Minnesota State Board Names Jessalyn Sabin President of Minnesota North College

Jessalyn Sabin, the academic dean for career and technical education and campus director at Minnesota North College's Eveleth location, was named president of the six-campus institution by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees on March 18, with her appointment taking effect July 1.

Sabin has held her dual roles at Minnesota North since 2021, overseeing curriculum development and program review, managing academic budgets, and building community partnerships to align degree programs with Iron Range workforce needs. She has also advocated for remote learning initiatives and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the college's campuses in Eveleth, Hibbing, Grand Rapids, Virginia, International Falls, and Ely.

Chancellor Scott Olson framed the appointment as a natural extension of work Sabin has already been doing. "Dr. Sabin is a proven leader in higher education," Olson said in the announcement. "As a member of Minnesota North's leadership team, she has built strong, supportive connections with the campuses of Minnesota North, as well as with employers and the communities of the Iron Range. She exhibits through her work great leadership traits and has the experience and expertise to assume the presidency of Minnesota North College."

Sabin's path to the presidency runs through more than a decade with Minnesota North and its predecessor institutions. Before her current roles, she served simultaneously as interim dean of academics at Hibbing Community College from 2019 to 2021 and at Rainy River Community College from 2020 to 2021, both of which are now Minnesota North campuses. Prior to that, she spent six years as a biology instructor at Hibbing Community College from 2013 to 2019, and began her career in higher education as a graduate teaching assistant and researcher at the University of Minnesota Duluth from 2011 to 2013.

She holds a bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth and a doctorate from Minnesota State University Moorhead.

Sabin succeeds Michael Raich, who has led Minnesota North College and its predecessor, the Northeast Higher Education District, since 2021 and is retiring effective June 30. Minnesota North's institutional announcement described Sabin as bringing "a passion for innovation, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a commitment to both career and technical education, as well as the liberal arts.