Skip to main content
SCTCC logo

Secondary navigation

    • Student Services
    • Email
    • D2L Brightspace
    • eServices
    • Bookstore
    • Class Schedules
    • Cyclones Athletics
    • Library
    • Quick Guide
    • Employee Resources
    • Academic Calendar
    • Employee Directory
    • Email
    • Faculty eServices
    • D2L Brightspace
    • Technology Support
    • Quick Guide
    • Cyclones Athletics
    • Foundation
    • Get Involved
    • Ways to Give
  • Events
  • Select Language

Main navigation

  • Degrees & Programs
    • Business, IT, & Education Programs
    • Construction Programs
    • Health Sciences & Nursing Programs
    • Liberal Arts & Transfer Studies
    • Manufacturing Programs
    • Transportation Programs
    • All Degrees & Programs
    • Career & Program Finder
    • Degree and Certification Options
    • Programs for High School Students
  • Admissions
    • How to Apply
    • Tour SCTCC
    • Request Information
    • Course Placement & Testing - Accuplacer
    • eOrientation & Registration
    • Records & Registration
    • Change your Program Status
    • Admissions Forms
    • Meet our Admissions Staff
    • Minnesota State Week at SCTCC
    • Summer Session at SCTCC
  • Tuition & Aid
    • Applying for Financial Aid
    • Affordability at SCTCC
    • Payments & Policies
    • North Star Promise Scholarship Program
    • Student Scholarships
    • Tuition & Fees
    • Veterans Benefits
  • Student Stuff
    • Academic
    • Quick Guide for SCTCC Students
    • Campus Life
    • Cyclones Athletics
    • Student Handbook
    • Just Report It
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Visit Us
    • About SCTCC
    • News, Stories, & Events
    • Leadership
    • Cultural Fluency, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Accreditation at SCTCC
    • Careers at SCTCC
  • Community & Training
    • Customized Training
    • Get Involved
    • SCTCC Foundation
    • The Northway Group
    • Youth Programs & Camps
  • News, Stories, & Events
    • News
04.24.24
Kate Wallace

Time Capsule Captures Students' Expertise

  • Home
  • About Us
  • News, Stories, & Events
  • News
Time capsule metal box on table

With a little bit of heat, some elbow grease, and a lot of hunting and gathering, the 75th Anniversary Time Capsule is dedicated and almost ready to be closed for the next 25 years.

At the beginning of the academic year, librarian Mary Jordan started gathering items that would go into the time capsule, even though she had no idea what the final time capsule would look like, how big it would be, or where it would go.

Even though she still doesn’t know where it will go, Jordan definitely has the first two figured out.

“After we did some research looking at commercial time capsules, none of them really fit our needs. We decided to visit Chuck Haus, an instructor in Welding/Fabrication,” said Jordan. “Chuck gave the project the one of his students, Ryan [Hus]. The final product is absolutely amazing. It’s beautiful. The aluminum they chose catches the light and looks very special for this event.”

While Hus was busy bending and welding the time capsule, Jordan was busy hustling up pieces to put in the time capsule. Over the year, she encouraged students and employees alike to fill out predictions for the future, printed on bamboo paper that will keep better over time, with the questions:

“Something you think people will want to know about our current time 25 years from now:”

“A prediction of what SCTCC will be like in 25 years:”

(She is still accepting predictions; if you would like to fill one out, email Mary at mary.wilkins-jordan@sctcc.edu)

Additionally, event posters, giveaway items, historical pieces, college publications, documentations, and more went into her box of time capsule goodies.

Meanwhile, Hus was hard at work on the time capsule itself.

Ryan Hus holding the metal time capsul
Ryan Hus

He didn’t realize it was such a high-profile piece at first, but once he did, he and instructor Haus started looking online at aluminum toolboxes to base the capsule off that. They drew of a quick plan and got to work.

First they cut out the diamond-plate aluminum, then bent up the sides. That was the most difficult part, according to Hus. As a perfectionist when it comes to his welding, even when it’s a little off it’s something he notices.

“I think one of the sides is maybe a little bit longer or a little shorter, but it looks great,” he said.

After it was as perfect as he could get the bending, he welded on the front, back, and bottom, and the cover is on hinges. That was when the Mechanical Design Engineering Technology students got involved.

The capsule needed something to indicate what it was, and Mechanical Design was able to etch a plaque. The design included SCTCC’s mission and vision, the 75th anniversary logo, and the date the capsule is to be opened: Sept. 1, 2048.

Once the capsule is ready to be closed, they will secure it shut by screwing the cover on.

“We're not going to weld it shut just because of the foam and all the paper inside. We wouldn't want it to start on fire,” Hus explained.

On April 23, Hus, Jordan, and several students, employees, and President Kloos gathered in the Library to dedicate the Time Capsule. It was a short program where Jordan explained what was going to go in the capsule, and Jordan was happy to finally be able to transfer the items off her shelf and into their final location.

President Kloos then said a few words about the changes that SCTCC has seen over the 26 years that she has been at the College, including significant growth in enrollment, becoming comprehensive and offering an AA degree, adding athletics, and expanding from one to five buildings.

The most important thing, though, is the community that SCTCC serves: the students. From the past and into the future, students remain the constant. Looking back at how the time capsule came to be, Jordan is thankful that the process happened the way it did and involved students, and Hus was happy to have been part of this high-profile project.

“It feels good to be a part of this anniversary. I didn’t expect to be at the big presentation or a part of this. It’s pretty cool,” he said.

When asked about the future of welding in 25 years, Hus thought it was going to be a lot more robotic, but “we’ll always need people. People will still want to work with their hands so it’s not not going away.”

Join SCTCC in 25 years on Sept. 1, 2048 for the opening of the time capsule!

Crowd in the library with President Kloos speaking
Share

Tagged As

News
Foundation News
Library News
Mechanical Design Engineering Technology News
President News
Welding/Fabrication News
Students walking up a staircase in main entrance

Education That Matters

Apply for Free
Tour Campus
Request Info
Student Emergency Grants - American Rescue (ARP) Act
SCTCC logo
Instagram Facebook YouTube LinkedIn

1540 Northway Drive
St. Cloud, MN 56303

+1 (800) 222-1009
recruitment@sctcc.edu
Accessibility Statement
Careers at SCTCC
Campus Hours, Directions & Maps
Contact Us
Copyright Information
Intranet - Employee Portal
Online Privacy
Safety & Security
Just Report It
Request for Proposal
©2022-25 - St. Cloud Technical & Community College | Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission
St. Cloud Technical & Community College, a member of Minnesota State