Phillips is the author of six books.��His books have been named a book of the year by the��Washington Post, the��Guardian��(UK), NPR, and the��Australian Review of Books.��A 2015 Guggenheim Fellow, he is also the recipient of a Whiting Award, the GLCA New Writers Award for Poetry, the PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry, the��Anisfield-Wolf Book Prize for Poetry, the Nicolás Guillén Outstanding Book Award,��and an Arts and Letters Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.��

A prodigious sportswriter, Phillips has written on sports for the��New York Times Magazine, the��New Yorker, the��New Republic, and the��Paris Review.��He is currently a visiting professor of creative writing at Princeton where he also serves as the editor of the Princeton Series of Contemporary Poetry, a professor of English at Stony Brook University, the president of the board of the New York Institute of the Humanities, and the poetry editor of the��New Republic.��

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An artist lecture focused on art making, art philosophy, metacognition, and the mentality of humanity will be held��at 7 p.m.��on��Friday, April 17��in��rooms E422 and E354, Brainerd campus. The lecture will be followed��by an opening reception and exhibition of work by Hochhalter.��He��will be available during the exhibition reception to meet and discuss his research and creative process with the public. This event is free and open to the public.��

Hochhalter��carries a unique personal perspective and has constructed these works with intentions to raise awareness of neurodivergence and celebrate the multitude of potential cognitive and emotional responses that can be triggered by art. By unraveling the idea of what is real, what is an illusion, and exploring various types of mental health characteristics,��Hochhalter��focuses on art making and research that breaks away from what is clear and representational of nature as we understand it; requiring more extensive exploration or participation to conclude a clear understanding or conceptual comprehension of such work. In this way,��Hochhalter��has opened the door for us to experience art with multiple identities and fluid realities, challenging a typical cognitive response through his��paintings,��prints,��drawings��and��sculptures.������

Atrophy of Reality��was designed and curated to allow the viewer to become a participant and have a metacognitive experience that not only provides cognitive value but also activates an emotional response. This gives participants the traditional satisfaction granted when viewing an artwork for its technical characteristics but also offers an inside look at the immensity of imagination and challenges them to confront what it might be like to have their reality flipped upside down.������

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Empowered ’26 brings together education and industry to create a collaborative experience focused on��leadership development, confidence-building, meaningful connection, and economic empowerment. Designed to spark conversation and broaden perspectives, the event offers attendees the chance to engage with keynote speakers,��participate��in interactive experiences, and connect across career pathways.��

This event is free to attend. Please register by��April 10:��www.clcmn.edu/empowered/��

“Empowered ’26 creates a space where students and industry professionals come together,” said event organizer and 91�Թ��� instructor��Susan Bremer. “It’s��an opportunity to build meaningful connections and leave with��new ideas��and fresh perspectives on��what’s��possible.��The event features engaging keynote speakers and interactive experiences designed to encourage conversation, reflection, and real-world��insight.”��

While��Empowered��’26 is centered on supporting females in career and technical education (CTE), the event is open to all.��Student success is strengthened when communities, employers, and educators come together.��

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Schedule:��

Staples��campus��from 9am -12pm��

Keynote Speaker: Lisa Bjerga, President & CEO of Lakewood Health Systems��

Featuring: Riaz Patel Executive Producer/Director and 2-time Emmy & NAACP Image Award Nominee,��Creator of��ConnectEffect, a transformative entertainment experience paired with roundtable conversations.��

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Brainerd Campus��from 2-5pm��

Keynote Speaker: Cindy Clough, Executive Director for Just��For��Kix and Head Coach of the Brainerd Warrior Dance Team��

Featuring: Riaz Patel����

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There will be large G-scale train models, a Santa Claus photo booth, crafts, games, rides and holiday vendors.

