Minnesota State Mankato Selected to Receive 3 Local Partnerships Program Awards
Mankato, Minn. – Minnesota State University, Mankato has been selected by the Minnesota State system to receive three awards totaling $111,000 to fund partnerships in surgical nurse experiential training, aviation days and experiential projects for health informatics.
The awards are part of a statewide initiative funded by the Minnesota Legislature during the 2019 session to encourage community-level partnerships that support high-demand industries or occupations in Minnesota.
“The partnerships our state colleges and universities form with local employers and community-based organizations make our college and university programs strong and enhance the success of our students,” said Devinder Malhotra, chancellor of Minnesota State. “I offer my sincere congratulations to Minnesota State University, Mankato and its partners in these projects—Mayo Clinic Health System, Champ Software and North Star Aviation—for their innovative thinking in forming this partnership and imagining this creative way to drive the vitality of Minnesota’s economy.”
Minnesota State Mankato President Richard Davenport thanked legislators for the funding support.
“We’re very appreciative of the support from our local legislators in providing funds that support our current and future students as well as the partnerships we have with local businesses,” said Davenport. “I want to express my thanks to our legislators and community partners for supporting this important program.”
The purpose of the Local Partnerships Program is to support partnerships between colleges and universities of Minnesota State and their local employers, K-12 school districts, trade associations, local chambers of commerce, and economic development authorities.
The award process was extremely competitive, with 28 proposals totaling $1.7 million in requests. Funds will be used to develop new or sustain existing programs in high-growth, high-demand industries or occupations. “We are deeply grateful to the legislature for their support and funding this innovative program,” said Malhotra.
Minnesota State Mankato and Mayo Clinic Health System were awarded $50,000 to develop curriculum for surgical simulation training. Through this partnership, Minnesota State Mankato faculty will be engaged with Mayo Clinic Health System in developing new curriculum utilizing real-life simulations in the Maverick Family Nursing Simulation Center. This new dual training process will support the on-site onboarding training for Mayo Clinic Health System employees. For more information, contact Tom Norman, dean of University Extended Education at Minnesota State Mankato, by phone at 507-389-1443 or email at thomas.norman-1@mnsu.edu.
Minnesota State Mankato and Champ Software were awarded $33,000 for cross-disciplinary, community-connected, experiential projects for health informatics. Funds from this award will bring faculty and industry experts together to create hands-on projects to train students about health informatics. Class activities will be based on real-world case studies, data and healthcare experiences. This will allow students to apply information technology skills to health-related challenges. For more information, contact Sarah Kruse, associate professor of computer information science at Minnesota State Mankato, by phone at 507-389-5394 or email at sarah.kruse@mnsu.edu.
Minnesota State Mankato and North Star Aviation were awarded $28,000 to fund “Aviation Days” in the spring and summer of 2020. In the spring, current Minnesota State Mankato students, alumni and staff will visit south central Minnesota high schools to inform high school students about aviation careers. The high school students will be invited to campus in the summer to meet aviation professionals and participate in aviation activities, including an introductory flight. For more information, contact Kathleen Ferrero, by phone at 507-389-1356 or email at kathleen.ferrero@mnsu.edu.
Other colleges and universities of Minnesota State that were selected to receive awards under the Local Partnerships Program include Central Lakes College, Minneapolis College, Northwest Technical College, Normandale Community College, Minnesota State College Southeast, Saint Paul College, and the Northeast Higher Education District.
Minnesota State Mankato, a comprehensive university with 14,297 students, is part of the Minnesota State system, which includes 30 colleges and seven universities.
