University of Minnesota Crookston

University of Minnesota, Crookston

Type	Public Comprehensive Baccalaureate College
Established	1905 as the NWSA/1966 as UMC
Chancellor	Dr. Fred E. Wood
Students	1,802 degree seeking
Location	Crookston , MN , USA
Campus	Rural, 108 acres (44 ha)
Colors	Maroon & Gold
Affiliations	University of Minnesota system
Mascot	Golden Eagles
Website	http://www.umcrookston.edu

The University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) is a four-year university located in Crookston, Minnesota. With 1,802 undergraduate students, it is one of five campuses in the University of Minnesota system. Currently, students from 17 countries and 46 states are enrolled (Fall 2012).

Located on the northern edge of Crookston, Minnesota, off U.S. Highway 2, the 108-acre (44 ha) campus (237-acre (96 ha) including research plots of the Northwest Research and Outreach Center) is situated in the Red River Valley, one of the richest and most diversified agricultural regions in the United States. The region is the transition point from the forested areas of the east to the great plains of the Dakotas.

The University of Minnesota, Crookston uses the marketing slogan "Small Campus. Big Degree." The statement is meant to highlight the attraction and benefits of studying in a small, friendly, close-knit campus environment while earning a degree from the University of Minnesota system, a highly regarded brand name in education.

History

1906 view of the Northwest School of Agriculture - Crookston

In 1895, the Minnesota legislature appropriated $30,000 to construct experimental research farms at Morris and Crookston. The Great Northern Railway, under the guidance of James J. Hill, donated 476 acres (193 ha), and the Northwest Experiment Station was established.

In 1905, the Minnesota legislature appropriated $15,000 to establish the Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA), a regional residential agricultural high school. The school provided training in "the technical and practical business of agriculture and in the art of homemaking." The school year began in October and ended in March to accommodate farm students. In 1906, the Northwest School of Agriculture officially opened.

In 1963, the University of Minnesota Bureau of Field Studies began examining the need for a two-year institution of higher education at the NWSA and, in the fall of 1966, the University of Minnesota Technical Institute, a two-year (associate) degree granting institution, opened its doors to the first incoming class of 187 students.

For two years the NWSA and the Technical Institute shared the campus. In the spring of 1968 a torch was passed—figuratively and literally—from the 60th and final graduating class of the NWSA to the first graduating class of the Technical Institute, now an official coordinate campus of the University of Minnesota. In all, 5,433 students completed their high school education at the NWSA. Later in 1968 the name of the campus was changed from the University of Minnesota Technical Institute to the University of Minnesota Technical College.

By 1977, the University of Minnesota Technical College had nearly 1,000 students taking classes in a range of degree options in the areas of agriculture; business; home and family services; and hotel, restaurant and institutional management. In 1988, the name was changed to the University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC).

In 1993, the University of Minnesota, Crookston became a baccalaureate degree granting institution. That same year, the U of M, Crookston launched its "Laptop U" initiative, providing laptop computers to all students and faculty. It is widely recognized as the first college in the U.S. to have created a fully ubiquitous computing teaching and learning environment. Over the next few years, more than 100 colleges and universities from across the U.S. and Canada visited the campus to learn more about this innovation. Some of these adopted programs modeled closely after UMC’s.

External Link: A Brief History of the U of M, Crookston Campus

Campus

The 108-acre (44 ha) campus (237-acre (96 ha) including research plots for the Northwest Research and Outreach Center) is located on the northern edge of the city of Crookston and includes numerous tree species and flower gardens bordering a spacious mall. Less than a mile away lies a natural history area that contains virgin prairie land. Facilities built or renovated within the last decade include three new residence halls (2006, 2009, 2013), the centrally located Sargeant Student Center (2005), renovated Kiehle Building (2003), an indoor animal science facility with an equine arena and stables, various biology and chemistry labs, a recreational and athletic complex (new gym floor installed 2007), a horticulture complex, an environmental science facility, and an early childhood education center.

