Posted 05/8/2000
Contact: Andrew Svec, 218-281-8380
Governor Ventura to Appear at Crookston “Technology in the Community Day” May 22
Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura is scheduled to visit Crookston during the city’s “Technology in the Community Day” on May 22. Other guests will include Minnesota Commissioner of Administration David Fisher, Commissioner of Agriculture Gene Hugoson, and Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Trade and Economic Development Gary Fields, and Jacques Koppel, President of Minnesota Technology, Inc.
According to Rob Jacobson, President of Bremer Bank in Crookston and one of the event organizers, “The purpose of Technology in the Community Day is to share what is working well for the community in regards to technology and to discuss some of the barriers for continued growth.”
Crookston community leaders organized the day to celebrate the area’s technological accomplishments and to discuss future plans and challenges in the development of technologies in rural communities like Crookston. The goals of Technology in the Community Day are to help create an understanding in greater Minnesota communities about the importance of technology to a strong, diverse Minnesota economy; to encourage decision-makers toward the development of a rural policy that integrates technology initiatives with the more traditional agricultural policy; and to draw attention to successful initiatives in greater Minnesota that utilize technology in expanding employment and economic opportunities.
While in Crookston, Governor Ventura will make stops at Crookston High School and at the University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC), which was recently named one of America’s “Most Wired Colleges” by the online version of Yahoo! Internet Life Magazine.
During his stop at Crookston High School (CHS), Ventura will learn about website development from CHS graduates and current UMC students, Nick Brorson and Garrick Willhite. He will then visit with CHS students about their “technology future.” Later, Ventura will travel to UMC, where he will tour the new Early Childhood Development Center and where he will take part in a technology-based lesson plan with UMC students majoring in early childhood education.
Ventura will speak at a noon luncheon in the Brown Dining Room of UMC’s Sahlstrom Conference Center. The public is invited to attend via advanced tickets available from Bremer Bank in Crookston, the Crookston Chamber of Commerce, and the UMC Business Office. Tickets are $7 per person and will be available through Friday, May 19. Disability accommodations for the noon lunch with Governor Ventura are available upon request and can be made by calling 218-281-8538.
Following the luncheon, Governor Ventura will take part in a regional press conference.
While the whirlwind visit from Governor Ventura may be the highlight of Technology in the Community Day, several other events will involve people and technology from across the entire community. Local manufacturers and agribusiness professionals will discuss technology and telecommunications issues at a breakfast meeting with Commissioners Fisher and Hugoson, Deputy Commissioner Fields, and President Koppel. Local farmer Gary Wagner will demonstrate global positioning systems (GPS) technologies as they apply to maximizing crop yield. At another site high school students will work with senior citizens on accessing the World Wide Web and using other software programs. Health professionals will also meet at Riverview Hospital to see a demonstration on the technology and advancements of “telemedicine.”
UMC Chancellor Don Sargeant commented, “Technology in the Community Day is a great way to showcase the entire community’s technological achievements and to discuss rural Minnesota’s connection to the larger global economy. We look forward to Governor Ventura’s visit and to hosting our other special guests, including Vincente Nogueria Filho.” Filho is the Director and President of União Pioneira de Integração Social – Faculdades Integradas (UPIS), a university in Brasilia, Brazil. Last fall UMC and UPIS signed an agreement to develop a global collaboration on Internet-based distance education initiatives and technology enhanced learning.
Sponsors of Crookston’s “Technology in the Community Day” include the Bremer Foundation, the Crookston Development Authority, Crookston Jobs, and the Northwest Minnesota Foundation, with special thanks to Minnesota Technology, Inc., Minnesota Rural Partners, and the Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development.