Lodging: Holiday Inn Hotel Austin 1701 4th Street NW Austin, MN 55912 Get Directions
Registration for the September 2010 Board Meeting is now open.The registration deadline is September 7. If you have any questions about your registration, please contact
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
If you are a Student Senate Advisor or Student Senate President submitting forms on behalf of students, please submit one form for each student with their information filled out. A confirmation e-mail will be sent to the person registering and the person on whose behalf you are registering. If you have any questions about the form please contact Jonathan Miller 651-297-5877.
The MSCSA staff and cabinet is pleased to welcome Alison Norman as our new Director of Policy. The Director of Policy position is new for MSCSA and Alison will be advocating for students both at the Minnesota State Legislature and on the system level with MnSCU.
Alison was nice enough to answer a few questions for us, so you will be able to learn a little about her background and what brought her to MSCSA. As you can see from her answers, Alison is clearly ready to plunge into the the world of higher education advocacy. Please join us in welcoming Alison.
We have the following MnSCU and MSCSA committee vacancies available to all MSCSA students. If you are interested in any of the committees and have further questions, please contact
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
at 651-297-5877. If you would like to apply for one of the openings, please email
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
your letter of intent.
MnSCU System-wide Committees: MN Online Council Student Accident and Illness Insurance Committee Board of Trustees Excellence in Teaching Awards Committee Assessment for Course Placement Committee Cross-functional Advisory Committee IMS Advisory Council Diversity Awards Committee Students First - Single Registration Students First - Single Bill/Pay Students First - Single Search Students First - Grad Planner
Transfer of credit between colleges and universities in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system is an issue that precedes the system itself. Creation of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) was a significant step in 1994 toward easing credit transfer for students attending state colleges and universities. However, whether reflective of changing need, an increase in credit transfer or changing student expectations, the issue of easy-to-navigate transfer of credits among MnSCU institutions has again become visible.
After a recent increase of expressed concern among students, the Minnesota State College Student Association (MSCSA) and the Minnesota State University Student Association (MSUSA) approached the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU), Office of the Chancellor to conduct a comprehensive survey of transfer students to determine what barriers might hinder seamless transfer.
Key Findings:
Although a majority of respondents rated their transfer experience positively, one-third rated the experience as fair or poor.
A large majority of respondents indicated that their transfer experience met or exceeded their expectations, but one-fourth said it did not meet their expectations, regardless of whether they were transferring Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) credits or program/major credits.
By far, the most common type of credits respondents reported transferring were within the MnTC, followed by major or program credits.
A significant number of respondents did not seek advice in the transfer process.
Many respondents planned for transfer too late in the process to make good decisions.
While a large number of respondents used online resources in their transfer planning, they are much more likely to use institution websites than system online resources.
Although a high number of credits are accepted in transfer, there may be a disconnect between the way credits sometimes transfer and the way students expect them to transfer.
Many respondents who were not able to transfer credits as they expected reported that credits were accepted as electives rather than as intended major requirements.
The majority of respondents are unaware that an appeals process exists for transfer decisions.
For the few respondents who appealed when courses did not transfer, a high number of them had some or all credits accepted upon appeal.
Summary of Recommendations:
Develop uniform and on-going education for staff who train advisors
Clarify the use of syllabi, course outlines, or other course equivalency documents
Review messaging around effective transfer within the MnSCU system and elsewhere
Improve marketing of electronic planning tools and provide better student training in the use of these tools in transfer planning
Explore barriers to credit transfer that result in appealed transfer credits that were initially rejected
Work to advise students of the appeals process, and monitor appeals and their results at the system level to help identify future issues
Increase central office staff to more adequately meet transfer goals
Assure accuracy of and compliance with equivalency data in electronic tools
Evaluate the complexity of the current transfer system and engage in ongoing improvement
Engage in a study session on transfer mechanisms nationally, and review models that could be used in Minnesota
Implement systematic monitoring of transfer data as a part of the Board of Trustees' annual work plan
Include a measure of transfer on the system's accountability dashboard
Lodging: Hampton Inn Minneapolis NW Maple Grove 7745 Elm Creek Boulevard Maple Grove, MN 55369 Get Directions
Registration for the June Transitional 2010 Meeting is now closed. If you have any questions about your registration, please contact Patrick Christner.
Reimbursement works a little differently at the June Transitional Conference. Standing members of the current Governing Council and Platform Committee are reimbursed (the alternate is reimbursed only if the representative cannot attend). Also, BOTH the incoming Governing Council and Platform Representatives AND alternates are reimbursed.
