As Saint Cloud State University wraps up its year-long sesquicentennial celebration this month, President Robbyn Wacker says the school must look ahead to the next 150 years by addressing the market beyond high school graduates. “We want to expand to make sure we have on-line opportunities for folks that can’t give up work or have a family life, that they can’t physically be on campus.” Wacker says larger institutions like the University of Minnesota have the upper hand in recruiting students, and schools like Saint Cloud State must do a better job attracting young students and older learners. “We have about 200 universities that are authorized to provide a post-graduate education in the state of Minnesota, so the competition is huge,” she says.
Wacker adds she also wants to grow the school’s donor footprint, so they have more scholarships and paid internships available for students to help bring down their cost of education.