“Polar Xpress is heading into its fifth year, and it has truly become a staple of the holiday season. Families, train lovers, and anyone looking for a dose of Christmas cheer will find something to smile about,” said Erich Heppner, 91�Թ��� Student Life Director. “From G-scale model trains rounding the bend to wide-eyed little ones pressed up against the display, the magic is hard to miss. Guests can enjoy local vendors with unique holiday gifts, hands-on ornament making, face painting, cookie decorating, a surprisingly thrilling train ride, and even a visit from Santa himself, who sets aside time just for this event. We hope you’ll join us for Polar Xpress 2025 and make it part of your family’s holiday tradition.”

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This exciting event will be held at 7pm on Friday, November 14 at the Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts. Admission is free and open to the public.��

Throughout the day, student musicians will participate in immersive clinic sessions with the Central Lakes College Music faculty, take part in a campus tour, and enjoy an afternoon exploring the beautiful Brainerd lakes area.��

The evening concert promises a dynamic showcase of visceral, expressive performances, concluding with a spectacular combined massed-band performance of a John Philip Sousa march composed in 1899—uniting hundreds of student musicians in one powerful musical finale.��

“This festival represents the very best of Central Minnesota’s musical talent and educational collaboration,” said Dr. Jonathan Laflamme, Director of Bands at Central Lakes College. “It’s a celebration of artistry, community, and the transformative power of music, and it is free!”��

Bring your friends and family to experience the joy, passion, and excellence of live music at this unforgettable event.��

For more information, event recordings, and updates: www.clcmn.edu/music/��

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The speakers include: Liz Collin, multi-Emmy-Award-winning investigative reporter; Bob Kroll, a highly decorated retired police lieutenant, and Booker T. Hodges, Chief of Police of Bloomington. Each speaker will address the issue of public safety from their perspective, followed by a roundtable discussion and questions from the audience.��

Steve Wenzel, Executive Director of the Gordon Rosenmeier Center for State and Local Government, said, “Crime and violence in our state today, including political violence, is a serious, compelling issue of concern and interest to all Minnesotans. The Rosenmeier Center is fortunate to present a forum of three excellent speakers, whose extensive backgrounds in law enforcement, public safety and media promises an opportunity for community members to understand the importance and need for order and justice in Minnesota.”��

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More about the speakers:��

Liz Collin is a Minnesota native raised in Worthington and a multi-Emmy-Award-winning investigative reporter and news anchor. She is the producer of The Fall of Minneapolis and Minnesota v We the People documentary films, and author of They’re Lying: The Media, the Left, and The Death of George Floyd. Her work has prompted important state laws. Yet perhaps most of all, Liz has been giving a voice to the truth—and helping others tell their stories—for more than 20 years.��

Bob Kroll is a highly decorated retired police lieutenant. He spent 32 years on the Minneapolis Police Department serving assignments on patrol, investigations, the SWAT team, and the union board. He also served 21 years in the U.S. Army Reserve as a military police officer��

Police Chief Booker Hodges has worked as a school resource officer, patrol deputy, narcotics detective, SWAT operator, patrol overnight watch commander, inspector, undersheriff, acting chief deputy, an assistant public safety commissioner and now chief of police. Prior to joining the Bloomington Police Department in April of 2022, he served with Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Prior Lake Police Department and the Ramsey and Dakota County Sheriff’s Office. Chief Hodges earned a doctorate degree in public administration. He serves as an adjunct professor at University of Northwestern in Saint Paul and has previously served as past president of the Northstar Chapter of the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), as well as an elected National Parliamentarian for NOBLE.��

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The community is invited to attend the next Rosenmeier Forum titled “Immigration to Minnesota from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia” with featured speaker and author Steve Young, Global Executive Director of The Caux Round Table. The free event is at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 6 in the Chalberg Theatre, at Central Lakes College’s Brainerd campus. ��

