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North Dakota State College of Science dedicated its new Kosel Family Agriculture Land Lab today, and recognized local businesses who are providing educational opportunities through their involvement with the land lab. The land lab, located along Richland County Road 10, enables NDSCS Agriculture students to receive hands-on experience in the field to prepare them with skills needed for a career in agriculture.

In May 2017, Linda Patterson and Mary Kosel made a donation to the NDSCS Foundation, allowing for the use of nearly 95 acres of farmland to become an agricultural land laboratory. The NDSCS Foundation requested proposals from agricultural businesses to collaborate with the NDSCS Agriculture department to provide learning opportunities for Agriculture students through the use of the land lab. That process led to memorandums of agreement with Peterson Farms Seed and RDO Equipment Co., who are now actively using the land lab and creating educational opportunities for NDSCS students.

“Our students are looking for hands-on learning experiences. The applied learning and demonstrations at the land lab resonate with them and add to their learning experience,” said NDSCS Agriculture Chair Craig Zimprich. “They are also able to gain insight from business and industry representatives who are sharing their knowledge with our students.”

The collaboration between Peterson Farms Seed, RDO Equipment Co. and the NDSCS Agriculture department is allowing for applied research and demonstrations, and bringing additional expertise to students’ educational experience. Students are learning from the crops that have been planted at the land lab, and are seeing demonstrations about multiple farming practices.

“We’re proud to have the opportunity to work with NDSCS and the Land Lab through this unique public-private partnership,” Joel Kaczynski, said RDO Equipment Co. Product Specialist Manager. “This allows the RDO Equipment Co. team to directly demonstrate the concepts of precision agriculture, and pass along the experience and learnings to NDSCS students, our customers, and the community.”

“We’re excited to work with NDSCS on this Land Lab,” said Peterson Farms Seed Agronomy Lead Adam Spelhaug. “We’ve had a good relationship with NDSCS over the years and this a great way to share some of the work we do in genetic testing. We have some population tests on different hybrids the students will be able to observe along with some seed treatment and variety trials.”

Each year, the NDSCS Agriculture Department serves approximately 80-90 students who are intending to enter production agriculture or the associated sales and service industries after obtaining their Associate in Applied Science (A. A. S.) degree in Agriculture from NDSCS. Individuals interested in the program can learn more online at ndscs.edu/ag, or by attending the College’s Ag Day on Wednesday, November 7. More information and registration for this event can be found online at ndscs.edu/specialevent.

North Dakota State College of Science fall semester classes will begin Monday, August 20 at 4 p.m. for all students in Wahpeton, Fargo and online. Students who are not yet enrolled for fall semester can still do so by contacting the Enrollment Services office at 701-671-2521.

Opening weekend events in Wahpeton will kick off on Saturday, August 18 when residence halls open. New student orientation, an annual series of events designed to help students connect to the College community and establish positive and healthy habits, will take place from August 18-24 and will include outdoor evening activities for new and returning students.

These events will include:
• August 18, 9 - 11 p.m.: Outdoor Movie on The Oval
• August 19, 9 p.m. – 12 a.m.: Street Dance in Lot 2 north of Old Main with music provided by a disc jockey
• August 20, 9 - 11 p.m.: Glow Volleyball and other Glow Games with music on The Oval
• August 23, 9 p.m. – 12 a.m.: Street Dance in Lot 2 north of Old Main with music provided by a disc jockey

North Dakota State College of Science has received national recognition from two publications that have recently ranked the College among the nation’s best.

NDSCS was included at #14 on a list by Forbes that ranks the nation’s Top Two-Year Trade Schools. The list, revealed in an article titled “The Top 25 Two-Year Trade Schools: Colleges That Can Solve The Skills Gap”, evaluated more than 700 schools across the nation, and considered post-graduate success, affordability, completion success and student experience.

The College was also ranked #15 among public institutions in a report by the Chronicle of Higher Education in its 2018 Almanac of Higher Education titled “2-Year Colleges With the Best 3-Year Graduation Rates, 2016”. The report ranked 762 institutions based on their percentage of first-time, full-time, degree- or certificate-seeking students who entered in the fall of 2013 and graduated within three years.

“These recognitions acknowledge the great work of our employees at NDSCS,” said NDSCS President John Richman. “The rankings are an indication of our efforts to support our students’ success, and the steps we are taking to fulfill our mission of educating and training the workforce of North Dakota and the surrounding region.”

Additional Information:
Forbes.com: The Top 25 Two-Year Trade Schools: Colleges That Can Solve The Skills Gap
Forbes.com: How The Top Two-Year Trade School Ranking Is Scored
Chronicle.com: 2-Year Colleges With the Best 3-Year Graduation Rates, 2016

North Dakota State College of Science dedicated its William F. Rothwell Center for Science today. The area used for science education at the College has been named in honor of NDSCS alumnus William F. (Bill) Rothwell, who received his Liberal Arts degree from the College in 1956.

“Today we celebrate Bill Rothwell and thank him for his support of NDSCS,” said NDSCS President John Richman. “We are honored to dedicate the William F. Rothwell Center for Science, which will impact science education for generations of NDSCS students.”

A native of Breckenridge, Minn. and a longtime supporter of the NDSCS Alumni Foundation, Rothwell recently donated $250,000 to the Foundation to create an endowment that will support NDSCS science curriculum. Inspired by his mother, who was an instructor at NDSCS from 1965-1974 and instilled in him a love for education, Rothwell established the William F. Rothwell Endowment in 2015 to support students in Business Administration and Management. His most recent gift creates a second endowment to expand his impact to the science department. The William F. Rothwell Center for Science Endowment will help the College meet the educational needs of its students in the years to come.

“Bill and his wife, Janet, have both been dedicated to education throughout their careers. It has been a pleasure to get to know Bill and to work with him as he supports the community where he grew up,” said NDSCS Alumni Foundation Executive Director Kim Nelson. “His most recent gift demonstrates how donors can make an impact that matches their interests with the educational needs at NDSCS.”

Using a portion of the most recent gift from Rothwell, NDSCS has been able to update its chemistry lab with new computers and software to operate instruments and equipment for hands-on learning. The College is also able to move forward with new curriculum to teach anatomy using new equipment that uses a constructive, hands-on approach. The remainder of the gift will be used to create an endowment that will help the department maintain state-of-the-art equipment for science instruction.

“These upgrades allow our students to work with modern instruments that they will see and work with in their future careers,” said NDSCS Mathematics and Science Department Chair Shannon King. “We are excited to know that we will be able to continue to provide modern equipment for our students’ education as new technology is available in the future.”

More than 200 students will take classes at the NDSCS William F. Rothwell Center for Science each year. Classes using the new science equipment are part of the curriculum for students taking Liberal Arts courses or studying for science or pre-professional health careers, as well as students in the College’s Allied Health and Agriculture programs.