Dakota County Technical College
Encyclopedia
Dakota County, Minnesota
Dakota County is the third most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The county is bordered by the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers on the north, and the state of Wisconsin on the east. Dakota County comprises the southeast portion of seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul, the thirteenth...
inside the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) is a public, two-year technical college with a main campus in Rosemount
Rosemount, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,619 people, 4,742 households, and 3,931 families residing in the city. The population density was 434.2 people per square mile . There were 4,845 housing units at an average density of 143.9 per square mile...
, Minn., plus additional sites in Eagan
Eagan, Minnesota
Eagan is a city south of Saint Paul in Dakota County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies on the south bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from the confluence with the Mississippi River. Eagan and nearby suburbs form the southern portion of Minneapolis-St. Paul, the fifteenth largest...
and Apple Valley
Apple Valley, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 45,527 people, 16,344 households, and 12,405 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,625.5 people per square mile . There were 16,536 housing units at an average density of 953.6 per square mile...
. DCTC belongs to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System comprises 31 colleges and universities, including 24 two-year colleges and seven state universities...
and is one of five stand-alone technical colleges in the state.
History and governance
Approved by the 1969 Minnesota State Legislature, Dakota County Technical College started in 1970 with 50 students in three programs. The college's permanent site was a research farm formerly owned and operated by the University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. The 185000 square feet (17,187.1 m²) main building opened in 1973, offering 30 academic programs to nearly 700 students.
At the state level, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System comprises 31 colleges and universities, including 24 two-year colleges and seven state universities...
Board of Trustees serves as the college's governing authority. In 2011, a team of consultant/evaluators from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Institutions of Higher Education
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
(NCA-CIHE) recommended that DCTC receive 10-year re-accreditation without conditions. This is the highest recommendation the college can receive.
In 2007, Ronald E. Thomas, Ph.D., DCTC president, signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. The college is currently implementing a Green Campus Commitment aimed at achieving campus carbon neutrality by 2020.
Campus setting
The DCTC main campus is located on the outskirts of RosemountRosemount, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,619 people, 4,742 households, and 3,931 families residing in the city. The population density was 434.2 people per square mile . There were 4,845 housing units at an average density of 143.9 per square mile...
, Minn., a city of 14,660 about 14 miles (22.5 km) south of St. Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, the capital of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. The Rosemount campus houses the majority of the college's instructional programs, which are separated into seven academic departments (see below). The college is going forward with a 22 acres (8.9 ha) prairie grass and wildflower restoration project on the Rosemount campus that is designed and maintained by faculty and students in the Landscape Horticulture program.
DCTC also delivers 10 programs of study in the Business and Management department at the Partners in Higher Education building in Apple Valley
Apple Valley, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 45,527 people, 16,344 households, and 12,405 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,625.5 people per square mile . There were 16,536 housing units at an average density of 953.6 per square mile...
Minn., as well as Programming & Development, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Networking, Cisco Networking, Database, IT Foundations, and Web/Graphic Design courses at the IT Training Center in Eagan
Eagan, Minnesota
Eagan is a city south of Saint Paul in Dakota County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies on the south bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from the confluence with the Mississippi River. Eagan and nearby suburbs form the southern portion of Minneapolis-St. Paul, the fifteenth largest...
, Minn.
College partners
DCTC has credit transfer agreements with the following institutions:- Argosy UniversityArgosy UniversityArgosy University is a for-profit university owned by Education Management Corporation, with 19 locations in 13 U.S. states and online. The university offers numerous programs at various levels, including certification; associates, bachelors, masters, specialist, and doctoral degrees, postdoctoral...
- Augsburg CollegeAugsburg CollegeAugsburg College is a selective liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Augsburg was named for the Augsburg Confession, the document of Lutheran belief. The school was founded in 1869 in Marshall, Wisconsin as Augsburg Seminary and moved...
- Bemidji State UniversityBemidji State UniversityBemidji State University is a public state university in Bemidji, Minnesota, USA, located on the shores of Lake Bemidji. It is a part of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities .-History:BSU was founded in 1919 as Bemidji State Normal School...
- Capella UniversityCapella UniversityCapella University is a for-profit co-educational university with partial residency requirements during the course of study, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.The school is owned by the publicly traded Capella Education Company...
