Education News

MPR News keeps track of the latest education news in Minnesota so you can understand the events shaping the future of learning and how it impacts students at any level.

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My quick impression of South Central students
South Central College is not a place that’s particularly cohesive. It has no athletic program or mascot to rally around. Its selection of clubs is limited. And a lot of the students are commuters — from 45 minutes away or more — so they’re a scattered bunch. The college iseems to be a place where…
The spot at South Central College where I'd love to study
It’s the college’s indoor garden, or “Garden Court,” a little section of lush solitude in the heart of the three-building campus. It feels a little like being in a conservatorium — even a class or two will venture into the area to study the plants. Here’s another photo:
Video: South Central machining? Yeah — custom guitars.
Remember Shawn Hagan, the former South Central College student in computer-integrated machining? He’s got a diploma in that field from the college, but is actually back at South Central — this time to earn an associate’s degree. He wants to go on to study operations management in a joint program run by the college and…
Which two South Central programs really get students the jobs
While college grads across the nation with fancy degrees face no employment prospects, South Central has at least two areas that boast that either everyone who graduates gets a job — or that they can’t produce enough graduates to fill all the open jobs in their field. And those two are mechatronics and computer-integrated machining.…
Where President Stover sees South Central College going
For a man entering his 41st year of education — and who has been at South Central College for more than a dozen years — 61-year-old President Keith Stover hasn’t lost his enthusiasm. He’ll talk your ear off about technical education, and is bearish on the future of manufacturing, agriculture and the college’s ability to…
Voters in Brooklyn Center have rejected a property tax increase to pay for schools.
When eating and learning mix at South Central College
Lunch time — and I’m back in the cafeteria having chicken-fried steak with garlic whipped potatoes. It’s hearty stuff cooked up by students of the culinary program under the eye of food service manager (and instructor) Rebecca Hageback. They also prepare the packaged salads and sandwiches each day, along with the hot food such as…
What the South Central College prez's office door looks like
This is what I saw walking into the president’s office. They’re Stover’s twin grandsons. This guy is definitely not formal. (I’ll go over our interview later.)
What you can eat for breakfast at South Central College
Finally some time to gather my thoughts and get a little grub. I’m in the college cafeteria, the Crossroads Cafe, which is fairly quiet except for a business breakfast in the adjoining room. The cafe has the usual food-on-the-go — packaged breakfast sandwiches, granola, pieces of fruit in a bowl — and a little coffee…
Early mornings don't bother this South Central nontraditional student
Heading back from the restroom, I notice that it’s still a bit early and quiet in the hallways. But I spy a lone figure with his nose in a hydraulics textbook. It’s Charlie Foskett, a 49-year-old unemployed bowling-alley owner who’s studying mechatronics engineering technology. (As someone who went back to school at 42, I’m sympathetic…