Smart Medicine Smart Medicine - Riverland Community College

Riverland
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
pportunities
Inspiring Learning for Living
Spring 2007
Volume 2
Issue 1
Smart
Medicine
Dynamic new high-tech facilities and
programs are keeping Riverland on the
cutting edge of health care education.
Riverland student Jayne
Finne is on her way to a
rewarding career in
radiography.
Style and substance:
Cosmetology emerges
as a hot job field
Win an iPod!
Take our Web survey and get a chance to win
an iPod nano! See page 3 for details.
On the fast track:
Automotive careers for
the 21st century
www.riverland.edu
Special Section! Riverland Summer Session Course Schedule. Page 11

Welcome
Welcome to the spring edition of Opportunities, Riverland
Community College’s magazine. To strengthen our service to the
community, we’re seeking to increase awareness of Riverland and
showcase the wide breadth and nature of our College’s programs.
Located in Albert Lea, Austin, and Owatonna, Minn., Riverland
Community College serves the communities in our region and
educates students to become contributing and empowered citizens
who actively participate in a democratic society. Our liberal arts,
career and technical and developmental programs and services help
develop educated, skilled, and innovative workers and adaptable lifelong
learners.
Annually, we serve approximately 4,000 students through a range of
credit-based educational opportunities. Riverland Training and
Development serves an additional 4,800 students and more than 400
employers through non-credit courses and customized training.
This publication highlights Riverland’s mission as a regional
comprehensive community college inspiring learning for living
through a personalized educational environment. For more
information about Riverland Community College, please visit our
Web site at www.riverland.edu or contact us at 800-247-5039.
Sincerely,
Terry Leas
President
opportunities
Riverland Community College has facilities in
Austin,Albert Lea, and Owatonna.
Opportunities is published for our communities, alumni,
and friends.
Direct correspondence to: Riverland Community
College, 1900 Eighth Ave. N.W., Austin, MN 55912
Visit our Web site at www.riverland.edu.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR/
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
James Douglass
EDITOR
Chris Mikko
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Amy Wangen
ART DIRECTION
Amy Bjellos
PRODUCTION ARTIST
Sarah Brakke
CUSTOM PUBLISHING SERVICES
The Coghlan Group
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Sara Aase, Phil Bolsta,Vicki Stavig,
PHOTOGRAPHY
Bill Dowden, Kris Duryea, Patrick Kelly
ADVERTISING/SPONSORSHIP SALES
A variety of advertising and sponsorship options
are available. For more information, contact
Brian Pabst, 651-644-0772,
bpabst@thecoghlangroup.com.
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
Dr.Terrence (Terry) Leas
President
Riverland
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
KRIS DURYEA,TEAM FRIDAY
© 2007 Riverland Community College.
All rights reserved.
This publication is available in alternative formats upon
request.
Riverland Community College is an equal opportunity
educator and employer.
www.riverland.edu 1

Riverland Community College l Inspiring Learning for Living
Cosmetology
Automotive
FEATURE Stories
Picture of Health | By Sara Aase
Dynamic new high-tech facilities and programs
keep Riverland on the cutting edge of
health care education.
A Cut Above | By Vicki Stavig
Riverland’s Cosmetology program has earned
a stellar reputation by providing first-rate, affordable
training that opens up a wealth of opportunities
for its graduates.
Fast Company | By Phil Bolsta
Riverland’s Automotive Service Technology program
offers its students focused, practical education—and
an average job placement rate of 95 percent.
Building for Tomorrow | By Phil Bolsta
Riverland’s Construction Electrician and Carpentry
programs are built to get students wired for success.
8
15
19
22
Get a chance to win an iPod nano!
Tell us what you think! Riverland
Community College wants to provide
readers of Opportunities with a magazine
that meets their needs and interests.
Please take a few minutes to fill out our
CONFIDENTIAL online survey at
www.riverland.edu/survey.
IMAGE COURTESY OF APPLE
Nursing
SPECIAL Section
Riverland Programs of Study
Including Summer Session I and II course listings.
In EVERY Issue
News and Notes
Riverland recognizes Ralph Peterson’s lifetime of
service, Dan Swift takes over as men’s basketball
coach, new articulation agreements provide for
smooth transitions, and much more.
Spring 2007
Volume 2
Issue 1
11
4
Table of Contents
Cover Riverland Radiography program student Jayne Finne
Photo Pat Kelly
Story “Picture of Health,” page 8
www.riverland.edu 3

News&Notes
A Pillar of the Community
Ralph Peterson receives Riverland Servant Leader Award.
Ralph Peterson and Terry Leas
RIVERLAND FILE PHOTO
The Riverland Community College Foundation recently awarded Ralph Peterson, a retired
Albert Lea attorney, its first-ever Servant Leader Award. The award recognizes individuals, who,
by example, help others grow and become more capable of service, and who also have had an
impact on learning. The recipient personifies leadership, courage, creativity, and compassion.
Roger Boughton, a former Riverland administrator and a board member of the Riverland
Community College Foundation, nominated Peterson for the award. Peterson has been
extraordinarily active in the Albert Lea community since he moved to the city in 1947. He
helped establish Lea College in Albert Lea and served as the first president of its board of
trustees, and later put in a term as president of the Minnesota State Board of Education. He also
was instrumental in starting Albert Lea Technical College (which is now part of Riverland
Community College) in the early 1960s, and has served as president of Jobs Inc., the Albert Lea
Industrial Development Corp., and Shorelands Inc.
Through a generous contribution from the Security Bank of Minnesota, the foundation initiated
a $10,000 Endowed Scholarship in Peterson’s name. Security Bank of Minnesota President Phyllis Monson noted that Peterson has long
been supportive of the community and the bank and served in various leadership positions on the bank’s board.
Donors wishing to contribute to the Ralph Peterson Scholarship may contact Julie Anderson, executive director of the Riverland
Community College Foundation, at 800-247-5039 or julie.anderson@riverland.edu.
Head Hoopster
Dan Swift takes over as coach of Riverland’s men’s basketball team.
Riverland has named Dan Swift as men’s head basketball coach.“I am thrilled to have Dan as our
new head coach,” says Riverland Athletic Director David Lillemon.“He has a great track record for
recruiting student athletes who are also strong in academics. Dan’s knowledge and enthusiasm will
be a tremendous asset to the men’s athletic program.”
Swift most recently worked as assistant women’s basketball coach at Bismarck State College in
Bismarck, N.D., and as head boy’s basketball coach at Dakota Oyate Co-op in the Solen-Selfridge
Public School District in North Dakota. He has a master’s degree in education, with an emphasis in
college teaching, from the University of Mary in Bismarck, and a bachelor of science degree in
education, with a major in physical education, from Mayville State University in Mayville, N.D. His
coaching responsibilities include conducting practices, coordinating athlete conditioning, recruiting
future players, and other related responsibilities.
The Riverland athletics program is going through a restructuring phase by reinvesting in equipment Dan Swift
upgrades, hiring new staff, and moving from part-time coaching positions to positions that also offer
teaching assignments.“More permanent positions provide our coaches with a more substantive employment opportunity as a member of
our athletic department,” says Riverland Dean of Students Gary Schindler.“Not only will Dan Swift work as a coach for Riverland, he will
also teach various physical education classes.”
For more information on Riverland’s men’s basketball, go to www.riverland.edu/athletics/mensbasketball.
RIVERLAND FILE PHOTO
4
www.riverland.edu

