Conversations about college affordability

On March 27 in Winona, Brother William and student Miles Dunna (shown above) participated in a roundtable discussion about college affordability and student debt with Senator Al Franken. Brother William emphasized for Senator Franken our commitment to college affordability as part of our Lasallian Catholic heritage and our commitment to making college affordable through our Pathways program with two-year MnSCU institutions.



Larry Pogemiller, director of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, also attended the discussion. Afterward, Brother William hosted Pogemiller for lunch and a tour of the Winona campus. Pogemiller interacted with a number of faculty members, staff members, and students informally — all of whom spoke about the sense of community and academic excellence/challenge at the College. Pogemiller also learned more about our commitment to the Winona community through our work in the Literacy Clinic and our partnership with a variety of community organizations in the Brother Jerome Rademacher Nordic Ski Center.



These two opportunities enabled Saint Mary's to increase its visibility with policy-makers at the state and federal level and to highlight the significant place Saint Mary's holds in higher education locally, regionally and nationally.