President Joe Opatz congratulating Robert Erickson after his 2,300 mile scholarship ride (Photo by Thang Nguyen, ITS)

Biking for scholarships

By Jeremy Woodson

On Thursday, Sept. 20, a handful of NCC students and staff, along with other members of the community converged outside the main entrance to witness a man riding his bike onto campus with police escorts and several other riders.

As the man pulled up to the building there were cheers and applause, and as he dismounted his bike and posed for pictures, students passing by looked confused and probably wondered what was going on.

As it turns out, NCC was the final destination for the last of six annual “Scholarship Rides” by Robert Erickson, chairman of the MNSCU Foundation, a non-profit organization that partners with the smaller college and university foundations to raise and distribute funds for students and programs at the institutions.

On August 20, Erickson set out on his last of six 2,300 mile bike rides visiting all 53 MNSCU college campuses to raise money and public support for part-time students who are at a disadvantage under Minnesota’s current financial aid program.

Erickson, 61, said in a statement released to the press, “Part-time students are often not eligible for scholarships, and the financial aid formula does not treat them fairly. I have long advocated for the state to change its funding formula so part-time students get a fair shake.”

James McCormick, Chancellor of MNSCU commended Erickson for his efforts, saying in a statement, “Every year I marvel at Bob Erickson’s willingness to go an extra 2,300 miles to help expand access for Minnesotans to our college and universities. This ride shines light on an important need and makes demonstrable difference for students who receive the scholarships.”

Erickson’s ride, which began at Anoka-Ramsey Community College and ended here at NCC, was self funded and raised $31,602, making the total money raised more than $335,000 since he started his annual rides in 2002. Since 2002, Erickson’s rides have provided scholarships to 225 part-time students.

The colleges and universities he visited contributed to Erickson’s effort in several ways ranging from seeking pledges from members of their community to actually riding segments of the trip with him.

To date, part-time students make up about 41 percent of all enrolled MNSCU students, the average age being about 29 years old. Most part time students manage full-time jobs alongside studies, and may even be parents
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When asked how he felt about Robert Erickson’s scholarship rides, Henry Jacox, a 25 year old part time student at NCC that works full-time during the day responded, “I think it’s great there’s somebody out there who even recognizes the financial needs of part-time students, let alone actually doing something about it. When I first started school, I found that I was not eligible for many of the scholarships I wanted to apply for.
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One thing is for sure, Erickson’s rides have certainly helped in the financial plight of many part-time students, but with the number of enrolled part-time students on the rise, and this being the last year of his scholarship rides, changes will need to be made in Minnesota’s funding formula to accommodate the financial need of future part-timers. For now though, Robert Erickson should be commended for recognizing the discrepancy hopping on his bike to bring about change.