North Dakota State College of Science crowned the 2019 Homecoming King and Queen on Wednesday, October 9. Queen Morgan Menge is from Bismarck, N.D. and is pursuing a Dental Hygiene degree. She was sponsored by the Campus Activities Board and NDSCS Ambassadors. King Joe Khalifa is from Westhope, N.D. and is pursuing an Automotive Technology degree. He was sponsored by the Automotive Technology and Powersports Technology Clubs. Menge and Khalifa will preside over NDSCS Homecoming activities for the duration of the week.

The 2019 Homecoming Court also included:

• Chantel Ganser of Fargo, N.D.; Practical Nursing; sponsored by Residential Life and the Wildcat Welcome Team
• Jessica Johnson of Barnesville, Minn.; Dental Hygiene, sponsored by the Dental Club and the Diesel Club
• RJ Hutcherson of Walcott, N.D.; Liberal Arts; sponsored by Residential Life and Phi Theta Kappa
• Chris Kowalski of East Grand Forks, Minn.; Plumbing; sponsored by the Campus Activities Board and the Wildcat Welcome Team

North Dakota State College of Science will add to its successful line-up of athletics teams with the addition of baseball in the 2020-2021 season. The Wildcat baseball team will play in the Mon-Dak Conference and will compete at the NJCAA Division III level. 

“We are excited to add more opportunities for student athletes by beginning a baseball program,” said NDSCS Athletics Director Stu Engen. “We recognize that baseball is a very popular sport in southeast North Dakota and the surrounding region, and we look forward to adding a Wildcat baseball team to our five other successful athletics programs at NDSCS.”

The search will soon begin for a head baseball coach, who will immediately lead player recruitment efforts to fill a roster for the team’s inaugural season. The Wildcat baseball team will host its home games at John Randall Field in Wahpeton, N.D. The team will play a fall schedule of scrimmages, and will compete in conference play in the spring season.

The NDSCS baseball team will join an athletics department that consists of nationally competitive teams in volleyball, football, men’s and women’s basketball, and softball. Additional information can be found online at ndscswildcats.com. 

North Dakota State College of Science students will have two new co-curricular opportunities when the upcoming academic year begins. The College is adding clay target (trapshooting) and esports teams, which will both begin competition in the 2019-2020 academic year.

“Participation in trapshooting and esports is growing rapidly in our region,” said NDSCS Vice President for Student Affairs Jane Vangsness Frisch. “We are committed to providing a variety of co-curricular options that match our students’ interests. The addition of these new club teams will offer even more opportunities for our students to become actively involved in the College community. Research shows that students who are involved outside the classroom do better academically and socially.”

The NDSCS eSports Team will be affiliated with the National Association of Collegiate eSports and will compete year-round against other collegiate teams across the nation. The team will compete from the newly renovated Game Room in the Hektner Student Center at NDSCS in Wahpeton.

The NDSCS Clay Target Team will participate in the Minnesota Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) and will compete against teams from Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. The MCAC Clay Target season is a six-week season that begins in early September and culminates with a championship in mid-October in Grand Rapids, Minn.

Additional information is available online at ndscs.edu/clubs. Students who are interested in joining either of these new teams can contact the NDSCS Student Life department at 701-671-2401 or ndscs.studentlife@ndscs.edu.

By North Dakota Career and Technical Education

The Special Populations program at North Dakota State College of Science was presented the Director’s Award of Excellence during the opening session at the 49th Annual Department of Career and Technical Education Professional Development Conference held at the Bismarck Event Center in Bismarck. The award is an acknowledgement of superior career and technical education programs in North Dakota. Accepting the award was John Richman, President, Harvey Link, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Ken Kompelien, Dean of Arts, Science and Business Division and Maria Kaduc, Department Chair of Academic Services Center and Kara Gruenberg, Suzanne Hagelstrom, Traci Eklund, Larissa Gilbertson, Cindy Lee Deuser program instructors.

The program was recognized for:

• Enhancing student achievement and increasing student retention by providing a wide range of college readiness courses, activities, and services at the Academic Services Center (ASC).

• Acknowledging the ASC as the only NADE accredited development program in the region and all faculty in the department as members of the NDACTSNE, with three serving on the Executive Board.