Minnesota

St. Cloud State increases enrollment this fall, but at a lower rate than other schools

Published

2 months ago

October 15, 2024

St. Cloud State increases enrollment this fall, but at a lower rate than other schools

St. Cloud State University saw an enrollment increase in enrollment of roughly 1%, keeping its student population at roughly 10,000.

The school’s stabilized enrollment comes as the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system announced a system-wide enrollment increase.

St. Cloud State University’s 1% change wasn’t up to par compared to the other Minnesota State universities, which had an average increase of 4.5%. However, St. Cloud Technical and Community College saw a 13.6% increase, for a total enrollment of 4,000 students, above the Minnesota State colleges’ average increase of 9.3%.

Enrollment increases come after Minnesota launched its North Star Promise program to give students whose families have an adjusted gross income of less than $80,000 free college tuition. A Minnesota State Colleges and Universities release states that nearly 12,000 students are reaping the program’s benefits this fall.

“We believe the increase in enrollment was driven by a number of factors,” said Scott Olson, the chancellor of Minnesota State in a release. “Quality academic programs, keeping our colleges and universities the most affordable, most accessible higher education options in the state and outstanding relationships with the communities we serve were clearly among the keys.”

School board debate: Sartell School Board’s Larson, Smith oppose consequences for ethics violations

St. Cloud State University’s stabilized enrollment doesn’t come without consequences left by its enrollment decline from 2010 to 2024, going from 18,000 students to 10,000. The enrollment decline was a main contributor to the university’s economic hardship, resulting in the public institution cutting its program offerings.

Corey Schmidt covers politics and courts for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@gannett.com.

Source link

Click to comment

Minnesota

NEXT Weather: 10 p.m. report for Minnesota from Dec. 21, 2024

Published

2 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

NEXT Weather: 10 p.m. report for Minnesota from Dec. 21, 2024 – CBS Minnesota

Watch CBS News

Saturday was our last cold day for a while, with a warm-up arriving Sunday and lasting through the holiday week.

Source link

Minnesota

Party City to shutter hundreds of stores across the U.S., including 10 in Minnesota

Published

10 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Party City to shutter hundreds of stores across the U.S., including 10 in Minnesota

Hit by headwinds including inflationary pressures, competition from e-commerce sites, big box retailers, pop-up stores and even a helium shortage, Party City is going out of business.

The closing of the nation’s largest party supply store, reported by CNN on Friday, is expected to shutter more than 700 retail stores in North America by the end of February, including 10 stores in Minnesota.

According to the company’s website, Party City has outlets in Apple Valley, Bloomington, Chanhassen, Coon Rapids, Maple Grove, Maplewood, Roseville, St. Cloud, St. Louis Park and Woodbury. Employees contacted at stores in Roseville, St. Cloud and Apple Valley said they had heard of the closing but could not comment.

Party City, which sells everything from balloons, costumes and birthday banners to gender reveal props and New Year’s Eve tiaras, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2023. That resulted in the cancellation of nearly $1 billion in debt.

The 38-year-old New Jersey-based company exited bankruptcy after naming a new CEO, Barry Litwin, in August. But the company was still contending with more than $800 million in debt, according to CNN. The New York Times reported the company employed more than 16,000 people.

Source link

Minnesota

Report: Falcons likely to cut former Vikings QB Kirk Cousins

Published

18 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Report: Falcons likely to cut former Vikings QB Kirk Cousins

The Atlanta Falcons are likely to cut Kirk Cousins before mid-March, less than a year after he left the Minnesota Vikings to head to Georgia.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that “executives across the leave” believe Cousins’ exit from Atlanta will happen before a $10 million roster bonus is due on Mar. 17, with Schefter citing “multiple sources” who say a split is now inevitable.

It comes in the week that Falcons made the decision to bench Cousins in favor of rookie QB Michael Penix, Jr., whom the Falcons drafted at No. 8 in March shortly after signing Cousins to a four-year, $160 million deal.

Given Cousins has a no-trade clause in his Falcons contract, Schefter notes that it’s unlikely Atlanta will be able to find a suitable deal to trade Cousins, meaning he’s likely to hit the free agent market for the second year running.

Cousins entered the season still recovering from the Achilles injury that ended his final year with the Vikings, and has struggled under center, with the tipping point for Atlanta coming after a 41-21 loss in Minnesota to the Vikings and a 15-9 win over the struggling Las Vegas Raiders, where Cousins threw for only 112 yards, one TD and one INT.

He still showed flashes of his old brilliance however, namely in the 31-26 win over the Tampa Bay Bucaneers in late October, when he threw for 276 yards and four TDs.

After moving on from Cousins, the Vikings signed Sam Darnold for a one-year, $10 million deal and drafted JJ McCarthy with the 10th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Source link