Greetings from your new College Readiness Coordinator!

Maggie Bergeron

College Readiness Coordinator

Hello! I’m thrilled to be writing my first blog in my new role as the College Readiness Coordinator in the College Readiness Consortium. I have a long history of and a deep commitment to working with students who are moving from high school into college, and also moving from college into careers, civic lives, and additional education. I’m also a first-generation student (my parents did not complete 4-year degree programs) who grew up in a rural MN town and transferred to the U of MN to complete my degree. This really means that I had a lot to figure out as I navigated the college application process, as well as just knowing how to “do college.”

Before I stepped into this role, I served as the Associate Director of Faculty Engagement in the College of Liberal Arts, where I piloted and supported new faculty engagement initiatives that make teaching more visible and valued in the college. I was particularly excited to facilitate cohorts of faculty who tackled relevant and pressing issues in education, including the role of GenAI and implementation of alternative assessment methods. I’m committed to working with teachers across disciplines to cultivate inclusive teaching practices that support students and their development through the cultivation of classroom communities. This work has brought me across the country to universities and non-profits as a consultant to work with instructors on supporting a sense of belonging in their classes. 

My primary discipline and way of knowing the world is dance - I have over 25 years of experience working as a professional dancer, choreographer, curator, producer, and teacher - which have deeply instilled a passion and commitment to collaboration as a creative, radical act. I spent 14 years as a Senior Lecturer in the U of MN Dance Program, where I had the privilege of working with dance majors, minors, and students from all over the Twin Cities campus. I also directed the Dance Department at the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists (SPCPA) for over 10 years and taught 9th-12th graders movement, history, choreography, and college-readiness courses. 

My work in both high school and postsecondary education converged in 2022 in the collaborative writing of Approaching College with Purpose, a first-year experience college success text. I have the privilege of collaborating with my musician husband as we perform occasionally across the Twin Cities, most recently at the Walker Art Center last November. I am a proud graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and hold a BFA in Dance from the University of Minnesota. I am a MN Licensed K-12 Dance Instructor and hold a Masters of Arts in Teaching.

As I start this job I’m thinking about a few current and relevant questions that are impacting college and career readiness right now:

• How is GenAI impacting the entire field of education: Pre-K all the way through postsecondary programs? What AI-specific skills and capacities will students need as they move into their lives after education? How and when will students be taught about all the varied implications of GenAI?
• How can students learn about (and practice!) their abilities to process new information and ideas and be adaptable in a quickly-changing education and work/career world?
• How can students and families take advantage of education available to them, particularly postsecondary opportunities?

I’m also working on a few exciting College Knowledge Month activities for students (keep your eyes on October!) that will be emailed and posted on social media in September. Also, please take a moment to follow the College Readiness Consortium on Instagram and X for more college readiness tips. 

I’m really looking forward to connecting with all of you this year - please don’t hesitate to reach out via email or Instagram if you want to get in touch.

About the Author

Maggie Bergeron, M.A., is the College Readiness Coordinator in the College Readiness Consortium at the University of Minnesota. The College Readiness Consortium aims to prepare all students to be college-ready through collaborations with K-12 administrators and educators, as well as UMN staff who work with K-12 students across the UMN campuses. Maggie has extensive experience teaching, leading, and designing faculty development in K-12, higher education, and non-profit contexts. She co-authored Approaching College with Purpose (2022), a first-year experience college success text.