News&Notes
All the Right Moves
New articulation agreements help Riverland graduates
move toward advanced degrees.
Riverland Community College has established articulation agreements with a pair of
Minnesota educational institutions that will facilitate credit transfer and provide a
smooth transition for Riverland graduates.
Winona State University
The first is a new relationship with Winona State University (WSU) that is designed to
pave the way for graduates from a number of Riverland Business and Business and
Office Technology majors to enter WSU’s Business Education program. The Business
Education Program Articulation and Transfer plan between Riverland and WSU
responds to the critical shortage of business teachers in Minnesota. “Because WSU has
the only Board of Teaching-approved business teacher
preparation program in the Minnesota State Colleges &
Universities system, the articulation and transfer plan
allows for expanding program availability
throughout southern Minnesota to students
aspiring to become business teachers,” says
Riverland Business Instructor Jill Holmes.
Students may complete liberal arts and
technical courses in the following Riverland
programs and have them applied to their
WSU business education degree: Associate in
Arts (AA), Business Emphasis; Associate in Science
(AS), Business; Associate in Applied Science (AAS),
Administrative Assistant; diploma, Administrative Assistant; AAS, Legal
Administrative Assistant; diploma, Legal Administrative Assistant; AAS,
Medical Administrative Assistant; diploma, Medical Administrative
Assistant.
“From a student’s perspective, this provides a cost-effective way to complete many of the
program requirements by taking business, business and office technology, and liberal arts
classes at Riverland,” says Holmes. “It also provides a degree of program flexibility that
allows nontraditional students as well as traditional students to complete a bachelor of
science degree in a timely manner.
McNally Smith College of Music
The agreement between Riverland and the St. Paul-based McNally Smith College of
Music (MSCM) allows graduates of Riverland’s Associate in Fine Arts (AFA) (music)
degree program to enter the bachelor of arts (music business) or bachelor of music in
music performance degree programs at MSCM. “This articulation agreement is unique
in that it appeals to students with more of a music-industry focus,” says Riverland Music
Instructor Scott Blankenbaker. “Many of the students enrolled in our AFA music
program are interested in a career in musical education. This articulation benefits
another type of student, one interested in pursuing a career as a professional musician or
music producer, in music recording, or on the organizational side of the music industry.”
“MSCM has identified major courses from Riverland that are applicable to MSCM
course requirements,” says Riverland Academic Dean Jan Waller. “In essence, Riverland
AFA graduates are able to enter the MSCM programs at junior-level status,”
“I am excited about this new transfer opportunity for our students,” Blankenbaker says.
“MSCM has established a national reputation as a strong music school.”
BASIC
Training
Riverland collaborates on
an innovative new employeetraining
initiative.
Riverland, the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership
Board, and Owatonna-based architectural glass
fabricator Viracon Inc. are teaming up to implement
a pioneering training project.The Job Skills
Partnership Board, which is a division of the
Minnesota Department of Employee and Economic
Development, has provided a $284,164 grant to
Viracon to fund a Special Incumbent Worker
Training Program for the company’s employees.
Riverland will implement the training program,
which will include assessment activities, broad
support mechanisms, curriculum development,
instructional delivery, and skills instruction.
The program is designed to help Viracon develop
its immigrant labor force. It will encourage and
support the company’s minority employees to
become skilled in language, academics and technical
skills to help elevate them into higher wage-earning
positions such as lead persons and technical
workers.The company also plans to promote
minority employees into advanced positions over
the next three years.
For more information, see www.riverland.edu/afa.
www.riverland.edu 5

6
News&Notes
the ultimate
BOX-SCORE ARCHIVE
Wide-ranging Riverland athletic history study now available online.
David Lillemon
RIVERLAND FILE PHOTO
Riverland Athletic Director and Instructor David Lillemon completed a sabbatical
leave last year to conduct a study of the history of athletics at the college from
1940 through 2005. His objective: preserve the college’s athletic history over the
course of the institution’s changes from Austin Junior College (1940-1966) to
Austin State Junior College (1966-1973), Austin Community College (1973-1996),
and Riverland Community College (1996-present).
“The purpose was to capture and preserve the history of Blue Devil athletics,”
says Lillemon.“Throughout the history of athletics at Riverland Community
College, there have been many outstanding individual, team, and coaching
accomplishments. Records continue to be broken, honors continue to be
awarded.”
Lillemon, who instituted an Athletic Hall of Fame at Riverland in 1997, had found it difficult to
find details about outstanding individuals, records and statistics, particularly information prior to
1973.“I set out to rediscover, recapture, and try to gain as much information as I could
pertaining to each sport that had ever been in existence at Riverland,” he explains “I wanted to
find every coaching record, every score of every contest each year, any team awards or
championships, and any individual championships, and then establish a record book.”
The study is organized by decades beginning in 1940. Lillemon leveraged a variety of
resources during his study, including the Austin Daily Herald, the Mower County Historical
Society, and former athletes and coaches. Lillemon adds that he intends to update the study
one year at a time.
You can view the study on the Riverland Web site at www.riverland.edu/athletics/history.cfm.
You also can contact Lillemon at 507-433-0543 or dlillemo@riverland.edu with any questions,
suggestions, or feedback on the study.
Artistic Trilogy
Newest AFA adds distinction
to Riverland Fine Arts.
Riverland has been approved to offer an
Associate in Fine Arts (AFA) degree in art.
The college now has AFA degrees in all
three of its fine/performing
arts programs: music,
theatre, and art. Each AFA
is designed primarily as a
transfer degree, fulfilling
the first two years of study
for a bachelor of arts or
bachelor of science degree
in music, theatre, or art.
For more information
on Riverland’s AFA
options, go to:
www.riverland.edu/afa.
www.riverland.edu
Coaches Corner
Interested in Riverland athletics?
Contact the coach whose sport fits
your athletic interests.
By The NUMBERS
Riverland Community
College Athletics
Riverland Athletics offers learning
experiences and opportunities to
participate in athletics which are second to
none.We invite you to be a part of the
educational and athletic journey. Riverland
athletics include women’s basketball,
fastpitch softball, golf, and volleyball, and
men’s baseball, basketball, and golf.
For more information, see
www.riverland.com/athletics.
Susan Hebrink
women’s basketball coach
507-433-0373
shebrink@riverland.edu
Helen Jahr
volleyball coach
507-433-0373
hjahr@riverland.edu
Scott Koenigs
baseball coach
507-433-0804
skoenigs@riverland.edu
David Lillemon
athletics director, golf and softball coach
507-433-0543
dlillemo@riverland.edu
Dan Swift
men’s basketball coach
507-433-0506
dswift@riverland.edu
A look at Riverland students and financial aid in 2005-2006.
43.94 percentage of Riverland’s total student body that received financial aid
1,177 number of independent financial aid applicants
1,575 number of financial aid applicants claimed as dependents
174 number of students who participated in the college’s student
employment program
$1,908 average amount earned by students who participated in the student
employment program
$332,010 total earnings of all participants in the student employment program
953 number of students who received federal grants
$2,072 average amount of each federal grant
877 number of students who received state grants
$943 average amount of each state grant
1,230 number of full-time students who received financial aid
962 number of part-time students who received financial aid

picture of HEALTH
Dynamic new high-tech facilities and programs are keeping Riverland on the
cutting edge of health care education.
By Sara Aase
The situation was serious and Joe
Reisner was nervous. As the lead nurse
facing a patient with gastrointestinal
bleeding, it was his job to quickly assess the
patient’s vital signs and then delegate a course
of action to other members of his team. He
took a deep breath, sized up the situation, and
then made several quick decisions.
As he assessed his performance later, he
wasn’t entirely satisfied. “I know I could have
done better,” says Reisner, a second-year student
in Riverland Community College’s Registered
Nursing (RN) program who also works as a
nursing assistant in the surgical trauma and
intensive care unit of St. Mary’s Hospital in
Rochester. “I missed a lot of key things that I’ll
probably remember for next time.”
Luckily, there will be a next time for this
particular patient, a computer-driven
mannequin that comes complete with life-like
chest movement, heart and lung sounds, and
vocalizations. Students in the Nursing and
Radiography program at Riverland are using
the simulation mannequin to practice skills
in situations they might not necessarily
encounter in their real-world clinical rounds.
The simulations have been such a hit with
students and teachers that four more adult
simulation mannequins as well as an infant
simulation mannequin will join SimMan this
year in the college’s new, state-of-the art
Health Simulation Laboratory. (The
mannequins were developed by Laerdal, a
Wappingers Falls, N.Y.-based medical
technology firm which also invented Resusci
Anne, the first life-like CPR mannequin, in
the 1950s.) “You can go to school for many
months, but real-life practice is very
different,” says Julia Bronner, Riverland’s dean
of Health Sciences and Services. “In the lab
we can simulate many different diseases and
scenarios in a safe learning environment.
What’s more, we can video-stream them to
other classrooms, to partners, or to Web sites
and review the simulation, because that’s
where the learning really occurs.”
In October 2005, a $2.2 million grant from
the U.S. Department of Labor authorized
construction of the Health Simulation Lab
and helped fund the development of several
other programs. The lab opened to students
for the spring semester last month.
Collectively, the project is known as Riverland
PAT KELLY
Community College’s Health Sciences: Simulation and Shared Resources. The lab and
other programs and scholarships stemming from the grant are part of a consortium
project that Riverland leads with Minnesota State College, Southeast Technical;
Rochester Community and Technical College; and South Central College; along with
supporting partners from workforce development organizations, K-12 school districts,
and medical facilities across south central and southeastern Minnesota.
In addition to the simulation lab, the project includes lab space for radiography
scans such as X-rays and mammograms and space for practicing skills such as giving
intravenous injections and drawing blood. It also includes a mockup of a real clinic,
complete with a receptionist, waiting area, a patient care associate room (designed for
taking patient health histories and prepping the patient for the doctor), two
examination rooms, a mental health room, and a pharmacy.
The new facilities are part of a health-sciences makeover for Riverland as it launches
a new pathway curriculum for nursing in the fall. The changes put the college on the
cutting edge of creating new programs and training opportunities that will meet new
market demands, according to Danyel Helgeson, a nursing instructor at the Austin
campus. “The patients we’re seeing today are more critically ill, with complex medical
histories, and take many different medications. A more culturally diverse patient
population is present as well,” Helgeson says. “The other driving change in our field is
technology. From very technologically advanced monitoring systems to specialized IV
pumps, just about everything in our practice is now related to technology in some way.
We have to constantly keep up on the latest advances.”
Riverland RN
student Joe Reisner
says the college’s
simulation
mannequin has
been a valuable
learning tool.
8
www.riverland.edu

