Colleges Responses to COVID 19 in Minnesota

As the global pandemic of COVID 19 spread across the world states like Minnesota chose to close their institutions for higher learning to heal slow the spread and flatten the curve to minimize the health crisis. Minnesota is home to many colleges and universities that have played a huge role in educating and training those essential healthcare employees that are now fighting on the front lines of the COVID 19 pandemic. Colleges’ responses to COVID 19 in Minnesota have once again proven how essential these institutions are not only in educating and preparing the next generation of employees but also in stepping up to serve their communities when they need it most. Many of these institutions have donated PPE, provided education, made distance learning possible with free WiFi, and more.

St. Mary’s

St. Mary’s has closed campus to in-person learning for the spring and summer terms while they continue educating students in an online delivery method. They wanted to do their part in fighting the virus by donating whatever PPE they could gather from campus. They gathered and donated gloves, aprons, masks, glasses and face shields to Winona Health.

Winona State College

Winona State College has closed campus to in-person learning for the spring and summer terms while they continue educating students in an online delivery method. They wanted to do their part in fighting the virus by donating whatever PPE they could gather from campus. They gathered and donated personal protective equipment from campus to donate to Winona Health.

Minnesota State College Southeast

MSC Southeast donated hospital beds, nightstands, and other patient care equipment to area hospitals to help with the supply shortages that healthcare facilities are facing during the COVID 19 pandemic. Personal protective equipment and supplies were gathered for donation by all departments, not just nursing. The college campuses in Red Wing and Winona have been open continuously for student access to wi-fi and computer labs. Fall plans call for a mix of online and on-campus instruction with rigorous safety protocols in place, and tuition is frozen for Fall Semester 2020.

College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University

Many of the academic and other departments at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University gathered and donated boxes of personal protective equipment. The Biology department donated masks and gloves while the nursing department donated boxes of N95 masks, surgical masks, and boxes of gloves to Centra Care. They also loaned their temporal thermometers to Woodcrest Long-term Care. They also loaned a ventilator should it be needed in caring for patients of COVID 19.

Normandale Community College

While many colleges have had to navigate closing campuses to in-person learning and transition to an online delivery method for the remainder of spring and summer terms there have been obstacles to overcome. One obstacle that has become apparent is the need for personal laptops and reliable high-speed internet.  Normandale Community College has offered free WiFi parking lots where students and faculty can log into courses and complete their work online while using the reliable internet connection available through the college.

Hibbing Community College

Hibbing Community College has kept computer labs open to students while in-person courses have been canceled and transitioned to online courses. Computer labs only allow 10 students at a time to allow them to complete their courses at this time. Select parking lots have also been established at free WiFi parking lots where students can access the internet in their cars and complete their coursework in that manner.

South Central College

While many colleges have had to navigate closing campuses to in-person learning and transition to an online delivery method for the remainder of spring and summer terms there have been obstacles to overcome. One obstacle that has become apparent is the need for personal laptops and reliable high-speed internet.  South Central College has offered free WiFi parking lots where students and faculty can log into courses and complete their work online while using the reliable internet connection available through the college.

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota has stepped up in significant ways to help fight COVID 19. Researchers were among the first to develop the first FDA approved portable ventilator to be used to aid patients needing help breathing as a result of COVID 19. Students have organized MN COVID Sitters, a group that pairs students with healthcare workers or other essential employees that need help with childcare, pet care or just running errands during this time. Students in the Chemistry department have helped mix and donate hand sanitizer to alleviate the shortage many facilities are facing.

Dunwoody College

While many community colleges have 3-D printers on campus to be utilized in their robotics programs and engineering programs they have found new life and purpose while campuses have closed as a result of COVDI 19.  Dunwoody College has put their 3-D printers to use making face shields to donate to healthcare workers and facilities to be used as personal protective equipment.

Colleges continue to be an essential thread of American society as institutions for learning, training, and now mobilizing for necessary PPE. Colleges’ responses to COVID 19 in Minnesota have proven how much society depends on these institutions. They have all gathered and mobilized to protect the healthcare professionals and the communities in which they are a part during the crisis of COVID 19.

Do you know of any other amazing college responses to COVID-19 in Minnesota? Let us know so we can recognize them and add them to our list!