needs of the College or the financial aid needs of the students. With more of the cost of an education bared by the students in our state the harder it is for them to reach the goal of a college education. It will be up to the RCTC Foundation to help fill the financial gap for both the College and the students. The RCTC Board and volunteers give their time and money so others can move forward. I urge anyone who finds themselves in a situation where they can make a major gift, to consider RCTC Foundation as the designee.

In addition to the financial support for our students, your commitment to the College over the past year has also played a major role in our success. Whether it be participating in a fund-raising event, attending an athletic event, concert, or play, or just referring a student to us for their educational needs, your support continues to make a difference. Again, thank you for your contributions, and we look forward to another successful year in 2013-14. Sincerely,

Let’s move forward together! Sincerely,

Gail O’Kane Interim President

Steve Prigge

2013 Annual Report | Making a Difference: Foundation

Students We Have Made a Difference to...

Keeping the Dream Alive My name is Susana, I was born in Lima, Peru. I am a Chinese first generation student who can speak and write fluent Spanish because I was born and raised in Peru. I do not know much of my Chinese background but my Dad told me that I used to talk to my grandfather in Chinese. I was raised in Lima, Peru as a child and I am proud of my mixed ethnicity. Life wasn’t easy for me in my childhood. Education, housing and food were a struggle for my family and me. When I turned fifteen years old, my dad lost his job which resulted in a huge turn around in our lives. He couldn’t afford to pay for our school. My siblings and I had been attending a private school. So my Dad decided to move us to another school. All our childhood education was from this school. He also decided to get a car and use it as a taxicab. The time passed by fast and I was almost graduated from school when my father became depressed because he couldn’t afford to send my siblings and me to college. He also didn’t find a job and was still working as a taxi driver. I did not like the situation and also I did not know what to do to help him out. But, I knew that after I graduated from school I would look for a job to help my family out. College and Universities in Peru are expensive, and I needed to support my family and bring money home to help support the family as well. I had to work long hours for very low wages. The hours were hard on me. But, I did not stop; I just kept going. We had to pay for rent, utility bills and food. It was never enough for us. I never knew how hard it was to become successful or just to make ends meet to survive. Everything that we tried to do to make things better only turned out for the worst. We had no choice but to leave the house. We were left with no place to sleep. Luckily for us, my dad’s friend was kind and let us stay for free in a small place that was enough for us to sleep in. I knew that this situation wasn’t going anywhere. It was sad and embarrassing. But, I was proud of my dad and my family, that this situation would not break us apart. I believe that this experience made me a better person today. It made understand how to support our family and to become someone successful. Finishing my studies will help me to gain success and help my family find a better future. I came to the United States with a dream to help out my family. If it wasn’t for my parents and my siblings, I probably wouldn’t work so hard for a better life. I also appreciated all the help and support that they gave me. By continuing my studies, I could improve myself and find a good job so I can bring to my family here for a better life. Looking back on my past is nothing to be embarrassed about if it makes me stronger. This is why I decided to continue on in college so I can get a good job so my parents won’t have to worry anymore in life. I am grateful to the Rochester Community and Technical College Foundation in that I have already received the Alice Tashjian Scholarship and that I have been able to renew it for the 2013/2014 school year at Winona State University. I look forward to whatever future support I could receive from the Foundation and other wonderful organizations like it, that make so much possible for college students like me. ~ Susana, Scholarship Recipient

2013 Annual Report | Making a Difference: Foundation

Bill and Kay Haling Bill and Kay Halling met at Rochester Junior College (RJC) in 1956. Kay continued her education at the University of Minnesota graduating in 1960 and Bill graduated from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1961. They married in 1961 and raised three children. Their oldest daughter also attended RJC and continued her education obtaining a degree in Occupational Therapy. Bill enjoyed a successful career in chemical sales with Nalco Chemical Company. When Bill’s father, Otto Haling, passed in 1992, they established the Otto Haling Scholarship for the auto mechanics program in his memory. Otto had been active in speaking to students in the auto mechanics program. Kay’s mother, Myrtle Fleischer, worked in Ophthamology at the Mayo Clinic. When Myrtle passed away in 2007, they decided to establish the Myrtle R. Fleischer Nursing Scholarship in her honor. Bill and Kay appreciate the influence RJC made in their lives. They believe in Rochester Community and Technical College’s ongoing programs to educate and instruct students in life sustaining goals and aspirations.

