St. PAUL, Minn., April 21, 2021 – The Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities has named Michael Raich to serve as the next president of the Northeast Higher Education District (NHED). The new appointment becomes effective immediately.

“Dr. Raich has consistently demonstrated that he is a strategic leader,” said Devinder Malhotra, chancellor of Minnesota State. “He understands that in order to move forward, it is important to work in a collaborative, transparent, and authentic manner, and build on a shared vision – a vision that will ensure the success of all students and the region. With Dr. Raich at the helm, the Northeast Higher Education District is well on its way to charting this collective, shared future.”

Raich has served as the interim president of NHED since 2019, providing strategic vision for the NHED colleges, advancing their mission and core values, and growing his deep connections throughout the Iron Range community.

Throughout the COVID pandemic, Raich led a consistent and safety-first response to the crisis, working with campus teams to successfully carry out their action plans: the NHED colleges have seen minimal campus virus spread while campus services and select in-person classes have continued. This has allowed students to continue their progress towards their educational goals.

As interim president, Raich has also been leading the process to merge the five independently accredited NHED colleges into one accredited college. Through a process called Vision NE, he has engaged NHED constituents and stakeholders including students, employees, bargaining units, legislators, and members of the community, as well as The Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and the Higher Learning Commission. This process is on track with the goal of operating under the new model starting in Fall 2022.

Prior to being named interim president of NHED, Raich served Hibbing Community College as provost and as dean of Academic Affairs and Student Services, and he served Itasca Community College as interim provost. His accomplishments in higher education include collaborating with faculty and industry to develop and implement innovative academic programs in high demand sectors, implementing best practices for student success, and solidifying partnerships with area high schools. As a former high school teacher, athletic director, and principal, Raich is well connected to the K-12 environment. Raich serves on multiple regional boards that support K-12, business/industry, and non-profit partners.

Raich holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth, a master’s from St. Cloud State University, and a doctorate from the University of North Dakota.

Raich succeeds Bill Maki, who served as the president of NHED from 2015 until 2019 and now serves as the Minnesota State vice chancellor for finance and facilities.

With approval by the Board of Trustees, the chancellor is authorized to negotiate a three-year contract with Dr. Raich that will become effective July 1, 2021.

About the Northeast Higher Education District
NHED consists of five autonomous yet interdependent colleges in northeast Minnesota: Hibbing Community College, Itasca Community College, Mesabi Range College, Rainy River Community College, and Vermilion Community College. The district has a total of six campuses in Ely, Eveleth, Grand Rapids, Hibbing, International Falls, and Virginia. The colleges are deeply integrated in the communities they serve and play a vital role in the educational, cultural and economic well-being of the region. A rich mix of programming, including specialty programs in environmental and natural resources fields, appeal to students nationally and internationally. The district has a total annual enrollment of approximately 5,600.

### 

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.

April 6, 2021

Albany, NY – State University of New York Board of Trustees today appointed Dr. Gregory Truckenmiller as president for Fulton-Montgomery Community College, effective immediately. The appointment was announced by SUNY Board of Trustees and SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras.

“For two decades, students at Fulton-Montgomery Community College have greatly benefited from Dr. Gregory Truckenmiller’s leadership, vision, and commitment to building and delivering high-quality academic programs,” said Chancellor Malatras. “Beyond his direct contributions to academic affairs, Dr. Truckenmiller is devoted community servant adept at forging and nurturing local partnerships that benefit students and build a dynamic synergy between the college and the larger Mohawk Valley region. We congratulate President Truckenmiller and the entire campus community.”

“Dr. Truckenmiller is a long-time champion of student life, academic affairs, and research. Throughout his more than 20 years at Fulton-Montgomery Community College the campus has benefitted greatly from his expertise, and they will continue to during his tenure as President,” said SUNY Board Trustee Robert J. Duffy. “President Truckenmiller is a strong advocate for excellence in education and teaching, student learning, and diversity, all values that are important to the campus community. His appointment as President is a win for the campus, for the community, and for the State University of New York.”

“My passion for the community college and its mission comes from two decades working at Fulton Montgomery Community College,” said President Truckenmiller. “Thank you to the SUNY Board of Trustees, Chairman Tisch, and Chancellor Malatras for approving my appointment as the next president of the college. With the support of the Fulton Montgomery Community College Board of Trustees, faculty, and staff, I am honored to continue to build on the institution’s culture and history and the vital role the college plays in improving lives.”

About Dr. Gregory Truckenmiller

Over the past 19 years, President Truckenmiller has served in various high-profile leadership capacities at Fulton-Montgomery Community College. Prior to being appointed acting president in August 2019, Dr. Truckenmiller served as the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs and held that position since 2009. Additionally, he has served as acting provost and vice president for Academic Affairs; dean of Arts & Sciences; acting vice president and dean of the College; interim dean for Academic Affairs; and director of Institutional Research. Within these roles, Dr. Truckenmiller provided strategic direction for academic operations, accreditation and assessment, information technology, enrollment management, budget, labor relations and strategic planning. Additionally, his campus experience includes serving on the Academic Standards, Student Life, and Chancellor’s Award Selection committees, and serving as dean of the honors program.

President Truckenmiller has extensive grants management experience, acting as a principal investigator, grant officer, and management team member for multiple high-profile grants. He has also served on several community boards of directors, including the Community Health Center of St. Mary’s Healthcare and Nathan Littauer Hospital, and the Greater Johnstown Area District School Board of Education. Prior to his tenure at Fulton-Montgomery Community College, President Truckenmiller worked at the Iowa Department of Education, serving as the Chief of the Bureau of Information Technology Services and as the Educational Program Consultant of the Bureau of Planning, Research and Evaluation.

He earned both his doctorate in Higher Education and his bachelor of arts in History from the University of Iowa.

About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. As of Fall 2019, more than 415,500 students were enrolled in a degree-granting program at a SUNY campus. In total, SUNY serves about 1.3 million students in credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide exceeded $1.7 billion in fiscal year 2019, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit suny.edu.

https://www.suny.edu/suny-news/press-releases/4-21/4-6-21-fmcc/fmcc-president.html