A Q&A with Charles Watson

Why did you pursue philosophy in your doctoral studies?

I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. I like to say I grew up in the shadow of John Hopkins Hospital. I was like many undergraduates thinking about a career in medicine. I worked at Hopkins in a few research labs. I worked in a cardiology research lab and a cardiac surgery research lab. I went to Columbia University as an undergraduate.

Navigating change is more important now than ever before. Minneapolis College is at the heart of leveraging change, creating new opportunities and a stronger more prosperous future for its students.

The College enrolls more than 11,000 credit students annually and is known for creating affordable, flexible and accessible paths to a higher education. “We strive to remove barriers and surround our students with supportive services to ensure their success,” said Heidi Aldes, interim dean of enrollment.

Student Intern Facilitates Success

Minneapolis College School of Design and the Arts is promoting the artistic excellence of recent graduates who are poised to be the next industry professionals in the fields of graphic and web design, fine arts, photography and digital imaging, apparel design and cinema.

I am writing in the wake of the tragic death of Mr. George Floyd, and the resulting unrest in Minneapolis. The video capturing the horrific moments prior to his death and those police officers’ utter lack of regard for his life has sent shockwaves of sadness and fear through our campus community.

Charles Watson began his journey at Minneapolis College as an adjunct professor for the Philosophy department in the Fall of 2012. Six years later, he became the African American Education Empowerment Program’s (AME) Coordinator at the College.

Once experiencing the administrative side of the school, Watson began to understand the importance of building relationships at the College as well as in the larger community.

Minneapolis College has received the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) 2020 Inclusion Cultivates Excellence Award for its competency-based hiring program. This award recognizes and celebrates institutional initiatives and programs that have made a significant impact with respect to inclusive and equitable workplace practices, particularly those that have brought about cultural change throughout the organization.

Minneapolis College announced new course placement options to provide easier access to a college education. The comprehensive process, now including directed self-placement, creates more flexible and equitable placement for students and helps the college determine the courses for which students are best prepared.

Minneapolis College placement options now include:

Each year, Minneapolis Community and Technical College graduates look forward to celebrating their accomplishments with a commencement ceremony held at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

For the class of 2020, COVID-19 has changed all that.

“We really wanted to try and find the best way we could celebrate our graduates even though we can’t be there together,” said Tara Martinez.

Course material costs continue to rise across the country. With the challenges created by COVID-19 statewide and nationally, college bookstores are now faced with implementing a new normal. Over the last 3 years, Minneapolis College and the Minnesota State Bookstore Collaboration have been addressing both scenarios.

Minneapolis College is one of 19 colleges and universities nationwide awarded accreditation this year from the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP).

The college’s concurrent enrollment program, College NOW, offers high school students the opportunity to take college courses and earn Minneapolis College credit while they are in their high schools during their normal high school schedule.