Riverland Community College Theatre and Music departments present the new musical version of a classic story Little Women, starting April 25 at 7:30 p.m. The musical continues April 26, 27 May 2, 3, 4 at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee on May 5 at 2 p.m. All performances are at the Frank W. Bridges Theatre on the Austin Campus.

Riverland Community College and Enterprise Minnesota are currently accepting registrations for a free State of Manufacturing event to be held at the Albert Lea Campus May 29 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the Lecture Hall (Room 124). Bob Kill, Enterprise Minnesota president, will discuss findings from its fifth annual State of Manufacturing® survey results that report on the state’s manufacturing outlook and the industry’s top issues. Enterprise Minnesota conducted hundreds of phone surveys and 20 focus groups with manufacturing executives across the state to understand their perceptions and opinions on the economy and other major issues impacting business.

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) Board of Trustees presented the system’s highest academic honor, the Educator of the Year Award for Excellence in Teaching, to four faculty members including Dr. Alan Erdahl, Riverland Community College biology instructor. The MnSCU Board of Trustees bestows the award to acknowledge and reward exceptional professional accomplishment and to encourage ongoing excellence in teaching.

Riverland Community College has named Matt Bissonette has the new dean of workforce education.

“We are excited to have Matt as part of our academic team,” said Mary Davenport, interim vice president of academic and student affairs. “As a college on the move with exciting programs and new program development, Riverland is a key partner in meeting the area’s workforce needs and growing the region’s economy. Matt’s experience with the private and nonprofit sectors brings fresh collaboration skills that will strengthen and build Riverland's relationships with business and industry.”

Riverland Community College has named J.C. Turner as the new interim dean of liberal arts and sciences.

“We are excited to have J.C. as part of our academic team,” said Mary Davenport, interim vice president of academic and student affairs. “J.C.’s experience in teaching is important to growing strong faculty, while his experience within the four-year college environment will bring opportunities to enhance collaboration with our university partners. Building upon our current university partnerships will allow Riverland Community College students enhanced options for seamless transfer and additional possibilities for baccalaureate degree completion.”

Doherty Staffing Solutions and Riverland Community College Foundation are working together to raise scholarship dollars for Riverland Community College students. Funds raised from the Scholarship Golf Classic—now in its seventh year—will go to scholarships for Riverland Community College students. Over the years, the Scholarship Golf Classic has raised more than $125,000 for Riverland students.

When Suhai Boyer graduates this spring from Riverland Community College, she will be among the first outstate students to earn an associate’s degree in Translating and Interpreting (TRIN) through a program offered jointly by Riverland and Century College in White Bear Lake, Minn. The TRIN program has been offered since 2010 through interactive television (ITV) classes where students take classes in specially equipped Riverland classrooms and are able to interact with their teachers and colleagues at the Century College in White Bear Lake.

The Riverland Community College Athletic Booster Club has scheduled its 26^th annual golf tournament on Monday, June 3 at the Austin Country Club. The golf fundraiser starts at 12:30 p.m. with dinner at 6:00 p.m. There will be a silent auction throughout the day. This event is a critical fundraiser for the Athletic Booster Club to help support all athletic programs at Riverland. The college does not offer scholarships for its student-athletes. The Foundation Blue Devils Athletic Booster Club is a supportive organization and annually raises more than $10,000 to help support all six programs including men’s soccer, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, softball and baseball.

More than 85 healthcare educators/clinicians from the five-state region are scheduled to attend Friday’s Minnesota Simulation Conference hosted by Riverland Community College with conference partners HealthForce Minnesota and Laerdal Medical. The conference features experts from the healthcare simulation industry, provide professional development/learning opportunities for attendees and facilitate networking and building/enhancing a simulation community.

The Riverland Athletic Golf Fundraiser scheduled for June 3 has been postponed until June 24. The large amount of rainfall we have received over the past few weeks has caused the Austin Country Club to restrict the use of golf carts on the course.

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities presented the Academic and Student Affairs awards and Diversity awards at its annual joint meeting of chief academic and student affairs officers - college and university deans held May 30-31 at Normandale Community College. Diversity awards recognize programs and individuals for fostering a diverse faculty, staff and student body and providing quality services and support.

Bonnie Rietz of The Hormel Foundation awarded Cycles for Success scholarships as part of Austin High’s 2013 Scholarship Ceremony at Austin High School’s Christgau Hall May 23. The Hormel Foundation is dedicated to help Austin students attend Riverland Community College. More than $540,000 in “Cycles for Success” scholarships have been awarded in the past three years to graduates of Austin High School and Pacelli Catholic Schools. Scholarship amounts range from $1,000 to 6,000 based on the student’s financial need.

The popular musical I Do! I Do! will open Summerset Theatre’s 46^th season on June 11. This touching story, set to a tuneful, charming score, follows one couple as they navigate the perils of married life together. From their wedding day vows to their 50th anniversary, the story of Michael and Agnes has been called “amusing, astonishingly touching and truly endearing.” The book and lyrics are by Tom Jones and music is by Harvey Schmidt, the composer/lyricist team behind The Fantasticks.  I Do! I Do! is based on the play The Fourposter by Jan De Hartog.

Justin Carlson (Austin), a Riverland Community College collision repair student, has won a gold medal in the Minnesota SkillsUSA contest in the collision repair competition. Carlson advances to the SkillsUSA Championship in Kansas City, Mo., June 25-27, as part of the SkillsUSA 49th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC), a showcase of career and technical education students. During the national competition, Carlson and other students work against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations like electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting and culinary arts. Top student winners receive gold, silver and bronze medallions. Many also receive prizes such as tools of their trade and/or scholarships to further their careers and education.

The Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) today approved an operating budget for fiscal 2014 that freezes undergraduate tuition at fiscal 2013 levels. This is the first of a two-year tuition freeze made possible by a $78 million appropriation by the state legislature during the 2013 session.

Summerset Theatre continues its 46^th season on July 9 with the funny and moving play Steel Magnolias. The quintessential story of family and friendship in a unique Southern sisterhood, Steel Magnolias is a skillfully crafted portrayal of eccentricity, loyalty and love set in a small-town beauty parlor in Louisiana. This humorously revealing play will take you on an emotional journey filled with laughter and tears.

Riverland Community College offers campers from our region the opportunity to attend the Dream It Do It VEX Robotics Camp July 15-19 at the Albert Lea Campus. The camp is from 9 .a.m. to 3 p.m. each day and designed for students entering grades 7-12 who are interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Each day will consist of a different challenge with robotics. Participants design and build a robot using basic and intermediate VEX mechanisms, learn autonomous programming and learn how to program robots using sensor inputs and quadrature encoders. The camp concludes Friday with a mini?challenge the participants’ family members are invited to attend.

Prior to starting as president of Riverland Community College July 1, I met with more than 30 current Riverland employees and community members to gather information about Riverland’s history, its current path and future needs. As we prepare for the new academic year starting in August, I must acknowledge the good work of my immediate predecessors, Dr. Terrence Leas and more recently, interim president, Dr. Kent Hanson.

Many have asked for my vision. A shared vision is better than a unilateral vision. Therefore, I prefer that we go through a process that would lead Riverland to a destination most will embrace as best for the College. It is my responsibility and intention to guide this process in a timely manner. Riverland will always remember that we serve students, employers and our communities at large.