In Washington Monthly’s recently released list of college rankings, Leech Lake Tribal College (LLTC) was rated as the seventh-best community college in America, out of more than 650 colleges that were part of the study. The rankings are based on data collected as part of the Community College Survey of Student Engagement in 2007, 2008 and 2009. The data includes five categories: active and collaborative student learning; student effort; academic challenge; student-faculty interaction; and support for learners.
LLTC scored second highest in the nation in active and collaborative learning and in student-faculty interaction, confirming the value of the college’s holistic, student-centered approach to education.
“Leech Lake Tribal College is honored to be recognized as an outstanding community college,” said LLTC President Dr. Ginny Carney. “Our dedicated faculty, strong academic standards, and commitment to service all work together to create a life-changing college experience for our students.”
According to LLTC registrar Veronica Veaux, more than 250 students are registered for fall semester, and that number is expected to surpass 275 by the time classes start. That number will represent the largest ever student body in LLTC’s 20-year history.
Erdrich’s book The Master Butchers Singing Club opens
The Guthrie Theater announced complete casting for the world premiere production of Ojibwe author Louise Erdrich’s The Master Butchers Singing Club, which will kick off the 2010-11 season on the Wurtele Thrust Stage in Minneapolis. Native cast members include M. Cochise Anderson and Sheila Tousey.
Though best known as a Native American novelist, Erdrich explores German American cultural tradition, which is part of her personal heritage, in The Master Butchers Singing Club. She is the author of 13 novels, as well as volumes of poetry, short stories, children’s books and a memoir of early motherhood. Her novel Love Medicine won the National Book Critics Circle Award. The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse was a finalist for the National Book Award. Her 2009 novel The Plague of Doves won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Previews begin Sept. 11, with the play opening on Sept. 19 and running through Nov. 6, on the Wurtele Thrust Stage. For tickets call the Guthrie Box Office at 612-377-2224, toll-free 877-44-STAGE, or see: www.guthrietheater.org.
Openings on Minneapolis boards and commissions
Applications are now being accepted for openings on a number of boards and commissions positions that the City Council and Mayor will appoint this fall. Board and commission members in the City of Minneapolis help shape key policy decisions and provide community-based input into administration of services. The City is seeking applicants with a diversity of backgrounds and experiences to strengthen the work of the City.
There are 112 open positions on 14 City boards/commission. Applications will be reviewed beginning October 4th, however the positions are open until filled. The City of Minneapolis has more than 50 volunteer-based boards, commissions and advisory committees that advise the City on issues and help with policy development and administration of services. Boards and commissions fall into a handful of categories: appeal boards, development boards, general advisory boards, and special service districts, which are defined areas within the city where special services are rendered.
To learn more about a particular open position or board/commission join in an online chat or attend the open house. The online chat is scheduled for Sept. 21 from noon to 1 p.m, at: www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/boards-and-commissions/chat. There will also be an open house, information session on Sept. 23 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the City Hall Rotunda, 350 South 5th Street, Minneapolis.
Mille Lacs Band Donates over $38,000 in July
The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe donated $38,163 in monetary and in-kind contributions to a variety of nonprofit organizations and other charitable causes in July. Every month, the Band contributes to community programs in Minnesota and nationwide. So far in 2010, the Band has donated a total of $380,687.
In July, the Mille Lacs Band donated $5,000 each to the Northstar Problem Gambling Alliance and the Minnesota Department of Human Services. The donations will support initiatives and resources for individuals with compulsive gambling addictions.
Other notable contributions included those to the Angel of Hope animal shelter in Sandstone, the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in Saint Paul, and the Huntington’s Disease Society of America in Fridley. The Band also donated in the Wisconsin counties of Burnett, Clark, Chippewa, Douglas, Eau Claire, Monroe, Saint Croix, and Trempealeau; in Hancock County, Iowa; in Cook County, Illinois; and in Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada.
