Riverland Community College Theatre and Music departments will launch their 2014-2015 season on Oct. 8 with Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein, a musical revue that combines many of the greatest hits from beloved classic musicals by the duo. Some Enchanted Evening celebrates their music by presenting their most popular songs in a new context. The songs featured in the show include “If I Loved You,” “I Have Dreamed,” “I Cain’t Say No,” “I Enjoy Being a Girl,” “Hello, Young Lovers,” “Shall We Dance,” “This Nearly Was Mine,” “A Cockeyed Optimist,” and “Younger Than Springtime,” among many more.

The Otto Bremer Foundation awarded the first grants to fund the Finish Line Scholarship Program within the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system Thursday. The program, announced in May, will provide up to $4 million in scholarships over two years to select MnSCU colleges located in or near Bremer Bank communities. Riverland Community College receives $200,000.

Riverland Community College, in conjunction with “College Knowledge Month,” will waive the application fee for all high school seniors that apply to attend Riverland Oct. 27-31. The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system is participating in “College Knowledge Month,” a statewide effort to provide every graduating high school senior with the preparation, opportunity, and support needed to apply to college.

Riverland Community College will host the MnSCU Charting the Future Gallery Walk Oct. 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Atrium at the Albert Lea Campus. Students, faculty, staff and the community are all welcome to attend this open-house style event to learn more about the work of the Charting the Future (CTF) teams and – most importantly – provide feedback about the initial ideas.

History Theatre’s adaptation of Tim O’Brien’s award-winning novel will be presented at Riverland Community College’s Frank W. Bridges Theatre. The Things They Carried by Worthington native Tim O’Brien is considered by many to be the quintessential book about the experience of American soldiers during and after the Vietnam War. Stephen D’Ambrose, directed by Leah Cooper, performs the novel adapted for the stage by Minnesota storyteller Jim Stowell as a one-man show.

Riverland Community College Theatre continues its 2014-15 season with the classic comedy She Stoops To Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith. This boisterous and charming comedy of mistaken identities has delighted audiences for over two centuries with its outright hilarity and nonstop frolic. Two well-bred young men arrive at the country estate of Mr. Hardcastle, intending to court his daughter Kate and her cousin Constance, but when a mischievous relative plays a practical joke on the two urbanites, the Hardcastle household is launched into a dizzying romp that examines romance and social manners as well as the art of love.

Riverland Community College Foundation received a $13,000 AT&T donation today to support its scholarship programs during a check presentation on the Austin campus. The AT&T donation will support 13 scholarships at $1,000 each for Riverland Community College freshmen who are pursuing a STEM-based (science, technology, engineering and math) career pathway.

Riverland Community College will host several information sessions for Austin students who will be graduating in June, summer or fall 2015 and want to learn about the Cycles for Success scholarship process and the basic financial aid process.

Coldspring, one of the largest natural stone quarrier and manufacturers in North America serving the architectural, memorial, residential and industrial markets since 1898 recently collaborated with Riverland Community College to provide scholarship support to Industrial Maintenance and Mechanics (IMMR) students. Facing the growing shortage for skilled labor across Minnesota, Coldspring sought out a partnership with a quality community college program to support students preparing for a career in industrial maintenance and mechanics.

Today, Riverland celebrated a significant milestone, the notification that its 50th course has received Quality Matters® (QM®) certification for online courses. This achievement places Riverland at the forefront of the QM® movement among public institutions of higher education in Minnesota and demonstrates Riverland's commitment to providing a high-quality online educational experience to its students. Currently, Riverland courses represent 20 percent of all of the QM certified courses within the U of M and MnSCU public higher education systems.

Riverland Community College is pleased to announce the students whose academic achievement placed them on the 2014 fall president’s and dean’s lists. Riverland congratulates these individuals for their outstanding academic accomplishments.

Donovan Germain, a Riverland Alum performs at Riverland Sunday for a one night only concert as part of the nationally-known group, the Cat’s Pajamas. Although, the time to promote the appearance was limited, Blankenbaker couldn't pass up on an opportunity to feature one of Riverland’s talented alums. “We are excited to be able to bring The Cat’s Pajamas to Austin. These guys were featured performers on NBC’s The Voice tour this summer and have built a reputation for their high-energy, high-quality performances."

Riverland Community College’s student organization, The Nursing Forum, and Nursing program will host a Health and Wellness Fair on Thursday, Feb. 19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Austin Campus in the East Building Main Street area. The Nursing Forum wanted to provide an opportunity for Riverland students, faculty, staff and community to get information about the promotion of good health and wellness in a fun and interesting way.

Riverland Community College has scheduled a College Fair Open House with a variety of different public and private colleges and universities at the Owatonna Campus. This free event, open to all students, parents and community members, provides an opportunity to meet with colleges and universities to explore the opportunities available to students in the Owatonna area.

Riverland Community College Theatre continues its 2014-15 season with the classic drama “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. Riverland Theatre Director Lindsey Duoos Williams directs The Crucible. The set and lighting designer is Mark Spitzer. The costumes are by Carley Carranza and Jennifer Wiebrand. The production is stage managed by Ian Bearden.

On March 3, Riverland Theatre will be hosting the award-winning professional theatre company Ten Thousand Things as they present their production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Meredith Willson’s classic American rags-to-riches story of a woman who can’t decide whether money or love is more important.

Minnesota State University, Mankato and Riverland Community College jointly announced today a partnership between the two institutions that offers international degree-seeking students seamless transfer from Riverland to Minnesota State Mankato while also promoting English language acquisition. The “Future Maverick Program, International Pathway Agreement” is designed to increase access, enrollment and degree completion for international students to Riverland and Minnesota State Mankato.

Minnesota State University, Mankato and Riverland Community College jointly announced last week a partnership that offers degree-seeking Riverland students the opportunity to be enrolled in the “Future Maverick Program, Transfer Pathway.” The “Future Maverick Program, Transfer Pathway Agreement” is designed to promote the completion of the associate’s degree and seamless transfer of students from Riverland to Minnesota State Mankato’s bachelor degree programs.