Did you know Southeast Technical's "Hard Hat Honey's" raised over $7,000 and supplied two work crews over the summer, to assist in building Habitat for Humanity homes in both Rushford and Winona?

Teams assembled early last year in the Winona area to launch the first "Woman Build" project close to home. Southeast Technical faculty and staff knew they wanted in on the action when Dr. Jessica Stumpf put out the call to action.

Over 30 interested participants met, planned and coordinated multiple fundraising activities to qualify and participate as a team. Baskets were assembled and offered for silent auction, can coolies were printed and sold and a pork chop dinner was held last spring to raise funds.

Throughout the summer months, work continued as two workdays were assigned, and volunteers signed up to help at the job site. Teamembers worked side-by-side with job site managers, Americorps volunteers and the home's future owners to help make the new homeowners dreams become a reality.

Behind the scenes, those who weren't building were busy coordinating snacks, refreshments and lunch for the work crew. Thank you to all who worked on and off and from the beginning to end of this worthwhile project. It was gratifying to know we were part of something that will bring great joy to a new and deserving homeowner and will have lasting presence in our communities for many, many years to come. Learn more about our local "WomenBuild" teams here.

You can see photos of the build on our Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/southeasttechnical).

(Winona,  Minn) Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical announces a new and unique program offering available on the Winona campus.  Starting Fall 2010, an Associate in Applied Sciences degree will be available in Biomedical Equipment Technology. The program focuses on the service and maintenance of medical equipment found in hospital and clinical settings.  The degree offering will be built on the foundation of the Two year Electronics program and will be directed by instructors Mike Wadewitz and Marc Kalis.

Students entering the program will learn skills in all facets of maintenance, adjustment, calibration, and repair on a variety of equipment in the computerized and networked , electronic, and electromechanical  environments.

Interim Vice President Ron Sellnau  says “Graduates will be very employable in the medical-electronics field,  Biomed technicians are generally responsible for the overall maintenance, repairs and calibration of  medical equipment such as heart monitors, defibrillators, ventilators, imaging equipment, instrumentation, workstations & servers, alarm & monitoring systems and much more.  The demand for skilled technicians is high with hospital facilities and healthcare clinics.” The demand for medical equipment repair in both hospital and private practice is expected to grow 27% in the next decade (This is according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Southeast Technical has already established a national recognition for their core electronics program with graduates working worldwide in a wide-range of technical fields, including many who are recruited by the FB I to work in their field offices nation-wide. To learn more about the program contact college advisors at 1-877-853-8324.

Learn More about the Biomedical Equipment Technology program at Southeast Technical.

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system has appointed Dr. Jessica Stumpf to the position of interim President at Anoka-Ramsey Community College in Coon Rapids and Cambridge Minnesota. Stumpf currently holds the position of Vice President of Academic Affairs for Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical in Red Wing and Winona.  The change is at the request of Chancellor James H. McCormick .  Southeast Technical college President James Johnson said, “The temporary change in position will allow Stumpf to grow professionally and continue our mission toward professional development, as well as observe the inner-workings of a metro environment nearly three times our size.  The opportunity to participate in a larger college-setting with differing programming, well-established institutional advancement goals and a more diverse student culture will be of benefit to Southeast Technical and parallels our plans for continued growth and development.”

Dr. Stumpf said “I am excited about the opportunity for continued professional development and the chance to bring back new ideas to our growing college. I am committed to furthering the mission of expanding programming and keeping up with the demands that are emerging in the communities of Red Wing and Winona.  I’m looking forward to bringing best practice and innovation home and tailoring it to our area’s needs.”

Dr. Stumpf has over 25 years of experience in technical college teaching and leadership. During her career, she has held positions in customized training, enrollment services, and as a dean at two state institutions, including Hennepin Technical College and Dakota Technical College. Her educational background includes an AA degree from St. Cloud State University; a BA from Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa; an MBA from Metropolitan State University in Minneapolis; and a Ed.D. from the University of Minnesota.

The appointment to this position will be effective July 1, 2010.

