News releases....

MSU Moorhead and MSCTC Offer Innovative Education
to Help Meet Minnesota’s Critical Demand for Nurses
Nursing enrollment up 16 percent statewide at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
Minnesota is on the verge of a critical shortage of registered nurses and licensed practical nurses— a shortage that has an impact on patients, hospitals, health care facilities and the community. The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, which produces 78 percent of all new nursing graduates in the state, is responding rapidly to the shortage.

The system’s nursing program administrators this fall reported the number of students enrolled in nursing increased 16 percent over fall 2002. A system survey showed more than 7,100 students were enrolled this fall in licensed practical nursing and registered nursing, including bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, an increase of about 980 students.

“The system’s colleges and universities are working together to expand their programs and create innovative partnerships to train new nurses and help current nurses upgrade their skills while on the job,” said Chancellor James H. McCormick of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. “These collaborations are helping to build the economic vitality of Minnesota’s communities.”

Approximately 3,600 nursing positions in Minnesota are unfilled, according to a spring 2003 Governor’s Workforce Development Council report, which also predicted vacant positions will more than double by 2008.

At the same time, interest in nursing education is high, and many state colleges and universities have waiting lists to enter their programs.
Minnesota State University Moorhead offers a program for licensed registered nurses who want to complete a four-year bachelor’s degree. The program schedule and course work are designed for working nurses. The program is almost totally online, which makes it possible for RN’s desiring a bachelor’s in nursing to “return to school” and continue to work at the same time. Many current students have indicated that without the online coursework the program would not have been an option for them.

MSUM also collaborates with its Tri-College University partners, North Dakota State University and Concordia College, and offers a master’s degree in nursing in collaboration with NDSU.

Minnesota State Community and Technical College offers pre-licensure programs for students beginning their training. Demand has been so great that MSCTC has had to cap enrollment at its Moorhead campus to 350 students. The college’s facilities are at capacity and the available clinical sites, essential to the training, are also at capacity.

“Partnerships among the health care industry, education and the workforce development system have proven to be one of the most effective strategies in addressing the crisis in health care employment,” said Mary Rothchild, project manager for strategic partnerships in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.

Seven new nursing degree programs have been added since July 2001 by institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. Also since then, system colleges and universities have expanded existing nursing programs by increasing enrollments and by offering 26 programs in new locations, including hospitals and health care facilities.

Filling Minnesota’s need for nurses not only has positive implications for the health care industry, but also the state economy. Nursing careers pay better than the increasing number of low-wage service jobs being created – licensed practical nurses earn average pay of $15 per hour and registered nurses earn an average of $25 per hour.

Almost all of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities offer nursing programs, as well as other health care programs. For a list of programs, see the Careers in Health Care brochure at www.mnscu.edu/Media/RecentPublications.htm . The brochure also can be obtained by calling toll-free at 1-888-MnSCU-4-U (1-888-667-2848).

PROFS, TWO NEW RIVERS PRESS TITLES FINLISTS FOR MINNESOTA BOOK AWARDS
Two New Rivers Press releases are finalists for the Minnesota Book Awards: “Paper Boat” in the poetry and new voices categories, and “Landing Zones” in the fiction and new voices categories.

Also nominated in the anthology and collections category: "Visiting Walt: Poems Inspired by the Life & Work of Walt Whitman," edited by Sheila Coghill, Thom

Tammaro (University of Iowa Press). Coghill and Tammaro teach English at MSUM.

Tammaro is the recipient of three previous Minnesota Book Awards, including the 2001 Award for “Visiting Emily: Poems Inspired by the Life and Work of Emily Dickinson,”, a companion book co-edited with Coghill.

The finalists were announced last week by the state Humanities Commission.

New Rivers Press, one of the oldest continuously publishing literary presses in the country with over 300 titles to its credit, relocated from Minneapolis to MSU-Moorhead three years ago

“Landing Zones” is a collection of stories by Edward Micus’s. A Vietnam vet, he’s an Iowa native who earned an MFA in creative from Minnesota State University Mankato, where he teaches.

“Paper Boat” is a collection of poems by Cullen Bailey Burns. A Michigan native, she received her MFA from the Western Michigan University and teaches at Century College in Minneapolis.

The Minnesota Book Awards, sponsored by the Minnesota Humanities Commission, is an annual awards program that recognizes, honors, and celebrates Minnesota’s writers and publishers. Since 1988, more than 750 Minnesota-written books have been Minnesota Book Award finalists--representing what some call "the best reading list in Minnesota."

The winners will be announced April 25.

MSUM’S HAGEN HALL RENOVATION INCLUDED IN GOVERNOR’S BONDING PROPOSAL
Gov. Tim Pawlenty, on campus last week, announced he will include the second phase of the renovation of Hagen Hall in his 2004 bonding proposal. The bonding money will renovate, furnish and equip Hagen Hall.

The $9.6 million in bonds included in the Governor’s proposal will result in a renovation that will provide general and computerized classrooms, “dry” science laboratories, science and technology departmental and faculty offices, and faculty/student research and study areas. Completion of the project will result in the availability of science facilities that meet current building code requirements, faculty pedagogy needs, and faculty and student research needs.

