On Wednesday, Dec. 4, SCTCC celebrated a $2 million gift from the J.A. Wedum Foundation which will be used to create the Wedum Center for Student Success.
The Wedum Center for Student Success will be a dynamic new campus space alongside a comprehensive plan for student success to enhance first-generation retention and completion.
“This is far more than a gift—it is a catalyst for transformation,” remarked President Lori Kloos. “This funding provides the investment for SCTCC to launch the First-Gen Forward program and to establish a dynamic, centralized center for student connections and support. This is a visionary partnership that embodies the shared values of access, opportunity, and community.”
Proven cohort models at the College show that student accountability, intensive advising, and connected services increase student retention rates of this group of students. With this investment, SCTCC plans to grow the model from 180-200 students served annually by its TRIO Student Support Services program by an additional 550-600 students.
SCTCC serves 2,800 first-generation students, more than half its population, from 40+ school districts in rural and greater St. Cloud. With the College serving such a large segment of first-generation students, their success is critical to the future of Central Minnesota.
Current first-generation student outcomes at SCTCC reflect national and statewide success rates, but with the implementation of the Wedum Center for Student Success, the College will become an institution known where students can succeed.
The initial phase of the Center is underway with staffing a Dean of Academic Innovation & Success and two Retention Specialists. Phase two is the renovation of the second floor of the Heartland Building where the J.A. Wedum Center for Student Success will be located.
Two current SCTCC student services will move into the space: TRIO Student Support Services and the Mary Stangler Center for Academic Success Tutoring Center. These, along with the Academic Innovation & Success and first-generation support, will provide integrated student services alongside the Library and academic resources that are already housed on the first floor of the Heartland Building. Groundbreaking is anticipated to take place Spring 2025 with groundbreaking expected Fall 2026.