Steve Wenzel, Executive Director of the Rosenmeier Center for State and Local Government, said, “We are fortunate to have a distinguished scholar like Steve Young speak on such an important topic.��He has the ability to bring to his audience the application and information of law to the complexities of��immigration and U.S. foreign policy. Steve has truly been a credit to our U.S. government and to the State of��Minnesota by how well managed the refugee crisis and, thanks to the leadership provided by Mr. Young, there were few issues or problems for these refugees to Minnesota from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos to Minnesota in the 1970s and 1980s.”����

Young was educated at Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He served as an Assistant Dean at the Harvard Law School and as the third Dean of the Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul. He has taught at the University of Minnesota and at the SASIN Graduate School of Management in Bangkok and has spoken at many workshops and conferences on corporate social responsibility and business ethics.��Young also grew up in the U.S. Diplomatic Corp in Southeast Asia where his father was U.S. Ambassador to Thailand in the Kennedy Administration and Young worked closely with Ellsworth Bunker, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam in the 1960s. He is author of the book, “Kissinger’s Betrayal” and is considered a national expert on the Vietnam War. ��

Young has also taught at the University of Minnesota Law School, Carlson School of Management, the College of Liberal Arts and Minnesota State University – Mankato. He has written numerous opinion articles for the Star Tribune, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota Journal on Law and Politics, St. Paul Legal Ledger and has been published in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and the Washington Post.��

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Steve Wenzel, Executive Director of the Gordon Rosenmeier Center for State and Local Government said, “We are most pleased that the Rosenmeier Center will feature two outstanding jurists whose background and experience will provide for a most informative and interesting discussion about��both the history and the future of Minnesota’s Judiciary and its court system.�� �� Justices Barry Anderson and Tad Jude were respected throughout the legal community for their integrity and expertise on the legal issues facing Minnesotans.”��

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Biographies��

Retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Barry Anderson is a 1976 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota,��and a 1979 graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School. He was a member of the Minnesota Court of Appeals from August 1998 until his appointment to the Supreme Court.�� He was sworn in and joined the court on October 13, 2004, and reached the mandatory retirement age for judges in Minnesota, 70, in 2024 and retired from the Court on May 10, after 19 years of service.��

Prior to his judicial service, he��practiced law in��Fairmont and Hutchinson��and��was a partner in the law firm of Arnold, Anderson & Dove. His civil trial experience includes personal��injury and mechanic’s lien litigation and he also served as the Hutchinson city attorney for over a decade.��

Justice Anderson’s background includes substantial public service including as a board member and chair of a variety of community organizations including service clubs, task forces and a local public access channel as well as a wide variety of other community activities.��

Justice Anderson also served several terms on the Minnesota Judicial Council, the��principal administrative body��for the Minnesota Judicial Branch.������

��Justice Anderson also helped organize and served as a member of the Minnesota Citizens Commission for the Preservation of an Impartial Judiciary, which considered issues relating to judicial selection, independence and impartiality.������

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Former District Judge Tad Jude was elected in 2010 and 2016 to the Tenth Judicial District Court.��This court serves Anoka, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Pine, Sherburne, Washington and Wright Counties in Minnesota. Judge Jude presided over thousands of cases primarily in Stillwater.��

Prior to being Judge, Jude was elected to the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, the Minnesota Senate, and the Minnesota House of��Representatives. He served as Chair of the full House Judiciary Committee as our current trial bench, Court of Appeals and Minnesota Supreme Court was established.�� He has been an advocate for keeping elections for Judge on the ballot in Minnesota.��

Jude has a long record of community service. He currently serves on the US District Court Judiciary interview committee in Minnesota. as Commander of American Legion Post 303 and as a member of the Board for Action for Children/Zambia.������

Jude’s career includes service in the Army Security Agency, several Law Firms, and the Department of Labor and Industry. He was a Board member of Jodi’s Network of Hope, the County Law Library, the Northwest YMCA and the Agricultural Society.����

Jude is a graduate of the College of Saint Thomas, Wm Mitchell College of Law and has taken professional courses through the Antonin Scalia��Law School at George Mason University.��Jude resides with his wife Jacelyn in Maple Grove.��

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