CNA program offers
a critical gateway
One significant change for the RN program is
the relatively new requirement to complete
the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) course
as a prerequisite, which began last fall. The
course has long been a prerequisite for the
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and Surgical
Technology programs, and for good reason.
The 80-hour, three-credit course prepares
students in basic care skills they will use
throughout their careers, says Carolyn
Veldman, an instructor who oversees
Riverland’s program. We cover topics such as
safety in the work environment; infection
control; personal care skills; proper lifting and
body mechanics; vital signs; and
communication,” she notes, adding that once
students successfully complete the course they
are eligible to take the Nursing Assistant
Competency Exam which will put them on
the Minnesota Department of Health’s
Nursing Assistant Registy. They can then
begin work immediately in a nursing home or
hospital, as well as continue their education.
Lisa Mathison of Waseca completed the
CNA course last October at Riverland’s
Austin campus and now works at the Waseca
Medical Center-Mayo Health System in its
transitional rehabilitation unit. “They do a
lot of hip and knee replacements and a lot of
physical and occupational therapy,” Mathison
says. “I [monitor] vital signs. I make sure
patients do the correct exercises, and I help
them with toileting, that type of thing.”
Mathison has also applied for Riverland’s
nursing program, and is glad her nursing
assistant experience will earn points toward
her application. But her most pleasant
surprise was finding out that she loved the
course. Mathison said the CNA prerequisite
made her feel much more confident tht she
could succeed in nursing. “I love the work,”
she says. “You learn how to interact with
SHOW
of support
Clara Sifuentes earned
an LPN degree from
Riverland and is now
helping tutor students
from low-income
families who want to
get into the college’s
CNA program.
The Owatonna Clinic-Mayo Health System has taken two big steps to
help Riverland provide first-rate medical education. The first was a
$10,000 gift donation to the college through the Riverland
Community College Foundation. The gift will support the development
of the college’s health care simulation laboratory for nurses,
radiographers, and lab technicians that is scheduled to open this
spring, and will also help fund several other programs.
Through an anonymous donor, the clinic also has established the
Owatonna Clinic Valentine Scholarship for the Riverland Community
College Foundation. The donor has provided $22,500 available to
PAT KELLY
patients and get a sense of what the job is leading up to.”
For Clara Sifuentes, Riverland’s CNA program has also been a gateway to helping
others, but in a different way. Four years ago, Sifuentes was one of the first students to
participate in a special bilingual CNA track. (Veldman notes that the bilingual track is
currently not available because the grant that originally funded the program has
ended, but that she hopes it can happen again in the future.) After her CNA training,
Sifuentes went on to become a licensed professional nurse (LPN) and has since applied
to earn her four-year bachelor’s degree in nursing. In the meantime, however, she
works at the Albert Lea Workforce Center, where she tutors people from low-income
families who want to apply to Riverland’s CNA program, but who also need help with
study skills before they apply. “Just like it was for me, this is the first step for them,”
says Sifuentes, who teaches four-week courses designed to get participants up to speed
on the terminology they’ll need to understand the CNA course. “I can give them the
confidence to go to Riverland and finish any classes they want.”
The Owatonna Clinic-Mayo Health System makes a pair of
gifts to Riverland’s health care education programs.
Riverland nursing students. The award can be used for tuition, books,
and child care expenses.
“The Owatonna Clinic is aware of the future projections for shortages
in the health care field,” says Dr. Brian Bunkers, CEO of the
Owatonna Clinic, which is a comprehensive medical clinic offering
outpatient and specialty services. “We are proud to work with
academic learning centers, like Riverland, that have a plan in place
on how to address those shortages. The benefit to our community
and patients is obvious when those new graduates become the
person taking care of you on your next clinic or hospital visit.”
www.riverland.edu 9

RADIOGRAPHY
at Riverland
Riverland’s 87-credit, six-semester Radiography program
prepares students to become radiologic technologists, or
the people who perform X-rays, CT, and MRI scans that
radiologists and other doctors rely on for patient
diagnoses. “They learn positioning techniques, patient
care, radiation protection, image production, radiation
physics, and a lot of anatomy,” says Sandra Nauman, an
instructor and clinical coordinator for the program.
Radiographers or radiologic technologists (both terms are
correct) work in a variety of settings, including surgery,
emergency rooms, intensive care units, and clinics.
Further schooling can take Riverland graduates on to
careers in radiation therapy, mammography, ultrasound,
echocardiology, and even nuclear medicine.
Jayne Finne, a second-year student from Owatonna, was
inspired to apply for Riverland’s Associate in Applied
Science (AAS) degree in radiography after spending time
with her late stepmother, who was a lung transplant
patient at Rochester’s Mayo Clinic. After Finne graduates,
she says she might continue with more schooling for
mammography or ultrasound, but hasn’t decided yet. She
attends classes at the Austin campus, but because
students spend every other semester at an off-site
clinical rotation, her education has taken her to
Faribault’s District One Hospital and Rochester’s Olmsted
Medical Center, where she rotated between the hospital
and clinic. “You need the mindset that ‘this comes
first,’” Finne says of the program, noting that the
clinical rotations are 40-hour-a-week unpaid shifts. But
the clinical experience is invaluable to learning the job,
she adds, since you can’t perform actual X-rays on
fellow students in the classroom laboratory. And it
throws students into unpredictable situations. At
Faribault, for instance, Finne remembers being part of a
team working to revive a patient in the emergency
room. “You have to do a chest X-ray with 20 people in
the room and everyone is yelling,” she says of the highstress
environment.
Finne has particularly valued learning to work through
her initial nervousness and how to function as part of
interdisciplinary teams. “You have to strive for
perfection,” she says. “You don’t want the radiologist to
misdiagnose a disease based on your scan.”
—S.A.
PAT KELLY
Nursing
Besides the change to require the CNA course for all students entering Riverland’s twoyear
nursing program, the new pathway design, which begins in fall 2007, also
streamlines LPN and RN requirements so that they benefit the student and the health
care community. “Now students will be prepared as an LPN after the first year of the
program. Upon passing their LPN board exams, the student can work and gain
valuable nursing experience and can then complete
the requirements necessary towards becoming an RN
in the second year of the pathway,” Helgeson says.
In the future, Helgeson hopes students can also look
forward to courses that will help them enhance skills
in advanced critical care and trauma training,
advanced cardiac life support, and disaster training.
As for the new simulation lab, the new mannequins are expected to significantly
increase student learning. “Our students need to be well prepared in order to be safe
and effective nurses,” Helgeson says. “And simulation allows us to prepare students for
situations they might not get a chance to encounter while they’re in the clinical setting.”
Because simulation is so new, studies are still being done to prove its effectiveness in
helping develop critical thinking skills. (Bronner notes that Winona State University
will be collecting and analyzing Riverland’s simulation data.) But there’s no doubt that
simulation has been a hit with students. In each of two simulations that Reisner has
completed, he says the class was given a basic description of the case, such as “GI bleed”
or “postpartum bleed.” Students then had prepare to take on a specific role in the
simulation—such as lead nurse, family member, student nurse, case recorder, or
nursing assistant. Since they didn’t know what role they would draw, they had to
prepare for all of them and review the likely procedures needed to help the patient. “It
really tells you what you know and what you don’t know,” he says. “You might walk
around thinking you’ve got this stuff down, but the simulation puts it to the test.”
And although the process can be extremely nerve-racking, Reisner says the students
can’t stop talking about how much they learned from the experience. “I talk to nurses
now at the hospital who never got to do simulation, and they wish they had,” he says.
Sara Aase is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer.
SHOW
of support
To learn more about Riverland’s
Health and Science programs of
study, go to:
www.riverland.edu/health
Major contributing partners:
• Albert Lea Medical Center—Mayo Health System
• Austin Medical Center—Mayo Health System
• Owatonna Clinic—Mayo Health System
• Owatonna Hospital
Jayne Finne says
clinical experience
has been an
invaluable
component of her
AAS degree program
in radiography.
10
www.riverland.edu

Riverland
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Enroll in a summer course at Riverland!
Many college students who return home for the summer take courses at their local
community college. Riverland makes it easy—and affordable—for those students.
A simplified application process for “special admit” students is a snap.You simply
complete an application form and pay the $20 fee. No testing or orientation
required.
Summer courses can be completed in just five weeks. Online courses give students
the freedom to complete their coursework from the cabin, the beach, or on the
couch at home.
Affordability, flexibility and quality faculty are all part of the Riverland experience.
Call our Admissions Department today at 800-247-5039 to start the process for
summer enrollment.
Take the Fast Track to Your Degree
New This Summer—College Prep Courses
Riverland offers college prep courses for students who want (or need) to improve
their skills. Courses in math, reading, writing, computer or study skills are available.
These “refresher” courses are especially helpful for adults who’ve been out of school
for many years and for current high school students or recent grads. Assignments
and activities help students build confidence while improving skills. Financial aid can
be used to pay for the courses. See the summer schedule on pages 12-13 for
course dates and times.
WANTED: Bilingual/Multicultural Students to
Be Your BEST
Riverland is searching for high school students who want to be successful in
college—especially students willing to take summer classes to improve their skills.
Grant funds are available for students from a bilingual/muticultural background.
The Be Your BEST grant will pay for summer college prep courses and books.
Fun activities and events are also available for the Be Your BEST students. Contact
Admissions at 800-247-5039 for more information on how to become part of
this group.
Countdown to College
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, education is the best route to careers
with higher wages. Riverland offers more than 50 majors that lead to good jobs.We
also offer associate’s degrees that transfer to four-year college and universities. Our
academic counselors can help you find the right major to achieve your dreams!
Are you ready to change your life?
Apply now for summer or fall semester. Part-time and online courses help you
balance work and family.The ALLISS GRANT will pay for tuition and books for one
course if you’ve been out of school for seven years and don’t have a bachelor’s
degree. Our PSEO program provides tuition-free courses and books for students
who take college-level courses while still in high school. Contact Admissions for
answers to all your questions about becoming a Riverland student.
For more information, contact Riverland Admissions at 507-433-0820!
www.riverland.edu 11

