Robert Erickson believes that higher education should be affordable for all students who need it, whether they can attend school all the time or only part time.

But current financial aid programs only provide assistance to those who attend full time. To help part-time students, he is riding his bike around the state to raise money for those he says are left out of Minnesota’s current financial aid programs.

Erickson is a trustee for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. He started on a 2,101-mile bike tour of all 53 MNSCU institutions May 14. His goal is to raise $40,000 by the time the ride ends in July.

Albert Lea was one of his destinations on Friday, where he stopped at the Albert Lea campus of Riverland College.

As he travels he also speaks of his concern about the obstacles that these kinds of &uot;non-traditional&uot; students face.

&uot;With our economy weak, we have people in their 30s, 40s and 50s getting laid off and no jobs in sight. How are these people going to retrain themselves without some help?,&uot; Erickson said. They often have assets that make them ineligible for traditional forms of aid, but can’t be turned into cash very easily, he added. So they try to find something that will pay the bills, and still leave them with the time and energy for a class or two each semester.

In his six years as a trustee he’s heard many stories about the problems that part-time students face.

&uot;Even $15 or $20 can make a difference for some of these students,&uot; he said.

Riverland College President Dr. Gary Rhodes accompanied Erickson on the portion of his bike trip from Riverland’s Austin campus to Albert Lea.

&uot;The ride was fantastic, with the sun shining, blue sky &045; and only one dog chasing us,&uot; said Rhodes. He was glad to be able to offer some companionship for at least one small part of Erickson’s ride.

Erickson has ridden all over the world, and is used to riding up to 100 miles a day in places like China, New Zealand, and South America. Right now he’s hoping to round up enough dollars to help students.

People interested in supporting his bike ride with a donation are encouraged to call Joyce Petsch at 651-297-4390. Donations can also be made through the MnSCU Web site: www.mnscu.edu or locally through the Riverland or Albert Lea Campus foundations, with donations designated for part-time student scholarships.