As the candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination prepare for their first debate this week in Milwaukee, Wisc., two Minnesota veterans of presidential races are looking on.

Both Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former Gov. Tim Pawlenty sought their party’s nominations, although neither ended up being the candidate.

Even though she’s a Democrat, Klobuchar said the Republican presidential debates are a must watch for her.

St. Cloud State University is undergoing many changes in the near future and the theater department is directly affected.

In April, President Robbyn Wacker announced cuts to faculty and six major departments to address a $24 million shortfall next fiscal year. Enrollment at the university has fallen by about 6,000 students, or 38 percent since 2010. Due to low enrollment numbers, the university plans to phase out the theater department this upcoming school year.

Incoming students will no longer be admitted in the theater program, but the small group of students currently majoring and minoring in theater are in what is called a teachout year, in which current students will get the classes they need in order to graduate from the university.