Minnesota Historical Society staff are working to serve Twin Cities area schools with increasingly diverse demographics. Staff are providing more support services for students competing in History Day and American Indian History Day. Staff are also promoting and recruiting students for programs that engage students in history like the American Indian Museum Fellowship Program and the Summer History Immersion Program. These funds also provide general staff and logistical support for diversity outreach efforts.
Partners: Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities (ACTC), Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU), Minneapolis Public Schools, St. Paul Public Schools, Through this program, partners are extending the reach of Minnesota History Day while providing History Day support for students from diverse backgrounds and strengthening the mentoring skills of Minnesota college students. Undergraduate students from ACTC and MNSCU colleges are trained to become History Day mentors and work with History Day students at local schools.
MNHS continues to recruit diverse students from the Twin Cities for programs that engage them in understanding how public organizations present historical narratives. Internally, the Department of Inclusion and Community Engagement supports the diversity and inclusion efforts of other MNHS departments, such as the access advisory group and training for the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act officer. Staff also attend cultural competence learning opportunities.
Minnesota History magazine will commission four articles on topics that contribute to MNHS' diversity and inclusiveness strategic priority. Topics will illuminate the historical experiences of people and communities who are currently underrepresented in the pages of Minnesota History. Efforts will be made to find diverse authors for the articles, which could include writers of color or writers from disabled, LGBTQ, religious minority or other underrepresented communities.
MNHS is working to strengthen its presence and visibility as a community resource to Minnesota's diverse communities by supporting a strategic tabling and sponsorship effort at 12 community events, such as Rondo Days, Twin Cities Jazz Festival and the Cultural Heritage and Social Action Summit. In addition, funds supported co-sponsoring and hosting diverse events, such as Twin Cities Black Film Festival and Somali Independence Day events at the Minnesota History Center.
Partners: Minnesota Humanities Center for Indian Fellows; Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES) for Summer Technology Workshop
MNHS is working to serve Twin Cities area schools with increasingly diverse demographics. Staff members provide support services for students competing in National History Day in Minnesota and American Indian History Day. In addition, MNHS promotes and recruits diverse students for programs that engage participants in history. Two of these programs are the American Indian Museum Fellowship Program and the Summer History Immersion Program.
Minnesota’s natural resource professional workforce is much less diverse than its citizenry and many other professional fields. The benefits of a more diverse workforce are many, including the ability of organizations to increase innovation and creativity, attract higher qualified candidate pools, and ensure services that meet the diverse interests and needs of all citizens.
Minnesota’s natural resource professional workforce is much less diverse than its citizenry and many other professional fields. The benefits of a more diverse workforce are many, including the ability of organizations to increase innovation and creativity, attract higher qualified candidate pools, and ensure services that meet the diverse interests and needs of all citizens.
The commissioner shall develop a ten-year strategic state parks and trails plan considering traditional funding and the funding available under the Minnesota Constitution, article XI, section 15. The plan shall incorporate the 25-year framework developed by the University of Minnesota Center for Changing Landscapes. (HF 1231, Art 3, Sec 2)
This program provides critical assistance to MN DNR Parks and Trails Division Regional and District offices to assist with renewal and rehabilitation efforts prioritized locally by field staff. Projects include the following types: State Park Building and Facilities Emergency Repair and Maintenance, Paved Trail Maintenance and Asset Preservation, and State Park and State Forest Trail Renewal. This project is a newly reorganized budget area that consolidates these three smaller project areas reported on in previous years.
To hire qualified consultants to research the history of Minnesota's 21st century African American community, in preparation for a future documentary film.
This training will be for State employees who have purchased this new type of discharge measuring equipment. This training is needed to ensure that accurate and complete discharge measurements are made which is supplied to Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Consulting firms, Local units of government, federal government and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) modelers.
There are currently more than 21,000 miles of drainage ditches and many thousands of miles of subsurface tile located throughout Minnesota and overseen by over 100 different local drainage authorities. Historically public records of these drainage systems have been maintained primarily in hard copy following differing protocols depending on local requirements. However, this antiquated approach limits the usability and accessibility of public drainage records creating various challenges for drainage management efforts.
The Drinking Water Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC) program identifies environmental contaminants for which current health-based standards currently do not exist or need to be updated, investigate the potential for human exposure to these chemicals, and develop guidance values for drinking water. Contaminants evaluated by CEC staff include contaminants that have been released or detected in Minnesota waters (surface water and groundwater) or that have the potential to migrate to or be detected in Minnesota waters.