Southeast Technical Criminal Justice students got close to the action and found themselves in the frontlines of police work the week of June 14 on the Red Wing campus. The Red Wing Police Department sent twenty-six officers through training on campus and enlisted the help of half a dozen students to “role play” events as supporting actors in the events. The purpose of the training was to update officers on tactics involving routine and more complex traffic stops (using the roadway and parking lots of the college) as well as events inside the building using tactical  maneuvers that take place during a serious campus disturbance or lock-down situation.

Chief of police, Tim Sletten was pleased to have the chance to use campus grounds inside and out for training purposes, “it was a good opportunity to expose our officers to different situations,” Sletten said. The training is done annually to keep everyone current and fresh. Sletten added, “Red Wing has so many variations with highway 61, Pioneer Road, some narrow city streets; even though this is a controlled situation on campus and actual calls present more complications for officers in real life, it is a good opportunity for officers to isolate the procedural side of what they do.” The training was a good opportunity for officers to analyze their actions and review procedures, clarifying all the important details. Students Nicole Hamilton and Tim Sullivan were so receptive to the events they volunteered to help all five days throughout the week-long, training both enjoyed the experience and found it uniquely helpful in better understanding why officers do what they do – as it is all very purposeful with safety being first and foremost. 

The college appreciated the opportunity to involve our students in the activities and hopes to continue expanding collaborative efforts between local law enforcement and students in the Criminal Justice program. Special thanks to Officer, Joe Juliar for contacting the college and coordinating the day’s events.

 Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical is pleased to announce the President’s List for Spring Semester 2010. To be eligible for this honor, students must complete a minimum of 12 credits at Southeast Technical during an academic term and achieve a GPA of 3.5 or above to be named to the President’s List.  See the list here.

Southeast Technical is honored to have Mr. Scott Freier as the recipient of our 2010 Outstanding Alumni Award.   Scott built his heating and ventilating business, Freier’s Electric and Heating, from the ground up (no pun intended) in Ellsworth Wisconsin, a community near where he grew up on the family farm in Bay City. Scott graduated from the Technical College in 1991 with an education in HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Cooling) and understood the importance of exploring efficient energy uses early in his career.  Alternative heating concepts that employed sustainable resources was of high interest to Scott and offering those services to a niche in the market became the hallmark of his operation.

In pursuit of building things “better” Scott combined his natural interests as a problem solver with the skills he learned on the Red Wing campus. His interest in exploring geothermal heating and cooling concepts later lead to a collaboration with a well-known international manufacturer, the WaterFurnace company, a leading international manufacturer of heat pump systems for geothermal temperature controls. No challenge was too big and educating home and business owners on the benefits of using what nature gives us, while minimizing our carbon footprint with renewable resources has become his mantra.

Today, Scott works with his brother Chuck who is the head of service, his wife Betty as their office manager and has about twenty-six employees. Eventually his business took off and grew and a second even larger location sprang up in Hundson, Wisconsin. He feels confident hiring graduates from the Southeast Technical program for his team because he knows they are well-prepared and ready to come on board and contribute right from the start.

Scott’s passion for educating people about the benefits of geothermal heating/cooling systems is evident in the informational sessions he holds throughout the year and the analysis and reviews he conducts individually with home and business owners. He takes great pride in showing the “before and after” makeovers they accomplish on homes and buildings of all shapes and sizes. Many of his customers were stunned by the reduction in their energy bills and have gone on to become his best spokespersons.

When Scott isn’t on his “geothermal” mission, he finds great joy in his volunteer efforts within the community, working with a youth group from St. Paul’s United Church of Christ. Each year the youth group is involved in a unique fundraising project cutting and splitting wood that is sold locally. The profits from this effort assist in raising money for youth mission trips to needy communities in the United States..  The group also builds furniture (picnic tables) and miscellaneous items for sale as well. All in all, the project is well-received in the community and inspires both young and old alike to work together. Scott also serves on the college Program Advisory Board and assists in refining the program curriculum. He also has been involved with the public school system in Ellsworth and supports various community events.  Freier’s Electric and Heating, along with Waterfurnace recently donated $6,000 in geothermal equipment to the college to help students learn about this continuously evolving technology.

Graduation Pictures are Available!

You can view the graduation pictures on the Jolesch Photography Web site.

Red Wing		Winona