Menomonie native to lead CVTC’s River Falls campus

From chippewa.com: “Menomonie native to lead CVTC’s River Falls campus” — A Menomonie native has been chosen to lead Chippewa Valley Technical College’s efforts to expand its programs and physical facilities at the River Falls campus.

The college has named Beth Hein campus administrator and dean at River Falls, effective with the start of the spring term last week. Hein, who lives just west of Menomonie near where she grew up,  had been serving as CVTC’s dean of Business and Service.

Among Hein’s new duties in River Falls will be to direct an expansion of both the physical facilities and program offerings at the campus, which opened in the 1998-99 term.

“Our plan in River Falls is to create a comprehensive campus, one in which all the services available at the Eau Claire Campus will be available at the River Falls Campus,” said Vice President of Instruction Dr. Roger Stanford.

The size, function, design, cost and financing of the physical expansion have yet to be determined, according to Director of Facilities Doug Olson.

‘Doubling down’

CVTC currently offers nine programs through its River Falls Campus. That number is likely to grow.

“We are doubling down on River Falls,” said Stanford. “We are adding leadership there, and Hein will do research to define the right program mix for the River Falls area.”

“The St. Croix Valley is one of the fastest-growing areas of the state, and it’s reflected in our growing enrollment at River Falls,” said CVTC President Bruce Barker. “We intend to do more to serve this area of our district, and Beth Hein will be taking a leadership role in working with the people, businesses and industry of the area to determine how we can best meet their needs.”

For the 1998-99 term, 899 different students were enrolled at River Falls, including those in noncredit classes. However, those students made up only the equivalent of 28 full-time students. In the 2011-12 term, 1,160 different students made up 318 full-time equivalent students.

“The campus is at 100 percent capacity,” said Stanford. “Every room is booked virtually every hour of the day.”

Adventure, challenge

“It’s going to be an adventure,” Hein said, emphasizing how much she’s looking forward to the new professional challenge. “One of the most exciting things is to get to know the region better and to learn how to meet the needs of the businesses and industry.”

Gaining a better understanding of their needs will drive the decisions on program expansions, which will affect the direction on facilities, Hein said.

“I will be doing the research to better align the programs to the employment needs. We want to be sure that whatever we’re adding, there’s a job out there for those students,” Hein said.

Hein is also looking forward to forming relationships with the students at the River Falls Campus. It’s something she’s used to doing at the Eau Claire Campus.

“We work very hard with students who are struggling, letting them know what kinds of services are available to them. We want to see everyone succeed,” Hein said.

“We want to have a dean present to answer students’ questions and work closely with them to help them succeed. Beth will be there every day to provide help and guidance to students,” Stanford said.

About Hein

Hein completed her undergraduate work in career and technical education at UW-Stout in 1996, after gaining some credits at UW-Eau Claire and CVTC. She completed her Master’s degree in 1998, along the way working some as an adjunct instructor at CVTC.

Hein then spent 10 years in the human resources field, working for some private businesses before joining CVTC as a human resources specialist in 2004. After two years, she became a program manager in the College’s business program, and went on from there to become dean of Business and Service.

Hein is in the final stages of work on her doctorate in higher education leadership.

While maintaining her status as dean, Hein will have expanded responsibilities at River Falls.

“It will be a new opportunity to provide support for multiple areas,” she said, noting that River Falls offers programs beyond the business and service areas in which she has been involved as dean previously.

“Beth has a unique set of skills. She has a lot of business background, and she has a real strong understanding of education, student services and operations,” said Stanford.