Seen in the Press
Tech school facilities, programs grow
Maricella Miranda , Pioneer Press: September 24, 2006
DCTC wraps up $7.4 million renovation but hasn't stopped expanding
Students this year easily spotted the first major makeover at Dakota County Technical College since its opening in Rosemount 35 years ago. In the renovated west wing, students read on trendy couches, can access wireless Internet, and have study rooms and a career center at their fingertips. A bigger, better library opens in January.
"We finally have a facility that matches the quality of our programs," said college Vice President Ron Erickson. "I feel like the building finally caught up with us."
But more change is in the works.
The $7.4 million renovation is the opening act of a planning project to prioritize five main goals and other long-term goals aimed at keeping the two-year college, with roughly 6,000 enrolled, on the cutting edge of the Minnesota work force, college President Ron Thomas said.
The goals include introducing more engineering and science programs, encouraging more student involvement in local and global communities, expanding online opportunities and customized training for Minnesota businesses, and attracting a diverse student body.
Faculty, staff, students and the community will be able to comment on the goals online next month. Other long-term possibilities for the technical college include searching for additional funding options, branching into Scott County with new campuses and offering more sports opportunities for students.
A NEW PROGRAM
Bill Fish, 53, decided to explore something new after losing his job with 3M, where he worked for several years on machine design. After enrolling in a few computer classes at DCTC, he noticed an ad for a new nanotechnology program.
"I felt there was some element of risk because it was a brand-new field," he said.
Fish took a chance. Last spring, he became one of the first 13 students to graduate from the program. He and nine other students broke into the industry, mostly as technicians making $35,000 to $40,000 a year, said Mike Opp, dean of transportation and industry.
"This technology is going to be a part of probably every discipline, from auto body to a chemistry degree," Opp said. "We're tracking these (graduates) pretty close."
Nanotechnology is the field in which scientists create new materials from tiny building blocks the size of a nanometer (one-billionth of a meter, or about one-seven-thousandth the diameter of a human hair). The field could influence a wide variety of industries and promises faster computers, sharper flat-screen monitor displays and even stronger paint.
DCTC is the first college in the nation to offer a nanotechnology degree giving students a general background in the new science. Opp said the program would continue to evolve.
Twelve students enrolled in the two-year program this year. Training starts at DCTC and continues during the last semester at the University of Minnesota, where students learn to measure, test and manipulate materials at the molecular level in labs.
Professors currently teach nanotechnology separately from other sciences like biology and chemistry. But experts predict it'll be intertwined with those fields in the future.
The college also is preparing to add more online courses and, for the first time, online degrees, Erickson said. Today, 1,133 students take online courses, but college faculty anticipate that number growing 40 percent by 2009.
Another goal for the facility is to offer more specialized online training for Minnesota companies, which could easily be available to employees across the country. The facility now works with 326 companies to develop customized training for them.
"This is a new move for us and also for corporate America," Thomas said.
FOLLOWING THE INDUSTRY
Randy Shoberg knows what it's like to move for a changing industry.
Bad knees led Shoberg, 49, to retire as a business owner and start a new career as a truck driver. He moved away from his home in International Falls for the training.
"I've always been interested in truck driving. I've always had a draw to it," said Shoberg during his first week of trucking school at DCTC.
Shoberg, like other students, entered the class because of a growing need for truck drivers. The transportation industry last year experienced a shortage of 20,000 long-haul truck drivers — which could balloon to 111,000 by 2014 if today's market doesn't change, according to the American Trucking Association. Of the 3.4 million truck drivers on the road, 1.3 million are long-haul truckers.
There are several truck-driving schools in Minnesota, but DCTC is recognized as the second-best program in the nation — behind schools in Utah that offer mountain training. To stand apart from the rest, DCTC plans to earn national certification by increasing the number of hours behind the wheel and in the classroom for students, Opp said.
The program also is changing to accommodate a new group of minority students and immigrants who also are learning English. With more of the baby boom work force retiring, many industries are searching for workers in today's diverse communities.
And those workers are looking to DCTC for the training. Last school year, 14 percent of students were minorities, Erickson said. He expects that number will continue to rise.
"Our mission is education for employment," Thomas said.
"It clear it's going to be a more diverse work force," he said. "We want to continue to enhance the work force by being responsive to businesses and industries."
Maricella Miranda can be reached at mmiranda@pioneer press.com or 651-228-5421.