Higher ed comes to Diamondhead Education Center

The people who come to the Diamondhead Education Center show up for everything from summer camps to health check-ups, and they range from young children to grandparents. There's a senior center, a clinic and classrooms for Burnsville High School students.

As of this winter, the center is drawing even more users: College students enrolled in courses at Concordia University or Dakota County Technical College, both of which are starting to offer night classes in the former shopping mall at 308 W. Burnsville Pkwy.

They're starting small, but Burnsville leaders hope the first few classes will blossom to fill a void in the city, which offers few higher education opportunities.

"One of the things that our employers tell us, and one of the things that we also know, is that employers need employees who are equipped for the 21st century," said Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, who said the city has been working hard to build a diverse education system that can give residents marketable skills.

Next month, DCTC will begin classes in environmental science and intercultural communication at the center.

In May, Concordia plans to offer a bachelor of arts program in business and a master's degree in business administration out of Burnsville. The St. Paul university has already begun holding classes at Diamondhead for students working toward education master's degrees.

And other institutions may be pondering similar moves: Dunwoody College of Technology in Minneapolis and St. Mary's University of Minnesota have both planned visits to the center, according to Tom Umhoefer, the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage school district's community education director.

St. Mary's, which offers programs or courses at nearly 100 locations in Minnesota and western Wisconsin, is "seriously considering" offering courses or whole degrees at Diamondhead, said Jim Bedtke, the university's vice president for graduate and professional programs. Nothing is set in stone, but the university would likely offer courses in business and education if it came to Burnsville, he said.

Concordia leaders chose Burnsville because the city actively recruited them, and because they recognized a demand for classes, said Bruce Corrie, dean of Concordia's college of business and organizational leadership. "People don't want to travel or drive large distances," he said. "They want to be close to where they live, especially adult learners, because of family and work commitments."

Concordia could launch more Burnsville courses in the future, partly depending on what kinds of general education courses DCTC offers, said Jill Johnson, the university's director of marketing and communications. "We're trying to kind of create more synergies between Concordia and DCTC, so their students can more seamlessly move into our program," she said.

There's talk of other partnerships, too. The school district could offer community education classes that answer questions for students who are considering degrees through Concordia, Umhoefer said. He said he also hopes to recruit college instructors to teach at a summer camp for gifted and talented students. And Corrie envisions links between Concordia and Burnsville's new performing arts center down the street.

"It's going to open those kinds of dynamics," he said.