Twenty-one applicants selected to interview for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees

Contact: Sally Kidd at 651-296-9002

Twenty-one candidates for the four vacancies on the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees were selected to be interviewed by the Trustee Candidate Advisory Council (TCAC) at their meeting on March 7, 2008. The TCAC announced the vacancies in January 2008, and received a total of 41 applications before the February 28th deadline.

In 1991, the Legislature merged all Minnesota public higher education institutions, except the University of Minnesota, into what is known as the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. In 1995, the Board of Trustees assumed responsibility for the governance of the merged system.

The Board of Trustees oversees administration of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, which serves approximately 382,000 students annually. The governor appoints one trustee from each of Minnesota's eight congressional districts and seven at-large trustees, including three student trustees. The TCAC is a 24-member advisory council established by the Legislature to recruit, screen, and recommend candidates to the governor.

Interviews will be held April 2, 3, and 4. The positions designated to be filled are two at-large, one in the fourth congressional district, and one in the seventh congressional district. The terms of board members are six years.

Following are the names of the candidates to be interviewed by the TCAC.

Dean Anderson

Bernice Belgarde

Joseph Bouvette

Francis Bradley

Robert Brown

Cheryl Dickson

Jon Eckhoff

Margaret Gruenes

Clarence Hightower

Patricia Johnson

Patricia Krueger

Charles Kyte

Charles MacLean

Dennis Miller

Deborah Montgomery

David Paskach

Louise Sundin

Raymond Thron

Joseph Vene

Jerry Williams

John Zanmiller

Board of Trustees Candidate Advisory Council, 72 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155, www.tcac.leg.mn

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system comprises 32 state universities, community colleges, technical colleges and combined community and technical colleges located on 53 campuses across the state. The system serves approximately 242,000 students annually in credit-based courses and another 140,000 in non-credit courses.