April 17, 2002 - Northwest Technical College President Swanson Announces He Will Not Seek New Contract

Contact: Linda Kohl, MnSCU Public Affairs, (651) 296-9595
or Nancy Conner, (651) 296-0541

Ron Swanson, president of the five-campus Northwest Technical College, said today he will step down as president at the end of his current contract on June 30, 2002.

Swanson was appointed in January 1999 to lead the two-year institution, which has campuses across northwestern Minnesota in Bemidji, Detroit Lakes, East Grand Forks, Moorhead and Wadena.

"I am proud of what we have accomplished during my time at the college," Swanson said. "Many of these accomplishments, such as our Continuous Quality Improvement System and ISO 9000 certification, have been nationally recognized."

Swanson also cited the college's Virtual Campus for distance learning through online and interactive television instruction, and the attainment of 10-year North Central Association Accreditation. In addition, the college recently was selected to utilize a new accreditation process that follows the Baldrige Criteria for Educational Excellence. Swanson noted that during his term, the college has been able to reverse a trend of deficit spending and declining enrollments and obtain nearly $7 million for construction.

"We appreciate Dr. Swanson's service to the system," said Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Chancellor James H. McCormick. "We will immediately begin to plan for the future leadership of the college."

Northwest Technical College serves about 4,200 full-time-equivalent students and had about 4,800 students enrolled in fall semester. The college is part of the 34-institution Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.

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