North Dakota State College of Science crowned the 2018 Homecoming King and Queen on Wednesday, September 26. Queen Heather Heyerman is from St. Michael, Minn. and is pursuing a Liberal Arts degree. She was sponsored by the NDSCS Ambassadors and Collegiate DECA. King Brent Larson is from Lisbon, N.D. and is pursuing a Practical Nursing degree. He was sponsored by the Practical Nursing Club and Phi Theta Kappa. Heyerman and Larson will preside over NDSCS Homecoming activities for the duration of the week.

The 2018 Homecoming Court also included:
• Vanesa Aguilera of Arlington, Minn.; Occupational Therapy Assistant; sponsored by the Wildcat Welcome Team and the OTA Club
• Bethany Materi of Bismarck, N.D.; Dental Hygiene, sponsored by the Dental Club and Diesel Club
• Carter Kipp of Wahpeton, N.D.; Business Management; sponsored by the Media Squad and Campus Activities Board
• Zane Woroniecki of Hebron, N.D.; Electrical Technology; sponsored by the Electrical Club and ISA Club

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.

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 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 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.

The North Dakota State College of Science and North Dakota State University have entered into a Memorandum of Agreement to better serve the research, service, educational and workforce needs of North Dakota. The two institutions share a unique combined presence in eastern North Dakota, and a cooperative spirit through which the educational interests of the state and local area are served.

“This agreement paves the way for NDSU and NDSCS to strengthen education across North Dakota by working together in areas including academic programming, operations and campus resources,” said NDSU President Dean Bresciani. “It enables us to explore additional opportunities to create academic partnerships and operating efficiencies.”

“NDSCS and NDSU have a history of cooperation and collaboration,” said NDSCS President John Richman. “This memorandum of agreement formalizes and expands that partnership, and will help us to work together to meet the area’s educational and workforce needs.”

The institutions have previously partnered in specific areas to enhance student success. Previous agreements have been outlined for:

• Pathway Program – NDSU directs appropriate students denied admission to NDSU to consider the Pathway Program, which provides an avenue for students to complete developmental coursework at NDSCS while living on NDSU’s campus and taking selected courses collaboratively at NDSU.
• Reverse Transfer – In cases where students transfer from NDSCS to NDSU before completion of their associate’s degree, the reverse transfer process allows students to transfer credits back to NDSCS for the purpose of attaining the associate’s degree.

Through this new Memorandum of Agreement, the institutions will develop transfer guides and processes to facilitate seamless transfers from NDSCS to NDSU, as well as collaborate to identify new and modify existing career and technical programming.

NDSCS and NDSU each serve a unique niche in providing educational programming to meet workforce needs, with NDSCS serving as the principal provider of sub-baccalaureate programming and NDSU providing baccalaureate and graduate programs. With a growing need for degree programs at all levels delivered in the Cass County region, the institutions recognize the need to collaborate to provide educational opportunities for students.

In addition to collaboration in academic programming, the new Memorandum of Agreement creates a path to explore collaboration for operational efficiencies and shared services.