The project was ranked third on the list of MnSCU bonding requests.

The new $19 million science laboratories addition to Hagen Hall, now under construction, will be completed next year.

The program honors the Civil Rights leader and includes commentary on King’s 1963 “I Have A Dream” speech and his final words delivered in Memphis in 1968.

Rogers finished his term as America’s youngest lieutenant governor last year. He was only the fourth African American in U.S. history ever elected as a state’s second in command.

Rogers received Time Warner’s Trumpet Award in 2001, which throughout the years has recognizes the achievements of such outstanding African Americans as Rosa Parks, Thurgood Marshall, Colin Powell and Muhammad Ali.

The program has been described as “uncanny, electrifying, spellbinding, awesome, touching like King was in the room.”

Nelson’s artwork appears on book covers, CDs, greeting cards, magazines, children’s books and in many public/private collections. His first children’s book, “Gift Horse: A Lakota Story,” received exceptional reviews and several awards, including a Parent’s Choice Award, Kirkus Starred Review, and FiveOwls Book of Merit (reserved for books with integrity). His latest book, The Star People, was published in September 2003 and has received the Oppenheim Best Book Gold Award. Other children’s books he’s illustrated are Crazy Horse’s Vision, Spider Spins a Story, and Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path.

Nelson is a mixed-blood of Norwegian/Lakota descent and a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in the Dakotas. Since his father was a career Army officer, his childhood experience was nomadic, havinglived in 13 different places by the age of 12. However, he lived in Fargo long enough to graduate from Fargo North High School. Each summer his family returned to his mother’s home on the Lakota Reservation of Standing Rock, on the North and South Dakota border. Nelson made a connection with the Dakota prairie that appears time and again in his children’s books.

Nelson’s art work is modeled after the ledger book drawings (1865-1935) of the Plains Indian artists. (Ledgerbook drawings are images on lined paper in accounting books. They were made by captive Indians who had been sent East to be ‘civilized.’) The images were simple and bold, as are Nelson’s in Gift Horse, The StarPeople and his other children’s book illustrations.

The influence of Native American rock art can also be seen in his subtle use of texture. He works with dilutedacrylic paint on paper or wood panel. His tools include the brush, sponge, atomizer, spray bottle, hair dryer and clear plastic wrap. Nelson lays down washes of color and sometimes masks off areas with masking fluid.The result is a radiant, multi-layered image.

Nelson earned a bachelor’s degree in art education from MSU Moorhead in 1972. He taught art to middle school Hispanic, Native American and Anglo students for more than 25 years in Flagstaff, Ariz. He lives in Chandler, Ariz.

Nelson will give a lecture Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 4:30 p.m. in Livingston Lord Library. The artist’s books will be for sale in the library after the lecture. On Thursday, Jan. 22, a public reception in honor of Nelson will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Center for the Arts gallery.

Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.

Barnes & Noble will host a book signing for Nelson on Saturday, Jan. 24 from 1-2:30 p.m.

A 1973 graduate of SUNY at Buffalo, NY, Scandrett received his master’s degree in health education from MSU Mankato in 1975, and a Ph.D. in health sciences with a concentration in epidemiology from the University of Oregon in 1991.

Scandrett also taught at both Texas Tech University (where he also served as assistant AD) and the University of Northern Iowa.

Scandrett assumes his full-time duties July 1.

The Moorhead Human Rights Commission presented the awards last week at a city council meeting.

May-Machunda was selected for the “Best Practices in the Workplace” award; Grineski for his work in “Education.”
May-Machunda was recognized for being a tireless promoter of human rights, particularly in anti-racism education. She was one of the first community members to introduce the Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity (SEED) program to Moorhead. She is the coordinator of the SEED grant, which offers a nine-month education program and mentoring project for public school and university educators. More recently she is a founding coordinator of the TOCAR Collaborative (Training Our Campuses Against Racism) that has been operating on all four local campuses. She is currently vice chair of the FM Area Foundation and focuses on supporting the development of community projects. She is also involved with the 3rd annual Building Racial Inclusive Communities conference sponsored by Roy Wilkins Center of the University of Minnesota.

Grineski has represented MSUM in collaboration with Moorhead Healthy Community Initiative and Moorhead Parks and Recreation to create a mentoring program for the Romkey, Bennett and Arrowhead neighborhood children. He and other MSUM faculty have contributed over 4,000 hours over the past three years. He’s involved in the Friday Partnership with students in grade 5-12 from the Red River Alternative Learning Center, as well as the West Regional Juvenile Detention Center and the YWCA’s Empowerment for Girls. He and a friend have cooked a meal at the Dorothy Day House once a month for the past 10 years and he has served Meals on Wheels for the past 10 years. Grineski also has tutored low-achieving second graders in math weekly for the past three years in a Moorhead

elementary school.
Others receiving human rights awards this year: former Moorhead City Council Woman Mary Davies for her civic and community work; The Social Connextion in the non-profit division; and the Young Latina Education Leadership staff in the youth division.