August 8, 2025
From Grand Forks Herald by Delaney Otto (Photo by Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald)
EAST GRAND FORKS, MINN. — Northland Community and Technical College leaders talked mechatronics, unmanned aircraft systems, farm business management and allied health during a visit by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar. The conversation showcased what’s working at the college as well as what it needs.
One need, especially in fields like health care and aerospace, is for teachers.
“It’s not anything you can step up and make happen, but it’s the reality on the ground for us,” said John Fields, vice president of academic and student affairs.
Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, visited Northland’s East Grand Forks campus on Thursday, Aug. 7, to discuss education and workforce development. One point raised was recent news of Lake Region State College, in Devils Lake, receiving $1 million in funding from the North Dakota University System for allied health programs, showing competition across the Red River for Northland’s own allied health programs. Northland doesn’t receive state funding for its programs, Fields said, and hopes to go after federal dollars to compete with North Dakota.
“About 70% of our enrollment comes across the river to us,” he said. “But, it’s hard for us to serve them as well as we need to.”