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Campus and MPCC legislative contacts

MPCC Government Team

Paul Cerkvenik

Paul Cerkvenik, President

Scott McMahon

Scott McMahon, Director of Government and Community Affairs

Phone: 651-293-6806
E-mail: smcmahon@mnprivatecolleges.org

Campus legislative contacts

Each of our 17 campuses has a staff person assigned as the primary contact on public policy and advocacy matters.

Augsburg College
Jay Benanav, Director of Government Relations

Phone: 612-330-1752
E-mail: benanav@augsburg.edu

Lance Schwartz

Bethany Lutheran College
Lance Schwartz, Director of Marketing and Public Relations

Phone: 507-344-7427
E-mail: schwartz@blc.edu

Amanda Wanke

Bethel University
Amanda Wanke, Director of Media and Internal Communications

Phone: 651-638-6266
E-mail: a-wanke@bethel.edu

Joe Hargis

Carleton College
Joe Hargis, Assoc. Vice President for External Relations

Phone: 507-646-4327
E-mail: jhargis@acs.carleton.edu

Jon McGee

College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
Jon McGee, Vice President, Enrollment, Planning and Public Affairs

Phone: 320-363-5287
E-mail: jmcgee@csbsju.edu

Janet Rosen

College of St. Scholastica
Janet Rosen, Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Phone: 218-723-6072
E-mail: jrosen@css.edu

James Hausmann

Concordia College (Moorhead)
James Hausmann, Retired Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid

Phone: 218-233-0055
E-mail: hausmann@gloria.cord.edu

Concordia University, St. Paul
Bob DeWerff, Vice President of Academic Affairs

Phone: 651-641-8278
E-mail: dewerff@csp.edu

Gwendolyn Freed

Gustavus Adolphus College
Gwendolyn Freed, Vice President for Marketing and Communications

Phone: 507-933-6355
E-mail: gfreed@gustavus.edu

Dan Loritz

Hamline University
Dan Loritz, Vice President for University Relations

Phone: 651- 523-2200
E-mail: dloritz@hamline.edu

Macalester College
Amy Phenix, Director of Communications

Phone: 651-696-6433
E-mail: phenix@macalester.edu

Minneapolis College of Art and Design
TBD

Phone:
E-mail:

Ann Merchlewitz

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Ann Merchlewitz, Executive Vice President and General Counsel

Phone: 507-457-1587
E-mail: amerchle@smumn.edu

St. Catherine University
Beth Koenig, Director of Research and Sponsored Projects

Phone: 651-690-8820
E-mail: bkoenig@stkate.edu

Steve Blodgett

St. Olaf College
Steve Blodgett, Director of Marketing and Communications

Phone: 507-786-3316
E-mail: blodgett@stolaf.edu

Doug Hennes

University of St. Thomas
Doug Hennes, Vice President of University and Government Relations

Phone: 651-962-6402
E-mail: dehennes@stthomas.edu

Augsburg College
  • Located in Minneapolis with abundant opportunities to gain experience both inside and outside the classroom.
  • National recognition for an effective first-year program and for combining learning with service.
  • Top majors are business, science, teaching
  • A diverse community of 3,000 students
Bethany Lutheran College
  • Located in Mankato overlooking the Minnesota River Valley
  • A community of 540 students -- most live on campus
  • Popular majors include business administration, communication, psychology, and elementary education
  • Focus is on a solid, Christian education
Bethel University
  • Located on a residential, wooded campus in a Twin Cities suburb
  • Enrolls 5,600 students in 100 undergraduate, graduate, and seminary programs
  • Integrates faith, learning and the translation of Christian belief into global service
  • 20 international programs; top 3 percent ranking of students who study in foreign countries
Carleton College
  • Residential campus in the small community of Northfield
  • Ranked one of the country's top liberal arts colleges
  • Noted for its bright and talented students and strong faculty
  • Enrollment of 2,000 students of diverse backgrounds
College of Saint Benedict
  • Together with Saint John's -- 3,800 undergraduate students have many opportunities
  • Located on 3,200 acres of woods and lakes west of St. Cloud
  • A focus on globalism includes an extensive international study program
  • A commitment to experiential learning, research and internships
St. Catherine University
  • Largest and most comprehensive Catholic college for women in the U.S.
  • Beautiful campuses in St. Paul and Minneapolis
  • Committed to meeting the educational needs of women of all ages; offers liberal arts, healthcare and professional programs in traditional and weekend formats
  • Serves 5,000 students
College of St. Scholastica
  • Main campus in Duluth; also in St. Paul, St. Cloud, Brainerd
  • Undergraduate and graduate programs in traditional, accelerated and online formats
  • Top majors: Health information management, management, education, nursing
  • 3,200 students; 1,940 undergraduates on Duluth campus
  • U.S. News ranking in top tier of Midwestern universities
Concordia College
  • Located in the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area that includes 20,000+ college students
  • Serves more than 2,700 students
  • Top programs include the sciences, education and music
  • Recipient of NAFSA Simon Award for Campus Internationalization
  • Home of world-renowned Concordia Language Villages
Concordia University
  • Located in the St. Paul metro area
  • Serves 1,500 undergraduate and 300 graduate students of all ages and backgrounds
  • Top majors include Christian education, business and teacher education
  • A laptop university with 24/7 Web access
Gustavus Adolphus College
  • Oldest Lutheran college in Minnesota; Swedish heritage; home of the Nobel Conference
  • Beautiful residential campus located in St. Peter, overlooking the Minnesota River Valley
  • Prepares 2,500 undergraduates for lives of leadership, service and lifelong learning
  • Recognized science, writing, music, athletics, study-abroad, and service-learning programs
Hamline University
  • Ranked first in Minnesota among comprehensive universities according to U.S. News
  • 4,400 undergraduate, graduate, and law students
  • Located in residential neighborhood of St. Paul
  • Intimate environment of small classes and personal attention along with the opportunities of a comprehensive university
Macalester College
  • 1,900 undergraduates come from every state and 90 countries
  • Located in a friendly St. Paul neighborhood
  • Emphasis on global perspectives; more than half study abroad
  • Produced many Fulbright and Rhodes scholars
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
  • 700 students; 14 majors in fine arts, media and design
  • Located next to the Children's Theater and Minneapolis Institute of Arts
  • Studio-based and business-oriented programs; BFA, BS and MFA degrees
  • Only art and design school to be named a Best Midwestern College by Princeton Review
Saint John's University
  • Together with Saint Benedict -- 3,800 undergraduate students have many opportunities
  • Located on 3,200 acres of woods and lakes west of St. Cloud.
  • A focus on globalism includes an extensive international study program
  • A commitment to experiential learning, research, internships
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
  • Values-based, results-oriented education in the Catholic, Lasallian tradition
  • Outstanding environment for learning, living and recreation
  • 400-acre Winona campus in the bluffs of the Mississippi River Valley
  • 1,300 traditional undergraduates, with 4,100 graduate and professional students at other locations
St. Olaf College
  • Environmentally aware, 300-acre residential campus in historic Northfield
  • 3,000 students; top majors are music, mathematics and the sciences
  • Nation's top liberal arts college for study abroad
  • College of the Lutheran church -- where conversations about faith are part of daily life
University of St. Thomas
  • Minnesota's largest private university with 10,500 students (5,500 undergraduates)
  • 95 undergraduate majors
  • Main campuses located in a stately St. Paul neighborhood and in downtown Minneapolis (other campuses in Owatonna, Minn. and Rome, Italy)