Canada’s largest freight railroad supports DCTC Foundation

The Canadian National Railway Company, or CN, Canada’s largest freight railroad, donated $10,000 to the Dakota County Technical College Foundation to support scholarships for students enrolled in the DCTC Railroad Conductor Technology program. A Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, CN provides transportation and intermodal service throughout North America.

CN Human Resources Associate Esmeralda Salinas visited the college’s main campus in Rosemount, Minn., Friday, Nov. 2, 2012, to take part in a check presentation ceremony during a DCTC Foundation Board meeting. Salinas met Railroad Conductor Technology Instructor Don Spano, Customized Training Transportation Director Larry Raddatz and Executive Director of Foundation and Alumni Tharan Leopold as well as members of the board.

Assisting underrepresented students is a priority for both CN and the college. CN founded the Diversity Leadership Council, or DLC, in November 2001. The DLC identifies opportunities for increasing the representation of diverse groups—personal diversity (gender, racial background) and diversity of experience—across CN regions and functions.

(Left to right in photo: CN Human Resources Associate Esmeralda Salinas, DCTC Foundation Board Director Al Eiden, DCTC Railroad Conductor Technology Instructor Don Spano, DCTC Foundation Board Vice Chair Larry Severson, DCTC Customized Training Transportation Director Larry Raddatz, DCTC Foundation Board Director Bob Erickson, DCTC Foundation Executive Director Tharan Leopold)

The DCTC community is committed to creating a positive, engaging environment that welcomes opinions and ideas from people from all nations, backgrounds and cultures. The student population features scholars from all over the world, including countries in Africa, Europe, Asia, South America,the Middle East and, of course, North America. Students with African American, European American, Native American, Asian American and Hispanic heritages are enrolled in academic programs, reflecting a growing and promising diversity in Minnesota and across the country. The Multicultural Student Leadership Association is one of the most active student groups on campus.

Tharan Leopold and Don Spano expressed gratitude on behalf of the RRCT students who will benefit from the scholarship funds. “DCTC is proud to work in partnership with CN to help train railroad conductors for a rail industry with a bright future,” Leopold said. “Our students would have a much more difficult time paying for their education without the generous support from companies such as CN.”

Spano added that railroads are benefiting from ongoing highway conversion due to rail’s cost effectiveness over truck transport. Rail intermodal services are one of the most fuel-efficient modes of freight transportation. Operating across 150,000 miles of track in the U.S.,  approximately 600 freight railroads—Class I, regional  and shortline operators—generate more than $50 billion in annual freight revenues.

About CN

CN is a leader in the North American rail industry. With 22,000 employees, CN is the only railroad that crosses the continent east-west and north-south, serving ports on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts while linking customers to all three NAFTA nations. CN focuses on a diversified and balanced portfolio of goods, including petroleum and chemicals, grain and fertilizers, coal, metals and minerals, forest products, intermodal and automotive.

About the DCTC Railroad Conductor Technology program

This program prepares students to serve as railroad conductors in the railway industry, which is critical to our nation’s livelihood. Retirement rates of current conductors promise excellent job opportunities. Railroad conductors oversee train routes, movements and car switching through a range of duties, including the relay of signals in emergency situations. Conductors work irregular hours, including holidays, weekends, days and nights for shifts up to 12 hours. Constantly alert to changing conditions, they are trained to act safely and responsibly.

About the DCTC Foundation

Established in 1983 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the DCTC Foundation is governed by a board of directors with up to 18 members. Since its inception, the Foundation has generated more than $3.2 million in financial assistance for students while building a general endowment fund and establishing private endowment funds.

