CLC Costa Rica Travel Study

Early Enrollment Discount Fast Approaching

PURA VIDA! Join three CLC Instructors as they take you through beautiful Costa Rica. Learn about the land, the language and the people of this peaceful nation. If you enroll for this opportunity by October 15, 2014, you will receive a $200 discount. You need NOT be a CLC student to join.

SEaM Camp at Central Lakes College

The Summer Engineering and Manufacturing Camp (Seam) is a one-week adventure for students in grades 6-12. The camp provides an opportunity for hands-on experiences with electronics, motor controllers, mechanical drafting, manufacturing machining, and robotic automated systems. 

The camp runs from July 7-11, 2014 from 8:30 am - 3:00 pm daily. 

High-Tech Earthmoving Equipment Loaned to CLC

Construction is an industry of close tolerances where precision and accuracy can make or break your bottom line. At the same time, the pressures of schedules and budgets drive contractors to get the job done faster and more efficiently than ever. Utilizing cutting edge technology such as Global Positioning System (GPS) can aid contractors in staying competitive in today’s earthwork industry.

Students in the CLC Heavy Equipment Operation and Maintenance Program at the Staples West Campus were recently given an opportunity to use this technology thanks to the generosity of president and co-owner Mark Ryan of Carl Bolander and Sons Construction of St. Paul. Former CLC student Norm Everson, Operation’s Manager for Bolander, wanted to give something back to the program by bringing knowledge and equipment to CLC.

CLC Announces Program Changes for Fall 2014

Central Lakes College will be making program changes for fall semester to better serve students and provide opportunity for growth in programming. The college plans to expand manufacturing and agricultural programs at the Staples campus and move media programs currently based in Staples to the Brainerd campus. 

CLC to Host Free Workshop on Grant Seeking for Nonprofits

Introduction to Finding Funders 

The Hassler Library at Central Lakes College will host a free workshop on grant seeking for nonprofit organizations on Wednesday, April 2nd from 9:30am to 11:00am in room E203. The session will be led by Kief Schladweiler, Coordinator of the Funding Information Network with the Foundation Center (http://foundationcenter.org). Mr. Schladweiler will highlight the electronic and print resources available for your free use at the Hassler Library of Central Lakes College, a partner in the Foundation Center’s Funding Information Network. No registration required. 

CLC Books For Africa Donation

Library staff at Central Lakes College Brainerd campus recently packed boxes full of books for donation to Books for Africa. The books are destined for Jinja, Uganda which is the hometown of CLC international student Dennis Musasizi. Jinja was the first library served by Books For Africa twenty-five years ago. In honor of the anniversary, the Rotary Club of Woodbury, MN is paying to send another container of 22,000 books to Jinja.  The books from Central Lakes College will be included in this shipment.

PHOTO - Patrick J. Plonski, Executive Director, Books for Africa (Left), Dennis Musasizi, CLC student (middle) and Larry Lunblad, CLC President (right).

Winter concert

The Central Lakes College Instrumental Music Department will present its annual winter concert “Deep Winter Fun” on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in Chalberg Theater on the Brainerd campus. The concert will feature three groups -- the CLC Woodwind Ensemble, under the direction of Chris Bolstad, and the CLC Brass Ensemble and Jazz Band, both directed by Steve Anderson.

Tour TV studio

The Studio Productions class of Videography Production at Central Lakes College on Tuesday, Feb. 12 toured facilities in Bemidji, where Lakeland Public Television (LPTV) operates its non-profit broadcasting business. The CLC students are in their second year of the Associate degree career education program and are learning how to produce newscasts using a set on the Staples campus. Students who observed the making of a LPTV newscast were Matthew Ayers, Staples; Nolan Bettermann and Tyler Mumm, Sartell; Mark Slupe, Brainerd; Brady Kangas, Bovey; Gerald Grosskreutz, Backus; Lucus Waytashek, Pierz; Kayla Voss, Brainerd; Michael Denny, Staples; and Brittany Stansbury, Brainerd. Instructor Mark Ambroz accompanied the students.

March Cultural Thursday

Jan Kurtz, a Spanish and Latin American Studies instructor at Central Lakes College, will present the free, public Cultural Thursday program on Guatemala March 7 at noon in Chalberg Theatre on the Brainerd campus. In February 2012, Kurtz spent the month in San Pedro Las Huertas, Guatemala.  This small town just outside of Antigua is the site for Rising Villages, a project founded and run by Little Falls residents Dave and Bina Huebsch. It is a volunteer operation which has supported the people of Guatemala with educational, electrical, water, medical and community building endeavors over a 40-year period.

