Building the University

DrRobbynWacker

4 BUILDING THE UNIVERSITY

TO PREPARE LEADERS OF THE FUTURE

Every spring offers a season of renewal, filled with possibilities for fresh starts and new beginnings. As we reflect on 2020, we know for many it was a harrowing year – a time when the fear and isolation of a pandemic and the strife of racial unrest and injustice jolted our world and campus community. The members of our St. Cloud State community sprang into action to protect the pack and rallied to ensure a high quality experience for all of our students in such challenging times. While we shifted our interactions to the remote environment, our community response, communication and outreach, along with teaching and learning, were high impact and rigorous. We never lost our focus to bring our Huskies home and protect the pack by creating a safe learning environment.

Spring 2021 is especially welcome, as it brings the hope of emerging from the long, dark tunnel of a pandemic and the fierce waves of racial and political upheaval. Weathering these times, our faculty and staff worked hard to sustain our great university traditions and plan initiatives to realize our It’s Time work together. We continued to find ways to build on our institutional strengths to present a university of academic distinction, with expert faculty scholars who bring individualized attention to student success that occurs in an environment that fosters diversity, equity and inclusion.

Some of our many campus connections to the It’s Time framework for moving St. Cloud State into the future are highlighted in the feature stories of this issue of our St. Cloud State Magazine. We are pleased to share information on the launch of an Institute of Technology. The institute will serve as an incubator for the exchange of ideas and practices that align industry and community partners with students in courses related to engineering, technology, and integrative and applied science. Serving Central Minnesota, the research of faculty and students will focus on a problem or need presented by an industry/ community partner. As students learn course content, they will apply core concepts to real circumstances. This learning model makes immediate connections for students as they quickly translate coursework into action and increase their confidence and marketable skills. Most importantly, our students can make a difference for our partners.

We spotlight the increasingly popular Professional Selling Program of the Herberger Business School. Sales education is a quickly evolving field and St. Cloud State’s certificate has led to more than 200 student completions since 2014 and more than 100 students participating in activities each year. Our faculty conceptualize sales professionals as problem solvers and work with industry partners to equip students with the drive and skill sets to continuously learn and stay current in their fields of interest. Students work in a mock office setting where they practice and gain real-time faculty feedback on presentations and interactions. Each year students anticipate the ever-popular Professional Selling competition where they challenge themselves and test their skills. Central to the success of this initiative is its partnerships that result in a rich network of guest speakers, job shadowing opportunities, and potential future employment for our Huskies.

We also shine a light on the innovative pathways for preparing future educators. For more than 150 years, teachers, principals and school district administrators around the state have learned the essential tools for teaching and earned advanced training for degree completion and credentialing here on our campus. The deep roots of our College of Education extend to a rich network of educators statewide. St. Cloud State alumni are employed in at least 276 of the 329 Minnesota school districts and in an additional 96 public charter schools and service cooperatives across the state.

The focus of our College of Education leadership and its faculty aligns with the It’s Time framework as it has continuously responded to the needs of learners with innovations in clinical practice that stem from the Model School of the 1870s to the Lab School of the 1960s. Building on its strong foundation, the college continued at the leading edge as a trailblazer in a co-teaching movement for teacher preparation, and later, the Lindgren Early Learning Center to contribute to a bright and equitable future for education. Continuously striving to achieve academic excellence while providing relevant and cutting edge academic programs is one of the major tenets of It’s Time. I look forward to even more achievements and milestones in the College of Education as new opportunities for innovations in clinical practice and teacher preparation are explored.

Without the resilience and drive of our faculty and staff, these initiatives would not be possible. Furthermore, our efforts would not come to fruition without our partnerships. And most importantly, if not for our generous donors and support of our alumni, our work would simply become that much harder or hindered for a much slower pace and a limited impact. I am thankful to all of you for your investment in the future of St. Cloud State and our students.

Dr. Robbyn Wacker President, St. Cloud State University