Why did you want to become MPCC’s president?
I served as a community member on the Council’s board for nine of the past 13 years because I have a lifelong passion for good education. I am really convinced that private colleges in Minnesota are incredibly important providers of quality education. It was an exciting and inviting opportunity when the chance to be considered for president came along. View Paul's bio.

What is the Council's role? Why do we need it?
The Council’s primary role is to serve as an advocate for our 17 four-year, private liberal arts colleges — especially when it comes to public policy. We advocate for need-based aid that allows thousands of low- and middle-income families to afford college. We play a number of other roles too. We do fundraising for scholarships and general support, which brought in $1.4 million last year. We also serve as a vehicle for collaboration among our colleges. For example, we helped build a new relationship with the first liberal arts college in China through which six of our member institutions are participating; both students and faculty are involved.

There is a lot of variety among the members; what is the glue that keeps them working together through the Council?
All of our colleges have two things in common that keep them unified. First, they have a liberal arts mission. Second, all have a commitment to open access to students from all walks of life, including students from low- and middle-income families. Under the umbrella of the Council, we work to support both purposes.

How did your education at Saint John's University prepare you for your various careers?
Saint John’s University is the place where I received an introduction to a liberal arts education. I found it very satisfying and rewarding to be at a school that appreciated and promoted critical thinking and understanding of a wide number of disciplines. It was a “whole person education.”

I received an important introduction to the world we live in with a study abroad experience in Greece and Italy. It was not something I thought I would do when I left home for college, but it was the single most significant thing in making me grow and develop as a person while at Saint John’s.

Saint John’s was also where my interest in politics was launched. The dean helped me land a job in Washington D.C. at the U.S. House of Representatives where I worked as a researcher and writer for members of Congress.

Your relatives immigrated to this country at the turn of the 20th century. As they settled on the Range, how did they perceive the importance of education?
My grandparents came from Italy and Yugoslavia to work in the iron mines. Like most immigrants, they deeply valued education and wanted their children to have better opportunities than they did. Both my parents became teachers, and they passed their appreciation for education on to me.

How do you think private colleges are perceived in Greater Minnesota, especially in communities like Virginia where there is no private college nearby?
There’s a lot less awareness in northern Minnesota of the existence of the kind of education you receive at a private college. For those who are aware, sometimes the perception is that they’re not affordable. This is unfortunate because we work hard to make it possible for students from low- and middle-income families to attend a private college, if they choose.

What do you take away from your experience as a local school board member?
K-12 education is changing rapidly, driven by technology, a shrinking world and the competitiveness of the global marketplace. The question is, is it changing fast enough to stay competitive and serve the needs of students? It will have to in the 21st century.

As you finish up visiting all the member institutions' campuses around the state, what has struck you?
I’ve been able to see the great diversity and variety in our 17 schools. Each has its own unique history, mission and vision — and its own method of serving students, preparing for the 21st century and building relationships with the community that surrounds it. I’m sure there’s a private school in Minnesota that will fit every student interested in a liberal arts education.

Is a liberal arts education the best model?
Other models in Minnesota are also serving students well, but the benefit of liberal arts is that students aren’t taught specific skills as much as they are educated to think critically and develop a love of learning and ability to learn on their own. They learn to speak clearly, write well and work with diverse people — these skills are important no matter what profession one chooses. A liberal arts education is a sound basis for preparing students to succeed in their field of interest.

Name a misperception about private colleges that you want to correct.
The most important misperception is that liberal arts colleges are not affordable. In fact, all 17 of our institutions provide packages of financial aid that together with federal and state grants and in some cases loans — makes it possible for students of all income levels to attend our colleges. More than 90% of our students receive some form of financial aid.

The State Grant program has been around since 1983 in its current form; how do we ensure that policymakers understand its benefits?
The design of the State Grant program has stood the test of time. It continues to serve the state well in making higher education affordable for lower- and middle-income students. Policymakers need to hear this message from students and families who rely on the State Grant to make their education a possibility. It’s also a part of the Council’s mission to educate them about the impact it has. In Minnesota, we like to style ourselves as an education state; the State Grant program is critical to maintaining that nation-leading commitment to having an educated workforce and society.

How has the Capitol changed since you worked there?
Politics is politics; that part of it hasn’t changed. What has changed is the technology available today to legislators and their staffs to communicate with constituents. There are more ways to get the information and data they rely on to make public policy choices. This is a good thing.

Are policymakers looking out for the state's longer-term interests?
There’s always a tension for elected officials between producing immediate results to satisfy constituents and doing what’s going to yield the best long-term results for the state. That’s a challenge that legislators face all the time. For example, the State Grant program is a long-term investment in our state’s economic health, but it has a cost. It requires that we invest now in something that will have benefit down the road; this continues to be a tough choice for policymakers.

Name an issue or concern that you and the board will be grappling with over the next few years.
Something that will be facing all traditional institutions — including nonprofits — of higher education is the dramatic growth of the for-profit education sector. For-profits are providing new education opportunities for undergraduates and adults who want to further their education. The growth of the for-profits raises questions for policymakers about how students are best served in their need for higher education. We’re seeing more discussion of this nationally.

Now that you’ve been on board for a few months, how does it feel to be president?
I’m thrilled to be working for the needs of 17 really outstanding institutions of higher education. Minnesota is fortunate to have such a good collection of private colleges and it’s an honor for me to be working on their behalf.