Bismarck State College rolls out its welcome mat for new and returning students for a week of activities starting Monday, Aug. 25.

On Aug. 25, advisors, faculty, staff, who work closely with students, will "meet and greet" students at an outdoor event from 1 to 4 p.m. on the Jack Science Center lawn. President Larry Skogen will attend along with members of the student Board of Governors.

Stations of tables and tents will contain information about programs, admission, scholarships, athletics, student services, student organizations, library and multi-cultural program. The BSC Foundation will draw names for two $250 scholarship certificates toward spring tuition ('09) for students who register at the kick-off.

"This is another opportunity for students who still have questions," said Wayne Heckaman, BSC admissions counselor.

The afternoon includes music and a live remote broadcast by KCCT-FM Hot 97.5, popcorn and root beer, prizes, and tours by student volunteers. Rain location is the Jack Science Center.

Full day classes begin Tuesday, Aug. 26, when anyone spotted wearing BSC gear by the BSC patrol will receive a prize. Student Life staff and their helpers will be out between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Other welcome back activities are the annual "Welcome to BSC Free Lunch" Wednesday, Aug. 27, at the Student Union, and a new event - an outdoor movie, set for 8 p.m. on the Schafer Hall hillside. Viewers will see "Son-in-law" and enjoy free popcorn and pop. Thursday is packed with a BSC Mystic volleyball game at 7 p.m. in the BSC Armory and a student dance from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at the Bismarck Civic Center.

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Bismarck State College will celebrate the opening of its National Energy Center of Excellence with a Ribbon Cutting Celebration and Open House at 9:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 29.

Speakers for the ceremony will include N.D. Gov. John Hoeven, members of North Dakota's congressional delegation, Basin Electric CEO Ron Harper, BSC President Larry C. Skogen, and former BSC President Donna S. Thigpen.

Bismarck State College's nationally recognized energy technology programs are now located in the National Energy Center of Excellence (NECE) at 1200 Schafer St. The 4-story, 106,200 square-foot facility will also serve as a national resource center of education and training for the energy industry. Also located in the NECE are BSC's Division of Continuing Education, Training and Innovation, and some administrative offices.

Sources of funding for the $18.3 million building include industry partners; local, state and federal government; as well as individual and employee donations. The NECE has been designated as one of the State of North Dakota Centers of Excellence. It will also house the Great Plains Energy Corridor Office.

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Bismarck State College Gannon Gallery opens with an exhibit of recent paintings and a series of miniatures by New Hampshire artist Elizabeth Austin. Opening reception in the BSC Library is Wednesday, Sept. 3, from 4 to 7 p.m.

Austin grew up in Chicago and has lived in Italy and France. She exhibited in several galleries in Paris and the U.S., including New England, Illinois, Maryland, and Florida, and had a piece in a Christie's benefit for the New York City Opera. She also started a series of performance art pieces and toured the United States as a solo artist for 10 years.

Her miniatures, called "Cassetinas," means "little boxes" in Italian. Austin says they are the smallest pieces she can produce. She renders them with tiny tools such as a medical magnifying glass.

Austin has experimented with transparency and light refraction and reflection, which she incorporates into her pieces. "The Nocturnes" paintings are set at night in an enchanted landscape that glows with iridescent pigment and foil.

From 1999-2002, her work was shown in Cape Verde, Africa, through the U.S. State Department's Art In Embassies program. Austin has a BS in studio art from Lawrence University and studied new media at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Advanced Visual Studies.

The exhibit runs through Sept. 18.

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Bismarck State College will begin offering classes in power plant technology and process plant technology to students in Wisconsin this fall through a partnership with Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton.

BSC and Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) recently formed the partnership to help meet the needs of high-demand energy careers in Wisconsin and upper Michigan.

Courses from BSC will be offered online, says Bruce Emmil, associate vice president for energy technology programs at BSC. "Fox Valley faculty will teach some courses, such as math and electricity, that are part of their curriculum in other programs."

BSC credits will transfer to Fox Valley, and students will earn an associate's degree from FVTC, says Emmil. Fox Valley was able to subtitle these programs under their Computer Control Engineering Tech degree, which enabled them to quickly make these programs available to students in Wisconsin and upper Michigan.

According to the Wisconsin Public Service Commissions' Strategic Energy Report 2012, approximately 700 highly skilled workers will retire from Wisconsin utilities by 2010, and more than 1,300 will retire by 2015. In addition, increased consumer usage continues to contribute toward the demand.

FVTC President Dr. Susan May views the partnership as a proactive means to address career fluctuations. "Bismarck State College is a tremendous leader in energy-related training, and we are excited to partner with the college to help meet the industry's unique demands," says May.

BSC President Larry Skogen says this partnership addresses BSC's strategic plan and the goal to develop national and international partnerships. "We are developing these kinds of partnerships to increase the student population, and also to work more efficiently in meeting industry's workforce needs," he said.

