The Family Consumer Science Foods Laboratory is integral to training students in Dietetics, Foods and Nutrition, Food Consumer Science Education and Food Science Technology. Demand for graduates of these programs continues to grow at a rapid pace. With national and international health issues making headlines, our students need to be prepared to address societal concerns. In order to keep up with industry advancements and maintain our identity as the premier Family Consumer Science education program in the state of Minnesota, improvements to the Foods Lab are essential.
Renovating and upgrading the Foods Lab will allow us to handle larger class sizes. Rethinking the layout of the Lab and replacing outdated equipment will help improve its function. The redesign will include a complete reconfiguration as well as the addition of food industryquality floors, counters, cabinets, sinks, appliances, fume hoods and food science and food industry preparation equipment; technology to better facilitate both teaching and learning; a video demonstration station; additional storage space; and new tables and chairs for students.
The Dental Hygiene program currently serves more than 8,000 disadvantaged people annually by providing assessments, cleanings, education and other services in the Dental Hygiene Clinic at Minnesota State Mankato and in remote lab settings regionally.
The majority of the patients who receive services have limited resources and are often unable to afford the minimal fee at the Clinic. Currently, students in the Dental Hygiene program often cover the costs for individuals who are unable to pay. Establishing a humanitarian fund to support low-income patients will ease that burden and facilitate easy access to greatly needed dental care for individuals who cannot afford even a minimal fee. Providing accessible dental care increases the overall health of all community members.
In addition, adequate equipment and supplies to maintain the technology and quality of the Clinic are essential to its success. The Clinic is in need of modern dental units and operator chairs and other equipment to better serve both students and patients.
The College of Allied Health and Nursing Innovative and Technological Learning Center will provide an opportunity for the College to transform the future of teaching and learning by integrating digital and social media into its curriculum. Modernizing the current computer lab will give students access to the latest technology and allow them to be more competitive in a digital global economy.
The new Center will allow students to collaborate as they obtain and develop critical hands-on experience using the new technology provided in the lab, allowing them to meet or exceed industry standards. Students will also have the opportunity to engage in educational experiences globally through their lab initiatives. These projects and research activities will impact related health-care issues throughout the community, region and world.
The Center will also serve as a tool to recruit the top students interested in the rapidly growing allied health field to Minnesota State Mankato.
The Human Performance Department, which includes Exercise Science/Exercise Physiology, Athletic Training, Sport and Exercise Psychology, Physical Education Pedagogy, Developmental Adapted Physical Education and Sport Management, produces the second-most graduate credits at the University. Creating larger classroom space and implementing technological advancements to enhance learning and services to students in those programs, along with lab upgrades for serving community members, is critical.
The creation of a new Sports Medicine Research Laboratory to support the Exercise Science/Exercise Physiology and Athletic Training programs, as well as an expansion of and upgrades to the Holbrook Lab to better meet the needs of the Sport and Exercise Psychology graduate students, will greatly enhance hands-on learning experiences for students. With improvements, the labs will have the capability to become self-sustaining by providing services to community members, including testing physical health, education on best practices to improve health, support and guidance on techniques, personal health plans, follow-up and evaluation.
Our goal is to develop a place where students have the opportunity to identify the unmet mental and physical health and educational needs of children with behavioral challenges. Those students would be able to provide services to those children through interdisciplinary programs on campus, including Speech, Hearing and Rehabilitation Services; Communication Disorders; and Nursing. External partners, including occupational therapists, pediatricians, psychiatrists, medical residents, families and agencies that serve children, will also be involved.
The design and model of this lab will provide extensive collaboration between students and professionals in various health-care fields. This innovative partnership will demonstrate Minnesota State Mankato's leadership in teaching students through the interdisciplinary professional team experiences of diagnosis, treatment recommendations and follow-up with families and the agencies that serve their children. Our students will be prepared for real-life situations once they graduate, which will make them exemplary professionals in interdisciplinary assessment and intervention in their work settings.
Settings similar to the lab proposed at Minnesota State Mankato have proven to be self-sustaining, in part because social services nationwide have seen dramatic financial reductions. This lab will eventually become selfsustaining and provide a service in the community unlike any other for children with behavioral issues.
The basic Nursing program curriculum will be enhanced through experiential education strategies that foster authentic learning in an innovative simulation center that presents real-world situations.
The use of technology and simulation will directly impact the quality and safety demonstrated by nursing students. To support this innovative model, student learning through this simulation center will include: electronic medical record, quality and safety in nursing education, family and society technology and simulation, streaming videos for remote access and technology and simulation equipment and supplies.
Utilizing experiential learning at Minnesota State Mankato creates the potential to increase student enrollment in Nursing. It will also solve the struggles of limited clinical settings, travel and housing expenses, and other complex arrangements that need to be addressed. This project will provide the region, state and nation with highly educated and well-prepared nurses.
The College wants to encourage scholarly excellence through scholarships that support research, independent projects, travel, conferences and other avenues that expand a student's educational experiences. Through unique learning experiences, undergraduate and advanced students can gain perspective and have an impact on global health-care issues by using their skills to analyze, investigate and develop solutions for societal concerns.
By providing scholarship and stipends that support exceptional learning, research, networking and international travel opportunities, our students will be better prepared to enter the workforce.
Minnesota State
University, Mankato
Mankato, MN 56001
1-800-722-0544
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Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system and an affirmative action/equal opportunity university.