If you are a Student Senate Advisor or Student Senate President submitting forms on behalf of students, please submit one form for each student with their information filled out. A confirmation e-mail will be sent to the person registering and the person on whose behalf you are registering. If you have any questions about the form please contact Jonathan Miller 651-297-5877.
We are very excited to announce that MSCSA’s very own Jason Fossum has accepted the Executive Director position with the Minnesota State University Student Association (MSUSA). Jason has provided MSCSA leadership and guidance to advance our legislative efforts for the past three years as our Director of Government Relations.
Affectionately known by our students as “Awesome Fossum,” Jason leaves large shoes to fill in our legislative training and advocacy development.
MSCSA President Travis Johnson shared his thoughts on Fossum’s departure: “In the last year, working side by side with Jason has taught me a lot about the ins and outs of lobbying. While his legislative knowledge is complex, he shared information with our students in an easy, understandable format, and his care for the work we do ran deep. We are sad to see him leave, but we are very excited about his new opportunity.”
Jason has been a valued member of our team throughout the past three years. His experience working at the legislature, MSCSA, and being a former student board member of MSUSA well prepares him for his new role.
While a great member of our team is leaving, we look forward to continuing to work with Jason and MSUSA to work on behalf of all MnSCU students across Minnesota.
Below is a letter that Jason put together to the membership of MSCSA.
Justin Klander, Executive Director Minnesota State College Student Association
Click here to read the full text of the Jason Fossum's farewell letter…
James Askew, Geoff Dittberner & Bruce Humphey, members of the 2010-11 MSCSA Cabinet-Elect take their oath of office
The Minnesota State College Student Association is pleased to announce our Cabinet for the 2010-2011 academic year. Each of these students was elected at our Spring General Assembly and will begin serving their terms July 1, 2010, except for Travis Johnson who took over as President during the General Assembly (more information on this below). The 2010-2011 MSCSA Cabinet is as follows:
Travis Johnson was sworn in as MSCSA President early to fill the vacancy left by current President Tyler Smith. Tyler had announced several months ago that he would report to basic training for the Minnesota National Guard on April 19, so the transfer of power to Travis Johnson, who is also the current MSCSA Vice President, was seamless.
The annual Awards Dinner was held at the Spring General Assembly, and we are proud to announce the award winners, along with links to videos of their acceptance speeches.
The MSCSA Awards Dinner honors are unique because all of the nominations come from students and are decided on by the MSCSA student leadership. The winners are as follows:
Student Leader of the Year, Lyman Hawbaker III-Normandale Community College. Click here for video
Governing Council Member of the Year, Kevin Alger-Anoka Ramsey Community College-Cambridge. Click here for video
Platform Committee Member of the Year, Darleen Tareeq-Century College & Saint Paul College. Click here for video
College President of the Year, Dr. Cheryl Frank-Inver Hills Community College. Click here for video
Faculty Member of the Year, Charlotte M. Kodner-Dakota County Community and Technical College. Click here for video
Student Senate Advisor of the Year, Kitty Hennemann -North Hennepin Community College. Click here for video
Nathan Hanson, MSCSA Public Relations Coordinator, and Jonathan Miller, MSCSA Director of Communications, put together an end-of-the-year slide show showcasing photos from the last year.
For the second year, MSCSA held the "I Gave" campaign at the Spring General Assembly to raise money for the MSCSA Leadership Scholarship. This year we blasted right past our goal of $3,000 and raised just under $3,700, which will fund around 7 scholarships.
The money was raised through one-time gifts and pledges by newly-elected MSCSA leaders to donate portions of their stipends to the fund.
We kicked off the 2010 "I Gave" campaign with a kooky video that pitted MSCSA Public Relations Coordinator Nathan Hanson against his own attention span & ZOMBIES!!!!!
Live Stream of Photos from the Spring 2010 General Assembly:
General Assembly 2010 April 16-18 Breezy Point Resort 9252 Breezy Point Dr. • Breezy Point, MN 56472
Registration for the Spring General Assembly is now closed. The Spring General Assembly brings together delegates from the 47 public community and technical colleges that the MSCSA represents to discuss and approve the business of our association. During the Spring General Assembly we will be electing the MSCSA leadership for the next year. Below you will find information about the General Assembly that we will update regularly.
Click here for a PDF of the full report.
We are very excited to announce that MSCSA’s very own Jason Fossum has accepted the Executive Director position with the Minnesota State University Student Association (MSUSA). Jason has provided MSCSA leadership and guidance to advance our legislative efforts for the past three years as our Director of Government Relations. 
