Go Wildcats! The NJCAA has officially announced that the NDSCS Wildcat football team will be traveling to Glen Ellyn, Illinois to play the College of DuPage in the DIII National Championship game on Saturday, December 3. NDSCS finished off the season with a 9-1 record and is ranked #1 in the division. The last time NDSCS participated in a bowl game was in 2005.

The NDSCS Alumni Foundation is organizing a Pep Rally Send-off for the team on Wednesday, November 30 at 7:30 p.m. in the Clair T. Blikre Activities Center, Wahpeton, N.D. The entire Wildcat community is invited to join NDSCS in celebrating the team’s accomplishments and hearing from some of the coaches and players. The team bus will leave early in the morning on Thursday, December 1 with a parade escort out of town.

Coach Issendorf invites all Wildcat fans that are attending the game to join them Friday, December 2 to welcome the players onto the field and watch the team practice. On Saturday, December 3, fans are invited to participate in tailgating celebrations until the game starts at 12 p.m.

Wildcat fans cheering from home are invited to attend a watch party at NDSCS in the Harry Stern and Ella Stern Cultural Center on Saturday — watch for details at NDSCSalumni.com.

NDSCS Mathematics and Science Associate Professor Margaret Brady has been selected as a winner of Labster’s 2022 STEM Excellence Award. This annual award recognizes 10 educators from around the world for innovation in education, through developing student-centered learning programs that utilize new technologies.

Brady was nominated by Labster team members based on her outstanding performance across multiple criteria, including encouragement of scientific literacy, support for strategies that increase student engagement, keen awareness of strategies that help STEM students learn effectively, use of innovative instructional materials and new teaching approaches, promotion of the application of science and technology in careers, and innovation in propelling an institution forward in the use of technology to help more students achieve their goals.

“The STEM Excellence Awards honor inspiring edtech innovators whose passion for teaching and commitment to student success are making a measurable impact within their community,” said Michael Bodekaer Jensen, Labster co-founder and CEO. Brady’s use of Labster virtual lab simulations in her classroom has assisted her students in developing understanding and skills related to the material she presents. “Something in the brain was clicking with the experience; even though it’s virtual, learning is taking place,” says Brady of adding Labster simulations to her courses.

Find more information here.

Article written by NDSCS and submitted to external news outlets. 

Henry and Mary Ann Loock, Wahpeton, were among the locals getting a unique treat Monday, Oct. 31. John Deere students from North Dakota State College of Science, under the supervision of Larry Ashman, cleaned up yards in the city. Connie Brandt, Wahpeton, sent in these photos of the students. They tended to the lawn belonging to her neighbors on Second Street North, the Loocks. ‘Congratulations to their community service,’ Brandt wrote. Who could disagree with that? ‘Getting these students out in a positive light and raking helps bring the college to the public and lets folks know that we appreciate them and their service to the college and the community. It’s our way of paying it forward,’ said Tyler Slettedahl, John Deere tech program coordinator.

Article written for Wahpeton Daily News on November 1, 2022.
Photo submitted by JD Tech faculty member, Larry Ascheman.

Daily News has received reports from multiple sources that ESPN has arrived in Wahpeton to continue covering the Ray Ruschel story.

Ruschel, a 49-year-old freshman on the North Dakota State College of Science football team, went viral after Daily News broke his story Sept. 8 in a piece titled “NDSCS nose guard Ray Ruschel tackles football at 49 years old,” leading to the defensive lineman appearing on Fox & Friends and ESPN College Gameday.

News of his unlikely return to the gridiron was shared by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Capital One Orange Bowl, Associated Press and Washington Post. Valley News Live posted a short interview with Ruschel on Twitter that gained over 325,000 views.

In addition to playing football, Ruschel works the graveyard shift at Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative and studies business management during the day. He is a U.S. Army veteran and active member of the Army National Guard.

The 1992 Trinity High School (PA.) graduate is a finalist for the Armed Forces Merit Award to be presented between 6-6:30 p.m. Nov. 11, Veterans Day, during an ESPN telecast.

Ruschel and the No. 3-ranked Wildcats (7-1) host Central Lakes (4-3) at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the semifinal round of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference playoffs. NDSCS won the only meeting between the teams Oct. 1 in Wahpeton, 52-14.

Article written by Robert Wanek Jr for Wahpeton Daily News on October 28, 2022. 

The NDSCS Performing Arts Department will present its first concert of the season on Tuesday, October 25, 2022 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 Choir, Jazz Band, and Wildcat Singers. “We are excited to perform the most eclectic concert of the season,” says program coordinator and choral director, Bryan Poyzer. The audience will hear traditional choral, country, pop, Broadway, and even some hard rock. Dr. Adam Hollingsworth will be directing the Jazz Band, which will also continue with its tradition of genre-breaking literature.

The concert is free and open to the public. Free-will donations will be accepted. Learn more about NDSCS Performing Arts at NDSCS.edu/Performing-Arts.

North Dakota State College of Science is accepting applications for students interested in enrolling in the Practical Nursing program at NDSCS-Fargo. The deadline for submitting an application and all selection criteria is October 15, 2022.

The Practical Nursing Program at NDSCS-Fargo features flexible class offerings, including face-to-face evening nursing classes. Students will participate in lectures, labs, and a variety of clinical experiences. New students to the program will begin classes in January 2023.

Additional information about program dates and admission criteria can be found online at NDSCS.edu/Fargo-Nursing.

North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) announced today that it has earned the 2022-2023 Military Friendly® School designation.

Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. Methodology, criteria and weightings were determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in higher education. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.

More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2022-2023 survey, with 665 earning the designation. The 2022-2023 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May issue of the G.I. Jobs magazine, and can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com/schools.

NDSCS offers a variety of online courses and programs to provide an educational opportunity to those who are placebound or timebound and cannot attend traditional classes. These courses and programs also provide an opportunity for current and former members of the military to enhance their education or seek new skills. To find out more about specific military programs that may provide educational information and financial support visit www.ndscs.edu/military.

NDSCS’s VA Certifying Official, Mike Paolini, stated, “Receiving this designation illustrates NDSCS’s continued commitment to our military student population. With this population continuing to grow, it’s important for us to stay focused on their needs and provide them with the resources to be successful at NDSCS.”