Riverland Community College Collision Repair Technology department accepted a donation of $42,744.79 for a Waterborne Paint Mixing System from business partners at Auto Body Specialists and PPG.

Riverland Community College is less than a month away from the Hall of Fame weekend to be held in Austin and Albert Lea May 29 through June 1, but continues the search for several alumni inductees or their families to accept their awards.

Knutson Construction, one of the premier construction companies in the upper Midwest since 1911, recently provided scholarship support to Riverland Community College Carpentry Technology students, a donation that tripled in value with matching funds.

Riverland Community College is pleased to announce the students whose academic achievement placed them on the 2015 spring president’s and dean’s lists. Riverland congratulates these individuals for their outstanding academic accomplishments.

Riverland Community College has named Dr. Uchenna Chukwu as Riverland Community College’s new Director of the Center for Agricultural and Food Science Technology.

Governor Mark Dayton announced that Riverland Community College Cosmetology instructor Rhonda Besel has been appointed to the Board of Cosmetology Examiners effective June 24. Her four-year term expires January 7, 2019. She replaces Robert Salmonson on the board.

Riverland Community College Theatre Director Lindsey Duoos Williams announced the Theatre Department’s 2015-2016 season today. This year's season presents everything from classic comedies to modern dramas on the Riverland stage.

The Hormel Foundation approved a grant of $263,200 to Riverland Community College to launch an innovative new program to create an agriculture technology "center of excellence" in Austin. The fund supports scholarships, equipment, program development and outreach to realize the college’s vision to create a global center for agriculture and food science innovation in Austin.

After three years of planning and almost a year of instruction, students in the first Riverland Community College cosmetology class at the Federal Correctional Institute (FCI), Waseca are nearing the home stretch. By mid-November 12 inmates should have the training, skills and qualifications to work as a licensed cosmetologist in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Association for Career and Technical Education (MnACTE) announced that Tom Anderson, Riverland Community College Farm Business Management instructor, has received the ACTE/ Region III Postsecondary Teacher of the Year Award for 2015.

We ask each of you to celebrate all you have done to create today’s Riverland. You put the community in Riverland Community College. Riverland’s heart beats with its continued dedication “to our students, our mission and our communities.”

Innovance/Lou Rich, a local manufacturer in Albert Lea, recently donated a Mori Seiki lathe machining station to the new machining program at Riverland Community College’s Albert Lea Campus. The station teaches students Computer Numerical Control (CNC) operation.

Riverland Community College Theatre and Music departments begins their 2015-2016 season with the beloved musical Into the Woods, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. Recently made into a popular Disney film, Into the Woods is a rare modern-day classic that continues to challenge and entertain us.

The U.S. Education Department recently announced that Riverland Community College will be awarded $219,997 in FY 16 as part of the $270 million provided to 968 institutions of higher education. These funds provide thousands of students with academic and other support services they need to succeed in college. The grants are aimed at helping increase the number of low-income college students, first-generation students and those with disabilities to successfully complete a program of study at the post secondary level.

James Douglass, Riverland Community College’s executive director of communications, media relations and marketing has been named the National Council of Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) 2015 Communicator of the Year for District 5. NCMPR District 5 includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, the Canadian province of Manitoba, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands.

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. 26-30. 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’s U.S.A. Cultural Studies class is offering a new travel opportunity which includes four days and three nights exploring the cultural offerings of Chicago. Participants receive a round trip motor coach from Austin to a downtown Chicago hotel, with additional motor coach transportation within the city. Experienced faculty serve as guides and the course includes two pre-trip meetings to help participants customize the trip to their cultural, historical and personal interests.

Riverland Community College and South Central College will host several information sessions about area healthcare employment and education featuring these in-demand jobs: Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN), Patient Care Assistant (PCA), and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). The healthcare profession needs people of all ages to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Long term care and other healthcare providers in our region have a growing need for trained LPNs, PCAs and CNAs.