External Link: Map of the U of M, Crookston Campus

In addition to facilities dedicted to its undergraduate educational mission, the Crookston campus is home to a variety of partner organizations and agencies, most of which are affiliated with the University of Minnesota system:

• The Northwest Research and Outreach Center acquires, interprets and disseminates research knowledge for agricultural and other constituencies.
• University of Minnesota Extension, Crookston Regional Center delivers educational programs to residents and communities.
• The EDA Center for Minnesota is one of more than 40 university centers nationwide supported by the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. It conducts applied research, provides direct technical assistance, and delivers educational programs to economic development agencies that support the economy of rural communities throughout Minnesota.
• The Center for Rural Entrepreneurial Studies (CRES), established with a grant from the U.S. Department of Education in the fall of 2010, engages students, faculty, and research facilities on the Crookston campus to nurture the entrepreneurial culture and strengthen the economic vitality of Northwest Minnesota.
• The Northwest Regional Partnership for Sustainable Development connects regional and University resources to develop a sustainable future for the region.
• The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI), a public non-profit corporation, develops new uses and new markets for agricultural products.
• Northwest Educational Technology System (NETS) is a coalition of regional higher education institutions employing communications technology to foster cooperation, communication, efficiency, and access.
• Valley Technology Park, operated by the City of Crookston, is a small business incubation facility just north of campus.
• The Minnesota Rural Health Association (MRHA) is a membership organization that exists to help rural citizens, healthcare providers, and organizations learn about how public policy issues may affect them and to teach them advocacy for their interests.
• The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) matches the skills and experiences of volunteer retirees to community needs.

• Located about two miles from campus at RiverView Health in Crookston, The Northwest Area Health Education Center (AHEC) is a federal/state cooperative agreement to educate health profession students in medically underserved areas of the state. Crookston is taking leadership in collaborating with other communities in the region to promote existing health programs and to bring community and University interests together to address health-care workforce concerns in the region.
• The 85-acre (34 ha) Red River Valley Natural History Area (containing prairie, marshes, and forests) is located near campus and is used extensively for practice in conservation techniques and nature observation.

Academics

The University of Minnesota, Crookston delivers 27 undergraduate degree programs [1], 36 concentrations, and 18 minors through four academic departments: Agriculture and Natural Resources; Business; Liberal Arts and Education; and Math, Science and Technology. Since 2004 the campus has earned approval from the University of Minnesota Board of Regents to offer additional bachelor's degree programs in Biology, Communication, Criminal Justice, Environmental Sciences, Health Sciences (pre-professional), Marketing, Quality Management, and Software Engineering. In December of 2012 the Minnesota State Board of Teaching approved a degree program in Elementary Education (approved by the U of M Board of Regents in spring of 2012), making that the most recent addition to UMC's list of majors. The addition of these programs has offered increased options and broadened the appeal of the campus for prospective students.

The top five degree programs with the greatest enrollment (in order) are Business Management, Natural Resources, Equine Science, Animal Science, and Sport and Recreation Management.

The curriculum for programs offered by the Crookston campus has a focus on experiential learning, applied skills, and technology, and graduates of UMC have high placement rates in positions within their chosen discipline. Class sizes range from 10 to 65 students with a student-faculty ratio of 17:1. Numerous opportunities exist for students to "learn by doing" through special projects for campus offices, undergraduate research projects, service learning activities, and applied internships, which are required in all degree programs.

As of fall semester 2011, ten degree programs are offered entirely online (as well as on-campus). They include Accounting (B.S.), Applied Health (B.A.H.), Applied Studies (B.S.), Business (B.S.), Communication (B.S.), Health Management (B.S.), Information Technology Management (B.S.), Manufacturing Management (B.M.M.), Marketing (B.S.), and Quality Management (B.M.M.). These online programs are administered through the Center for Adult Learning [2]. In January 2011, the New Century Learning Consortium (NCLC), founded at the University of Illinois, Springfield, added the University of Minnesota, Crookston as its 10th member. [3] The NCLC is designed to assist universities in implementing high quality, large-scale online and blended learning programs.

In 2006, the University of Minnesota, Crookston received full accreditation for the maximum period of ten years from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.[4] Since that time the campus has received approval to use the HLC's Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) as its assessment process for accreditation. With AQIP, an institution works on continuous quality improvement activities, and accreditation becomes a continuous process.

