Subdivision 1. Program established. The board shall develop a scholarship program to incentivize new students and students returning from the workforce to enter high-demand occupations upon graduation.
Subd. 2. Scholarship awards. The program shall award scholarships at the beginning of an academic term, in the amount of $2,500, to be distributed evenly between two terms.
Subd. 3. Program eligibility. (a) Scholarships shall be awarded only to a student eligible for resident tuition, as defined in section 135A.043, who is enrolled in any of the following programs of study or certification: (1) advanced manufacturing; (2) agriculture; (3) health care services; (4) information technology; (5) early childhood; (6) transportation; or (7) a program of study under paragraph (b).
(b) Each institution may add one additional area of study or certification, based on a workforce shortage for full-time employment requiring postsecondary education that is unique to the institution's specific region, as reported in the most recent Department of Employment and Economic Development job vacancy survey data for the economic development region in which the institution is located. A workforce shortage area is one in which the job vacancy rate for full-time employment in a specific occupation in a region is higher than the state average vacancy rate for that same occupation. The institution may change the area of study or certification based on new data once every two years.
(c) The student must be enrolled for at least nine credits in a two-year college in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system to be eligible for first- and second-year scholarships.
(d) The student is eligible for a one-year transfer scholarship if the student transfers from a two-year college after two or more terms, and the student is enrolled for at least nine credits in a four-year university in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.
Subd. 4. Renewal; cap. A student who has received a scholarship may apply again but total lifetime awards are not to exceed $7,500 per student. Students may only be awarded a second scholarship upon completion of two academic terms. Students may be awarded a third scholarship if the student transfers to a corresponding program at a Minnesota state university.
Subd. 5. Administration. (a) The board shall establish an application process and other guidelines for implementing this program.
(b) The board shall give preference to students in financial need.
Subd. 5a. Local business partnerships. Beginning in 2020, and each year thereafter, the board shall withhold ten percent of the appropriation. The withheld funds must be distributed in the following year to institutions that successfully leverage private matching funds from local businesses, resulting in additional scholarships by partnering with the local business community.
Subd. 6. Report required. The board must submit an annual report by February 1 of each year about the scholarship awards to the chairs and ranking minority members of the senate and house of representatives committees with jurisdiction over higher education finance and policy. The first report is due no later than February 1, 2019. The annual report shall describe the following:
(1) the number of students receiving a scholarship at each two-year college and each university during the previous fiscal year;
(2) the number of scholarships awarded for each program of study or certification described in subdivision 3, paragraph (a);
(3) the number of scholarship recipients who completed a program of study or certification described in subdivision 3, paragraph (a);
(4) the number of scholarship recipients who secured employment by their graduation date and those who secured employment within three months of their graduation date;
(5) a list of the institutions that received funding under subdivision 5a, the amount of funding each institution received, and whether all withheld funds were distributed;
(6) a list of occupations scholarship recipients are entering; and
(7) the number of students who were denied a scholarship.
2017 c 89 art 2 s 17; 2019 c 64 art 2 s 40; 1Sp2021 c 2 art 2 s 40
Structure Minnesota Statutes
Chapters 135A - 137 — Postsecondary Education
Chapter 136F — Minnesota State Colleges And Universities
Section 136F.01 — Definitions.
Section 136F.02 — Board Of Trustees.
Section 136F.03 — Candidate Advisory Council.
Section 136F.04 — Student Board Member Selection.
Section 136F.045 — Labor Organization Board Member Selection Process.
Section 136F.06 — Powers And Duties.
Section 136F.10 — Designation.
Section 136F.12 — Fond Du Lac Campus.
Section 136F.14 — Campus Merger Or Reorganization.
Section 136F.16 — Campus Establishment.
Section 136F.18 — Campus Closing.
Section 136F.19 — Power Of You Program.
Section 136F.20 — Student Health.
Section 136F.202 — Student Success Basic Needs Barrier Reduction.
Section 136F.22 — Student Associations.
Section 136F.23 — Student Associations; Purchasing Authority.
Section 136F.24 — Legal Counseling And Service Program; Funding.
Section 136F.25 — Absence For Chemical Abuse Treatment.
Section 136F.28 — Southwest Asia Veterans; Technical Colleges.
Section 136F.30 — Courses And Programs.
Section 136F.301 — Maximum Credit For Graduation; Waiver Reporting.
Section 136F.302 — Regulating The Assignment Of Students To Remedial Courses.
Section 136F.303 — Degree And Certificate Completion; Report.
Section 136F.31 — Centers Of Excellence.
Section 136F.32 — Degrees; Diplomas; Certificates.
Section 136F.36 — Technical College Carpentry Program Construction Authority.
Section 136F.361 — Career And Technical Education Certification And Licensure.
Section 136F.37 — Job Placement Impact On Program Review; Information To Students.
Section 136F.38 — Workforce Development Scholarships.
Section 136F.40 — Appointment Of Personnel.
Section 136F.41 — Assignment To Bargaining Units.
Section 136F.42 — Personnel Management.
Section 136F.43 — Extended Leaves Of Absence.
Section 136F.44 — Administrative Interaction With Students.
Section 136F.46 — Nonprofit Foundation Payroll Deduction.
Section 136F.47 — Pension Plan.
Section 136F.48 — Employer-paid Health Insurance.
Section 136F.481 — Early Separation Incentive Program.
Section 136F.50 — Cooperation Or Promotion Of A State College Or University.
Section 136F.52 — Local Advisory Committees.
Section 136F.53 — Parking And Traffic Regulation.
Section 136F.54 — Student Housing Management.
Section 136F.58 — Bookstores; Course Material Acquisition.
Section 136F.581 — Purchases And Contracts.
Section 136F.59 — Technical Equipment.
Section 136F.595 — Statewide Electronic Infrastructure; Portfolio Solutions.
Section 136F.60 — College And University Sites; Acquisition.
Section 136F.61 — State Building Code.
Section 136F.64 — Construction, Improvement, And Repair Of Facilities.
Section 136F.65 — Acceptance Of Federal Money.
Section 136F.66 — Capital Projects Bidding Procedures.
Section 136F.67 — Financing Of Child Care; Parking.
Section 136F.68 — State Property Agreements.
Section 136F.70 — Tuition; Fees; Activities Funds.
Section 136F.701 — Refund Of Tuition.
Section 136F.705 — Undergraduate Tuition Guarantee Plan.
Section 136F.73 — Cash Over And Short Account Of Imprest Cash Fund.
Section 136F.74 — Carryover Authority.
Section 136F.76 — Litigation Awards.
Section 136F.77 — Equity Investments.
Section 136F.79 — Sole State Agency.
Section 136F.80 — Grants; Gifts; Bequests; Devises; Endowments.
Section 136F.81 — Transfer Of Gifts.
Section 136F.90 — Board Of Trustees Duties.
Section 136F.91 — Bonds, Investments.
Section 136F.92 — Resolution Of Board.
Section 136F.93 — Student Activities, Fees Charged.
Section 136F.94 — Special Revenue Fund.
Section 136F.95 — Allocation Of Receipts.
Section 136F.96 — Administration.
Section 136F.97 — Contracts Of Board, Performance Compelled.