Riverland Community College SUMMER SESSION 1
May 29–July 3, 2007
> Drop/Add period is May 29–June 4.
> College is closed Wednesday–July 4, 2007.
> Last updated 12-26-06. Check www.riverland.edu/schedules for the most accurate information.
Course Number Course Title Credits Days/Times Room
ACCT 2012 70 000091 Managerial Accounting 4 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
ARTS 1101 70 000052 Intro to Art 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
ASTR 1000 80 000062 Intro to Astronomy 3 M W 5:15 pm 10:00pm Albert Lea TBA
BIOL 1020 70 000026 Current Topics 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
BIOL 1040 70 000160 Biology of Women 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
BIOL 2021 02 000025 Anatomy Phys I 4 M WH 9 am 11:50 am Austin East C100
T H 1 pm 3:50 pm Austin East C110
Media: 10–Internet access required.
BIOL 2021 12 000003 Anatomy Phys I 4 M WH 9 am 11:50 am Austin East C100
M W 1 pm 3:50 pm Austin East C110
Media: 10–Internet access required.
BIOL 2040 02 000005 Microbiology 4 T H 8 am 10:50 am Austin East C131
MTWH 12 pm 2:50 pm Austin East C107
Media: 10–Internet access required.
BIOL 2040 12 000059 Microbiology 4 T H 8 am 10:50 am Austin East C131
M W F 8 am 10:50 am Austin East C107
F 12 pm 2:50 pm Austin East C107
Media: 10–Internet access required.
BUSA 1002 70 000071 Intro Online Learning 1 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
BUSA 1065 70 000078 Microcomputer Appl 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
BUSO 1668 70 000086 Med Term 2 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
CARE 1300 02 000162 Student Success Strategies 2 T H 9:30 am 11:40 am Austin East TBA
CHEM 1101 01 000008 Intro Chemistry 3 M W F 12:30 pm 4:20 pm OHS C301
Owatonna High School–Room C301
CHEM 1101 03 000024 Intro Chemistry 3 M WH 10 am 11:50 am Austin East N104
M WH 8 am 9:50 am Austin East C123
Media: 10–Internet access required.
CHEM 1101 13 000023 Intro Chemistry 3 M WH 10 am 11:50 am Austin East N104
M WH 12 pm 1:50 pm Austin East C123
Media: 10–Internet access required.
ENGL 0092 02 000164 College Prep Reading 2 M W 9 am 11:10 am Austin East TBA
ENGL 1101 70 000081 Freshman English 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
ENGL 1101 90 000004 Freshman English 3 M W 5:30pm 9:50 pm Austin East C131
Media: 10–Internet access required.
ENGL 1105 90 000022 Writing Library Source 3 T H 5:30 pm 9:50 pm Austin East C112
T H 5:30 pm 9:50 pm Austin East N111
Please bring your Riverland Student ID to the first class.
ENGL 1113 70 000090 Creative Wrtg Nonfiction 1 ARR ARR ONLINE
H 6 pm 9 pm Owatonna TBA
Mandatory meeting in Owatonna on Thursday, June 1
6–9 pm.
ENGL 1131 70 000082 Fiction 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online courseCourse
ESCI 1000 02 000021 Earth Science 3 T H 9 am 1:20 pm Austin East C125
GEOG 1200 70 000011 Human Geography 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
GSCM 1510 70 000175 Wkpl Human Relations 2 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
HIST 1001 70 000046 US History 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
HIST 1020 70 000012 MN History 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
HLTH 1100 70 000074 Health 2 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
HLTH 1100 72 000075 Health 2 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
HUMA 2263 70 000080 Religions of the World 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
MATH 0550 05 000165 Basic Math 2 T H 12:30 pm 3:40 pm Austin East TBA
MATH 0550 83 000084 Basic Math 2 T H 6 pm 8:50 pm Owatonna TBA
T 6 pm 8:50 pm Owatonna TBA
Media: 10–Internet access required.
MATH 1110 70 000167 College Algebra 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
T 6 pm 8 pm Austin East N113
This is a hybrid course. Requires on campus meetings;
Tues @ 6 pm–Room N113.
PHED 1140 70 000076 Lifetime Wellness 1 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
PHIL 1110 70 000169 Intro to Phil 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
12
www.riverland.edu

Course Number Course Title Credits Days/Times Room
PHIL 1130 70 000019 Ethics 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
PSCI 1010 70 000095 Amer Govt Politics 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
PSYC 1105 70 000066 Gen Psychology 4 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
PSYC 1240 70 000044 Developmental Psychology 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
SOCI 1101 70 000063 Intro Sociology 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
SOCI 2125 01 000009 Cultural Diversity 3 T H 8 am 12:20 pm Austin East C112
SPCH 1200 70 000014 Interpers Comm 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
H 5:30 pm 9:50 pm Austin East N110
Mandatory meeting dates on June 5, 12, & 26; 5:30–9:50 pm,
Austin East Bldg–Room N110
STAT 2021 70 000051 Fund of Statistics 4 ARR ARR ONLINE
5/29-7/25 This course requires Minitab software.
Media: 03–This is an online course.
THTR 1100 01 000171 Intro Thtr Film 3 MTW 8 am 10:50 am Austin East C141
Truck Driving classes begin: June 11, July 9 and August 6
TRDR 1100 01 000099 Intro Vehicle Control 3 MTWH 8 am 2 pm Austin West C101
MTWH 6 am 1:45pm Austin West C101
MTWH 12:30 pm 8:15pm Austin West C101
TRDR 1105 01 000100 Proficiency Development 3 ARR ARR Austin West TBA
TRDR 1110 01 000101 Adv Operating Procedure 2 ARR ARR Austin West TBA
TRDR 1115 01 000102 Lifestyle 3 ARR ARR Austin West TBA
TRDR 1120 01 000103 Adv Vehicle Driving 3 ARR ARR Austin West TBA
TRDR 1130 01 000104 Internship 8 ARR ARR Austin West TBA
Riverland Community College SUMMER SESSION 11
July 6–Aug. 10, 2007
> Drop/Add period is July 6–July 12.
> Last updated 12-26-06. Check www.riverland.edu/schedules for the most accurate information.
Course Number Course Title Credits Days/Times Room
ACCT 2991 70 000168 Topics in Accounting 1 ARR ARR ONLINE
Software requirements are Windows XP,
Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel.
Media: 03–This is an online course.
BIOL 1010 02 000017 Environmental Science 3 M WH 9 am 12:50 pm Austin East C141
M WH 9 am 12:50 pm Austin East C110
BIOL 2022 02 000007 Anatomy Phys II 4 M WH 9 am 11:50am Austin East C100
M W 1 pm 3:50 pm Austin East C110
Media: 10–Internet access required.
BIOL 2022 12 000006 Anatomy Phys II 4 M WH 9 am 11:50am Austin East C100
T H 1 pm 3:50 pm Austin East C110
Media: 10–Internet access required.
BUSA 1050 70 000180 Personal Financial Mgmt 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
BUSA 1065 02 000179 Microcomputer Appl 3 T H 9 am 1:20 pm Owatonna TBA
BUSO 1620 02 000161 Intro to Computer 2 T H 9 am 1:40 pm Austin East TBA
CHEM 1101 80 000016 Intro Chemistry 3 M W 6 pm 9:50 pm Albert Lea 121
H 6 pm 9:50 pm Albert Lea TBA
ECON 2292 70 000170 Microeconomics 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
ENGL 0091 02 000163 College Prep Writing 3 M W F 9 am 12:10 pm Austin East TBA
ENGL 1101 02 000177 Freshman English 3 T H 9 am 1:20 pm Albert Lea TBA
ENGL 1104 70 000083 Expo & Argument 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
ENGL 1113 90 000015 Creative Wrtg Nonfiction 1 T H 6 pm 7:20 pm Austin East C112
T H 6 pm 7:20 pm Austin East N112
ENGL 1115 70 000173 Creative Wrtg Fiction 1 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
HIST 1002 70 000094 U.S. History 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
HLTH 1100 71 000093 Health 2 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
HLTH 1130 01 000020 Cardi Pulm Res 1 F 8 am 5 pm Austin East W204
8/3–8/10
HUMA 2263 90 000045 Religions of the World 3 M W 5:30 pm 9:50 pm Austin East C131
MATH 0560 07 000172 Intro Algebra 3 MTW 2 pm 5:10 pm Austin East TBA
MATH 0560 83 000085 Intro Algebra 3 MTW 6 pm 9:10 pm Owatonna TBA
MATH 1050 02 000176 Math for Liberal Arts 3 M W 9 am 1:20 pm Albert Lea TBA
NURS 2000 01 000061 PN to AD Nurse Transit 3 T H 8 am 2:30 pm Austin East C131
PHED 1107 90 000077 Walk/Jog for Fitness 1 T H 6 pm 7:20 pm Austin East GYM
PHIL 1100 70 000092 Logic 3 ARR ARR ONLINE
Media: 03–This is an online course.
PHIL 1130 02 000043 Ethics 3 M W 9 am 1:20 pm Austin East C131
PSYC 1105 02 000166 Gen Psychology 4 M WH 9 am 12:50 pm Austin East TBA
PSYC 1240 90 000018 Developmental Psychology 3 T H 5:30 pm 9:50 pm Austin East C131
SPAN 2100 00 000159 Mexico Marvels 4 ARR ARR Austin East TBA
8/3-8/13
SPCH 1100 02 000174 Fundment Speech 3 T H 9 am 1:20 pm Austin East N110
SPCH 1200 02 000178 Interpers Comm 3 M W 9 am 1:20 pm Owatonna TBA
www.riverland.edu 13

