News and Events

Michael Seymour, President, Alexandria Technical & Community College
Will be Printed in the Echo Press as Enrollment Grows 5 Years in a Row: A Reflection on Growth Grounded in Strategic Partnerships

As highlighted in the Star Tribune last month, Alexandria College recorded the highest fall semester enrollment growth in the Minnesota State system—a 20% increase over last year. A testament to the trust placed in us by students, families, and employers. It’s also a sign that our strategic investments in our business and educational partnerships are working. That kind of growth reflects more than just numbers; it’s the result of deliberate planning, strong partnerships, and a clear understanding of our role in higher education.

An important part of the college’s open-door mission is to provide access and support. Three initiatives in particular—Global Military Learning Network (GMLN), Distance Minnesota, and Online College in the High School (OCHS)—are helping us provide access and support to a broader audience while staying true to our tradition as a regional leader in technical and transfer education. As importantly, expanding enrollment has not impacted quality as the college maintains the highest graduation placement rate in the Minnesota State System at 99.4%.

Serving Those Who Serve: The Global Military Learning Network (GMLN)

The GMLN is our umbrella for all military-connected learning at Alexandria College. At its core, GMLN is designed to support active-duty service members, veterans, and their families as they pursue education and career advancement. The primary purpose of GMLN is to streamline a military members path back to high demand occupations in the civilian workforce.

GMLN’s partnership with the United States Naval Community College (USNCC) currently serves over 600 active service members with more to come, and we recently partnered with the Community College of the Air Force to offer online transfer courses through General Education Mobile (GEM).

In August and September alone, our GMLN website saw thousands of visitors from Virginia, Texas, California, and even Germany. We’re now exploring partnerships with colleges and universities in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, while expanding collaboration here in Minnesota. Our goal is clear: to be the national leader in military-connected technical education.

Distance Minnesota: Expanding Access through Shared Services

Working largely behind-the-scenes, Distance Minnesota is a vital part of our systemwide/statewide support services. Through partnerships with the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs and more than a dozen Minnesota State institutions, our team remotely supports over 100,000 student contacts annually—through phone, email, and chat support, outreach, and application processing.

Whether it’s answering phones, processing applications, or assisting online learners, Distance Minnesota helps students find their way and helps colleges and universities with needed back-office support.

Distance Minnesota’s Online College in the High School: More Options for Rural Schools

For 20 years, our Online College in the High School (OCHS) program has helped rural schools offer college courses to their students at an affordable rate. A collaborative effort between ATCC, Northland College, and Northwest Technical College, OCHS enrollment has grown 35%, now serving 52 Minnesota School Districts.

OCHS’s unique features allow it to work for rural Minnesota schools for which traditional Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) isn’t feasible. “The wide variety of classes available to students while still being able to be at the high school is a huge benefit to our students,” said an OCHS coordinator at a Minnesota high school. “We are 50 miles from a [college] campus and in person PSEO options are not feasible for many of our students.”

An online portal allows high school coordinators to enroll students, track progress, and review grades. Dedicated support is available for OCHS students and program coordinators. OCHS courses are fully online and asynchronous to fit with any school schedule, and are exclusive to OCHS students—so students learn with similar-age peers from across the state.

Alexandria College is proud of its growing military enrollment, its long-standing support for rural schools, and its role in strengthening Minnesota’s higher education system.

As our partnerships grow, so does our impact on the communities we serve. Our outreach now spans the state of Minnesota, the upper Midwest, and beyond. No matter how far our outreach extends, our traditions remain the same: a commitment to delivering high-quality, accessible education that meets people where they are, in a way that meets their needs.

At Alexandria College, growth isn’t just about numbers—it’s about deepening our partnerships and expanding opportunity for all.