- Cardinal Stritch UniversityCardinal Stritch UniversityCardinal Stritch University is a private Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.The university also has sites located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and Rochester, Minnesota, as well as multiple Outreach programs throughout Wisconsin.Cardinal...
- Concordia University-Saint Paul
- St. Mary's University of Minnesota
- Southwest Minnesota State UniversitySouthwest Minnesota State UniversitySouthwest Minnesota State University is a public, four-year university that is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. It is located in Marshall, Minnesota, United States, a city of 13,000 people. The school has a full-time enrollment of approximately 3,500 students and...
- Metropolitan State UniversityMetropolitan State UniversityMetropolitan State University is a four-year public university located in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, United States. It is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.-History:...
- University of PhoenixUniversity of PhoenixThe University of Phoenix is a for-profit institution of higher learning. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apollo Group Inc. which is publicly traded , an S&P 500 corporation based in Phoenix, Arizona...
- Upper Iowa UniversityUpper Iowa UniversityEstablished in 1857, Upper Iowa University is a private institution of higher education with its residential campus located in northeast Iowa near the Volga River in the rural community of Fayette, where around 900 students are enrolled....
- The College of St. Catherine
- University of Minnesota CrookstonUniversity of Minnesota CrookstonThe University of Minnesota, Crookston is a four-year university located in Crookston, Minnesota. With 1,600 undergraduate students , it is one of five campuses in the University of Minnesota system. Currently, students from 29 countries and 40 states are enrolled .Located on the northern edge of...
- University of Wisconsin–River Falls
- Northland Community and Technical College
- Winona State UniversityWinona State UniversityWinona State University is a comprehensive public university in Winona, Minnesota, United States, a college and river town located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, with around 8,900 enrolled undergraduate and graduate students...
- United States Sports AcademyUnited States Sports AcademyThe United States Sports Academy is an accredited, sport-specific institution located in Daphne, Alabama. It offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs as well as certificate programs. Founded in 1972, the Academy has provided its sports programs to more than 60 countries around the...
- St. Cloud State UniversitySt. Cloud State UniversitySt. Cloud State University is a four-year public university founded in 1869 on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States. The university is the largest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system which is the largest single provider of higher...
- Minnesota State University-Moorhead
- University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
- Minnesota State University-Mankato
- St. Thomas UniversitySt. Thomas UniversitySchools with the name St. Thomas University:*St. Thomas University *St. Thomas University *St. Thomas University, Japan...
- University of Wisconsin–Stout.
Academics
The college has 57 instructional programs under six academic departments:- Business and Information Systems
- Business and Management
- Design
- Health and Human Services
- Technical Careers
- Transportation Careers
The college's General Education department offers General Education, Minnesota Transfer Curriculum and Developmental Education courses.
Awards offered by DCTC include certificates, diplomas, A.S. degrees and A.A.S. degrees.
Notable Programs
Wood Finishing Technology
- Located on the Rosemount campus, the National Institute of Wood Finishing features the only nine-month, certified wood finishing technology program in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Instructor Mitch Kohanek, a member of the American Institute of Conservation, interned at the Smithsonian Conservation and Analytical Laboratory in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, today called the Museum Conservation Institute.
Nanoscience Technology
- This program prepares students for careers in the nanobiotech, nanomaterials and nanoelectronics industries. Offered through a partnership with the University of Minnesota, the program gives graduates the skills and knowledge to land jobs in companies and corporations applying nanotechnology to product development, testing, research and development, and manufacturing design.
- The National Science Foundation awarded Dakota County Technical College a $3 million grant to develop the Midwest Regional Center for Nanotechnology Education, or Nano-Link. Situated on DCTC's Rosemount campus, Nano-Link will work to create a skilled workforce of nanotechnologists to enhance economic growth in nanoscale science and technology. The center builds on the success of DCTC's pioneering Nanoscience Technology program, which was established in partnership with the University of Minnesota to prepare graduates for employment in the abundant array of industries where nanoscience applications are rapidly emerging.