For more information about the DCTC Railroad Conductor Technology program, contact:

• Don Spano
  Railroad Conductor Technology Instructor
  651-423-8352

For more information about the DCTC Foundation, contact:

• Tharan Leopold
  Executive Director of Foundation and Alumni
  651-423-8293

Five students find their lucky $500 horseshoes

(left to right) DCTC CIO Todd Jagerson, Brandice Carlson, Melissa Meach, DCTC President Ron Thomas, Amy Minnick, DCTC Foundation Board Member Kerry Sutherland, Blake Garcia, DCTC Exercise & Sport Science Instructor Sara Woodward, Jack Straus

Canterbury Park, a premier horse racing track in Shakopee, Minn., partnered with the Dakota County Technical College Foundation in support of DCTC student scholarships. Canterbury Park hosted the popular event, Scholarship in a Haystack, at the track Thursday evening, Aug. 23, 2012, and provided $2,500 in student scholarship funds. Twenty participants dove into a huge mound of hay to search for five golden horseshoes, with each horseshoe redeemable for a $500 scholarship to the college.

Judd Greenagel, corporate partnership manager at Canterbury Park, has been working with the DCTC Foundation to make a DCTC night at the races a regular occurrence. Scholarship in a Haystack 2012 represents the third time Canterbury has hosted the free event.

Scholarship in a Haystack 2011 @Canterbury Park

“Canterbury Park welcomes the chance to help DCTC students reach their academic goals,” Greenagel said. “Scholarship in a Haystack is great fun for both participants and spectators. We look forward to future opportunities for members of the college community to spend a night at the races at Canterbury.”

Tharan Leopold, executive director of foundation and alumni, expressed the DCTC Foundation’s gratitude to Canterbury Park for helping support much-needed scholarships.

“Our students appreciate Canterbury Park’s generosity,” Leopold said. “Without the strong support of superb partners like Canterbury Park, students would have a much more difficult time achieving their college and career aspirations.”

About Canterbury Park

Opened in 1984, Canterbury Park is one of the last great racetracks built in America. The 300,000-square-foot grandstand features three levels for racing, along with an 18,000-square-foot Card Casino. Canterbury Park’s sandy loam one-mile oval has three chutes: 3½ furlongs, 6½ furlongs and 1¼ miles. The turf course is a 7/8 mile inner oval that accommodates races at several distances. Canterbury holds live racing from May to September.

For more information about Canterbury Park, contact:

• Judd Greenagel
  Corporate Partnerships Manager
  Canterbury Park
  952-233-4894

• Canterbury Park Website
• Canterbury Park Facebook Page
• Canterbury Park Photo Collection on Flickr

About the DCTC Foundation

Established in 1983 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the DCTC Foundation is governed by a board of directors with up to 18 members. Since its inception, the Foundation has generated more than $3.2 million in financial assistance for students while building a general endowment fund and establishing private endowment funds.

For more information about donating to support student scholarships at DCTC, contact:

• Tharan Leopold
  Executive Director of Foundation and Alumni
  651-423-8293

Blue Knights star is exactly what USD is looking for

Lucas Long | Blue Knights vs. Western Technical College Cavaliers, Sept. 22, 2012

Lucas Long, former College World Series champion and starting pitcher for Blue Knights men’s baseball team, committed to a scholarship offer from the University of San Diego. Long joined the Blue Knights this year after a freshman campaign at the University of Arizona, where he won the 2012 CWS ring.

Lucas Long | Sophomore | Holy Angels/Univ. of AZ | Minneapolis, MN

“Lucas is exactly what we are looking for at San Diego, said Jay Johnson, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the USD Toreros. “He has a chance to come in and contribute right out of the gates in a possible weekend starter role.”

Long’s command of the strike zone and maturity convinced DCTC Head Coach Wes Crawford that it wouldn’t take long for him to get noticed. “Lucas is a special kid,” said Crawford. “His qualities are going to allow him to be very successful at the Division 1 level and beyond. Let’s just say Coach Johnson was immediately impressed when he saw Lucas throw in person.”

Johnson was so impressed that he offered Long a scholarship before he left for the airport that same day.

“We are just extremely proud of him. He deserves this,” said Crawford. “His commitment to the team and to the game has paid off. I am confident that he is going to make the most of this opportunity.”

