Grant helps foreign-born PTCC nursing students

In an effort to increase enrollment, retention and graduation rates among foreign born nursing students, Pine Technical & Community College has recently earned a grant to support these efforts.

 

“According to my research, diversity in the U.S. has grown to 24% of the population, but nationally, the nursing profession hasn’t kept pace,” said Connie Frisch, PTCC’s dean of nursing and health sciences. “Only 17% of nursing professionals reflect a diverse population. This grant will allow us to support our foreign-born students in order to grow diversity within the nursing profession statewide.”

PTCC was one of two rural Minnesota colleges to earn the grant awarded by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) Education Industry Partnerships. The intent of the grant was to support the success of foreign-born nursing students. PTCC will use the grant to provide cultural competence workshops for nursing faculty. The workshops will help faculty identify European American cultural influences in the nursing profession, as well as develop cultural competence in the classroom. Additionally, the grant will help identify students’ language ability skills and support systems and provide opportunities to offer formal diverse study groups to all nursing students.

“Because of our commitment to diversity and student success, we’re very proud to receive this grant. It will have a possible impact on all of our nursing faculty and students,” Frisch said. “Eventually, we hope to extend these workshops and practices to other programs. The grant will have a positive impact on our entire campus.”

 
The Education Industry Partnership grant honors the late Kathleen McCullough-Zander, a former nursing faculty at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Her husband, David Zander, in memory of his wife, worked with legislators in 2015 to provide an appropriation of $35,000 to support programming for foreign-born students. The legislature specified Century College and Minneapolis Community and Technical College as recipients in the Metro area for the funding, with two additional grants awarded to rural colleges – Pine Technical & Community College and Hibbing Community College.

PTCC’s Business Technology program supports today’s office professional

Administrative assistants, office managers and support staff, receptionists and clerks are all positions that continue to have a bright outlook, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. While the need for business professionals has remained steady, the skills employers seek change as quickly as the technology. In order to meet the needs of regional and state businesses, Pine Technical & Community College introduces its new Business Technology (BTEC) certificate and associate of applied science degree, starting spring semester.

 “Business professionals need to have a variety of experience and skills in order to support an office, especially in small organizations that require staff to wear a lot of hats,” said Gavin House, BTEC instructor. “Today’s office professional also needs to be familiar with marketing, accounting software, desktop publishing and management principles, as well as the fundamental communication and organization skills. Our new program covers all of these topics, along with an internship or capstone to give the graduate some real-world experience. ”

 First-year courses emphasize the basic knowledge and skills necessary to prepare students for entry-level office positions. Second-year offerings include advanced courses in business and technology as well as an internship and/or capstone course to prepare students for higher levels of employment. 

 PTCC’s BTEC program provides opportunities to become proficient in computer, business, and communication skills used by administrative and technology support positions in a wide variety of business office and customer service settings.

Coursework covers the fundamentals of business culture, written business communication, business presentations, computer fundamentals, use of current software applications and interpersonal and team development skills.

 To learn more about the program, please go to http://pine.edu/programs/business/business-technology/ or call 320.629.5100.

PTCC students complete program’s first mold and plastic articles

The goal of technical colleges is to provide their students with the hands-on, practical skills they will need to be successful in their careers. At Pine Technical & Community College, students are also bridging the gap between programs to create collaborative projects that prepare them for the job ahead – and blazing some trails as well.

 

 

Recently, PTCC Advanced Manufacturing student Mitchell Frommader has completed the first mold manufactured at the college.  He designed the part, programmed the CNC machine(s) to machine and engrave the mold. He also machined the mold base to accept the new mold along with the ejector retainer plate and ejector pins in the plastic molding machine.
 

 

After the mold was complete, it was ready for PTCC Plastic Technology students to put the piece to use.  Plastic Technology student Paul Linnerooth set up and cycled the molding machine for the first articles. He optimized the all parameters including pressures, speeds, shot size and cycle time. 





Mitch Frommader made mold in advanced manufacturing

Student Shawn Raykowski then set up the mold in the 110 ton Toshiba and programmed the robot and optimized the cycle for this press. Both molding machines are all electric servo-driven state of the art machines that were part of the Advanced Manufacturing Education Alliance (AME) to help the college focus on the high demand for skilled people in advanced manufacturing.

 

Paul Linnerooth set up and processed 1^st articles

Shawn Raykowski set up and processed with the robot

“This was truly a student-led project from start to finish,” said Plastic Technology instructor Bryan Schaupp. “With the mold modifications that Mitch has made, it will be easy and inexpensive for students and anyone who has idea for smaller plastic parts to have cheap alternative to develop their project.” Size of the inserts are approximately .5 x 2.75 x 6 inches.



For more information about the Advanced Manufacturing and the Plastic Technology programs, please call 320.629.5100 or online at www.pine.edu/programs/advanced-manufacturing-technology-programs/.




 

Technology improves access to child care training

 

Technology is helping programs like Child Care Aware (CCA) connect with their constituents in every corner of their 17-county service area, from as far north in Grand Marias to their own neighbors in Pine City. In an effort to improve accessibility to training courses, CCA is introducing mediated telepresence courses.

Mediated telepresence (MT) courses allows participants to access training from sites throughout the district to a trainer located at another site. MT training even allows for remote connections from anywhere via computer or mobile device, so providers can access face-to-face training from home.