CLC on TV

Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) was on the Brainerd campus Tuesday, Feb. 5 to capture footage and interviews for a feature airing in April on public TV across Minnesota. The crew, which is part of a 12-person production team, focused on high school students earning college credits from CLC through programs such as Post-Secondary Enrollment Option and College in Schools. They recorded samples of courses delivered through interactive television (interpersonal communications, psychology), horticulture labs, the welding shop, automotive technology shop, and mathematics lab. "Redesigning MN" is a series of 8 programs exploring the dramatic impact the retirement of more than a million babyboomers will have on everything from public safety to education to health care. The higher education program featuring CLC is the fifth among the eight subject areas to be covered. Each of the three most recent programs was 56 minutes long.
Images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/58518185@N04/

Children's Dental Health Month

February is national Children's Dental Health Month, according to the American Dental Association. Central Lakes College hosted Give Kids a Smile Day Friday on the Brainerd campus, where Kirsten Winscher of Royalton was among Dental Assisting stduents who provided teeth cleaning and oral health tips to children ages 4-16. Drs. Arnold Rutman and Clint Roberts and staff hygienists volunteered their services in the CLC Community Dental Clinic. They provided 64 scheduled appointments. The annual event is sponsored by the Minnesota Dental Association. Appointments for free exams were also taken through CLC Dental Assisting at the office of Dr. Dominic Gagnon at Staples.  The CLC Dental Assisting Club held a toothbrush trade-in on the Brainerd campus Friday in conjunction with promotion of dental health.
Images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/58518185@N04/

Energy forum March 5

The future of renewable energy in Minnesota will be discussed by four professionals in the field March 5 at Central Lakes College in Brainerd. The free event starts at 7 p.m. in Chalberg Theater and is presented by the Gordon Rosenmeier Center for State and Local Government. Presenters are former state senator Ellen Anderson (shown), now senior adviser to Gov. Mark Dayton on energy and environment; Jason Edens, director of the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL) in Pine River; Troy Goodnough, sustainability director at the University of Minnesota-Morris; and Craig Fink, a principal owner of Minnesota-based Denali Energy.

Ag & Energy Expo

Central Lakes College (CLC) in Staples invites the public to “power up” as it hosts the third Ag and Energy Expo on Saturday, Feb. 9. This free event, which runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., is a chance to hear about and witness demonstrations of the latest innovations and research fostered on behalf of renewable energy. It is co-sponsored by Mid-Central Federal Savings Bank (MCFSB), Wadena, and the CLC Agricultural and Energy Center, Staples.

Career Exploration Day

About 500 area high school students, including those from Little Falls, Royalton, and Pierz, attended Career Exploration Day Jan. 25 at the Staples campus of Central Lakes College. Students attended from Pierz, Little Falls, Royalton, Staples-Motley, Pillager, Sebeka, Pine River-Backus, and Aitkin. Two dozen career fields were presented by working professionals and college instructors. The college provided lunch. Images: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58518185@N04/

Pathways to Nursing

Central Lakes College and the College of St. Scholastica will co-host a free, public program about nursing education for current and prospective nurses from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 11. “Pathways to Nursing Careers,” a discussion about the future of nursing profession and how education can open pathways to new careers in the nursing field, will be held in Room E354 at the Brainerd campus of CLC, 501 W. College Drive. Featured speaker is Marty Witrak (shown), dean of the School of Nursing at CSS, presenting the implications for current and future nurses from the 2010 Institute of Medicine report “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health,” which prompted widespread change for the healthcare industry. A panel of five professionals will be included. Scheduled panelists are Connie Frisch, CLC dean of nursing; Pat DeLong, chief nursing officer for Essentia Health; Laurie Bach, vice president of hospital services at Lakewood Health System; Elena McNutt, interim nursing director at Cuyuna Regional Medical Center; and Susan Hyndman, program director with the RN to BS online nursing track at CSS. Those attending are asked to RSVP at go.css.edu/NursingPathways or by calling (218) 625-4816 or (877) 287-8752. Refreshments will be provided.

Taxes & Spending: What's Ahead?

