News and Events

This article originally appeared in the Echo Press' In the Know column, titled Alexandria College earns national honors.

By Michael Seymour, President, Alexandria Technical & Community College

Recently, we had the honor of announcing that Alexandria Technical and Community College is Minnesota’s Best Community College in not one, but two national rankings. These and other recognitions (www.alextech.edu/recognition) reflect the college’s long-standing commitment to excellence. This commitment is evident not only through Alexandria College’s reputation and rankings, but through documented measures.

Ranking agencies consider factors such as student reviews, cost of attendance, graduation rates, career placement, wages after graduation and data from the U.S. Department of Education – all areas where Alexandria College receives high marks.

A total of 77% of student reviews on Niche, one of the two Minnesota’s Best Community College ranking agencies, are 4 or 5 stars (out of more than 150 reviews). Students go out of their way to share how picking Alexandria College was the best decision they ever made. Our combined graduation and transfer-out rate is 71% (the national average is 45%). Our five-year average of fall-to-spring retention is 80%.

Our graduate data is equally impressive. A total of 98% of our graduates go on to work in jobs related to their fields of study. A survey of our 2020 graduates found average wages after graduation to be more than $45,000 per year. Georgetown University, Center on Education and the Workforce, has ranked Return on Investment at 4,500 U.S. Colleges and Universities in 10-year intervals. Over a 40-year professional career, Alexandria College graduates outperform those at 3,532 other institutions nationally. Within western Minnesota, our graduates outperform University of Minnesota-Morris alumni by 4%. When compared to graduates of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities at the 40-year mark, the difference of the net present value is less than 17%.

Our best-in-class rankings and lifetime success of our graduates give us a lot to celebrate as a learning community. However, our work cannot stop there. All programs that receive financial aid or have common professional standards of quality, such as nursing and law enforcement, are accredited as prescribed by their respective agencies.

Alexandria Technical and Community College as a whole has been affiliated with the Higher Learning Commission since 1974 and accredited since 1980. The HLC accredits colleges and universities in the central United States.

As part of its accreditation process, the college is slated for its HLC 10-year review in 2023-2024. Accreditation reviewers will be measuring the strength of the institution and recommending future accreditation status. The measures include five criteria:

• Mission – Guiding and Public.
• Integrity – Ethical and Responsible Conduct.
• Teaching and Learning – Quality, Resources and Support.
• Teaching and Learning – Evaluation and Improvement.
• Institutional Effectiveness, Resources and Planning.

Accreditation is not guaranteed and the college is already preparing for the site visit. Much of the preparation includes digging into our data and documenting evidence that the college engages in continuous improvement. The process gives us an opportunity to reflect on our mission and that the work we are doing is in alignment with our strategic framework and related planning. We are strengthening our college-wide assessment practices at both the institutional and program level to validate that we are achieving our stated outcomes.

The result of the 10-year accreditation cycle will be a renewed focus on our students, college and community.

To our students, we will continue to serve by providing relevant knowledge and impactful experiences that empower them to reach their goals. Our students are the reason for our existence and their success comes first.

To our college, we continuously respond to the evolving needs of the industry as we contribute to the regional workforce. We aspire to a culture of action. We aim to exceed expectations at every level.

To our community, we are committed to continuing our tradition of innovative and extraordinary education that fills a vital economic development role. We will continue to partner with local industry, educational institutions, and organizations in serving our region culturally, economically, and civically.

We invite you to see what makes Alexandria College so special. On Saturday, Oct 30, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., we are hosting our fall 2021 Explore and Discover Open House. This is our biggest visit event of the year. Program instructors and staff will be available to show the latest program technologies and equipment. Many will have special exhibits on display, also.

We look forward to showing you first-hand a few of the reasons that make Alexandria College Minnesota’s Best Community College.