To hire a qualified consultant to prepare a Conditions Assessment for the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad Company Passenger Station to establish a rehabilitation plan for the structure, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Native Prairie Bank will help landowners conserve native prairie though outreach to 10,000 landowners and practitioners, restoration and enhancement of 870 acres, and protection of 600 acres through conservation easements.
"Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair" is a major exhibit originated by the Chicago History Museum. It explores how a world-renowned traveling fashion show, with works from the icons of the fashion world, became a vehicle for African American empowerment, pride and achievement.
The Minnesota Historical Society Press(MHS Press) converted more than 125 MHS Press/Borealis Books titles to digital formats for multiple e-book readers, including the Kindle, the Nook, the Sony E-reader and the Apple iPad, allowing us to meet the needs of not only young, tech-savvy readers, but also users in the over-50 age bracket who have been among the first adopters of e-reader technologies.
To meet increasing demand for digital books, 136 Minnesota Historical Society Press (MHS Press) books have been converted and are available as e-books from popular e-book vendors. Six short form e-books will be released by the end of January 2013. Digital editions of more than 80 MHS Press books are available to libraries, researchers and students via Project Muse, a leading provider of digital humanities and social sciences content. In addition, an enhanced e-book about Minnesota in the 1970s is now being written and developed and will be published in fall 2013.
Electronic formats allow the Minnesota Historical Society Press to make Minnesota history and culture available to readers everywhere. New enhanced e-books for Minnesota in the 1970s and On Stage with Kevin Kling include embedded video clips and extra photos; ongoing conversions bring the total number of titles available in December 2013 to 154. Backlist titles awaiting digital conversion and enhancement include four-color photo books and cookbooks, as well as issues of Minnesota History.
Climate change has and will have profound effects on Minnesota’s economy, agriculture, tourism, and natural resources. While climate change is often discussed in the broader contexts of its potential impacts at a national or international level, research has shown that climate change education and behavior change happens more effectively when the issue is made local and relevant.
Through this partnership, undergraduate students representing all five ACTC college campuses participated in a summer-long course designed to increase knowledge about the museum field. Students also interned at Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools, mentoring students participating in the History Day program. ACTC Fellows also visited leading museums in the midwest to compare and contrast the Minnesota Historical Society with other cultural institutions regarding content learned in class.
The Parks and Trails Division is creating innovative programs to attract new audiences to Minnesota state parks and trails. Skill-building programs, such as "I Can Camp!," provide a trial opportunity by eliminating the barriers of needing to have pre-existing knowledge or gear for the activity.
Work is being done to strengthen existing partnerships and create new opportunities for MNHS to deliver transformative educational experiences to students. ACHF dollars were used to leverage matching dollars from Minneapolis public schools to increase their contract with MNHS for educational programs, such as History Day. St. Cloud State University and Minnesota State University Moorhead also provided matching funds for partnerships that enrich U.S. history instruction with experiences at historic sites and museums.
Seven undergraduate student interns in St.
Through this program, partners are extending the reach of National History Day in Minnesota. MNHS staff coordinate school services with an emphasis on support for students from diverse backgrounds. Higher education partnerships help build college readiness skills for middle and high school students and strengthen the mentoring skills of college students.
Partners: Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities (ACTC), Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU), University of Minnesota (U of M), Minneapolis Public Schools, St. Paul Public Schools
The partners are extending the reach of National History Day in Minnesota. MNHS professional staff members coordinate school services with an emphasis on support for students from diverse backgrounds. Higher education partnerships help build college readiness skills for middle and high school students and strengthen the mentoring skills of Minnesota college students.
Partners: Minneapolis and St. Paul Public Schools, St. Cloud State University (SCSU), the University of Minnesota, St. Paul College, Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES)
Education Outreach Partnerships are designed to strengthen existing partnerships and to create new opportunities for MNHS to deliver transformative educational experiences to students. Partnership dollars were used to leverage matching dollars from the Minneapolis and St. Paul Public Schools to increase their commitment to contract with MNHS for educational programs, such as History Day.
Partners: ISD 118, Northland Community Schools (Remer); Washington Technology Magnet School (St. Paul).
This project creates a partnership between the Minnesota Historical Society and two schools (one rural and one urban) to test the impact of MNHS educational programs on middle and high school students over multiple years. Each school will be provided an enrichment budget that will allow them to participate in field trips, acquire curriculum resources, support teacher professional development, and supplement in-classroom assistance for students.
Through this program, partners are extending the reach of National History Day in Minnesota. MNHS professional staff members coordinate school services with an emphasis on support for students from diverse backgrounds. Higher education partnerships help build college readiness skills for middle and high school students and strengthen the mentoring skills of Minnesota college students.