The Center for Lifelong Learning (CLL) at Central Lakes College, Brainerd, will present Dr. Louis Johnston with “Taxes and Spending: What’s Ahead for the U.S. and Minnesota?” on Tuesday, Jan. 29 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Business and Industry Center. He is associate professor and chair of the Department of Economics at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University and is a frequent commentator and featured expert on economic issues for Minnesota Public Radio. Taxes, spending, and the size of government are important issues at all levels of government.  In this talk, Johnston will address three questions: What are the current and future challenges faced by the state and federal governments? What are the differences between the political challenges and the economic challenges (they are not the same)? How can individual citizens make sense of these issues and get involved in their solution? The fee is $6 for non-members but free to members of the Center for Lifelong Learning. Register with a personal debit/credit card by calling (218) 855-8142 or online at http://clcmn.augusoft.net  and clicking on “courses.” Information is available from bberg@clcmn.edu.

Rosenmeier Forum

Central Lakes College in Brainerd on Tuesday, March 5 will host a Rosenmeier Forum titled "The Future of Renewable Energy one Minnesota." The forum will be from 7 to 9:30 p.m. in Chalberg Theatre. The four presenters: Craig Fink, a principal owner of Denali (a Minnesota-based wind energy industry); Jason Edens, director of the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL) in Pine River; Troy Goodnough, Sustainability Director at the U of M/Morris; and former State Senator Ellen Anderson (shown), now Senior Advisor to the Governor on Energy and Environment. The purpose of the forum is to follow up on the implementation of the state of Minnesota's energy policy that was formulated five years ago, in which one quarter of our energy is to come from renewable sources by 2025. The forum will explore what is happening at both the local and state levels in support of this energy standard. "In addition to renewable energy being better for the health of humans and the planet, all indicators suggest that many economic advantages, such as good-paying job opportunities, accompany the move to renewable, clean energy," said Laura Raedeke, event chair. "We hope to get a large audience for this important and timely forum." For information, contact Laura at (218) 963-3877, or raedekel@gmail.com.

NR students in MDHA, DNR activities

Luke Burlingame of Maple Grove, NR Club president; Jack Britton, MDHA chapter president; and (back) Dr. Bill Faber, instructor and NR Club adviser.
As the 2013 spring semester begins Jan. 14 at Central Lakes College, students in the Natural Resources program welcomed a partnering donation and enjoyed participating in a statewide DNR roundtable. The Brainerd chapter of Minnesota Deer Hunters Association has given the Central Lakes College Natural Resources Club $700 as a donation. The club assisted the MDHA with its Hides for Habitat project during last November’s hunt. College students assisted with the preparation of deer hides, cleaning and salting nearly 1,000 hides over a three-week period. About 15 CLC students were involved, led by Luke Burlingame, president of the NR Club at CLC.

Single-parent party

On Dec. 12, the Central Lakes College Student Senate held its sixth annual CLC Single Parents Christmas Party, and it was once again a great success! Erich Heppner, director of student life, acknowledged the generosity of the Angel Tree Gift Givers who enabled the senate to provide gifts for over 75 children. Erich offered a special "thank you" to the Maintenance Staff, Deb Breneman, Kim Pilgrim, Jody Flynn, Donna Crimmons, Mary Sam, Ronn Redemske, Leon Dahlvang, Christina Vopatek, the Photography Department, the Videography Department, and the 25 Student Senate Elves who helped coordinate the event! "The Meta-5 staff and participants were so moved by the generosity of everyone that made the party a success," said Kimberly Pilgrim, Meta 5 director. She thanked Leann Schoenle and the Food Shelf for providing over 30 families with bags of food. "Many of our families are facing great challenges," Kim said. "This wonderful event allowed them to put their struggles aside for the evening and simply enjoy the delight of the season. We really appreciate the effort that everyone put into making this a fun filled, happy time for them. They were touched!"

Dental Assisting accreditation

Congratulations to the Central Lakes College Dental Assisting program for a successful Commission of Dental Accreditation 7-year site visit last week. Although the final report from the commission will not be available until July, Rebecca Best, dean of workforce and regional economic development, said the exit interview was extremely positive. "Thanks to LeAnn Schoenle, Julie Morgan, Kateri Mayer, and all other staff and students involved with the pre-work and visit," Rebecca said in announcing the news. "Nice work everyone."