Community Partners
The mission at WSU-Rochester is to enhance the intellectual, social, cultural and economic vitality of the people and communities we serve. We value our collaborative partnerships because they benefit the campus community and the broader community alike.
Students Engage as Volunteers
Those who attend WSU-Rochester are more than just students—they are members of the Rochester community in their own right. Many students participate in volunteering events that align with their degrees of study. For instance:
- Graduate Counselor Education students volunteer at the United Way Community Winter Outerwear event
- Undergraduate Social Work students participated in the NAMI Walks and coordinated a Halloween 5K Walk/Run: A Rally for Refugees
- Computer Science students created a website for a non-profit organization, Good News Children’s Center
- WSU-Rochester student leaders partnered with the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office to provide crisis intervention training for the WSU-Rochester and Rochester Community and Technical College community
- Students in the WSU-Rochester Nursing were awarded the Top Fundraiser Team for Relay for Life
Faculty Collaborate with Community Partners
WSU-Rochester faculty also find opportunities to make a difference in the Rochester, MN community.
As part of the Rochester Health Community Partnership, Dr. Sonja Meiers, Professor and Director of Graduate Nursing has been integrally involved in the family-based intervention development program. Dr. Meirs has served as a co-investigator of a five-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health, called Healthy Immigrant Families: Working Together to Move More and Eat Well.
WSU-Rochester faculty Rachel Hermann, MS RN CNP, collaborated with Rochester Public Schools, Mayo Clinic, Olmsted County Public Health, Zumbro Valley Mental Health Center and other partners in creating Rochester Student Health Services for middle school and high schools students attending the Rochester Alternative Learning Center.
Programs Support Local Education
Education is a foundation for success, which is why WSU-Rochester makes an effort to support local schools.
WSU-Rochester’s Elementary Education courses take place at Riverside Central Elementary School. Our teacher candidates engage with elementary-age students on a daily basis while pursuing their bachelor’s degree so that they are better prepared for the realities of a classroom upon graduating.
The WSU-Rochester College of Education students also lead the summer STEM Camp program to help encourage kids to enjoy science, math and technology subjects and pursue careers in such in-demand fields.
HealthForce Minnesota, located on our Winona State University-Rochester campus also continues to expand K-12 programming throughout the state of Minnesota. Scrubs Camps are a key way HealthForce Minnesota works collaboratively with K-12, higher education, employers and community organizations to provide fun, hands-on opportunities to develop tomorrow’s healthcare workforce.
Institutional Affiliations
WSU-Rochester has a wide variety of partner organizations across the education, healthcare, business industries. Some of our community affiliations include, but are not limited to:
