Photo Courtesy of Southwest Minnesota State University. SMSU has announced it will be moving forward with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Social Work program. They are both targeted to launch Fall 2026.

MARSHALL — The Minnesota State education system is requesting $465 million in new funding for Fiscal Year 2026-27 between student support, workforce-focused support, system operations and critical infrastructure. This funding would be shared among the system’s 26 colleges and seven universities. 

A prominent section in the budget request proposal is workforce support, to help prepare students for employment opportunities.

“One thing we didn’t hear on the listening tour (in September) were employers saying, ‘You know what, we’ve got enough talent. We have plenty of employees,'” Minnesota State Chancellor Scott Olson. “We heard the opposite.” 

Southwest Minnesota State University President Kumara Jayasuriya and Minnesota West Community and Technical College President Terry Gaalswyk welcomed Chancellor Olson to Marshall Monday afternoon to discuss the budget proposal.

“As you think about SMSU and Minnesota West, we work very closely in regards to advancing our missions and purposes in the region, and also collaborating where it makes sense,” Gaalswyk said. 

In last year’s 2024-25 biennial budget request, $293 million was awarded out of the $350 million requested. 

If awarded, $40 million would be dedicated to workforce support. This includes keeping up to date with state-of-the-art equipment, expanding workforce development scholarship programs and supporting high demand programs.

“These two schools (SMSU and MNWest) and our whole system is really the engine of workforce for Minnesota, overwhelmingly,” Olson said. “Our students really come from Minnesota. They stay in Minnesota, they pay taxes in Minnesota. When they graduate, they want to be here.”

In terms of high demand programs, SMSU has announced it will be moving forward with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Social Work program. They are both targeted to launch Fall 2026.

“Two programs that people ask us to start and move forward with is a Master’s degree in social work, because they need a master’s degree to practice, and nursing,” Jayasuriya said. “That’s why it’s important to support the university general funds.”

Both healthcare and social work sectors are experiencing a need of employment, which the new programs will allow for more student opportunities while addressing the need for healthcare and mental health professionals across the state and in southwest Minnesota.

The nursing program will partner with Avera Health, and the social work master’s degree will focus on two concentrations: Addressing the need of more mental health services, and preparing social workers to lead organizations of all sizes. The two will thoroughly prepare students to take the NCLEX-RN nursing licensure exam, and the Association of Social Work Board (ASWB) master’s level exam.

“Almost everyone we graduate gets a job,” Jayasuriya said. “99.1% of our recent graduates are employed.”

Each program will seek accreditation approval by the Minnesota State system and the Higher Learning Commission. The nursing program also requires approval by the Minnesota Board of Nursing.

MNWest will be looking to add more to its HVAC and childhood education departments.

“There’s still an unmet need in our region in regards to skills and training … We’re looking to expand our HVAC programming and co-located with plumbing and carpentry on our Pipestone campus,” Gaalswyk said. “The other program is to extend the reach of our early childhood education program, and we do that in cooperation with SMSU. It’s currently up in Granite Falls. There’s a desire to deliver that by asynchronous and synchronous learning down in Luverne.”

Both Presidents mentioned the ongoing plans to continue supporting their agricultural studies as well.

“Ag programs are not growing as much as I like them to,” Jayasuriya said. “We hired a recruiter just for Ag and Business … We are going to try it for four years and see how it goes. So, there is an effort to increase our Ag programs.”

MNWest will continue working with their current partnerships.

“There’s two strategies that we’re using right now with Ag, One of them is working very closely with District 518, which now has an Ag Learning Lab immediately available to our students and their students,” Gaalswyk said. “Second, our farm business management program … It is about 21 full-time faculty serving southwest Minnesota. We work with over 600 area producers in regards to their farm operations.”

The legislative session began Jan. 14 and ends May 19. The Board of Trustees will hear the first reading of the fiscal year 2026 budgets on May 20, and approvals will be made July 17 and 18.

“Those students who are educated at SMSU or Minnesota West, they stay, work and raise their families here in our region,” Gaalswyk said. “We’re excited about this growth in regards to what it means to community vitality.”