President Mulford Reflects On His Tenure
When asked ten years ago what his dream job was, Joe Mulford would have responded, “being the president of Pine Technical & Community College.” Mulford achieved that dream and still considers it his dream job going into his tenth year as president at the college.
Mulford took a moment to speak on this tenure, the changes the college has seen during this time and looking ahead to future possibilities.
Prior to coming to PTCC in 2015, Mulford served about 18 years at multiple two-year Minnesota colleges in administrative positions. In 2003, he and his wife Julie moved to Mora to be near her family. There they renovated an old farmhouse where they still live. At that time, Mulford worked for Anoka Technical College and realized he wanted to help students in his own community achieve their academic goals.
“Being the President at Pine Technical and Community College was literally my dream job,” said Mulford. “I commuted to different jobs at different colleges in the Twin Cities for over a decade and hoped my preparation and the presidential opportunity at Pine would somehow align.”
The opportunity arose at PTCC, and Mulford was offered the position. His prior experience helped craft a vision for the college. The college has seen many changes, some due to external influences such as the Frandsen scholarships and a legislative bond, but not without the unique vision Mulford offered.
“When you look back over our nearly 60 years, there have always been changes happening at Pine,” noted Mulford. “My role essentially falls into the two key areas of risk management and culture management. Foremost is making sure we are student-focused and doing the things that really matter or impact students the most.”
Of the recent changes, the college has seen renovations inside and outside with the plaza area and the front of the building. Most notably is the major expansion happening on the east side of the facility largely thanks to a $21.4 million legislative bond which Mulford and local legislators lobbied for. The expansion will include a 25,000 sq. ft. addition and a 15,025 sq. ft. renovation of existing space on campus for trades such as automated systems, automotive, welding and gunsmithing, and a new nursing lab. The addition will be added onto the 80,000 sq. ft. existing building.
Also notable is the Lakeside Student Housing development owned by Fred Stelter which opened this summer and allows students to live near campus on Cross Lake. Several new academic programs have also been added in areas like automation, construction, applied engineering, welding, emergency medical services, and liberal arts courses.
One of the biggest challenges, said Mulford, is staying on course with the long-range strategic goals while also not losing sight of the short-term needs of the organization. “At small colleges like Pine, the president might set up tables if help is needed or jump start a student’s car if they are having problems while also having to know where the college needs to be in five years to ten years,” he added.
When asked of the most unusual thing that has happened in his tenure, Mulford said “for sure COVID.”
“You could never have imagined getting a phone call that you have about two weeks to move all courses on-line as well as figuring out how to provide all college services remotely,” he recalled. “This is hopefully a once in a career thing.”
On a lighter note, he recalled on one warm fall day a few years ago, he was called because a garter snake had found its way into the building. “People were rightfully freaked out,” he quipped. “It is the only time in my career I had to physically grab a snake and remove it from a building. As they say, other duties as assigned…”
When asked about the most rewarding part of the job, he responded, “That has always been graduation day. I like to tell people it’s the best day of the year. Seeing the student that you weren’t sure was even going to start college and then graduate is awesome.”
On what he is most proud of, Mulford responded, “To know that more and more people in the area see college as possible because of the partnerships and programming efforts we have put in place. I am specifically proud that seven of my nieces and nephews, along with both of my sons have attended Pine in the last few years. It’s great when they compliment you on how nice everyone is at the college or how much courses have helped them.”
Overall, Mulford says it’s hard to think about the college without faculty or students here. “Many of the things that we have done for students and the community requires a ton of behind the scenes work,” he noted. “Our staff and faculty just make things happen and figure a way to do it. The staff and faculty at Pine are as student-focused as anywhere I have ever seen. As a small college we can’t do things alone and the support and partnerships with donors, businesses, school districts, Pine County and Pine City is how we can do the things we are doing. This region appreciates PTCC and we appreciate our region.”
Of Mulford’s tenure, PTCC Foundation Board member Mike Gainor noted the energy, enthusiasm and vision Mulford came to the college with. “It’s hard to believe 10 years have passed since then, but what he and his team have accomplished in that time is absolutely remarkable, with new and retooled programs to better fit students’ needs, a nationally-recognized scholarship program, and beautiful new facilities to improve the student experience. I don’t know how he’s going to be able to top all this over the next ten years, but I don’t doubt for a second that he’s going to try his best to do just that.”
Looking to the future, Mulford is excited to see the current building project take shape that will be conducive to new programs. “This programming will include new academic, student life, workforce programming along with possibly some sports in our future,” he added.
Written by Traci Lebrun, Pine City Pioneer Editor