Riverland
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Albert Lea Campus
2200 Riverland Dr.
Albert Lea, MN 56007
507-379-3300
Austin Campus
1900 Eighth Ave. N.W.
Austin, MN 55912
507-433-0600
Owatonna College &
University Center
965 Alexander Dr. S.W.
Owatonna, MN 55060
507-455-5880
www.riverland.edu
800-247-5039
Riverland Community College is accredited by
the North Central Association of Colleges and
Schools. Individual college programs are
accredited by associated professional
organizations.
Riverland Programs of Study
Career Technical Education
Accounting, Business,
Business and Office
Accounting
Business
Business and Office Technology
Health Unit Coordinator
Legal Secretary
Medical Secretary
Construction Careers
Carpentry Technology
Construction Electrician
Computer Technology
Computer Systems Networking
Computer Technology
Network Security
Web Application Developer:
Game Design
Web Page Design and Webmaster
Health Science
Health Careers Bridge Program
(pending)
Home Health Aide
Mammography
Nursing
Nursing Assistant
Practical Nursing
Pharmacy Technology
Radiography
Management Careers
Advanced Farm Business Management
Commodity Marketing
Computerized Small Business
Management
Supervisory Management
Liberal Arts
Humanities
Art
English
French
Music
Philosophy
Religion
Speech
Spanish
Theatre
Mathematics
Natural Sciences
Astronomy
Biology
Chemistry
Earth Science
Physics
Physical Education
Social Sciences
Anthropology
History
Geography
Political Science
Psychology
Sociology
Economics
Transitional Studies
English for Academic Purposes
Developmental Writing/Reading/Math
Want information about Riverland
programs? Contact Admissions at
507-433-0820. Or e-mail:
admissions@riverland.edu.
Riverland Community College is a proud
member of the Minnesota Colleges and
Universities system.
© 2007 Riverland Community College.
All rights reserved.
14
www.riverland.edu
Manufacturing Careers
Industrial Maintenance & Mechanics
Welding
Service Careers
Cosmetology
Criminal Justice–Corrections
Criminal Justice–Law Enforcement
Human Services
Massage Therapy
Transportation Careers
Automotive Service Technology
Collision Repair Technology
Diesel Technology
Truck Driving
Student Organizations
Riverland has a variety of social and
educational organizations, activities and
special events designed to enrich your
college experience.They include:
• Athletics: intercollegiate and
intramural
• Criminal Justice Society
• Human Services Club (DEEDS
• Multi-Cultural Club
• Music includes: college choir and
Briars choral ensemble
• Older,Wiser Learners (OWLS)
• Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
• Righteous Invasion of the Truth-
Christian fellowship (R.I.O.T.)
• Skills USA-VICA:Vocational and
Industrial Clubs of America
• Student Senate
• Student Ambassadors
• Theatre

A CUT above
Riverland’s Cosmetology program has earned a stellar reputation by providing first-rate, affordable
training that opens up a wealth of opportunities for its graduates.
By Vicki Stavig
PAT KELLY
Geri Lynn Gudmundson
says Riverland’s
Cosmetology program
gave her a “great
foundation” for a
secure, high-paying
career.
Alot has changed for Geri Lynn Gudmundson in the last few decades. In 1986,
she was a stay-at-home mother of two young children with an idea of one
day working in the cosmetology industry. Today, thanks to the training she
received at Riverland, she is the manager of the City Looks salon in Rochester,
overseeing almost 50 employees, earning a top-notch income, and having a great time
doing it.
Gudmundson is a 1987 graduate of Riverland’s Cosmetology program, one of
countless men and women who have earned their certificates of cosmetology and gone
on to enjoy professional—and financial—success.
Gudmundson, who was 24 when she enrolled at Riverland, chose the college for
three reasons: It was affordable, she had always wanted to work in cosmetology, and
the college had an on-site daycare. (Riverland still offers on-campus licensed child care
to students). “The daycare was also a preschool, so my kids would be getting an
education while I was getting an education,” she says. “It was a good match.”
It was indeed. The technical skills Gudmundson learned while at Riverland,
combined with courses she took in sales and human relations, have served her well.
She was immediately hired after graduating by The Barbers, which is now City Looks
Salons and Spas International. Within 18 months she was made a manager at the salon
and later helped develop the company’s education program. “I coordinate the training
for all the new stylists,” Gudmundson says, adding that new hires, even though they
have earned their certificates of cosmetology, also must complete an eight-week course
at City Looks. “That training involves six courses, including hair styling, coloring,
cutting, perms, and customer service. I set up that program and now run it. It’s
evolved into a large artistic team that shares what they’ve learned over the years. Our
motto is ‘training is a journey, not a
destination.’
Gudmundson also has traveled extensively
for training, including trips to New York,
London, and Ireland. “I then come back and
train the others here,” she says. “I also did
competitions until 1995 and still do an
occasional photo competition where I can do
the work with a model, take a photo, and
send it in.”
She’s been as successful in those
competitions as she has in her career,
winning three first-place national awards
over the years. As a manager, Gudmundson
oversees 38 stylists, five nail technicians, and
nine massage therapists, as well as several
salon coordinators. And she has developed
an impressive roster of clients, many of
whom have followed her for 20 years as she
has moved to different locations with City
Looks. “My career has been much more
rewarding than I had thought it would be,”
she says. “For a good portion of it, after a
divorce, I was a single mother, but I was able
www.riverland.edu 15

to have a house, raise my kids, and send
them to college.”
Gudmundson credits Riverland with
giving her “a great foundation” on which to
build a successful career. The foundation
can reap huge financial rewards. “We have
students who are making well over $80,000
within a year or two,” says Janelle Unverzagt,
an instructor in Riverland’s Cosmetology
program. “And the demand for
cosmetologists is still there, with new salons
opening up all the time. One of our
technicians works in a salon where people
are easily making $120,000 a year.”
Gudmundson is proud of the training she
received at Riverland and continues to be
impressed with the caliber of cosmetologists
the college turns out; she knows where to
turn when she needs to fill a position at City
Looks. “When I’m looking for new stylists, I
look for solid training,” she says.
Hiring recent graduates
Mindy Pak graduated from Riverland’s
program in 2005. While she’s happy with
her choice of a college and career, the
decision to enroll in the program did not
come quickly. “I graduated from high school
in 1997 and worked as a waitress in Des
Moines,” she says. “I didn’t really know what
I wanted to do. My cousin and aunt live in
Austin, and they mentioned the
Cosmetology program at Riverland.”
So Pak drove to Austin and visited the
campus. “I signed up on the spot,” she says,
explaining that she was drawn to Riverland
in part because of its college setting, which
would allow her to socialize with a diverse
group of students. Just one week after her
graduation, City Looks in Rochester hired
Pak. “I cut, color, and style hair,” she says.
“And I love it. It doesn’t feel like work—
they’re paying me to do what I love to do.
City Looks is a huge salon, so I’m always
meeting new people, and I’ve made many
good friends.”
These days, Pak is making a good income
and receives additional training through the
salon, which brings in specialists to train the
staff in the latest styles and trends and also
sends staff members to off-site training
programs. “I would recommend Riverland,
and I also recommend cosmetology as a
good career,” she says.
One of the people Pak interviewed with at
City Looks was Gudmundson. “We have
quite a few Riverland grads,” Gudmundson
says. “I know they have a good work ethic
and the business skills and the fundamentals
they need. I got the tools I needed to have a
good career at Riverland, and I have many
successful Riverland grads now working at
the salon.”
PAT KELLY
Riverland graduate
Mindy Pak has found
a fulfilling job that
doesn’t feel like
work—”they’re paying
me to do what I love
to do,” she says.
The faculty behind the program’s success
Gudmundson and Pak are only two of Riverland’s success stories. Their success is, of
course, a tribute to their talent, but it also illustrates the strength of the Cosmetology
program and its instructors. Case in point: Pam Selmecki, who graduated from
Riverland in 1974, went to work for Regis Salons, and later returned to the college. “I
ran into a former instructor who said Riverland was looking for an instructor and
asked if I would be interested in applying,” she says. “I’ve now been an instructor here
for almost 27 years.”
During those years, Selmecki has seen changes in the program, in the students, and
in the industry. Riverland instructors are licensed by the Minnesota Department of
Commerce and the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system and have more
than 50 years of combined teaching experience. What’s more, the college offers a
17-to-1 student-teacher ratio, which translates into generous amounts of personal
attention. “The program is 10 and a half months and consists of 1,550 hours of
training, including with clients in our on-site salon,” she says. “The students we have
are wonderful—they’re here to learn, and they’re enthusiastic about what they’re
doing. Besides traditional students, we also sometimes get a student who is married or
has a family and is coming back to school. Some students have gone to other colleges,
but [then] learn that cosmetology is what they’ve always really wanted to do.”
Cosmetology can be a rewarding career on many levels, Selmecki says, and it
provides the opportunity to make an excellent living. “You can write your own
paycheck,” she says. “It’s a combination of technical skills and personality. You have to
be wiling to put yourself out there, to develop your skills, and to realize that the
customer is number one. Personality is a big part of it. Our students also take classes in
sales and in interpersonal relations, so they know how to deal with people—not only
in selling products and services but in selling themselves. It’s not an area where you’ll
get bored or stale. It’s like fashion; it changes in cuts and colors, so it constantly keeps
you on your toes. And it’s a fun industry.”
Riverland’s Cosmetology program also benefits from the input of a strong and
active advisory board that’s made up of industry members who meet with the staff to
review the curriculum and offer suggestions. “They help keep us on track with the
industry so we can prepare our students,” Selmecki says. “They also offer to come in
and conduct some classes for us. We’ve built strong ties with them, so our students
have the opportunity to get some very nice jobs.”
16
www.riverland.edu

