A total of 830 people graduated from Ridgewater College earlier this month. Among 2022-23 graduates, 442 were from the Willmar campus, 271 from the Hutchinson campus and 118 were online students from all over.
The Lunch Buddy Program, a Ridgewater College/Willmar Public Schools program, has paired college students and elementary students for 25 years. Students eat lunch and spend time together once a week.
Ridgewater College photography instructor Wade McDonald has been chosen as the college's 2023 Outstanding Educator. All nominees from the Minnesota State system will be honored this week.
A Minnesota State study has found that Ridgewater College's impact on Willmar, Hutchinson and the surrounding area was $155 million in 2021-22. Minnesota State's impact on the state was $8.4 billion.
Ridgewater College plans to offer advanced meat processing and meat cutting entrepreneur certificates, adding to the beginning meat cutting certificate it began offering last year.
The Southwest Initiative Foundation and Ridgewater College will offer tuition assistance and other funding for students studying child care, hoping the effort could ease a shortage of workers.