- DCTC Nanoscience Technology students, working to promote nano and their program, founded a Web site called Nanostudents.com
Railroad Conductor Technology
- Featuring a quarter-mile track on campus, the Railroad Conductor Technology program offers a 15-week certificate that includes an eight-week off-campus internship with a railroad. Industry partners include:
- Twin Cities and Western RailroadTwin Cities and Western RailroadThe Twin Cities and Western Railroad is a railroad operating in the U.S. state of Minnesota which started operations on July 27, 1991. Trackage includes the former Soo Line Railroad "Ortonville Line", originally built as the first part of the Pacific extension of the Milwaukee Road...
- Union Pacific
- Red River Valley and Western RailroadRed River Valley and Western RailroadThe Red River Valley and Western Railroad is a regional railroad operating in the US states of North Dakota and Minnesota, which began operations in 1987...
- Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian Pacific RailwayThe Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
- Canadian National
- Progressive RailProgressive RailProgressive Rail Inc. , headquartered in Lakeville, Minnesota , is a short line railroad operating several branches including the Airlake Terminal Railway. Not all segments physically connect...
- Minnesota Commercial RailwayMinnesota Commercial RailwayThe Minnesota Commercial Railway is a short line railroad in the United States.This railroad operates out of the St. Paul area with service to Minneapolis, Bayport, Hugo, Fridley and New Brighton. It is considered a terminal and switching line. It is based out of a roundhouse on Cleveland Ave. in...
- Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad
- Northern Plains RailroadNorthern Plains RailroadThe Northern Plains Railroad is a short line railroad that operates over 344 miles of track in the northern U.S. state of Minnesota and the northern U.S...
- Northern Lines RailwayNorthern Lines RailwayNorthern Lines Railway is a shortline railroad operating of track in and near St. Cloud in central Minnesota. The railroad was formed in 2004 to operate former Burlington Northern Santa Fe trackage in the St. Cloud area. Interchange is made with BNSF in east St. Cloud.The railroad operates...
- Twin Cities and Western Railroad
Business Entrepreneur
- Instructor Bob Voss received the National Association of Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) Faculty Member of the Year award in 2008. Associate Dean Christine Pigsley was awarded a $3,600 grant from the Coleman Foundation and Business Entrepreneur student Mary Glock won the New York Times/NACCE Student Essay Contest that same year. The program is housed at the Institute for Business, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, which serves as a resource for business education, small-business support, continuing education and customized training for the southern Twin CitiesTwin citiesTwin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
metropolitan area.
Interior Design
- Connected to professional organizations such as the American Society of Interior DesignersAmerican Society of Interior DesignersThe American Society of Interior Designers is the oldest and largest professional association for interior designers. Through education, knowledge sharing, advocacy, community building and outreach, the Society strives to advance the interior design profession and, in the process, to demonstrate...
(ASID), International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA), International Interior Design AssociationInternational Interior Design AssociationThe International Interior Design Association is a professional networking and educational association of more than 13,000 members in ten specialty forums, and twenty-nine chapters around the world. IIDA is committed to enhancing quality of life through excellence in interior design...
(IIDA), National Executive Women in Hospitality (NEWH) and the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), the Interior Design program is taught by instructors with recognized industry experience.
Landscape Horticulture
- Landscape Horticulture is the only program of its kind in MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
nationally accredited by the Professional Landcare NetworkProfessional Landcare NetworkThe Professional Landcare Network is a professional body for lawn care professionals, landscape management professionals , design/build/installation professionals, and interior plantscapers...
(PLANET). The program also works with the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA), allowing students more opportunities to become MNLA Certified Professionals. The program recently constructed a modern, glass-paned greenhouse with solar heating and computerized controls.
Customized Training
Partnering with more than 100 area businesses and industries, DCTC offers customized continuing education in a number of areas. In a typical year, more than 6,000 students are enrolled in the college's Customized Training programs. Some noteworthy training projects include:Business and Management
- Northwest AirlinesNorthwest AirlinesNorthwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...
: $263,945 grant for supervisory management training - Amerilab Technologies: $309,411 grant for multicultural supervisory training
IT/Computer Technology
- PrometricPrometricPrometric is a U.S. company in the test administration industry. Prometric operates a test center network composed of over 10,000 sites in 160 countries...
Training Center: DCTC's IT Training Center delivers MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
exams for technology vendors such as Oracle CorporationOracle CorporationOracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
, Sun MicrosystemsSun MicrosystemsSun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
and CompTIACompTIAThe Computing Technology Industry Association , a non-profit trade association, was created in 1982 as the Association of Better Computer Dealers, Inc. by representatives of five microcomputer dealerships...
