º£½ÇÉçÇø

Throughout the past couple weeks, you may have noticed some of our students, staff and instructors in the community wearing something new – the first of our º£½ÇÉçÇø College Legends gear.

On Feb. 16, we officially launched our new brand and mascot logos to the campus and distributed hundreds of T-shirts with our Legends mascot logo and the new º£½ÇÉçÇø Technical and Community College logo. The unveiling was welcomed with excitement as it brings a fresh look and needed consistency for the college. We’ve already started to make updates on campus. Externally you can expect to see more of the new brand in the community starting this month.

The college has had many names and nicknames over the years – º£½ÇÉçÇø Technical Institute, º£½ÇÉçÇø Technical College, º£½ÇÉçÇø Vocational Technical Institute, “The Vo-Tech,” “Alex Tech” and “The Tech” to name a few. We also had a mascot, “The Norsemen,” until 1994. As we implement new athletics offerings and look to position the college as a top choice in the region and the state, we are rearranging the collective parts that make up our identity to reintroduce ourselves to the community and students. Who we are: º£½ÇÉçÇø College. What we are: Technical and Community. How we show our school pride: Legends.

The logo and brand, however, is so much more than a collection of marks.

I was recently reminded of how truly fitting Legends is for º£½ÇÉçÇø College. I received a letter from Clara Nathe, a graduate who earned her degree in 1973 from what was then the Medical Secretary program. She wrote to thank the college for helping her get her start and to let us know that after almost 48 years of working in healthcare, she was retiring. Throughout her career, she has been the “Head of,” “Manager,” “Director,” “Leader” and most recently, Executive Assistant to the Administrator. Clara is a Legend.

Like thousands of º£½ÇÉçÇø Technical and Community College graduates, Clara found her calling at º£½ÇÉçÇø College and has had an incredible career. She has made a difference in people’s lives and in her workplace for almost half a century, and for that, she is a Legend.

Being a Legend means always moving forward and never settling for good enough. It means challenging norms and constantly innovating and searching for what’s next. It means having a passion and a curiosity to learn and grow. At º£½ÇÉçÇø Technical and Community College, our students are studying to be mechanics, designers, administrators, caregivers, officers and leaders – they are learning to be Legends.

So when you see º£½ÇÉçÇø College out in the community, take a moment to think about what it means to be legendary – to be bold, curious, dynamic, connected, diverse and maverick. Remember also what it means to be part of a community that is legendary in its own right as a Minnesota destination with the history and lore of the Runestone and Big Ole.

Lastly, I would like to invite you to join us in showing your college pride by visiting our campus store in person or online to purchase Legends gear. A portion of all Legends logoed merchandise sales will go directly to support º£½ÇÉçÇø College men’s and women’s golf, e-sports and clay target league athletics programs.

Go Legends!

This column also appeared in the March 10 edition of the Echo Press, titled .