Saint Paul College is a open access public community college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. The college enrolls about 11,000 students in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area, and it also employs 126 full-time faculty, 116 part-time faculty, 233 staff members, and 18 administrative members.

Saint Paul College
TypePublic community college
Established1910
Parent institution
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System
AccreditationHLC
ChancellorScott Olson
PresidentDeidra Peaslee
Students11,243 (2023)
Location, ,
United States

44°56′56″N 93°6′35″W / 44.94889°N 93.10972°W / 44.94889; -93.10972
CampusUrban
Colors   Midnight Blue and Sky Blue
Websitewww.saintpaul.edu

History

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Saint Paul College was founded in 1910 as a boys' vocational high school. The first evening trade classes were held in the basement of Central High School in Saint Paul, Minnesota. [1] In 1966, the college moved into its current facility and became Saint Paul Technical Vocational Institute, or Saint Paul TVI. In 2002, the college added liberal arts to its curriculum and changed its name to Saint Paul College – A Community & Technical College.

Saint Paul College was home to the nation's oldest watchmaking and clockmaking programs. In its last few years, it was awarded a grant from Rolex and started offering the WOSTEP certificate, an industry wide accepted certification for watchmaking excellence.

In the spring of 2019, the college briefly gained national attention when a site visit team of the college's accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), documented several reports from college faculty members alleging that the college president's leadership style was "grounded in fear and intimidation." Shortly thereafter, President Rassoul Dastmozd announced that he would resign on June 30.[2]

In March 2021, Deidra Peaslee was named president, becoming the first female president at the college.[3] A few months later, HLC removed the institution from probation and assigned interim monitoring after determining that the college was in compliance with its accreditation criteria.[4]

Academics

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Saint Paul College offers more than one hundred degree, certificate, and diploma programs in career and transfer education.[5]

Campus

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Saint Paul College is located in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood near downtown St. Paul. Its current campus is 520,968 square feet with one building. The college opened an addition in 2017 called the Saint Paul College Health and Science Alliance Center which serves as the primary space for the College’s STEM and health career programs.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Historical Timeline". www.saintpaul.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  2. ^ Smith, Mary Lynn (May 2, 2019). "St. Paul College president abruptly announces he's leaving". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  3. ^ "Deidra Peaslee Named Saint Paul College President". www.saintpaul.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  4. ^ "Higher Learning Commission". www.hlcommission.org. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  5. ^ "Academic Programs at Saint Paul College". www.saintpaul.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  6. ^ "Health and Science Alliance Center". www.saintpaul.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
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