Minnesota State College – Southeast Technical and Winona State University are partnering to assess the feasibility of developing a seven-acre parcel of land on the Southeast Technical Winona campus as the new location for WSU’s baseball field.
A community meeting to discuss the proposal, answer questions and gather input will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, in the Main Lobby of the Southeast Technical Winona Campus, 1250 Homer Road, Winona, MN. Parking is available directly in front of the building; enter through the front doors.
The partnership would reflect an expansion of the shared services already in place between WSU and Southeast Technical. WSU currently provides security, human resources, institutional research, student health services, fitness facilities, and telephone technology for Southeast Technical.
“This is a great opportunity for WSU and Southeast Technical to build on the services we already share and collaborate on a community project together,” said Dr. Dorothy Duran, President of Southeast Technical. “It’s mutually beneficial for Southeast Technical to make use of our assets in exchange for services provided by WSU.”
Dr. Scott R. Olson, WSU President, echoed Duran’s comments. “This is a wonderful example of collaboration between two sister institutions,” said Olson. “We’re thinking and working together differently, and making use of valuable shared assets.”
Currently the baselines at WSU’s Loughrey Field do not meet NCAA standards. A new location for WSU’s baseball field will allow the Warriors baseball team to host regional and national NCAA competition, attracting tourism to Winona and drawing additional income for Winona businesses. In addition, moving the baseball field would make Loughrey Field available for development, using land that is already off the tax rolls and posing minimal disruption to surrounding neighborhoods.
WSU will lease the land from Southeast Technical and will be responsible for design, construction and maintenance of the new baseball field. The new field will include state-of-the-art green lighting that focuses on the playing field, permanent seating for about 700 spectators, a concession stand and public restrooms. The field also will have the potential for multi-use in the future.
“We hope to have discussions about public uses for the field,” said Olson. “We intend to share the benefits of this state-of-the-art field.”
The parcel, located southeast of the main Southeast Technical campus, is currently being used by WSU’s rugby teams, whose practice and competition facilities will be relocated and upgraded.
Next steps for the project include preliminary land assessments of the property, followed by a design phase in which a plan will be developed and a timeline and construction schedule identified.
For more information, call the WSU Communications Office at 507-457-5024.
About Winona State University
Founded in 1858, Winona State University is a comprehensive, regional public university with more than 8,500 students. The oldest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, WSU offers more than 80 undergraduate, pre-professional, licensure, graduate and doctorate programs on its three campuses in Winona and Rochester. Winona State is ranked as the second public institution in Minnesota by U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges,” has been named among the “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review for 12 years in a row, and has been featured as one of America’s 100 Best College Buys for quality and value for 19 consecutive years. The university’s mission is to enhance the intellectual, social, cultural and economic vitality of the people and communities we serve: a community of learners improving our world. For more information, visit: www.winona.edu.
About Minnesota State College – Southeast Technical
With a clear mission of “Education for Employment,” Minnesota State College – Southeast Technical is a two-year institution that provides its students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they will need for a lifetime of learning. With more than 30 programs of study and 90 degree, diploma, and certificate options, many students are prepared to launch a career in a technical or trade field as soon as they graduate. Others begin the pathway to a four-year bachelor’s degree at Southeast Technical by earning transferable college credits in liberal arts and sciences. The Winona campus opened in 1949, merging with the Red Wing campus in 1992 and becoming Minnesota State College – Southeast Technical in 1999. For more information, visit www.southeastmn.edu.