Manufacturing
- Foldcraft: $300,000 grant for operational excellence training in manufacturing along with other instruction
- Urologix: $189,000 grant for two-pronged competency training that included pilot and train-the-trainer programs
Public Safety
- Trained and endorsed 1,200 motorcycle riders in 2007
- Trained 600 police officers in emergency vehicle operations, basic and advanced pursuit, and P.I.T.PIT maneuverThe PIT maneuver is a method by which one car pursuing another can force the pursued vehicle to abruptly turn sideways to the direction of travel, causing the driver to lose control and stop. The backronym "PIT" has a number of different meanings, depending on the agency using it or school...
in 2007 - Trained 200 firefighters and emergency medical technicians in emergency response driving proficiency skills in 2007
Transportation
- 151 out of 153 (98.6 percent) students passed Truck Driver Training program and earned Class A Commercial Driver's LicenseCommercial driver's licenseA Commercial Driver's License is a driver's license required in the United States to operate any type of vehicle which has a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 lb or more for commercial use, or transports quantities of hazardous materials that require warning placards under Department of...
(CDL) - Multimillion-dollar facility includes observation deck, three TDT exercise yards and an enclosed, three-mile (5 km) decision driving track
Research
In 2008, DCTC received a $3 million grant from the National Science FoundationNational Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
to develop the Midwest Regional Center for Nanotechnology Education, or Nano-Link, on the DCTC campus. Deb Newberry, the director of the college's Nanoscience Technology program, was appointed to head Nano-Link, which provides resources and support to colleges delivering nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
education and research throughout a five-state region. Six two-year colleges in North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
partnered to develop this center.
Athletics
Sports programs at DCTC include:Women's Soccer
Men's Soccer
- Head coach: Cam Stoltz
- Both soccer teams compete as independents at the NJCAA Div. I level in Region 13
- All home games are played on the DCTC main campus in Rosemount, Minn., at the Ames Soccer Complex, which was constructed through a partnership between the college and the city of Rosemount with an in-kind donation from Ames Construction
Women's Fastpitch Softball
- Head coach: TBD
- Fastpitch softball competes as an independent at the NJCAA Div. III level in Region 13
Men's Baseball
- Head coach: Randy Briesacher
- Baseball competes as an independent at the NJCAA Div. III level in Region 13
Men's Baskeball
- Head coach: Jay Pivec
- Associate head coach: Ron Gates
- Inaugural season: Fall 2011
- Men's basketball will compete as an independent at the NJCAA Div. II level in Region 13
Women's Volleyball
- Head coach: Ben Stroud
- Inaugural season: Fall 2011
- Women's volleyball will compete as an independent at the NJCAA Div. II level in Region 13
Geofrey Kalanzi: Blue Knights Soccer Star
The National Junior College Athletic Association selected Geofrey Kalanzi, a former student and Blue Knights soccer standout at Dakota County Technical College, as the winner of the 2008–2009 NJCAA Lea Plarski Award. Bestowed annually by the NJCAA, the Lea Plarski Award honors the student-athlete who epitomizes sportsmanship, leadership, community service and academic excellence in conjunction with superior athletic ability and accomplishments.
Campus Life
DCTC has a range of student organizations and clubs under the college's Student Life umbrella. Headed by a six-member executive board, the Student Senate manages a budget that funds social activities, scholarships and charitable projects. The Multicultural Student Leadership Organization, DCTC Campus Lions Club, Phi Theta KappaPhi Theta Kappa
Phi Theta Kappa, also ΦΘΚ or sometimes PTK , is the international honor society of two-year colleges and academic programs, particularly community colleges and junior colleges. It also includes Associate's degree-granting programs offered by four-year colleges...
and SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a United States career and technical student organization serving more than 320,000 high school and college students and professional members enrolled in training programs in technical, skilled, and service occupations, including health occupations. Since 2010, SkillsUSA has had Thomas...
are all active on campus. In 2009, John Butenhoff, a student in the Nanoscience Technology program was named to the All-USA First Team as part of USA TODAY’s All-USA Community College Academic Team. Butenhoff served as vice president of the Phi Theta Kappa Beta Theta Tau chapter on campus.