Opportunity knocks
Riverland’s Cosmetology program, like those at other public and private schools, is
regulated by the Department of Commerce, which requires that students complete the
1,550 hours of training. “But the expectations have risen,” Unverzagt says. “Students
are doing a lot more, and they’re doing it faster. The caliber of our students also is
higher than it has been in the past.”
The program starts twice a year, during the spring and fall semesters, with a six-week
break in the summer. Students earn a certificate of cosmetology and then must pass a
state board exam, which consists of written and practical tests. What’s more,
Riverland’s placement rate is as impressive as its program. “For the last few years, if our
students have wanted a job, they’ve gotten a job,” Selmecki says. “We have salons call us
looking for people. We also have an in-salon day, in which students visit a salon and
spend eight hours there to see if they like it. We also have two job fairs each year.”
The U.S. Department of Labor projects solid
growth in the industry, due in part to rising
incomes and growing demand for personal
appearance services, which also is driving an
increase in the number of salons throughout
the country. According to the department’s
Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 48
percent of cosmetologists are self-employed and
many work flexible schedules.
To find out more about Riverland’s
Cosmetology program (and view an
online video about it), go to:
www.riverland.edu/cosmetology.
Riverland also has a Massage Therapy
program located on the Albert Lea
Campus. For more details, check out:
www.riverland.edu/massagetherapist.
“For the last few years, if
our students have wanted
job, they’ve gotten jobs.”
Although the financial salaries are
determined by various factors, the Minnesota
Department of Employment and Economic
Development lists the median wage for
Minnesota hairstylists and cosmetologists
between $25,000 and $33,900 a year.
Graduates of Riverland’s program have a
wealth of choices, from specializing as a hair
stylist or nail technician to owning a salon or
spa to working in sales with a manufacturer or
distributor of salon products. “If you like the
flair of the stage, you can be an educator and go
to shows and educate your peers in the latest
trends and styles,” Unverzagt says. “Or you can
be an instructor. We’ve also had students work
with cruise lines—one student went to Europe
right out of school for training with a cruise
line and is now on a ship that cruises between
Seattle and Alaska.”
While cosmetology can be a demanding
profession, the potential benefits and
opportunities are undeniable. And, as
Gudmundson is quick to point out, Riverland
is the ideal training ground. Asked what a
cosmetologist needs to be successful, she laughs
and says: “A good education—and good shoes.”
Vicki Stavig is a Bloomington-based
freelance writer.
www.riverland.edu 17

Explore
The World Of Cosmetology
Students gain valuable experience in
Riverland’s full-service salon that offers
a variety of services open to the public.
Would you like a career that gives most
graduates their choice of jobs right away?
Salon Hours
Monday, Tuesday:
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Noon - 4 PM
8 AM - 4 PM
1PM - 8 PM
8 AM - 12 PM
Licensed Cosmetologists are in such high demand
that most Riverland program graduates have several
job opportunities waiting as soon as they complete
the program.
Riverland Community College
Cosmetology Department
Austin Campus– West Building
1900 8th Avenue NW
Austin, MN 55912
507-433-0600
Imagine the pleasure of being able to choose the job
you really want. Cosmetology offers constant variety
and challenges as licensed professionals stay in touch
with the latest style trends.
Albert Lea Austin Owatonna
800-247-5039 www.riverland.edu
Your dreams are closer than you think.
We're an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer and educator

FAST company
Riverland’s Automotive Service Technology program offers its students focused, practical
education—and an average job placement rate of 95 percent.
By Phil Bolsta
After working part-time at his
father’s Owatonna automotive
shop, Terry’s Repair, all through
high school, Bret Hansen had to be
convinced to enroll in Riverland
Community College’s two-year
Automotive Service Technology program.
“I had debated going because I had been
around the business since I was four or
five years old,” says Hansen. “So I
questioned whether I would learn
anything. What they taught me is what my
dad forgot to—the theory behind how
components worked.”
Hansen, who graduated from Riverland
in 1991 and purchased his father’s shop in
2004, also got plenty of practice fixing
things thanks to the program’s bumperto-bumper
instruction and emphasis on
hands-on learning. For every hour spent
in the classroom, students spend three
hours working in the shop. Hansen
particularly liked the emphasis on auto
electronics. “When my dad started in the
business, there weren’t a lot of electronics
in cars,” he says. “I realized pretty quickly
that the electronics teaching I got at
Riverland would be very helpful.”
When he rejoined his dad’s shop after
graduation, Hansen found himself
applying his Riverland education on a
daily basis. “What I learned at Riverland
added another dimension to my work,” he
says. “Once you know how something is
supposed to work internally, you can
apply that knowledge as an overview to
every car. Cars may have their own design,
but they all basically work the same—the
brakes all have the same hydraulic force,
for instance. But knowing how the
hydraulics work versus just how to change
the brake pads are totally different things.”
PAT KELLY
Long-term effects
Hansen’s success story is a good example
of how a Riverland diploma can improve
lives. “First of all, it shows that getting an
education can lead to owning your own
business,” says Jason Merritt, one of two
Riverland Automotive Service Technology
instructors. “Second, it paints a long-term
picture of satisfaction with our program.
Obviously, Bret’s dad had heard enough
good things about Riverland that he was
Riverland alumnus and
Owatonna automotive
shop owner Bret
Hansen (left) has
found a high-caliber
new employee
in fellow graduate
Allen Yule.
www.riverland.edu 19

