Saint Paul College has seen some challenges in recent months as chronicled by the Pioneer Press. I write today, however, to assure the citizens and employers of Saint Paul that the issues are being actively addressed as a part of the faculty’s, staff’s and leadership’s longstanding commitment to academic excellence and continuous improvement. Despite fiscal challenges in higher educational institutions across the country, Saint Paul College is fortunate to address our issues from a very healthy financial position. Though we face other challenges, the citizens and employers of Saint Paul have much to be proud of in their local community and technical college.

Founded in the early 1900s, Saint Paul College has long served the citizens of this city and region as they seek new career opportunities through technical education. Since 2000, the college has also provided an affordable option for students to complete their liberal arts general education requirements before transferring to a four-year college or university for the last two years of their bachelor’s degree. The college also serves over 5,000 individuals each year seeking non-credit or certificate credentials for professional advancement or personal enrichment through our continuing education and workforce training programs.

Of particular importance to our collective future, Saint Paul College serves as a critical point of access for students who have been traditionally under-served by higher education. In fact, Saint Paul College serves nearly 10,000 credit-seeking students each year and is the most diverse college in Minnesota by several measures: First, 65% of our students are people of color. Second, the college has the highest percentage of first-generation students in the state, which means neither parent attended college nor earned a bachelor’s degree. Third, Saint Paul College has the highest percentage of students among Minnesota’s two-year colleges who are Pell-eligible — a federal grant for students coming from the nation’s lowest-income families.

The college’s success in serving large numbers of traditionally under-represented populations has been recognized nationally. Recently Saint Paul College learned that it is the only Twin Cities metro area college recognized in the Top 150 of two-year colleges nationally and is being considered by the Aspen Foundation for the prestigious Aspen Prize. Additionally, Saint Paul College was recognized in 2015, 2017 and 2019 as one of the 10 best community colleges in the United States by TheBestSchools.org.

Our college earned TheBestSchools.org ranking because we deliver equitable outcomes for all our students, no matter who they are, as well as low post-college debt levels among our alumni and the 1,500 graduates we produce each year. Another factor is a strong employment placement rate for our graduates. We can attribute that outcome to the exceptional teaching our instructors offer as well as the unfailing support students receive from our professional staff and advisors.

Indeed the college’s latest employment report (for 2018 graduates) showed that 85.1% were employed within one year in a field related to their academic program. Many of these students are employed in high-demand technical, service and health care jobs. Just this week, the national publication Diverse Issues in Higher Education recognized Saint Paul College for providing people of color more associate degrees in many fields than any other institution in the state. Additionally, Saint Paul College students transfer credits to over 350 other colleges and universities annually as they further their study beyond the 112 programs we currently offer.

Clearly Saint Paul College continues to serve as a key economic driver for the City of Saint Paul and the greater Twin Cities metropolitan area. Because of Saint Paul College many students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend college are able to graduate and become successful, contributing members of our community.

We welcome the opportunity to continue improving as a college, so we can continue providing an excellent education to our students so they can continue making outstanding contributions to our community.

Deidra Peaslee is interim president of Saint Paul College.