Karen Halbersleben, who was the featured speaker at the CCHE annual afternoon tea, stands with a sunny cutout of and Queen Elizabeth ll. Queen Elizabeth ll is the longest-serving monarch in British history. While maintaining traditional royal functions, Queen Elizabeth has also tried to make her reign more modern and sensitive the public. Photo courtesy of Bob Pranis
Cook County Higher Education (CCHE) kicks off each new academic year with an annual fundraising event. The Afternoon Tea held at Naniboujou Lodge featured an English Tea, replete with ornate (and funny) hats worn by both female and male attendees (supplied by Grand Marais Playhouse), a state-of-the-organization overview by executive director Karen Blackburn, a silent auction, a stirring and inspirational presentation by Dr. Karen Halbersleben and a cameo appearance by none other than the queen herself.
This is the sixth year for the Afternoon Tea, which has become a tradition for CCHE. CCHE devotees enjoyed the socializing, delicious finger sandwiches and the entertaining and educational programming.
The keynote presentation was delivered as always by Halbersleben, a retired professor of European history, specializing in English history, and CCHE board member and past board president. Titled “Royalty by Another Name,” Halbersleben related the heroic efforts of British and American women reformers, who overcame obstacles placed in their paths because of their gender and made the world a better place by leading social movements including the abolition of slavery and female suffrage.
Karen Blackburn updated the audience on both new and existing programs at CCHE. One exciting new program is the accredited Culinary Arts program launching this January.
The culinary school allows interested Cook County residents to remain in the area while pursuing culinary education, attracts new residents to Cook County and helps address local employers’ urgent need for kitchen staff. This has been a textbook collaborative effort by CCHE, Cook County ISD 166, Hibbing Community College, Cook County Chamber of Commerce, Cook County/ Grand Marais Economic Development Authority, IRRRB and Cook County businesses.
Blackburn stressed the four main ways that CCHE delivers benefits: College preparation (study skills, assessment tests, searches); college certificate and degree programs (accredited institutions); workforce training (customized for the needs of local businesses); and life-long learning (guest lectures, not-for-credit courses, events).
During each of the past two years, CCHE has offered and administered over $40,000 in scholarships.
Degree programs include meeting our healthcare community’s needs through nursing training programs at various levels. Workforce training programs include Servsafe, Alcohol Server Training, Forklift Operator Training, workshops in Microsoft Excel and Word, Quickbooks, Access, Publisher, bookkeeping and customer service training.
Lifelong learning opportunities include a monthly guest lecture series with topics like beekeeping, genealogy and the history of the Gunflint Trail. Lunch and Learns offer topics like the new tax code, grant writing, and self-motivation. Languages offered last year include Ojibwe, Swedish and Spanish. This year French classes begin in October.
CCHE faced a significant budget shortfall when the legislature and governor failed to agree on a spending package. Blackburn explained that a very strong business sponsorship drive and a successful fundraising event at the Afternoon Tea have helped keep all programming alive for this year.
“We could not have accomplished this without our wonderful business community,” Blackburn commented. “Our thanks to all those businesses who support CCHE.”
Community support for CCHE comes from individual memberships, business sponsorships, endowments and legacy giving. For more information on donations or programming, contact Karen Blackburn at kblackburn@northshorecampus.org.
Leave a Reply