Carrie Brimhall Named President of Minnesota State Community and Technical College
The Board of Trustees of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities has named Carrie Brimhall to serve as president of Minnesota State Community and Technical College (M State). The appointment becomes effective July 1, 2018.
“Carrie Brimhall will bring energy, enthusiasm, and excitement to her role as M State president,” said Devinder Malhotra, chancellor of Minnesota State. “She knows that multi-campus leaders must be enterprise thinkers because they must navigate the needs of distinct academic communities on a daily basis. She will work with students, faculty, staff, and community leaders to continue building a unifying vision for the college, leveraging the strengths and unique characteristics of the four individual campuses.”
A first-generation student and graduate of M State, Brimhall has a reputation as a leader with a vision for the future of higher education and community colleges, and as a champion for the missions of community and technical colleges.
She has served M State continuously for approximately 20 years as director(s) of housing, admissions, recruitment, and retention from 1998 until 2008; as dean of enrollment from 2008 until 2011; as interim provost from 2011 until 2012; as associate vice president of Academic and Student Affairs from 2012 to 2014; and most recently as chief academic officer and vice president of Academic Affairs since 2014.
As a strategic and caring academic leader, her commitment to student success has produced many accomplishments including working with faculty to implement changes to developmental courses that saved students $175,532 annually; increasing federal and state grant support to provide exceptional academic programs and support services; leading the redesign of classrooms for exceptional teaching and learning; establishing a support center that resolves 100,000 calls annually in admissions, financial aid, and registration; and redesigning student services to a one-stop-shop model.
She is passionate about advancing equity and inclusion. In addition to serving on the M State Diversity Committee, her recent accomplishments in this area include expanding equity and inclusion professional development opportunities for employees, integrating culturally competent training into the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology, and obtaining a $150,000 grant to support women of color pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM fields).
Her accomplishments in fostering partnerships between education and industry include supporting the development of three mobile classrooms to meet workforce training needs, expanding partnerships with secondary schools through the addition of new high school partners, revitalizing academic programs, and creating stackable credentials to better meet business and industry needs.
She holds an associate degree from M State, a bachelor’s degree from Concordia College, and a master’s and a doctorate from Capella University.
Brimhall will succeed Peggy Kennedy who has served as president of M State since 2012 and has announced her intention to retire.