Athletics

The University of Minnesota, Crookston Golden Eagles compete in NCAA Division II athletics in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The mascot is an eagle named "Regal" [5]. UMC offers the following sports:

Men's Sports

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Football
• Golf

Women's Sports

• Basketball
• Equestrian
• Golf
• Soccer
• Softball
• Tennis
• Volleyball

Ice Hockey

The UMC Golden Eagles hockey team played at the NCAA Division III level in the MCHA hockey-only conference through the 2008-2009 season. Being a Division II school the university operated the hockey team with no scholarships under Division III guidelines. The University discontinued the varsity hockey program following that season. UMC will honor the financial commitment to the new ice arena built in 2009 in Crookston, Minn. The campus signed a five-year lease beginning in 2010. The university currently fields a club hockey team in the Division 2 American Collegiate Hockey Association.

Administration

The University of Minnesota, Crookston is governed by policies established by the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. The president of the University of Minnesota provides oversight to the chancellor at the U of M, Crookston. The senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs oversees both student affairs and the five academic departments with leadership in each area provided by a department head. For more detail, review the organizational chart [6]

Technology

Technology is deeply integrated in teaching and learning throughout the institution. The Crookston campus gained national attention in 1993 when it became the first university in the United States to issue laptop computers to every full-time student and faculty member, something it continues to do as part of the campus culture and student experience. Students pay a technology fee each semester to help fund the initiative as well as related technology maintenance and upgrades. In return each student is issued a powerful laptop computer with standardized, preinstalled software. As the original “Laptop U” with more than 17 years of leadership in technology integration, the U of M, Crookston also helps students develop day-to-day technology skills in an environment richly immersed in technology and related applications. Employers consistently report that the U of M, Crookston graduates they hire are extremely well prepared for the demands of today’s technological workplace.

The U of M, Crookston was also the first campus in the University of Minnesota system to offer degrees online.

In fall of 2010 the U of M, Crookston's Math, Science, and Technology Department began construction of an immersive visualization and informatics lab. Funded with federal stimulus dollars, the project features an immersive visualization room, which allows users to experience visual data in a 3-D format, as well as a separate informatics room with various large screens on which data is projected in various ways for analysis. The lab is intended to supplement the student experience for those enrolled in the software engineering degree program but is available for use by students and faculty in any academic discipline.

Student organizations

The many student organizations are tailored to the interests of Crookston campus students. There are approximately 40 clubs and organizations for students to join. Every academic area has one or more correlating student organizations, making it easy to meet and network with other students in the same interest area or major.

The Crookston Student Association (CSA) is the student governing body and serves as a conduit for student concerns to administration.[7] The Crookston Student Association Executive Board meets weekly with its faculty and staff advisors to act on student concerns, plan campus events and represent the voice of the student across the campus and system wide. The CSA President serves as the Student Body President. 2012-2013 CSA President is Adam Switzer.

National recognition

U of M, Crookston has received national recognition for its technology integration and academic offerings including:

• Named among the top 161 "Best Midwestern Colleges" for 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2008 by the Princeton Review.
• Has ranked among the top four US News & World Report "Best Colleges" in the "Midwest Public Regional Colleges" category for fifteen consecutive years, from 1998 - 2013. It ranks #2 in its category for the 2013 listing.
• Its online degree in business management was ranked among the "Top 10 Online Bachelor of Business Administration Degree Programs of 2011" by The Best Colleges, an online college search resource based in San Antonio, Texas.
• Named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll in 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2010
• Yahoo! Internet Life Online ranked UMC the number 1 "Most Wired College in America" for 2000 in its category.
• U of M, Crookston received the Pioneer Award at the Fourth Annual Conference on Ubiquitous Computing in January 2001.
• U of M, Crookston technology initiatives have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Converge Magazine, Online Learning Magazine, and on Minnesota Public Radio.

See also

• List of colleges and universities in Minnesota
• Higher education in Minnesota

External links

• University of Minnesota–Crookston official website
• University of Minnesota–Crookston Golden Eagles Athletics website
• University of Minnesota System official website
• Minnesota-Crookston ACHA hockey website