Dr. Trenda Boyum-Breen Inaugurated as Rasmussen College President

MINNEAPOLIS (April 27, 2015)– Rasmussen College, a regionally accredited private college and Public Benefit Corporation, today hosted the inauguration of its seventh president, Dr. Trenda Boyum-Breen. Boyum-Breen takes the helm of the College after Kristi Waite, who served in the role for 17 years prior to her retirement March 30, 2015.

"I take great pride in the confidence the Rasmussen College Board of Directors has shown me, and I embrace the responsibility of helping lead this great college,"said Boyum-Breen. "As a first-generation college student myself, I know the transformational power of higher education. I will bring that passion to this presidency, with a commitment to increasing access to education, serving historically underserved students, and working in an innovative environment that contributes to reshaping the higher education landscape in the United States."

During her inauguration speech, Dr. Boyum-Breen articulated her vision for Rasmussen College and outlined a few of the critical opportunities she sees for Rasmussen College to contribute to innovation in higher education:

• Competency-based education—By collaborating with the Competency-Based Education Network and Educause’s Breakthrough Models Academy, Rasmussen College and the industry can continue to advance competency-based education and adopt models that advance student learning.
• Reforming financial aid disbursement—Rasmussen College will be working with the U.S. Department of Education’s Experimental Site Initiative to pioneer improvements in federal disbursement related to competency-based education.
• Improving IPEDs data collection—With the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and American Institutes for Research, Rasmussen College will be part of the reform of IPEDs to increase transparency and accuracy in reporting of student outcomes and accountability.
• Elevating the public good—Rasmussen College became a Public Benefit Corporation in 2014. This provides an opportunity for the College to demonstrate its steadfast commitment to serving the public good by building community through education. Other institutions are considering this status as a way to balance service with financial responsibility.

The College will also be working toward their scheduled reaccreditation by the Higher Learning Commission in 2019.

"We have the utmost confidence Dr. Boyum-Breen is the right leader to carry the College forward and help us grow for years to come," said Dr. Henry Bienen, Rasmussen College Board Chairman. "We could not be more confident in her continued commitment to our mission, the leadership position we can assume in higher education and the positive impact we can have on student success under her guidance."

"I am excited to honor Rasmussen’s history while articulating our vision for the future, a vision that will advance Rasmussen College’s position as a leader in higher education, driving innovations that increase access to education and promote continuous improvement in student outcomes," said Dr. Boyum-Breen.

Prior to Rasmussen College, Dr. Boyum-Breen was vice president at Metropolitan State University. For more than fifteen years, she has served in leadership positions at higher education institutions spanning community colleges to large online universities including San Antonio College, Capella University, and Minneapolis Community and Technical College. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Concordia College, Moorhead; a Master’s degree from Winona State University; and a Doctorate in Higher Education Policy and Administration from the University of Minnesota. She has published and presented nationally on key higher education topics and is the author of "Across the Sectors", a career column for Inside Higher Education. She sits on the boards of the Jeremiah Program and American Council on Education Women’s Network of Minnesota.