Academy of Lifelong Learning Continues Fall Series
Join Virgil Benoit, Associate Professor of French at the University of North Dakota on Tuesday, October 2 to learn about "Learning Through Ethnic Literacy". Dr. Jon Quistgaard, president of Bemidji State University discusses "Generation What's Next" on October. A tour of Bio Haus at Concordia Language Villages is offered on October 16, followed by a bus trip to The Plains Art Museum on October 23. Dann Siems, Aquatic Biologist, Beltrami Soil and Water Conservation District and Adjunct Professor of Integrative Studies at BSU shares "Lessons from Hardin's 'Tragedy of the Commons' in a Local Context" on October 30. The fall series will wrap up with Cynthia D. Schulze presenting, "Call for Help in Times of Disaster" on November 6. All sessions are open to the public. The ALL Newsletter, press releases and the full schedule are online.Regional Employer Support Network
The Regional Employer Support Network will offer a presentation entitled "Bonus Structure, Salary Surveys and Compensation Systems" from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. October 4 at the Center for Research and Innovation. The featured presenter will be Anthony Schaffhauser, executive director of the CRI. Prior to February, he served as a regional analyst for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. He will be joined by Nate Dorr, a Bemidji area labor market expert from MNDEED. Those attending will learn how to access and utilize a wealth of publicly available wage information pertaining to the Bemidji area. Armed with this information, business owners and human resources professionals can better evaluate how competitive an organization's compensation package is compared to others in the region. While the cost of payroll and benefits is clear, the untold costs resulting from an inadequate compensation package are experienced through employee turnover and associated training expenditures and losses due to incompetence. "Sometimes the best things in life are free, and this is true for wage information," said Schaffhauser. Full RESN schedule and more information are online.
FREE Learning Opportunity at Center for Research and Innovation
Debbie Drinkard Grovum, a counselor with Northwest Technical College, will present "Transitions After 50" as part of a new series of training and informational presentations being offered by the CRI on the second Wednesday of each month. Life after 50 can be a time of growth, renewal and opportunity for the emergence of new talents, interests and strengths. How transition is faced during this time has a powerful impact on quality of life. This session will discuss different approaches to facing transition and strategies for thriving in transition. ""This is an exciting time for mid-life adults because there is a growing awareness of their unique needs and resources to help make the most of this life stage," said Drinkard Grovum. "As a mid-life adult myself, I am excited about the potential for growth during this time of life." Join Drinkard Grovum on Wednesday, October 10 at 12 noon. Bring your lunch. Click here for more information and full schedule.
"Lost in Northern Minnesota - Emergency Response "
Presenting will be Beryl Wernberg, 911 communications supervisor/emergency management director with the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Management, Bemidji. The presentation will detail and highlight emergency responses and lessons learned in a remote area of Beltrami and Lake of the Woods counties during the search for Kory Kelly, a grouse hunter who was reported missing in the Red Lake Management Wildlife Area, located northeast of Fourtown. The search began on October 17, 2006, and ended with the recovery of his body on April 27, 2007. The search and recovery effort involved 63 agencies and more than 6,500 hours. Wernberg said the presentation is intended to be of interest to a diverse audience, including hunters, outdoor enthusiasts, individuals interested in emergency operations and those who may want to volunteer to assist with such operations. "The importance of emergency preparedness, in every aspect of life, cannot be stressed enough," said Wernberg. ""Lessons learned from a mission that took place in an extremely remote area with limited communication capabilities will highlight the need to be prepared. In addition, the critical roles that volunteers play in these types of missions will be highlighted." The presentation is scheduled from 3 to 4 p.m. on Monday, October 15 . More information and the full schedule of Natural Resources Consortium events are available online.
How to Create and Sustain a Safety Culture In Your Organization
It is important to create and sustain a culture of safety in your organization; but, sometimes that is easier said than done. Pete Aube, Potlatch Corporation, will share ideas and methods that worked well for his organization on Wednesday, October 17 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. A $20 fee will be charged to cover the price of materials and lunch. The session is part of a monthly series sponsored by the CRI and the Northern Minnesota Safety Council and designed for those professionals who are responsible for the safety of their organizations. Offered the third Wednesday of each month, they feature experts from around the state discussing a variety of topics related to safety .Registration forms and schedule of upcoming sessions are online.
Annual Fund Raising - what is it and how does it work for your organization?
Register for this series of workshops designed to educate you about having an annual fund raising plan, determining which elements are needed within your non-profit and begin working on your own annual fund raising plan. This is a hands-on course, beginning October 23, is designed to assist you in having something concrete to begin implementing once you have completed all the sessions. As an added bonus, you will receive a one-hour one-on-one session with the trainer following the course. During this session, your annual fund raising plan will be reviewed and suggestions made for its successful implementation. All courses and the one-on-one plan review will be conducted by Deb McGregor-Pfleger. More information and registration are available online.Training Opportunity from the Small Business Development Center
SBIR/STTR 101: Utilizing Federal Grants to Fund Your High-Risk Innovative Technology from Concept to Commercialization. If you're a entrepreneurial start-up company, engineer, scientist, or established small business this is a workshop for you. You will learn about high-tech funding opportunities, which agency to target and how to put together a quality proposal. The brochure is online. If you have questions or would like to register please contact Betsy Lulfs at 651-259-7441 or betsy.lulfs@state.mn.us. Online Certificate in Technical Document Creation Offered
A new non-credit online Professional Development Certificate in Office Management - Technical Document Creation is being offered November 5-December 14. The main requirement of workplace writing is clarity and professional looking documents. Business documents and written communications should be direct, grammatically correct, and easy to read.
- Identify the characteristics of business messages
- Recognize and identify ways to minimize communication barriers
- Identify the steps in planning/designing technical documents
- Identify the role of communications in the workplace and daily life
Prerequisite for this course is to have a basic knowledge of Microsoft Office 2003 software and have the software available to complete assignments. Registration form and more information is online."Adapting Natural Resource Management in Northern MN to a Changing Climate"
Climate is changing putting Minnesota's ecological and natural resources at risk. The Bemidji Area Natural Resources Continuing Education Consortium has assembled a diverse group of speakers to share information about potential impacts and changes that may happen because of these changes. The workshop is divided in to 2 sections. In the morning, join us to learn of potential impacts and changes that may be dramatic and/or severe and to identify the challenges and opportunities that these changes/impacts present to resource managers. The second half of the workshop will be spent developing strategies and tactics for natural resources manager in Northern MN to adapt management practices to a changing climate. This includes managers from various levels and various agencies. This workshop is scheduled Wednesday, November 28 at the Northern Inn, Bemidji. The draft agenda and registration forms are online.
Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and regional support partners. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the program sponsors. Programs are open to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if request at least two weeks in advance. Contact (name, address, and phone number of person who will make the arrangements).