willing to send his son there. And not only
was Bret happy with the program, he’s since
hired a couple more of our graduates. That’s
a good illustration of the long-term effect of
our program.”
The numbers tell a similar story. Over the
last five years, the Automotive Service
Technology program has seen an average job
placement rate of 95 percent. And according
to America’s Career InfoNet, a U.S.
Department of Labor-sponsored Web site
that provides national, state, and local career
information and labor market data, of the
top 50 occupations projected to have the
most job openings through 2014, automotive
services ranks third. “The key is that these
programs are relevant to the industry today,”
says Steve Bowron, Riverland’s dean of
Career and Technical Education. “They keep
up to date with skills and technology, and
they’re a phenomenal avenue for young
people—as well as for people who are
already out in the working world and
looking to start new careers.”
Car careers
While most of the students who graduate
from Riverland’s Automotive Service
Technology program end up fixing cars in
auto shops or car dealerships, a significant
number gravitate to automotive part stores
or to dealerships to work as service advisors.
Still others leverage their automotive
education to find work in auto-related fields
such as car and tool sales and at technical
assistance hotlines. Is a two-year automotive
course really necessary for such careers? It is
if you want to excel at what you do. “Getting
experience and training in fixing cars so you
know what the parts are called, where they
go, and what can go wrong is very helpful to
a person who works in any automotiverelated
career,” Merritt points out.
Let’s say a customer comes into a parts
store and asks for a thermostat. “If the
employee doesn’t know anything about
what’s involved in the repair, he or she would
just sell the customer a thermostat,” Merritt
explains. “But if they knew what the repair
required, they would say, ‘Oh, and you need a
gasket for the housing and a hose, a hose
clamp, and some coolant.’ Obviously, that
knowledge would be very helpful to
customers.”
The same principle applies to the job of
service advisor. Proper training can make a
big difference between a good service
manager and a great service manager. “Let’s
say you go in to have your car fixed and you
say to the service manager, ‘My car is making
a noise when I’m traveling 30 miles per hour
and only when I decelerate,’” Merritt says. “If
the service manager has no understanding of
RIVERLAND FILE PHOTO
cars, he or she can’t be of much help other than taking your keys and writing your
name down. You need a person who’s knowledgeable about car repairs, especially if
they are doing estimating. If they don’t know all the parts that are needed to fix the
problem, the estimate will be inaccurate.”
Riverland’s Automotive Service
Technology program offers both a
diploma and an Associate in Applied
Science (AAS) option. Either program
can be completed in two years. A
diploma is typically sufficient for a career
as an automotive service technician. The
AAS degree, which includes 21 general
education credits, generally appeals to
people who want to own their own shop
or garage some day; they may take those 21 credits in classes such as business or
accounting so they’re better prepared to hang out their own shingle. “I’d like to add
that women are increasingly open to pursuing automotive careers,” Merritt notes. “I’ve
had at least one woman in my program in each of the last six years.”
Students who are especially enterprising can jump from Riverland’s program to the
automotive engineering program at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Through a
special agreement between the two schools, some of Riverland’s classes will transfer to
the Mankato program.
A hidden jewel
Riverland’s Automotive Service Technology program may be the best-kept secret in
southern Minnesota. Unlike many of its competitors, the program is NATEF (National
Automotive Technician Educational Foundation) accredited through the ASE
(National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence).
Riverland Automotive
Technology Instructor
Jason Merritt says
women are
increasingly open
to pursuing
automotive careers.
For every hour spent in
the classroom, students
spend three hours
working in the shop.
20
www.riverland.edu

What does NATEF certification mean? Plenty. Success in the motor vehicle repair
industry requires advanced technical training and computer literacy. By evaluating
automotive service training programs against nationally accepted standards of quality,
the certification ensures that a program meets or exceeds industry-recognized,
uniform standards of excellence. “Not all schools are NATEF-certified,” says
Automotive Service Technology Instructor Roger Panzer. “We feel that we can compete
with any program out there.”
Indeed, Riverland has won more than its share of accolades. In fact, for the second
time in four years, the college was a national runner-up for the AIPC (Automotive
Industry Planning Council) award. “They look at your program thoroughly,” Panzer
says. “They evaluate you in nine categories—everything from your facilities to
administration to budgeting to student enrollment to graduation rates. They rate your
program, first at the state level, where we won, and then nationally.”
The AIPC award has had tangible benefits. After Riverland won the award, Chrysler
donated a 2005 Dodge Magnum vehicle to the school, and Honda chipped in with a
2006 Accord. The cars are a welcome addition to Riverland’s facilities, which are
continually upgraded with state-of-the-art equipment.
A high-performance reputation
It’s no surprise, then, that Riverland has a well-earned reputation for leading the way in
automotive service training. “One thing we’re quite proud of is that we are the first
school in this area to offer training on hybrid vehicles,” Merritt says. “We offered our
first Hybrid Overview class in the fall semester of 2006. We also are offering some
advanced classes in areas such as automotive electronics. Students can expect more new
and exciting classes.”
In addition to elective classes that focus on light truck diesel and advanced engine
building, the program also offers a four-part series on advanced engine highperformance
classes that teach students how to work in the engine-building arena. The
classes, which require some of Riverland’s automotive diploma courses as prerequisites,
can be completed in one summer. “It’s exciting to a lot of students because many of
them are gearheads,” Merritt says. “They’re into things like NASCAR, drag racing, and
monster trucks, so they really like the idea of hot-rodding up an engine to give it highperformance
power.”
The program also offers advanced training to technicians to help them keep their
skills sharp. “I was just there for a night class on transmissions,” says Hansen. “It was a
nice refresher course.”
Hansen relies on the college for more than refresher courses these days. He also dips
into the Riverland pool for employees. He hired Allen Yule after the Owatonna native
graduated from Riverland in the spring of 2005. “When I was looking for another
technician, I knew that Allen would be an asset because he had decent grades,” Hansen
says. “I’ve seen a lot of people come out of Riverland’s system who were good
technicians.”
In Yule’s case, “good technician” is an understatement. He captured the state
competition in the automotive division of the 2005 SkillsUSA Championships, the
showcase for the nation’s best career and technical students. He then went on to place
18th in the national competition held in Kansas City, Mo., where he competed in
hands-on problem-solving challenges against 48 other students from across the
country.
Yule’s two years at Riverland was time well spent. “The teachers brought everything
to our level,” he says. “They were super-knowledgeable about what they were teaching
and they didn’t speak down to us. They spent as much time as needed one on one with
you and did whatever it took to help. I ended up graduating with a 3.98 GPA, so they
had to be doing something right.”
Phil Bolsta is a Blaine-based freelance writer.
For complete information on Riverland’s Automotive Service Technology
program, go to:
www.riverland.edu/transportation
DRIVING
lessons
A look at some additional
Riverland Transportation
programs.
Collision Repair Technology
Learning to restore today’s high-tech vehicles to preaccident
condition can lead to a challenging and
rewarding career. First-year students focus on hand skills,
study metal analysis, and learn the basics on plastic filler,
glass installation, damage analysis, and refinishing. Secondyear
students concentrate on metal finishing, advanced
frame and unibody repair, wheel alignment, advanced
refinishing, and customer relations. With the collision
repair industry in a growth mode, experience and
advanced training can also lead students to careers in
such realms as shop management and insurance
adjustment, and work in the paint and body supply
industry.
Diesel Technology
Students prepare for careers in diesel equipment repair by
learning to diagnose and solve diesel-equipment problems
on commercial vehicles and agricultural implements.
Diplomas are available in either or both skill areas, and
the program begins with the theory of operation for
modern diesel-powered equipment before moving on to
basic maintenance procedures and minor repairs. Advanced
training includes diagnostic skills for many vehicle
systems, including those that are electronically controlled.
Truck Driving
This 16-week program covers all the required operating
techniques, procedures, and regulations of the truck
driving industry. Students also gain practical experience by
driving in city and rural situations—including driving
conventional tractors and pulling loaded and empty vans
and flatbed trailers. According to the American Trucking
Association, the job market for truck drivers is the hottest
it’s been in 20 years. Over the next decade, more than
half a million new drivers must be hired to fill positions
generated by economic growth and the retirement of
existing drivers.
–P.B.
See www.riverland.edu/transportation
for more information on these and
other programs.
www.riverland.edu 21

BUILDING for tomorrow
Electrical and construction careers are hot these days, and companies are desperate for workers with
the right package of skills. Riverland’s Construction Electrician and Carpentry programs are built
to get you wired for success.
By Phil Bolsta
PAT KELLY
Steve Vietor has three words of advice
for anyone thinking of enrolling in
Riverland’s Construction Electrician
program: catch the wave. “By 2010, there
will be such a huge shortage of technicians
that it’s already being referred to as a workforce meltdown,” says Vietor, one of six
instructors in the college’s Construction Electrician program. “I want everyone to
know that this wave is coming so they can get on it and ride it in.”
Waiting at the end of the wave are lucrative careers with considerable upside. “I
don’t think people understand the opportunities available for earning potential and
job growth,” Vietor says. “We have
students who, after just five or six
years in the industrial electricalmaintenance
field are already in
management positions. That’s just
staggering.”
Indeed, the installation and
maintenance of electrical systems
will increase by 30 percent over
the next seven years, according to
the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics
and the Minnesota WorkForce
Center System. That demand,
coupled with the imminent
retirement of millions of baby
boomers, will soon translate into
millions of job vacancies.
To help fill those vacancies, the
Riverland Construction
Electrician program covers all the
basics, from installing systems to
troubleshooting. Most students
begin their career as either
construction or maintenance
electricians. Construction
electricians assemble, install, and
wire different types of equipment
for residential, commercial, and
industrial installations. Work
may include basic circuits,
electrical motors and their
controls, electronic controls,
programmable logic controllers,
and variable frequency drives.
Maintenance electricians
maintain, repair and replace
malfunctioning parts and
equipment, programmable logic
controllers, and variable
frequency drives, usually in large
Riverland instructors
Walt Alms (left) and
Steve Vietor see huge
career opportunities
for graduates of the
college’s constructionrelated
programs.
manufacturing or industrial
plants. Typically, one-third to half
of the maintenance department
at such a company consists of
maintenance electricians, with
the remainder being mechanics.
22
www.riverland.edu

