Keeping abreast of the way the Minnesota economy will affect public higher education has proven interesting this year. Riverland Community College and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system continue to weather cutbacks, unallotments and politics while concentrating on how we will serve the higher education needs of our students.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s spring announcement that our system — comprised of 32 colleges and state universities — will take a $50-million unallotment on top of a $20 million cut made in November 2008, looks intimidating.

Yet I remain hopeful that these challenges will enable Riverland and our state system to become stronger as we find efficient ways to educate our students, workforce, communities and state citizens.

The chairman of the system’s Board of Trustees, David Olson, president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, expressed his opinion on this topic in a recent editorial in the Star Tribune. Trustee Olson shared how the system has responded to the financial crisis:

“There is no doubt that the system’s employees and their unions helped mightily this year with their ‘We’ll do our fair share.’ approach. The three faculty and administrative unions with whom the system negotiates agreed to an unprecedented wage freeze. The two statewide unions also did their part by agreeing early and helping to control costs. These critical agreements paved the way for presidents to more easily balance their budgets in the next biennium.

“The two student groups, the Minnesota State College Student Association and the Minnesota State University Student Association, also made an important contribution. They support Chancellor James H. McCormick’s recommendation for a 5 percent tuition increase, knowing the one-time federal stimulus funds will lower increases to 3 percent for 2009-2010. [The trustees approved the tuition increase at their July meeting.]

“The governor and Legislature also gave the Board of Trustees another tool for reducing expenditures. Under a new law, the board can offer ‘early separation incentives’ to selected employees. The idea is to encourage early retirements, giving presidents more options for determining which positions must be filled.”

Although Riverland employees face salary freezes in this uncertain economy, they remain committed to preserving excellence in teaching and learning for our current and incoming students. In economic downturns, more students, including dislocated workers, look to higher education, especially community and technical colleges as the most viable option to better employment. This phenomenon challenges us to serve more students just as effectively despite the newly imposed budget reductions.

President Obama provided a call to the nation’s community colleges to produce five million more graduates by the year 2020 and proposed spending $12 billion over 10 years to improve programs, courses and facilities at two-year institutions.

This historic proposal strives to make college more affordable, make education more relevant and attuned to future workforce needs. Obama’s vision aligns with Riverland’s strategic plan for a preferred future: education is the one sure social elevator, and Riverland’s faculty and staff stand ready to help our local region and state emerge from this recession by transforming lives through education.

Terrence Leas is the president of Riverland Community College.