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The American Welding Society (AWS) has certified the North Dakota State College of Science as an Accredited Test Facility. This enables designated NDSCS Welding Technology faculty to test and certify qualified welders to the nationally recognized AWS standards.

“This designation as an AWS Accredited Test Facility is a tremendous advantage for our students,” said NDSCS Welding Technology Associate Professor Joel Johnson. “Our Welding Technology graduates will now have an AWS certification, which is recognized nationally and even worldwide.”

To become an AWS Accredited Test Facility, the NDSCS Welding Technology department completed a two-year process to develop a Quality Manual, verify that lab equipment meets requirements and obtain Certified Welding Inspector certification for faculty. The final step in the process was an on-site audit by a third party.

In May 2017, NDSCS was awarded a $740,000 National Science Foundation grant to support the North Dakota Welds (NDWelds) program. That grant helped to make the AWS Accredited Test Facility designation possible by supporting the investment of time and money to complete the application process.

“One of the goals of NDWelds is to unify welding standards across the state,” said NDSCS Welding Technology Associate Professor Clint Gilbertson. “Through the Accredited Test Facility, we will be able to provide certification for the current workforce, and partner with high schools to offer certification for their instructors and students.”

The NDSCS Welding Technology program will celebrate its 90^th anniversary in 2020. Additional information about the program can be found online at ndscs.edu/welding.

The NDSCS Performing Arts Department will present its Holiday Concert on Tuesday, December 10, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. in the Bremer Bank Theatre in the Harry Stern and Ella Stern Cultural Center on the NDSCS campus in Wahpeton.

The concert will feature performances by the NDSCS Concert Band under the direction of Adam Hollingsworth and the NDSCS Concert Choir under the direction of Bryan Poyzer.

The concert will include a guest performance by The Acapella Express under the direction of Megan Argall. The Acapella Express has been an active women’s choral group in the Fargo-Moorhead area for more than 60 years.

The concert is free and open to the public. A reception following the concert will be held in the lobby of the Harry Stern and Ella Stern Cultural Center.

The North Dakota State College of Science Performing Arts Department will present its fall play, CLUE, at 7 p.m. on November 14 and 15, and 1 p.m. on November 16 in the Bremer Bank Theatre in the Harry Stern and Ella Stern Cultural Center on the NDSCS campus in Wahpeton. Admission is $5 for adults, and $1 for students.

CLUE is based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn with additional material by Hunter Foster, Sandy Rustin and Eric Prince. It is based on the Paramount Pictures motion pictures and the Hasbro board game CLUE, and includes original music by David Abbinanti.

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program today named North Dakota State College of Science as one of 150 community colleges eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America's community colleges. Based on strong and improving student outcomes — including in learning, completion rates, employment rates and earnings, and equity — 15 percent of community colleges nationwide have been invited to apply for the Aspen Prize.

“We are truly honored and humbled to be recognized as an Aspen Prize Top 150 U.S. Community College,” said NDSCS President John Richman. “This is exciting recognition of the strategic decisions we have made — and the outstanding work our employees do every day — to continually improve the services and support we provide to our students.”

The 150 community colleges named today as eligible to compete for the 2021 Aspen Prize were selected from a pool of nearly 1,000 public two-year colleges nationwide using publicly available data on student outcomes. Located in 39 states in urban, rural, and suburban areas, serving as few as 500 students and as many as 75,000 students, these colleges represent the diversity and depth of the community college sector.

Data show that over the last two years, student retention, graduation rates, and degree completion have improved at the top tier of 150 Aspen Prize-eligible colleges.

“Community colleges play a vital role in developing talent and enabling social mobility across the country, and it’s critical for them to get better at what they do,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. “We’re pleased to see evidence that these institutions are improving, that more are delivering on their promise. We’re also pleased to play a role in honoring outstanding community colleges and sharing what works to ensure great outcomes for students — through graduation and beyond.”

The top ten finalists for the 2021 Aspen Prize will be named in May 2020. The Aspen Institute will then conduct site visits to each of the finalists and collect additional quantitative data, including employment and earnings data. A distinguished jury will make award decisions in spring 2021.

For a full list of the top 150 eligible institutions and to read more on the selection process, visit www.highered.aspeninstitute.org/aspen-prize.

The ApprenticeshipND program at the North Dakota State College of Science will celebrate National Apprenticeship Week with an open house and round table discussion on Wednesday, November 13 at NDSCS-Fargo, located at 1305 19^th Avenue North.

The open house will be held from 1-4 p.m. and will include opportunities to learn about the ApprenticeshipND program and network with other business and industry representatives. At 2 p.m., a round table discussion will be held to share information about the future of apprenticeships and how apprenticeships can help meet business needs. Round table attendees will hear from statewide leaders from certification boards and businesses with established apprenticeship programs. Additional information about the event can be found online at ndscs.edu/naw, or by calling 701-231-6921.

The NDSCS Division for Workforce Affairs operates the ApprenticeshipND program to offer a variety of non-credit correspondence courses for individuals in a vocational field who cannot attend regular college learning activities. Individuals are able to expand and/or update their knowledge through additional courses in their related field of study by enrolling in one or more of the occupational courses available. ApprenticeshipND offers more than 100 courses in areas including carpentry, cement-masonry, roofing, sheet metal and boilers. Additional information is available online at ndscs.edu/ApprenticeshipND.

Upon completion of a qualifying apprenticeship, individuals may be eligible to apply for the NDSCS Technical Studies – Journeyworker Track program, which provides students the opportunity to earn an Associate in Applied Science degree by combining their apprenticeship training with college credit course work. Individuals who are interested in the Journeyworker Track can contact NDSCS Academic and Career Counseling at 1-800-342-4325, ext. 3-2257.

National Apprenticeship Week is a nationwide celebration to showcase the opportunities that apprenticeships offer to develop workplace experience and skills that employers value. The fifth annual National Apprenticeship Week will take place November 11-17, 2019, with events across the country.

In North Dakota, Governor Doug Burgum has proclaimed November 11-17, 2019 Apprenticeship Week in the State of North Dakota and November 2019 as Registered Apprenticeship Awareness Month. The full proclamations are available online at governor.nd.gov/proclamations.