President Larry Anderson

President Larry Anderson


Acting on the recommendation of Chancellor Devinder Malhotra, the Board of Trustees of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities recognized three retired presidents, including former Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College President Larry Anderson, with the title of President Emeritus on April 17, 2019.
Larry Anderson served as interim president or president of Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College from 2008 until his retirement in 2018.
“President Anderson began an important conversation with the college community about what it means to be both a tribal and community college, and how all college stakeholders can live into that mission,” said Malhotra. “And thanks to the partnership with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the college made progress on many fronts. This includes the 2017 accreditation the college received from the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium.”
Joyce Helens served as president of St. Cloud Technical and Community College (SCTCC) from 2006 to 2017.
“Under President Helens’ 11 years of distinguished leadership, the institution became a comprehensive community college, opened new student support facilities, added programs to meet the changing needs of regional employers, and increased the enrollment of diverse students by nearly a third,” said Malhotra. “President Helens proudly served her college, the region, and Minnesota State as a whole by advancing SCTCC’s financial sustainability and promoting the economic development of greater St. Cloud.” Helens also served as acting president of Rochester Community and Technical College during 2016.
Peggy Kennedy served Minnesota State Community and Technical College initially as interim president and then as president from 2011 until her retirement in 2018.
“President Kennedy took on the challenge of bringing the recently formed multi-campus college closer together as a single college culture,” said Malhotra. “She strengthened the college in many ways. She significantly improved M State’s financial health. She diversified M State’s funding by increasing the focus on grant development. She built partnerships to expand student access to college options and offer employers greater access to customized solutions for upskilling the workforce. And she secured funding to increase access to baccalaureate degrees in rural communities.”
Malhotra concluded, “In recognition of the outstanding contributions and strong legacies that each of these three presidents has left behind, I ask that the board confer the well-deserved title of President Emeritus upon Larry Anderson, Joyce Helens, and Peggy Kennedy. Doing so not only honors these individuals, but it also acknowledges their work on behalf of our students and the people of Minnesota.”
The award of emeritus status is intended as a special honor for employees who have served with great distinction.
Minnesota State includes 30 community and technical colleges and seven state universities serving approximately 375,000 students. It is the fourth-largest system of two-year colleges and four-year universities in the United States.
 
This press release was originally prepared and distributed by Doug Anderson, Director, Communications and Media, Minnesota State. For more information, contact:
Doug Anderson
Office: (651) 201-1426
doug.anderson*AT*minnstate.edu

Testimonials

I chose FDLTCC because of its size and the curriculum. When I first came here in 2019, I was just looking for what I needed to volunteer, perhaps in a crisis shelter. I met with Don Jarvinen, and the rest is history.

My favorite thing about FDLTCC is the people. I’ve met fantastic students, faculty and staff who go above and beyond what I expected.

It is awesome here at the FDLTCC Education Program because it is like a family here, if you need help or are struggling with anything, you have quite a few people who will help you out.