President’s Message  

  

                                                             

                                                                    Dr. Sue Collins                                                    

 

   Welcome to the website of the Northeast Higher Education District, a unique governance structure for five, autonomous yet interdependent, two-year colleges in Northeast Minnesota. These colleges include: Hibbing Community College, Itasca Community College, Mesabi Range Community and Technical College, Rainy River Community College and Vermilion Community College.

 

   Our colleges were among the first two-year institutions of higher education to be located in northern Minnesota, with Hibbing founded in 1916, Itasca in 1922, Mesabi Range in 1918 (Eveleth Junior College) and 1921 (Virginia Junior College), Rainy River in 1967 and Vermilion in 1922. The rich history of high quality education and community development that has been our tradition is clearly evident on these college campuses today.

 

   It is my vision as President of these institutions to advance higher education in our region through collaboration, accountability and innovation. Our colleges will strengthen their capacity to be responsive to student needs by working closely together to share resources. Through our focus on accountability, we will insure that we are delivering on the mission and purpose of our organization and meeting the expectations of our stakeholders throughout the state. And finally, we will be known for our expertise in utilizing emerging technologies by acting upon the innovative ideas from our faculty and staff as we continuously improve and re-invent ourselves to keep pace with the ever-changing nature of our global society.

 

   My goal is to join my good partners in K-12, higher education, business and industry, government and the private sector throughout our region to insure our communities are healthy, vital places to live, learn, work and grow. To this end, I commit that our colleges will remain connected to their communities, seen as premier institutions of higher education for transfer, oriented degree programs and technical education that prepares students to enter the workforce. They will also serve their residents by being the "center" for the arts and humanities to enrich the cultural experience of those who live in rural northern Minnesota. But most importantly, our colleges, through our faculty and staff, will continue to play a significant role in improving the lives of our students through lifelong learning and education, now and in the future.