For more information about Blue Knights men’s baseball, contact:

• Wes Crawford
  Head Baseball Coach / Recruitment Coordinator
  651-423-8223

Donations to the DCTC Foundation continue to grow

Faculty and staff at Dakota County Technical College believe in student scholarships. That belief is reflected in their generous support of the DCTC Foundation, which serves as an avenue for gifts and grants that benefit the college and and its student community. Tharan Leopold, executive director of foundation and alumni, reports that donation levels for DCTC staff and faculty reached a new high, with more than 67 percent giving money to support student scholarships, up from 62 percent last year. Ten DCTC employees took advantage of the new, named scholarship option by each donating $1,000 to the Foundation.

“Faculty and staff at our college realize money is tight in today’s economy,” Leopold said. “They know students often have a tough time trying to make ends meet while attending school. Student debt is also something they worry about. The fact that a difficult economy affects everyone on our campus makes their generosity all the more remarkable.”

Leopold went on to say that the Foundation receives nearly $2,000 from staff and faculty each pay period for a total that will top $50,000 by the end of the fiscal year. He noted that faculty frequently donate to support scholarships for students in their own academic programs while staff give to fund general scholarships and emergency grants. As the percentage of campus-wide givers gets larger, the Foundation can make a stronger case when requesting donations and support from external sources. One hundred percent is not an unreachable goal in Leopold’s view.

“We have a vibrant, caring group of people working at DCTC,” he said. “They believe in our college mission, Education for Employment, and they have both the professionalism and compassion to make sure our students reach their personal, academic and career goals.”

About the DCTC Foundation

Established in 1983 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the DCTC Foundation is governed by a board of directors with up to 18 members. Since its inception, the Foundation has generated more than $3.2 million in financial assistance for students while building a general endowment fund and establishing private endowment funds.

For more information about donating to support student scholarships at DCTC, contact:

•  Tharan Leopold
  Executive Director of Foundation and Alumni
  651-423-8293

Ronald E. Thomas serving as keynote presenter at 10th annual event

Ronald E. Thomas, Ph.D., president of Dakota County Technical College, will be a presenter at the 10th Annual Conference of the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), being held in Chicago, Ill., October 7–10, 2012. The three-day conference, which marks NACCE’s 10th year as a major force in entrepreneurship education, is expected to draw 500 community college administrators and faculty from across the nation and around the world. More than 50 learning sessions and workshops will be held to share information on the work being done at community colleges across the country to support the entrepreneurial aspirations of the people they serve.

President Thomas, who also serves as NACCE board chair, will present a session entitled “Increasing Entrepreneurs’ Engagement in Community Colleges,” which will inform attendees about Commitment #3 of the Presidents for Entrepreneurship Forum. President Thomas has presented at the NACCE Conference on a number of occasions.

“Presenting at NACCE’s 10th Annual Conference is a wonderful opportunity to share critical information regarding the Presidents for Entrepreneurship Forum,” President Thomas said. “Entrepreneurship education at community colleges is making a difference in the lives of people across the country—and the NACCE Conference will spotlight the great work happening on our campuses.”

About NACCE

The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, is an organization of educators, entrepreneurs, and distinguished business development professionals providing quality programs and services in entrepreneurship education and serving as advocates community-based entrepreneurship. Founded in 2002, NACCE is at the heart of the “entrepreneurship movement.” Through membership, an annual conference and exhibition, a quarterly journal, monthly webinars and podcasts, a dynamic list-serv, and other resources, NACCE serves as the hub for the dissemination and integration of knowledge and successful practices regarding entrepreneurship education and student business incubation. These programs and courses advance economic prosperity in the communities served by its member colleges. NACCE is a founding member of the White House-led Startup America Partnership.

For more information the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship and the upcoming conference in Chicago, follow this link: NACCE. You can also follow NACCE on Twitter @NACCE and like NACCE on Facebook.

To learn more about e-ship education at DCTC, contact:

• Bob Voss
  Entrepreneurship/Small Business Instructor
  651-423-8356
• Christine Mollenkopf-Pigsley
  Entrepreneurship/Small Business Instructor
  651-423-8231