{"id":959,"date":"2026-10-26T15:00:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T20:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/offices\/president\/?p=959"},"modified":"2026-10-26T15:02:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T20:02:22","slug":"meeting-the-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/offices\/president\/2026\/10\/26\/meeting-the-moment\/","title":{"rendered":"Meeting the Moment"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Letter from President John L. Hoffman<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For the last several weeks, headlines and articles about the colleges and universities of Minnesota State — potential campus closures, consolidations and mergers within our system — have led to questions about what these changes may mean for Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College, particularly in the context of our own plans for our campuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I welcome these questions because they give me an opportunity to speak with enthusiasm and confidence about our future. As president of BSU and NTC, I want to share what our work looks like, how it connects to broader systemwide changes in Minnesota State, and why I remain confident in the importance and longevity of regional higher education in Bemidji and northern Minnesota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This fall, enrollment in Minnesota State’s seven universities was down by approximately 2%. At BSU, our enrollment was down about 1.5%, and we are the only university in our system to increase graduate-student enrollment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At BSU, we have steadily increased our success rates for first-year students from 71% to 77% and are an emerging leader in Minnesota State for transfer students and adult learners. Bolstered by increased American Indian enrollment, BSU also currently leads the system in growth for students of color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NTC saw a 6.4% increase in enrollment and, since 2023, leads all Minnesota State institutions with a 49% enrollment increase. NTC also continues to respond rapidly to regional workforce needs through customized training.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps most importantly, 91% of BSU and NTC graduates have secured jobs in a field related to their major, well above the systemwide average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At BSU and NTC, our mission has always centered on serving students first while supporting those who dedicate their careers to higher education. By expanding our reach to adult learners, graduate students, online learners, and transfer students, we have shown what intentional focus can achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our results represent students building better futures for themselves and their families. They also represent the nurses, teachers, skilled tradespeople, business owners and other professionals our communities need to thrive.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alongside these student successes, I am especially grateful for record-breaking fundraising investments in both BSU and NTC over the past four years. That support reflects our donors’ confidence in our students and the role our institutions play in northern Minnesota. The strength of BSU and NTC matters well beyond our campuses, and our employees, partners and communities are making a difference together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why change is necessary<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the U.S., public higher education is confronting a defining moment. In an era of demographic shifts, rising operational expenses and tighter state budgets, colleges and universities can no longer function under business-as-usual assumptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a message to our campuses last month, Minnesota State Chancellor Scott Olson outlined these realities and called for strategic redesign across our 54-campus system. This will likely include new alignments among regional colleges and universities, and multi-campus colleges may also close some sites. I expect some decisions that support this work will be difficult. However, Minnesota State’s redesign strategy places students first. It is not about diminishing the distinct missions or rich histories of our institutions: it is about sharing academic programs, structures and administrative capacity so students gain access without losing opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collaboration is our path forward<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For BSU and NTC, this conversation reflects the proactive path we have walked together for the last four years — a path informed by local context and careful study of national trends.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The economic landscape is clear: securing state appropriations will remain competitive, tuition must remain affordable and the cost of health care and benefits — which are essential to support our employees — continue to outpace inflation. We cannot solve these system-wide challenges through isolated campus-by-campus strategies. Rather than retreating into silos or responding with across-the-board cuts, the path forward requires us to reimagine partnerships, multi-campus alignments and regional collaboration.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our shared strategic plan, “2026 Forward,” opened with a clear declaration: “Cutting against the competitive ethos in modern higher education, we are committed to collaboration.” In his system-wide memo, Chancellor Olson cited the BSU and NTC partnership as a model for Minnesota State’s future. Collaboration and cooperation have been the foundation of our work to rebuild BSU and NTC over the past four years, and we are actively expanding that framework. By forging deeper relationships with our region’s tribal colleges and two-year college partners, BSU and NTC are solidifying our place as the higher education hub for the north.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While transitions naturally bring questions and ambiguity, BSU and NTC are navigating this era from a position of vision and strength. We remain two distinct institutions acting as one unified organization, dedicated to our students and our region. Our vision for transformation is sound, and BSU and NTC have spent years proactively preparing for this moment. By embracing partnership over competition, we will ensure that higher education in northern Minnesota remains vibrant, resilient and accessible for generations to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/picture><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

John L. Hoffman<\/strong>
President
Bemidji State University & Northwest Technical College<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Letter from President John L. Hoffman For the last several weeks, headlines and articles about the colleges and universities of Minnesota State — potential campus closures, consolidations and mergers within our system — have led to questions about what these changes may mean for Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College, particularly in the context […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"bsu_hero":"","bsu_hero_on_children":false,"bsu_hero_height":"600","bsu_hero_video":"","bsu_hero_focal_point":"","bsu_hero_media":"","bsu_hero_display":"random","bsu_hero_slider_interval":5,"bsu_hide_from_navigation":false,"bsu_redirect_enabled":false,"bsu_redirect_url":"","bsu_redirect_target":false,"bsu_require_auth":false,"bsu_require_auth_usertypes":"","_bsu_seo_title":"","_bsu_seo_description":"","_bsu_robots_noindex":false,"_bsu_sitemap_priority":"","_bsu_og_title":"","_bsu_og_description":"","_bsu_og_use_hero":false,"_bsu_og_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/offices\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/offices\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/offices\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/offices\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/offices\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=959"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/offices\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":964,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/offices\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/959\/revisions\/964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/offices\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/offices\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/offices\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}