Preimesberger named new Director of Secondary Relations

Paul Preimesberger has been appointed to the role of Director of Secondary Relations for Central Lakes College. He replaces Betsy Picciano, who is returning to her faculty post after a sabbatical. Preimesberger has been working under Picciano since Sept. 14, and will take over the position Dec. 1.

Picciano said her time as Director of Secondary Relations has been the pinnacle of her career.

“All of the people I met and the partnerships, all of the things I learned long the way will carry me through the rest of my life. It’s been rewarding and challenging at the same time,” she said.

The change in leadership comes at an exciting time for College in the Schools.

“The future of CIS is bright. It is an education innovation that provides high school students with the opportunity to begin their college career on their home campus,” said CLC President Dr. Larry Lundblad. “As a result, students become college ready. Through their CIS courses, they experience first-hand the rigor of college courses, gain valuable time management skills and learn the course content while developing analysis, reasoning, writing and critical inquiry skills in a supportive environment.”

In his new role, Preimesberger brings to CLC a range of targeted experiences, including work as a secondary teacher, high school principal, teaching and learning specialist, and with MSU-Mankato’s Center for School-University Partnerships. He holds a Masters in English from the University of Idaho, a baccalaureate from UW-Madison, and principal’s and superintendent’s licenses from Hamline and MSU-Mankato, respectively.

Preimesberger points to the commitment and progressive spirit of administration and faculty at both CLC and its K-12 partners, as reasons the CLC program is one of the largest and most successful in the state. Last year alone, 1,862 students took CIS courses with CLC. Collectively, they earned almost 21,000 credits, saving themselves and their families almost $4 million dollars. That’s an average of $2,128 per family.

Further, almost 100 of those students earned an Associate’s Degree after graduating high schools, and they did it with higher GPAs and persisted in postsecondary education at a higher rate than their peers.

“Because CIS is such a great benefit to the region’s students and families, and contributes to the area’s economic growth and competitiveness, the program will continue to expand,” Preimesberger said. “CLC is well positioned on the leading edge of this program. It creates a pipeline to post-secondary education for all students, and prepares them for high-paying, highly relevant careers.”