Counselor retires after 33 years of service

After 33 years at MCTC, Dr. Joe Rine is retiring from his position as academic advisor. (Anthony C. Maki/City College News)

Dr. Joe Rine, a teacher and counselor whom students may recognize by the signs bearing quotations he wears daily, will retire this May after 33 years of service to students and the surrounding community.

As head librarian, Rine got his start at what was then the first campus of Metropolitan State Junior College. Old houses dotted the neighborhood surrounding Loring Park.

“Everybody knew everybody,” Rine said. “It was very nice, really nice.”

Following two bachelor’s degrees, a master’s degree and a doctorate, Rine took up part-time roles in both the counseling office and the library. As soon as a position opened, he became a full-time counselor, which he has remained for the last 22 years.

He also has taught “Strategies for College Success,” an Academic Development (ADEV) course. MCTC graduate and Columbia University junior class president Chris Ideen took the class in 2006.

“I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for the guidance and direction that I received from Dr. Joe throughout my two years at MCTC,” Ideen said in an e-mail.

Upon enrolling at MCTC, Ideen had not taken classes for five years, so he was unsure of his academic abilities. In the first semester, he said, Rine helped him to build a strong foundation. During the 2007-08 school year he became a student senator and president of Phi Theta Kappa, an international honor society for two-year colleges, working closely with Rine and other advisers.

“Dr. Joe enabled me … to take risks that have paid off immensely,” Ideen said.

Helping students against long odds called Rine to the counseling profession. “I have gone to bat when a student has concerns,” he said.

One can’t be in his classroom without being inspired, according to MCTC President Phil Davis. “It’s just inescapable, what he’s done for me is what he’s done for so many students,” he said.

Minneapolis Community College emerged from the break-up of the metropolitan system, which later became MCTC from the 1996 merger with Minneapolis Technical College.

As the city grew, so did the college. “We became like a Dayton’s or a Byerly’s. With this becoming big, we lost the sense of knowing everybody,” Rine said. “I don’t know a lot of people anymore.” He worries that students are falling through the cracks, a feeling that he said will follow him into retirement.

Asked about his retirement plans, Rine said, “Everybody’s asking that. The very first thing I have to do … is I have to get my place in order. I do a lot of volunteer work, so I might do more of that.”

Faculty, administration staff and students will honor Rine at a retirement party Wednesday, May 12, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Gourmet Dining Room, located on the first floor of the Technical Building.