RIVERLAND FILE PHOTO
Riverland Carpentry
Technology Students
and their instructor,
Walt Alms (second
row, far right) at a
home they helped
repair in
Wiggins, Miss.
High demand
While the need for traditional construction electricians is holding steady, it’s the
demand for maintenance electricians that’s in danger of spiraling out of control.
“Besides being a full-time instructor at Riverland, I do a lot of customized industrial
training throughout the state,” Vietor says. “Through those classes, I regularly come
into contact with industry. Over the last year, everyone has been saying that they’re
having an impossible time trying to hire maintenance electricians. One company in
Brainerd ran an ad for a full year, and finally found someone who was willing to
move from Wisconsin.”
And it’s not just Minnesota that’s in desperate need of electricians. “We have a
contractor who comes from Arizona every two years looking for students and he can
never find enough,” says Jon Sunde, another Riverland Construction Electrician
instructor. “Electricity is not going away—you can’t really outsource it to other
countries—so if you’re willing to travel, there are lots of jobs out there.”
Why are maintenance electricians at such a premium? “Machinery is the engine of
industry,” Vietor says. “Companies invest heavily in machinery, so it stands to reason
that they’re going to invest heavily in highly trained people who can address any
breakdowns or problems in that machinery, repair it, and get it back in production
right away.”
Other employment areas will also need trained technicians. Voice data—essentially
the structured wiring that carries data for computers and voice for phones—has
become a highly specialized field. The standards for to how to properly install those
systems continue to evolve. “You can imagine what would happen if those data systems
weren’t installed to correct design specifications,” Vietor says. “When you’re banking
online, for instance, can you imagine the problems that would occur if the installation
was substandard and the safety of the data was compromised?”
Riverland’s Construction program will soon be installing a solar photovoltaic system
for students to use. “It’s designed to make electricity from sunshine using solar panels,”
Vietor explains. “That’s the alternative-energy side of what’s developing in the
electrical industry. You’re going to see increased generating capacity from wind power
and solar photovoltaic systems.”
With such a bright future ahead for its graduates, it’s no surprise that Riverland is
trying to attract a market segment that traditionally has kept its distance from
electrical careers. “We’ve tried to open up this field more to women,” Vietor says.
“There are many opportunities out there for them and we don’t require students to
have any prior experience or electrical or mechanical background. The women we do
have—probably one or two out of 70-some students—seem to work harder at it and
excel very quickly.”
There’s no question that a sea change in vocational priorities is under way. “We’re
already seeing evidence of a dramatic shift from traditional four-year colleges to two-
hurricane
HELP
Carpentry Instructor Walt Alms
and a crew of Riverland
students help rebuild a Katrinadevastated
Mississippi city.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Riverland Carpentry
Instructor Walt Alms led a crew of 10 students down to
Wiggins, Miss., to repair and rebuild damaged homes and
buildings. The trip grew out of a brainstorming session
between Alms and fellow Carpentry Instructor Tom Wilker.
After confirming that their students were interested, Alms
met with the mayor of Austin, who told him that the city
had adopted Wiggins and was already funneling financial
relief there through the local Rotary Club and some area
churches.
As soon as Alms and his students arrived in Wiggins, they
went right to work on a house that a local church was
building for an elderly couple whose home had been
destroyed. Over the next eight days, Alms’ crew worked on
the house between other projects. When it was time to
head back to Minnesota, the sheeting on the house was
done, the roof was finished, and the windows installed.
Other projects included reroofing a police department
building, renovating an old railroad depot, and fixing odds
and ends on community buildings around town. All told,
Alms and his students put in 660 man hours. “It was
very rewarding,” Alms says. “The students all came away
with a real feeling of satisfaction. Everyone really
appreciated us being there. The older couple whose house
we were working on were both wheelchair bound, and
the husband would sit out there most of the day and
watch us. He said over and over again, ‘I can’t tell you
how much I appreciate what you’re doing for us.’ It was
like that on every job..”
If Riverland’s annual house-building project in Austin is
completed in time, Alms hopes to make a return trip
down south. “The city of Wiggins is pretty much back on
its feet,” he says. “It’s 30 miles north of the Gulf Coast
so it didn’t receive the brunt of the hurricane damage.
We’d probably have to go further south to do some
[more] work. It will be years before the region is back
where it used to be.”
–P.B.
www.riverland.edu 23

construction
INSTRUCTION
Riverland’s array of construction
programs goes far beyond the
electrical field. Here are two
other career-advancing options:
Industrial Maintenance and
Mechanics
This one-of-a-kind program offers training in the
maintenance and repair of such industrial equipment as
lathes, mills, drills, and machine repair tools. The program
also includes preparation for boiler exams and focuses on
hydraulics, pneumatics, piping, sheet metal, electrical,
bearings and seals, blueprint reading, preventative/
predictive maintenance, safety, and welding. For more
information, go to www.riverland.edu/construction and
click on “Industrial Maintenance and Mechanics.”
Welding
Students can complete this 16-credit program in 10
months. They gain practical knowledge of a vast range of
welding processes and learn welds in various positions
and joint design. Hands-on experience and learning the
welding codes helps students work toward becoming
certified welders. See www.riverland.edu/construction, and
click on “Welding Certificate.”
Carpentry Technology
The first year of this two-year lab-intensive program
focuses on basic hands-on training in one of largest, bestequipped
carpentry shops in the state. Students learn the
proper use and care of carpentry tools and equipment
and gain experience on actual jobs. The second year
concentrates on construction principals and materials and
methods related to residential construction. Each January
or February, second-year students fly to either Las Vegas
or Orlando for the week-long National Association of
Home Builders show.
First-year and second-year students both participate in
actually building a house, from initial site work and
footings through the interior and exterior finish. “When
you’re doing book work, it’s all theory,” says Instructor
Tom Wilker. “When you get actual hands-on experience in
building a house, there’s no substitute.”
–P.B.
See www.riverland.edu/construction
for more information on these and
other programs.
year technical schools,” Vietor says. “All the indicators and statistics are pointing in that
direction, and it’s easy to see why—someone with a two-year technical diploma now
has twice the job opportunities. If you don’t have a specialized skill, you may not be
able to advance your career and compete economically.”
Cheering for the home team
Second-year electrical students gain hands-on, real-world work experience by
participating in wiring a new house built by students in Riverland’s Carpentry
program. The annual project leads students to figure out solutions to on-the-job
challenges under the guidance of expert instructors who are themselves residential
contractors. Carpentry program students actually build two homes per year. First-year
students build a basement-free, single-story rambler on Riverland’s Austin campus.
Second-year students build a state-of-the-art home in the city of Austin itself. Both
homes are sold to the public-the on-campus house is moved to another site, while the
off-campus house remains on the lot on which it was built.
Electrical program students who attend Riverland’s Albert Lea campus rough-in
wiring for both houses in the fall, then return in the spring to finish up by hanging
lighting fixtures and installing light switches, plug-ins, outlets, and smoke detectors.
Roughing-in the wiring takes three days on the smaller house and two weeks on the
larger house. The students then test and troubleshoot until it all works properly.
Honing skills
All that hands-on experience teaches and hones the skills required for post-graduation
success. “We try to expose the students to anything they could possibly run into on a
residential application,” says Dan Rayman, a Riverland Construction Electrician
instructor. “They may need to redo something because of a design change. Or the plan
may show it one way, but the carpentry instructor decides to do things differently. Or
something may not work the way we planned. Not everything happens perfectly
according to plan in the real world, so they learn to adapt.”
Students also have to do an inspection just as an electrical inspector would. When the
students are satisfied that everything is in order, the instructors call in a state electrical
inspector so students can see how they interpret national electric codes. This year, both
houses passed with no code violations. “In past years, as instructors, we knew that some
minor code violations were there,” Rayman says. “But just to use the state inspector as
positive reinforcement, we let the inspector find the code violations, then brought them
to the attention of the students.”
The Austin municipal utility company also plays an important role. “It has certain
requirements and codes that students need to be aware of because they supersede the
national electrical code,” Rayman says. “It makes [students] aware that different
utilities will have different requirements, and that they’ll have to make changes based
on which utility company is serving electrical power to the building.”
Inspections are a particular challenge for the off-campus house, which contains
much more wiring and circuits than an average home. In a normal home, for instance,
the kitchen would have three 20-amp circuits, one more than the code requires. The
students put in seven. That means that the lucky family who moves in won’t ever have
to worry about overloading a circuit. The students also put in a lot of extra low-voltage
wiring for TVs, computer networks, phones, sound systems, and video surveillance
cameras. Oh, and lots of bells and whistles—literally. Push the front doorbell and all the
phones in the house will ring and you’ll hear chimes across all the audio speakers. Plus,
flip the TV to the right channel and you’ll be able to see who’s at the door. “The
students love [working on the house],” Rayman says. “They take pride in it and it’s
easier for them to learn the skills because it’s a real-life situation, not a mock-up
project in a shop. Even for students who have worked in their family’s electrical
businesses, it’s still a learning experience.”
Riverland’s Construction Electrician and Carpentry programs deserve the strong
reputation they’ve earned. “The last five to 10 years have seen a boom in building and
remodeling, so these programs are very relevant to local industry,” notes Steve Bowron,
Riverland’s dean of Career and Technical Education. “Local contractors recognize the
quality of the programs and the quality of the students that graduate from them.”
Elsewhere in this issue, Phil Bolsta wrote about Riverland’s Automotive Service
Technology program.
24
www.riverland.edu

o
Riverland
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
1900 Eighth Ave. N.W.
Austin, MN 55912
NONPROFIT ORG.
US POSTAGE
PAID
AUSTIN MN
PERMIT NO 66