Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College’s new president, John Hoffman, has established his role and began his appointment last Friday, July 1st.

In March, The Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State System of Colleges and Universities named Hoffman as the new president for both BSU and NTC to take over for Faith Hensrud, who retired last month. During last week’s press conference, Hoffman expressed that “it was a great first day.”

Hoffman shared that the first season that he is looking at as president is the first 100 days of presidency, which he envisions as a “season of listening.”

Regarding the alignment of both BSU and NTC, Hoffman said that both institutions have more in common than they realize, and at the same time, they are so different. This is why Hoffman expressed the importance of collaboration between the two institutions.

Hoffman said that he is thrilled to be calling Bemidji home and is looking forward to connecting with both the Bemidji community and the region. He also looks forward to the next seasons of his presidency as a time to build community relationships, as it’s critically important that interconnections between nonprofits, schools, and area tribes are built.

By — Emma Hudziak