Olson reelected as chair of MnSCU Board of Trustees

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees reelected David Olson, president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, as board chair.
Ruth Grendahl was elected vice chair and Scott Thiss as treasurer. Their one-year terms begin Aug. 1.
“I am pleased and honored to have been elected chair of the system’s Board of Trustees for a second year and pledge to continue forging partnerships between the business community and our state colleges and universities,” Olson said. “Building a quality work force is essential to a vibrant economy, and our state’s colleges and universities play a vital role in that effort by delivering the best possible education while making effective use of sources.”
Olson also noted, “We must make sure that more students from groups traditionally under represented in higher education complete a post-secondary program to ensure their own financial stability as well as contributing to the economic vitality of the state.”
In other business, the board conferred president emeritus status on Roland Barden, retiring president of Minnesota State University Moorhead; Roy Saigo, previous president of St. Cloud State University; Joseph Sertich, retiring president of the Northeast Higher Education District, a consortium of five colleges; and Ronald Wood, retiring president of the Minnesota West Community and Technical College in Granite Falls. Under board policy, the trustees can confer emeritus status on a president who has served at least five years and is retiring from the system.
The Board of Trustees governs the largest system of higher education in Minnesota. The MnSCU system comprises 32 state universities and community and technical colleges serving the higher education needs of Minnesota. The system serves about 242,000 students per year in credit-based courses and an additional 140,000 students in non-credit courses.