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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.

Fall enrollment numbers have once again remained steady at the North Dakota State College of Science. Total student enrollment is 2,957, which includes Wahpeton, Fargo, online and early entry students. This is a decrease of less than 1% compared to fall 2017 enrollment, which totaled 2,985.

The number of high school students taking Early Entry classes through NDSCS has increased by more than 16% from 714 in 2017 to 833 in 2018. Early Entry classes allow students to begin earning college credits while still fulfilling their high school requirements.

There are 1,589 full time students, while 1,368 students are enrolled part time. There are 875 students living on the NDSCS Wahpeton campus in residence halls or apartments. The enrollment data shows that the number of students from North Dakota increased 2.3% to 2,097, with 46 of the state’s 53 counties represented.

While NDSCS student retention data is not yet available, the College projects that number to increase, with more than 70% of students remaining with NDSCS to work toward degree completion.

“The projected increase in student retention is evidence that our continued focus and investment in supporting students is translating into fulfilling our mission of educating the workforce of North Dakota and this region,” said NDSCS President John Richman.