CLC Nursing Accreditation

The Central Lakes College (CLC) Practical Nursing department has been diligently working to prepare for an upcoming national accreditation visit. The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) is the governing organization for national accreditation for nursing programs. ACEN supports nursing education, nursing practice and the public. Central Lakes College is seeking initial national accreditation for the Practical Nursing program and the Associate Degree (Mobility) Nursing program. Accreditation means that nursing programs have demonstrated competency in six core standards and criteria associated with nursing education through rigorous evaluation processes. For students this means more access, opportunity, and mobility for continuing education and job placement throughout the nation. 

During the past three years the department has been preparing for national accreditation, six Practical Nursing faculty have been advancing their nursing degrees. During the past year, all six have achieved their goal of obtaining a master’s degree in nursing. The faculty members include Shirley Lofquist, Peggy Rider, Jessica Herron (St. Xavier’s University), Julie Woitalla (Metropolitan State University), and Sarah Jennissen and Tara Karels (University of Minnesota, Moorhead). Eleven of the twelve full-time nursing faculty members now have master’s degrees in nursing.

Inaugural Poet Addresses CLC Audience

Courtesy of the Brainerd Dispatch • September 13, 2013

By Mike O'Rourke, Associate Editor 

Growing up as a “barely middle class” immigrant in Miami, poet Richard Blanco said there were pressures that led him toward the practical choice of an engineering degree. He’s worked, on and off, for 20 years in that field, but most Americans know him as one of only five poets to be asked to read his work at a presidential inauguration.

“One Today,” the poem he wrote for President Barack Obama’s 2013 presidential inauguration, catapulted Blanco to the forefront of American poets and brought his earlier publications recognition that other poets might work a lifetime to achieve.

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CLC Announces Spring Travel Study Event

Central Lakes College is offering a travel study course to Italy during spring semester 2014.  Led by CLC English and Humanities instructor, Michael Soderlund, the class is open to both CLC students and community members. The Italian Renaissance Experience class will consist of two parts: a classroom exploration of the art and literature of the Renaissance, followed by a 10-day trip to Italy in March of 2014, during spring break.

The classroom content will focus on the phenomenal advances of the Italian artists and writers of the Renaissance during the 14th-16th centuries. The one-credit class will meet one evening a week during January and February of spring semester 2014, and community members who audit the course will be entitled to attend all pre-trip activities, information sessions, and lectures without being responsible for the associated coursework. 

Nolan Forum (hosted at CLC) Tackles Federal Budget

Courtesy of the Brainerd Dispatch • September 4, 2013

By Mike O'Rourke, Associate Editor 

Facing an estimated $17 trillion federal deficit, members of a capacity crowd at the Central Lakes College cafeteria sharpened their pencils and went to work Wednesday night.

Rep. Rick Nolan, D-Minn., co-sponsored the interactive public forum designed to solicit advice on how to balance the federal budget. It was also sponsored by Central Lakes College in Brainerd and the Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan group that champions fiscal stewardship.

“You’re going to get a feel for how difficult this is,” he said to an audience made up of both students and non-students.

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Presidential Inaugural Poet to Speak at CLC

Verse Like Water, the visiting poet program series of Central Lakes College presents inaugural poet Richard Bianco in the Chalberg Theatre at noon on September 13. A meet and greet, book signing, and workshop will follow the reading. This literary event is sponsored by the CLC English Department and the CLC Foundation. Admission to the event is a free will offering. The public is welcome to attend.

Richard Blanco, Acclaimed Cuban-American Poet

President Obama's Inaugural Poet 2013

Blurred Lines: Classes Begin at CLC but not just for College Students

Courtesy of the Brainerd Dispatch • August 26, 2013

By Jessica Larsen, Staff Writer • Photo by Steve Kohls

Traditional images of the typical college student are a thing of the past.

As classes started Monday at Central Lakes College (CLC), officials say more and more it’s not just college students filling the class seats — it’s also high schoolers.

“The lines between secondary and post-secondary education are really merging. The lines are blurring. I’ve been told the high school senior year is probably going to merge into first year of college,” said Betsy Picciano, director of secondary relations at CLC.

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Cultural Thursday Celebrates 15th Season

CLC is embarking on its 15th year of ‘armchair’ travel and in-person cultural exchanges.  In the fall of 1998, Thursday noon was designated as a time for community members, faculty and students to share their travels and cultures in these free, hour long presentations. Jan Kurtz, Spanish and Latin American Studies Instructor, initiated Cultural Thursday and continues into this 15th season. “The ‘mission’ of Culture Thursday is to avail our community of our collective global experiences, encourage travel among our students, as well as to acquaint us with our international students” states Kurtz.