A proposal emerged from these discussions that exploratory meetings be organized in each country at the respective universities involved. The purpose of these meetings would be to see if two-year college administrators — in particular, the CEOs of these institutions — would be interested in creating and supporting a college organization which would bridge the 49th parallel. Konrad was enthusiastic. Support was gained from the respective deans within their universities at both the University of Minnesota and the University of Alberta.

A “steering committee” was convoked in Minneapolis as a further sounding board. Stanley Sahlstrom, Provost – University of Minnesota – Crookston, Minnesota chaired the meeting.

Those attending were:

• Don Morgan, University of Minnesota – Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Stan Sahlstrom, University of Minnesota – Crookston, Minnesota
• Sister Anne Joachim Moore, President, St. Mary’s Junior College – Minneapolis, Minnesota and then on the AACC Board of Directors
• John Helling, President, North Hennepin Community College, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
• Bill Knaak, Superintendent of the postsecondary 916 Area Vocational Technical Institute – since renamed Northeast Metro Technical College, and since merged and is now Century College, White Bear Lake, Minnesota

The Steering Committee was enthusiastic, but cautious. They accurately reflected the general feeling that the main concerns of two-year colleges are close to home.

 

August 1, 1978

The Steering Committee in Minnesota was convoked again at North Hennepin Community College. The decision was made to formally investigate support of other institutions located in the center of the U.S. and western Canada. The proposal would be to attempt to form what was then called a Consortium of North American Postsecondary Institutions for Programmed Interactions (CNAPI) – a burdensome title, later dropped in favor of PIN.

 

September 17-18, 1978

The first meeting to explore the concept and benefits of an association was held at the University of Minnesota. Don Morgan, University of Minnesota and Abe Konrad, University of Alberta, hosted the meeting.  The meeting was attended by:

• Stan Sahlstrom, University of Minnesota – Crookston, Minnesota
• Sister Anne Joachim Moore, President, St. Mary’s Junior College – Minneapolis, Minnesota, and on the AACC Board of Directors
• John Helling, President, North Hennepin Community College, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
• Bill Knaak, Superintendent of the postsecondary 916 Area Vocational Technical Institute – since renamed Northeast Metro Technical College, White Bear Lake, Minnesota
• James Kraby, President, Westark Community College, Ft. Smith, Arkansas
• Dale Gibson, President, Southeast Oklahoma City Community College, Oklahoma
• Ervin Glick, President, Hesston College, Hesston, Kansas
• Rod Steigner, Academic Dean, Nicolet College and Technical Institute, Rhinelander, Wisconsin
• John Gazda, Vice Chancellor, Kansas City Community College District, Missouri
• Claire Blikre, President, North Dakota State School of Science, Wahpeton, North Dakota
• Bert Curtis, President, Confederation College, Thunder Bay, Ontario
• Ted Ramsey, Program Director, Red River Community College, Winnipeg, Manitoba

The meeting produced several important thrusts. First, those present wholeheartedly and unanimously supported the notion of creating an alliance of Canadian and U.S. institutions. Second, they supported the plans to hold a counterpart meeting in Edmonton to determine the level of support in Canadian provinces not represented at this time. Third, if Canadian support was evident at Edmonton, they would schedule a joint U.S./Canadian meeting. Ted Ramsey of Red River College, Winnipeg, volunteered to host the joint meeting.

 

October 25-26, 1978

Abe Konrad scheduled the meeting in Edmonton to determine the level of support in Canadian provinces.

Present were:

• Stan Sahlstrom, University of Minnesota – Crookston, Minnesota
• Don Morgan, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Les Morgan, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Edmonton, Alberta
• Ken Gunn, Kelsey Institute of Technology, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• S.R. Gilbert, Capilano College, North Vancouver, British Columbia

Since Manitoba and Ontario had been represented at the Minneapolis meeting, the western Canadian provinces had all been included.

Notes from the Minneapolis meeting were presented to the group convened in Edmonton. All seemed enthusiastic about developments except for the proposed name of the network – Consortium of North American Postsecondary Institutions for Programmed Interactions (CNAPI). Konrad suggested a substitute of Postsecondary International Network (PIN). After discussion, it was unanimously recommended that this name be proposed at the meeting set for January 1979 in Winnipeg.

The winters there are lengthy, even for Canadians, and the hardy folks from North Dakota and Minnesota think twice before going there unnecessarily.”

Undaunted by the locale — and it was cold outside — the pioneers of PIN met at Red River Community College in Winnipeg to see what could be sorted out from previous correspondence and dialogue. The task was to seek agreement on purposes, goals, organization, and procedure; and to test if interest was solid enough to start to flesh out what had so far been just an interesting proposal.

 

The first order of business was to identify a chair and a recorder. Stan Sahlstrom agreed to chair the proceedings, and Abe Konrad agreed to take notes. It was decided immediately that membership should be by institution rather than individual. It was hoped, but not required, that the CEOs of member institutions would represent that membership at PIN functions. The name Postsecondary International Network, which had been suggested by Konrad earlier, was well received and formally adopted. It was also agreed that there was need for a membership forum which should meet at least annually, and that there should be an Executive Committee to serve as a steering committee. It was agreed that membership should be represented equally by each country, and that each country should elect three members. An election was conducted.

 

Members of the first Executive Committee were the following:

Canada:

• Kenneth Gunn, Kelsey Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• Les Morgan, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Edmonton, Alberta
• Ted Ramsey, Red River Community College, Winnipeg, Manitoba

United States:

• John Gazda, Metropolitan Community College, Kansas City, Missouri
• James Kraby, Westark Community College Fort Smith, Arkansas
• Stanley Sahlstrom, University of Minnesota Technical College, Crookston, Minnesota

Stanley Sahlstrom accepted the position of president of the Executive Committee. Terms were not set at this point.

It had been decided during the discussions that each country should have a single coordinating office maintained by a secretary. Sahlstrom made the motion that these two offices be filled by Abe Konrad of the University of Alberta and Don Morgan of the University of Minnesota. He noted that these two individuals had been key people in getting things rolling, both offered stability in that they were tenured professors and not likely to move, and they were willing.

His motion was carried.

 

The meeting adjourned on two notes: (1) Konrad accepted the responsibility of drafting a Document of Understanding for the proposed network, and (2) this would be presented at a meeting of those who could attend the April 1979 American Association of Junior Colleges Annual Convention in Chicago.