JUNE 2013 - Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association

WHO’S WHODr. Kevin Kopischke, Alexandria Technical &Community CollegeAN AGENT FOR POSITIVE CHANGEby Stephani SimonDr. Kevin Kopischke with wife Donnaand five grandchildren.Exciting times are led by excitingpeople. One such vibrant leader you willget to know today is Dr. Kevin Kopischke,president of Alexandria Technicaland Community College. Kopischke’sprofessional career has been dedicated tothe next generation of Minnesota’s workers.He is known as an agent of positive changein this region, preparing students for thejobs of the future. How does he do this? Heis an innovative thinker, has a proven trackrecord with program development, and along, mutually respectful relationship withthe region’s business community.In 2004, Dr. Kopischke was appointed tobe only the fourth president of AlexandriaTechnical College by the Minnesota StateColleges and Universities Board of Trustees.Though the search process was conductednationally, Kopischke was the clear choice.He had served as vice president for thecollege since 1991, responsible for thecollege’s customized and contract training,marketing and management programs,new program development, and externalrelations. And he has the breadth ofexperience and success working withMinnesota employers that has proven tobe invaluable.After almost 10 years as president ofAlexandria Technical and CommunityCollege, Kopischke credits the school’sfaculty and staff for continuous focuson staying current in addressing theworkforce skills shortage in Minnesota.The staff has developed and implementedinnovative new techniques and programsto link industry, the college, and studentsin order to better serve the surroundingcommunity workforce needs.Beyond the work, Kopischke is homegrown Minnesotan. He grew up inMorgan, Minnesota, learned about hardwork and caring for customers whilehelping out at his dad’s 3-2 café, Jim’s PoolHall. He started young, filling whateverroles were needed.Indeed, hospitality became such a partof his character that, as he considered posthighschool education, he gravitated towardsthe hospitality industry. Kopischke’s firstdegree, a 2-year technical degree from theUniversity of Minnesota-Crookston, is infood service and hospitality for hotel andrestaurant management.By the time Kopischke was 22, hehad married Donna, his high schoolsweetheart, and was back in school. AtSt. Cloud State University he earnedboth a bachelor’s degree in marketingeducation as well as a master’s degreein educational administration andleadership. He ultimately went on tocomplete his doctorate in education fromthe University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.Changing CourseSomewhere in there Kopischkechanged courses. How is it that hetransitioned from a future in hospitalityto one of customized training andincumbent worker programs?It was his senior year at St. CloudState that changed the course of hislife. Kopischke had the opportunity tostudent teach at Alexandria Technicaland Community College, an institutionknown for its expertise in marketing ofthe college and its programs. Duringthat time, he was invited to speak abouthospitality; he had found his calling—teaching and training. A position openedup at Alex Tech and Kopischke taught atthe school for the next 10 years.Kopischke moved into his firstadministrative job in 1986, when hetook a position as the vice presidentfor Brainerd Technical College (nowCentral Lakes College). While in theposition, Kopischke was responsible forstudent services that included customizedtraining for corporations’ incumbentworkers. Those skills helped preparehim for his next advancement back toAlexandria Technical College in 1991,where he served as the vice presidentresponsible for the college’s customizedand contract training, marketing andmanagement programs, new programdevelopment, and external relations. Heheld that job for the next 13 years.During this period, Kopischke servedas chief of staff, occasionally assumingleadership responsibilities for thepresident who also served as a general inthe Minnesota National Guard. The workultimately prepared him to take over asthe college’s president.Celebrating FamilyDuring his years as a faculty memberat Alexandria Technical and CommunityCollege, Kopischke and his wife raisedtheir three kids. Kristi now lives in SiouxFalls, S.D.; Jay resides in Minnetonkawith his wife and two boys; and Lindsaylives in Alexandria with her husband, twodaughters and son. Kopischke and his wife,who just recently celebrated 40 years ofmarriage, often gather with their childrenand grandkids in their spare time. Witha home on Lake Carlos in Alexandria,the family enjoys spending time together.Today, Kopischke spends much of hisfree time serving on boards, includingthe Douglas County Hospital, theAlexandria Area Economic DevelopmentCommission, and the Minnesota LakesMaritime Museum.Kopischke anticipates that he still hasa long career ahead of him in Alexandria,working on new design models forP-14 learning systems. The state’smanufacturing community—and ourfuture workforce—are the benefactors ofhis continued service towards a strongerPMmanufacturing future.STEPHANI SIMON isthe president of Inprela(formerly OrangeCommunications) inMinneapolis, Minnesota.She can be reached atstephani@inprela.com.20 | PRECISION MANUFACTURING May | June 2013