Junior College Board
Active dates:1963-1973
Function: The state junior college board shall possess all powers necessary and incident to the management, jurisdiction, and control of the state junior colleges established in subdivision 1 and all property pertaining thereto. Such powers shall include:
The board may determine the exact location and site for each junior college and shall report to the 1965 regular session of the legislature in regard thereto. Such report shall be filed not later than January 15, 1965.
The board shall appoint the heads of, each junior college, the necessary teachers and supervisors, and all other necessary employees.
History:
Public junior colleges, later known as community colleges, have been part of post-high school education in Minnesota since the first such institution was opened by the Cloquet School District in 1914.
In 1963, Senator Robert Dunlap of Plainview and Representative Harvey Sathre of Adams were chief authors of a bill to create a system of state-oriented junior colleges. The bill, passed during the 1963 Legislative session, provided that a State Junior College Board consisting of five members would be appointed by the Governor and would have the authority to set up a system of State Junior Colleges. The new system began operation on July 1, 1964. In the fall of 1963 Governor Karl Rolvaag appointed the first State Junior College Board.
In 1973, Senator Jerome Huges of Maplewood, encouraged by recommendations from college advisory committees and the State Board, introduced a bill to change the name of Minnesota's junior colleges to community colleges. The change recognized the fact that the colleges had long since ceased to be merely the first two years of four-year programs and had developed extensive programs of community service.
(Paragraphs above taken from the 1984 report: "The Strategic Plan of the Minnesota Community College System : a Report Prepared for the Governor and Legislature in Compliance with the Provisions of Minnesota Statute 135.A.06")
Membership:
5 members; 7-year terms; senate confirmation required.
Agency heads:
Executive Director: Phillip C. Helland (1964-
Note: The Legislative Reference Library may have additional reports on or by this group available through our catalog.
Documents/Articles:
News clippings and documents. Agencies Notebook Collection, 1969-1966.
Record last updated:
07/02/2014
All information on this group from the Library’s collection of agency notebooks has been digitized. These
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