Donors Who Have Made a Difference...

Bill Tointon Bill Tointon graduated from RCTC when it was formerly called Rochester Junior College. After RCTC he finished his education at Mankato State. Bill took the first job offer out of college to work at McGhie & Betts, Inc., a civil engineering, land surveying, environmental and planning firm with the main office located in Rochester. Bill was a board member of the RCTC Foundation for 22 years and as a board member, he worked to obtain funding to continue to provide scholarship opportunities for students who attend RCTC. He assisted in establishing the K.M. McGhie Scholarship Fund. Although Bill is no longer a Foundation Board member, he chooses to continue to support RCTC as a great place for students to earn a degree.

Catherine Egenberger Catherine began teaching in the Art + Design department at RCTC in 1999. Prior to her work at RCTC, Catherine served as the Museum Educator for Bard College in upstate New York and worked as a Project Coordinator for a non-profit research company, based in New York City, which studies learning in the visual arts. In 2011, Catherine was honored to be named one of RCTC’s three Outstanding Educators and one of four Educators of the Year for the state of Minnesota. Catherine strongly supports the RCTC Foundation because she believes it can change students’ lives. Catherine has witnessed this personally with the annual scholarships that are awarded to Art + Design students. 2013 Annual Report | Making a Difference: Foundation

2013 RCTC Foundation Investment Portfolio Report Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2013 •

Donations to RCTC Foundation: During fiscal year 2012/2013, donors generously gave $367,482 in contributions and support to the RCTC Foundation. In addition, the Foundation also received $121,693 from special events and other revenue.

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Disbursements to RCTC: The Foundation made 223 scholarship disbursements totaling $241,096 to help support RCTC students pursuing their academic goals. The Foundation also provided $31,746 in support of RCTC’s capital improvements.

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The total ending value for the investment portfolio was valued at $3,736,192 as of fiscal year ending June 30, 2013. The chart reflects beginning value plus investment performance plus net contributions/withdrawals. Total contributions to the restricted investment portfolio were $346,299 for 2012/2013.

Bricks and Mortar In August 2013, Rochester Community and Technical College will begin constructing the Workforce Center Addition on the east side of the Heintz Center. This addition brings together the Department of Employment and Economic Development, Workforce Development, Inc. and the College to improve services to students and the workforce in southeastern Minnesota. The Workforce Center Addition construction will continue until August 2014. In August 2014, the College plans to begin constructing the CTECH STEM Village Addition, also on the east side of the Heintz Center property. The CTECH component will provide a collaborative use of space for expansion of secondary career and technical programs on the Campus with significant opportunities for articulations with post-secondary providers like RCTC and Winona State University. The STEM component will provide STEM-based community resources for area K-12 educators that facilitate college-level STEM teaching and learning and professional development. The CTECH STEM Village construction will continue until August 2015. Workforce Center Co-Location Project: This collaborative effort will leverage the service resources of the Workforce Center, Inc. and the educational resources of RCTC. The Workforce Center Co-Location project will create a unique pathway for clients and students to move from college to the workforce by allowing for comprehensive, integrated, and individualized services for employers, job seekers, and those desiring economic independence: ultimately increasing Minnesota’s skilled work force. Rochester Regional Stadium – Phase III: This project will provide additional seating for up to 5,000 spectators, locker/ changing rooms, expansion of the existing press box and videotaping facility, hospitality suites, concession stand amenities, and an enhanced entrance to the bubble and a ticketing area for outside events. 2013 Annual Report | Making a Difference: Foundation

Snapshot of a Few New Scholarships Established in 2013 •

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Bill Walker Memorial Scholarship – The Bill Walker Memorial Scholarship fund was set up in memory of Bill Walker who was involved in helping those who struggle with addiction to get clean and remain sober through the services and living environment at the Cronin Home which is located in Rochester. Two semi-annual scholarships provide text books for RCTC students who are pursuing an Alcohol and Drug Counseling Degree. Dalsbo Family Scholarship – This scholarship is awarded to students pursuing a medical related career who have financial need with a GPA above 2.5 or for students who have never attended college after high school for four plus years. Preference will be given to Rochester and surrounding area residents who are currently working to fund their own education. Darlene Rucker Memorial Scholarship – Awarded to students pursuing a nursing degree who have financial need with a GPA above 2.5. The recipient must have been raised in Rochester or the surrounding area and be currently funding their own education by working. Greg Sellnow Journalism Memorial Scholarship - The family of the late Greg Sellnow and the Post-Bulletin Company established this scholarship to reflect upon the memory and legacy of Greg Sellnow’s passion and commitment to excellence in community journalism. Students must have a 2.5 GPA and intend to pursue a four year degree in print/online journalism, (not broadcasting), community engagement, financial need, community service work, and school clubs are looked at in the review.

