MN Reconnect Resources for Colleges

 

If you have questions about this program, please contact the staff member listed on this page via email. If a staff member is not listed, please email info.ohe@state.mn.us and provide a detailed description of your question.

The Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE) and Minnesota State have partnered to develop a new program to support adult learners called MN Reconnect. The program is made possible by financial and technical support from the Lumina Foundation and the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO). The program supports Minnesota State students through specialized services, who return to college during fall of 2019 to earn a credential of economic value after an absence of two or more years.

Visit the MN Reconnect website here.

March 9, 2020 Update

As of March 16, 2020, the Office of Higher Education has extended the application deadline for institutions to apply to April 17, 2020. The March 16th webinar has also been canceled and will be rescheduled for early April. Please email Meredith.Fergus@state.mn.us or Shelly.Auldrich@minnstate.edu if you would like to be notified via email when the webinar is rescheduled.

The Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE) and Minnesota State Academic and Student Affairs division invite institutions to apply to participate in the expansion of MN Reconnect, a program to support adult learners at Minnesota State Colleges. Selected institutions will be eligible to award MN Reconnect grants to adult learner participants, access financial assistance to pay off financial holds, receive communications products and support in promotion of MN Reconnect, access technical assistance for program participation and evaluation, access to limited funding to complete the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) Adult 360 assessment, and may receive funding for institutional support services. Note: Funding for the 2020-2021 academic year does not include funds to pay for staff advisors.

For more information download the Request for Expansion of MN Reconnect.

What Institutions are Participating?

Inver Hills Community College
Lake Superior College
Riverland Community College
South Central College

Who do I Contact with Questions?

Inver Hills Community College:
Heidi Thury (651) 450-3287
hthury@inverhills.edu

Lake Superior College:
Emily Chapinski (218) 733-5983
emily.chapinski@lsc.edu

Riverland Community College:
Amy Wagner (507) 433-0575
amy.wagner@riverland.edu

South Central College:
Kris Lovstad (507) 389-7394
reconnect@southcentral.edu

What Specialized Services are Available?

Students are supported by a designated institutional staff member, titled Navigator. The Navigator assists in academic and financial planning, and accessing special benefits, such as the MN Reconnect Scholarship, and community services.

Resources

• MN Reconnect website
• MN Reconnect Institution Application Sample Use Only
• State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO), Adult Promise Programs
• Education Commission of the States, Supporting Adult Learners for Postsecondary Success
• Beyond the Info Gap: Other hurdles for adult learners in state policy contexts
• Finding the Will to Fund State Financial Aid Programs for Adult Learners
• State Innovations for Near-Completers
• Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
• State Aid and Other Financial Supports
• TN Reconnect
• Learn More Indiana - Adult Learners
• Lumina Foundation