Posted: April 21, 2021
Contact: Doug Anderson, doug.anderson@MinnState.edu, 651-201-1426
ST. PAUL, Minn., April 21, 2021 – The Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities has named Marsha Danielson to serve as the next president of Minnesota State College Southeast. The appointment will become effective July 1, 2021.
“Dr. Danielson brings deep knowledge of the Minnesota State system, a breadth of experience building partnerships, and a thorough understanding of the region,” said Devinder Malhotra, chancellor of Minnesota State. “I am confident that her leadership will help Minnesota State College Southeast continue its upward trajectory and propel it to even greater heights.”
Since 2007, Danielson has served South Central College (SCC), a comprehensive community and technical college with campuses in Faribault and North Mankato. SCC serves 4,500 students and offers more than 50 technical career and professional programs, transfer programs, and transfer pathways.
In her current role, Danielson has served SCC since 2016 as vice president of economic development, advising the president on corporate education, economic development, and growth opportunities for the college, and providing leadership in many functional areas including government and international relations, grants, communications, and comprehensive workforce solutions.
Previously, she served SCC as senior associate to the president from 2013 to 2016 and as dean of economic development from 2007 to 2013. She also served Minnesota State University, Mankato from 1996 to 2007 in several areas including development, alumni relations, external relations, and marketing and communications.
Her accomplishments at SCC include co-leading a new strategic planning process that resulted in an integrated plan that links the college’s vision, priorities, people, and resources. She partnered with Minnesota State colleagues to expand the system’s capacity to accelerate degree completion through Credit for Prior Learning (CPL). She led the High School to College and Career (H2C) guided pathways partnership with Faribault Public Schools and industry partners focused on college attainment and career readiness. She created the college-wide crisis communications plan and protocols that were implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic and resulted in effective, coordinated, consistent, and proactive communications with all of SCC’s audiences.
She has collaborated with faculty and staff to implement new academic programs and enrollment strategies such as SCC’s Mechatronics Engineering Technology program, education abroad initiatives, and SCC’s participation in National CTE Letter of Intent Signing Day. She led accreditation initiatives at SCC during two Higher Learning Commission (HLC) reviews.
Danielson’s accomplishments in diversity, equity, and inclusion include providing leadership for the nationally recognized Achieving the Dream™ priorities at SCC, focused on closing the achievement gap and addressing systemic inequities to increase social and economic mobility. She is a member of the Equity by Design Leadership Team and was the founding director of the Greater Mankato Diversity Council. She is a racial justice facilitator and leads conversations about race and racism in the community.
She holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and a doctorate in community college leadership from Ferris State University (MI).
Danielson succeeds Larry Lundblad who has served as interim president of Minnesota State College Southeast since 2018.
About Minnesota State College Southeast
Located in the historic river towns of Red Wing and Winona, Minnesota State College Southeast is a two-year technical and community college that prepares students for a lifetime of learning by providing education for employment, skill enhancement, retraining, and transfer. The Winona campus opened its doors in 1949; the Red Wing campus opened in 1973, merging with Winona in 1992. The two campuses now have distinctive characteristics but are one college in structure, policies, procedures, and mission. Both offer small class sizes, state-of-the-art facilities, and an environment that is friendly and supportive. In addition, more than 30 majors are available online.
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Minnesota State includes 30 community and technical colleges and seven state universities serving approximately 340,000 students. It is the third-largest system of two-year colleges and four-year universities in the United States.