Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) will be open Fall Semester with classes starting on Monday, August 24. RCTC’s offerings will include a mix of online and on-campus instruction with more than 570 classes, including about 320 offered completely online or through a blended/hybrid approach. President Jeffery Boyd Ed. D. stated, “Thanks to the incredible work of our faculty, our staff, and our students, RCTC’s plans include flexibility in order to quickly pivot to either more restrictive or less restrictive modes of instruction and support services depending on changing conditions.”
RCTC’s mission is to provide accessible, affordable, quality learning opportunities to serve a diverse and growing community, and is part of the Minnesota State system, the largest provider of higher education for the state’s economically fragile populations. According to Boyd, “Thirty percent of RCTC’s student body are students of color and thirty-six percent are considered low income. These populations have already been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and many may find it difficult to begin or to continue their studies in the Fall. Therefore, RCTC supports the decision of the Minnesota State Board of Trustees to freeze the tuition rates of undergraduate tuition for Fall Semester 2020.”
In addition, RCTC is committed to ensuring a healthy and safe learning and working environment for students and employees and have implemented several new protocols on campus to safeguard that environment. The College is also actively reaching out to current students as well as prospective students to ensure they have the latest information on RCTC’s plans, and to let them know RCTC is prepared to help them through their educational journey — whether they are just starting college, continuing on their educational journey, or going back to school to retool their skills for new job opportunities.
RCTC is also participating in a dramatic expansion of the Workforce Development Scholarship program and will be awarding 85 $2,500 scholarships Fall Semester 2020 to students enrolling in programs leading to high demand occupations. These include healthcare services, advanced manufacturing, information technology, transportation, early childhood education, and agriculture. For more information on the scholarship program, contact the Financial Aid Office at 507-285-7271.