Spotlight on:

Brian Shandley Friends and Family Fund

Brian Shandley was a former RCTC student who died in a bicycling accident on July 16, 2011. Brian was a Rochester native who enjoyed spending time with family and friends and engaging in outdoor activities like snowmobiling, hunting, fishing, and boating. A graduate of Mayo High School, Brian continued his education with RCTC, majoring in Building Utilities Mechanics (BUM). He graduated with honors from RCTC with his Associate in Applied Science in 2007, he then began his career in the maintenance department at Saint Mary’s Hospital. In March of 2011, he transferred to the Saint Mary’s Power Plant where he completed his BUM internship. In May 2012, the Shandley family donated $5,000 in Brian’s honor to the BUM department to purchase new parts and equipment to upgrade the program’s 1960’s era high pressure training boiler. The training boiler was modernized with the latest automated controls, and will be used for BUM student boiler training for years to come. The Brian Shandley Friends and Family Scholarship was also established in tribute to Brian to provide educational programming and scholarships to deserving students at the College. Each year, friends and family members have continued to contribute toward the fund to financially assist RCTC students and enhance educational programming.

Statistics of Interest 2013 Student Demographics Statistics • • • •

61% of RCTC students are female and 39% are male. Approximately 7% of RCTC students are under age 18, 27% are age 18-21, 26% are between 22 and 30, and the remaining 40% are over 30 years old. 67% of students identify as caucasian and 33% are non-caucasian or unspecified. Nearly 80% of RCTC students come from Rochester or the surrounding area.

Academic Statistics • •

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59% of students are enrolled at full-time status, while 41% are part-time. The 10 most common student majors are: Liberal Arts & Sciences, Nursing, Health Information Technology, Surgical Technology, Business Administration, Dental Hygiene, Business Management, Practical Nursing, Veterinary Technician, and Computer Science. In the 2012/2013 academic year, 358 students graduated with Associate in Science Degrees, 256 with Associate in Applied Science Degrees, 278 with Associate in Arts degrees, 3 with Associate in Fine Arts Degrees and 142 students were awarded a certificate. There were 143 students who graduated from technical programs including Carpentry, Building Utilities Mechanics, HVAC, Child/Youth/Family Studies, Auto Mechanics, Law Enforcement, or Criminal Justice.

Scholarship and Financial Aid Statistics •

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Over $241,000 in scholarships was awarded for the 2012/2013 school year. Awards ranged from $100 - $3,000, with $1,000 being the most common award amount. 501 students applied for scholarships for the 2012/2013 academic year. Of these, 120 were non-traditional students; 58 were single, custodial parents; and 111 were immigrants, minorities, or first-generation American students. 223 students were awarded with scholarships, 20 of these students were awarded with more than one scholarship. For the Fiscal Year 2012, 5,409 students were awarded some type of financial aid funding.

2013 Annual Report | Making a Difference: Foundation

UPCOMING EVENTS January 16, 2014 - 5:00 pm

2013 Annual Report | Making a Difference: Foundation Lisa Baldus, Executive Foundation and Alumni Director | Phone: 507.281.7770 | Fax: 507.280.2970 851 30th Avenue SE | Rochester MN 55904 | TTY Relay # 800.627.3529 | www.rctc.edu/foundation RCTC is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, a University Center Rochester Partner and an equal opportunity employer/educator.

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Beat the Odds Rochester International Event Center March 7, 2014

Spring FUNraiser Time/Location to be Determined April 29, 2014 - 6:00 pm

Scholarship Night University Center Rochester Regional Sports Center Performance Court

May 15, 2014 - 7:00 pm

Commencement University Center Rochester Regional Sports Center

Yellowjacket Golf Classic

Fall Date/Time to be Determined