Child Care Aware – whose mission is to promote high-quality, affordable and accessible child care of all Minnesota families – provides training courses to those in child care, whether they are licensed family daycare or center-based. Not only are many of these courses required for licensing purposes, but they are also used to earn star ratings under the voluntary Parent Aware rating system.

The goal of CCA courses are to provide high-quality training for providers to get children ready for school.  MT will expand CCA’s ability to offer courses, while increasing the availability of training to established and new providers.

“For some providers, the drive to a training site can be more than two hours, and this is after a long work day. So this gives them options,” said Wendy Walburg, district coordinator.

Mediated telepresence classes will help providers in Pine City, too. When there aren’t enough students to fill an on-site class, the training might be cancelled. Because MT courses are broadcast from an originating site to multiple locations, CCA is able to offer a wide variety of classes without the concern of the number of attendees per site.

 

Go online for more information about CCA's professional development and training. To register for training or to request more information, call 320.629.5164.

Anderson earns Mark Welter World Citizen Award

Pine Technical & Community College student Kevin Anderson is one of 20 students from Minnesota State Colleges and Universities selected for the Mark Welter World Citizen Award. The scholarship award honors MnSCU students who exemplify the thoughts, words and actions demanded by a 21st century world citizen. Anderson is enrolled in the gunsmithing and firearms technology program at PTCC.

Daudt, Rarick focus on early childhood ed, funding at PTCC

Minnesota Speaker of the House Kurt Daudt and Rep. Jason Rarick made a stop at Pine Technical & Community College during a recent tour of the region.

Pine Technical & Community College Dean of Students led the Representatives on a tour of the college, providing them an opportunity to see how legislative funding through HEAPR and leveraged equipment funds has an impact on student learning.

Following the tour, the pair met with PTCC students, faculty and staff for a listening session. While funding for the college continued to be a focus of the listening session, conversation started with funding for education at a much earlier age.

Funding $100 million for early childhood education was one of a top accomplishment for Daudt. “I’m proudest of the work we’ve done there. My goal is to fund scholarships for every student living in poverty,” he said.

Annette Weaver, professional development support coordinator for Child Care Aware, expressed her gratitude, as children in the region will be recipients of some of those scholarships. She also expressed concern about regional early childhood education providers’ ability to access the training needed to achieve a three star Parent Aware rating. “If we could get that deadline extended by even a year, would be a help,” Weaver said.

Turning back to funding for the college and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, Daudt thanked the faculty and staff for their work in preparing the workforce. “We have employers that have positions they can’t fill. We funded MnSCU because of the innovation ways you’ve found to meet employer needs,” he said.

Pine Technical & Community College named to Military Times 20 Best for Vets

 

The Veterans’ Center on the PTCC campus is a place for students who are veterans, active service members or family to meet, connect with resources and even study. From left is Veterans’ Club advisor Chris Morgan, Duluth Vet Center Readjustment Counselor Stacy Rhodes, Veterans’ Center student worker Daniel Sawatzky and Veterans’ Club student president Haven Badrawi.

 PINE CITY, Minn. – Pine Technical & Community College is proud to be included in Military Times Best for Vets: Career and Technical Colleges 2016 rankings. PTCC was ranked number 17, one of only two Minnesota schools to earn a spot in the top 20 career and technical colleges.

 The organization, made up of Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times, focused on culture and curriculum that caters to military veterans when conducting and scoring the annual survey of schools that self-identify as career and technical colleges.

 “We’re very honored by this distinction, because it continues to validate our efforts to help veterans achieve their education goals,” said PTCC President Joe Mulford. “After the sacrifices our veterans and active service members make, we’re proud to give back.”

 “This is an important distinction because it shows that the college not only cares about their veteran students, but care enough to share what they are doing in hopes of making it better on a national scale,” said Chris Morgan, a veteran who is now PTCC’s Cyber-Security instructor and Veteran’s Club faculty advisor. “The Military Times website is a one-stop-shop for not only active duty, but all veterans from all branches to find out the latest information that effects them and their benefits.”

 As with all of the Best for Vets rankings, Best for Vets: Career & Technical Colleges is an editorially independent news project that evaluates the many factors that make an institution a good fit for military veterans. Career and technical colleges respond to the same Best for Vets: Colleges survey as two-year institutions on up.  The survey tool is a highly respected analysis of a college’s complete offerings for veterans.

It’s not just the items measured in the survey that make PTCC a veteran-friendly school, according to Morgan. “I can sum it up with one word -- attitude. As a 26 year Air Force retiree, I never expected the treatment I received when I first started here at PTCC. I was welcomed with open arms and treated like I was family,” Morgan said. “My transition to civilian life was not easy. I have numerous deployments and years spent away from my family. I joined when I was 17 years old and the military was all I ever knew. The administration and staff at PTCC understood that and became like a second family to me almost right away. It is this “attitude” that has led PTCC to receive this distinction, I have no doubt.”

 “It’s the people like Shawn Reynolds (financial aid director and veteran’s coordinator) and Paula Hoffman (dean of students) that ensure this program is meeting the veterans’ needs to ensure current and future success,” Morgan continued.

Pine Technical & Community College has an active Veteran’s Center and Veteran’s Club on campus. In addition, admissions and financial aid staff can assist veterans identify and claim their education benefits. For more information about PTCC’s programs, including information regarding how to apply call 320-629-5100 or online at www.pine.edu.