BSC has partnerships with other community colleges, but this is the most comprehensive, says Emmil. The partnership includes a financial aid consortium agreement, an identified program coordinator on each campus, and provisions for Fox Valley students to have access to hands-on lab activities, internships, or job shadowing with local energy industry partners.

Since founding one of the nation's first Power Plant Technology programs in 1976, BSC has emerged as a national leader in energy technology education. In 2007 the U.S. Department of Energy designated BSC as the National Power Plant Operations Technology and Education Center for expertise in training and educating operators and technicians in the energy industry.

A new building to house the college's energy technology programs is nearing completion on the southeast edge of the campus. Called the National Energy Center of Excellence, the 106,200 square-foot facility will also serve as a national resource center of education and training for the energy industry.

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(Basin Electric news release)

Bismarck, N.D. - Some fairytales don't involve love. Take, for instance, academia and careers. A student picks a major, selects a school and enrolls in the program. Along comes a great employer that offers an internship. After hard work, the student lands a job with the employer who also happens to provide 50 percent tuition reimbursement.

Sounds like a fairytale? Not really. Right now, Basin Electric and Bismarck State College (BSC) are living out that scenario through a new partnership called the "Grow Your Own" Program.

Facing a significant amount of retirements in the next five to 10 years, Basin Electric knew it was time to take its recruiting efforts to the next level. The cooperative looked no further than its already-thriving relationship with Bismarck State College.

"Basin Electric and BSC have a longstanding relationship - much of which is centered on the college's highly reputable Power Plant Technology program," says Ron Harper, Basin Electric CEO and general manager. "With base-load power plants in North Dakota and Wyoming, many BSC graduates take root at Basin Electric facilities."

Today, that relationship continues to flourish. Starting this fall, students who enroll in the Power Plant Technology Associate Degree program will have the opportunity to apply for internships at Basin Electric's three power plants. Upon completion of the internships and the program, students may be offered a laborer position. If offered a full-time position, 50 percent tuition will be reimbursed according to established guidelines.

"We are offering up to five students an opportunity to complete their job shadowing requirements plus an 80-hour internship at each of our facilities," says Sharon Klein, Basin Electric manager of human resources. "This program allows students and Basin Electric the opportunity to see if we're a good fit for each other. It also allows us access to top students and reduces training time and recruitment costs, should we bring the interns on full-time."

Upon hire, graduates will receive 15 percent reimbursement. After completing one year of employment, they'll receive another 15 percent, and after two years, they'll receive 20 percent, for a total of 50 percent.

"We are excited that Basin Electric is offering this wonderful opportunity to our Power Plant Program students," says Kari Knudson, Bismarck State College vice president of energy technology programs and director of the National Energy Center of Excellence. "This is an excellent example of collaboration between industry and education to provide a direct benefit to students."

Hiring Bismarck State College graduates has been a longstanding tradition of Basin Electric. "During the past five years, Basin Electric and Dakota Gasification Company had 281 openings at our facilities with educational requirements of a two year degree or less. Of these 281 openings, we hired 166 BSC grads. That's 59 percent," Klein says.

In 2003, Basin Electric strengthened its relationship with BSC by pledging $2 million toward the college's National Energy Center of Excellence, further ensuring a legacy of hiring highly educated students. Construction of the center is near completion. It will include state-of-the-art equipment, which will provide energy students with relevant hands on experience.

"Basin Electric has provided tremendous support to Bismarck State College and continues to be a valued partner," says Dr. Larry C. Skogen, Bismarck State College president.

Harper adds, "Bismarck State College is truly a national leader, and we're honored to partner with the college in these endeavors. This is just another example of how two entities can come together and make great things happen."

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Sherman Alexie will appear as key presenter at the North Dakota Arts and Humanities Summit sponsored by Bismarck State College Oct. 9-10.

Held every two years, the summit is an educational creative arts showcase, where students and faculty from North Dakota's colleges and universities share their work with each other and the public.

Alexie, an award-winning author, poet and filmmaker, has written novels, screenplays, short stories, and 11 collections of poetry. Scholars and literary and film critics have lauded his work with countless awards, including the 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the Pushcart Prize for poetry, PEN/Malamud Award, Sundance Film Festival Audience Award, and many others. He displays his exceptional humor and performance ability at poetry readings and comedy venues.

The arts summit will include a visual arts exhibit, musical performances, readings, and presentations by scholars and students. View the Summit Web site at bismarckstate.edu/summit/

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Bismarck State College will begin offering Instrumentation and Control Technology, a new two-year program, this fall.

Students in the program will begin with courses in Electronics Technology for the first year of the Instrumentation & Control (I&C) program. The second-year courses in I&C will begin in the fall of 2009.

Representatives from North Dakota's energy industry requested that BSC offer the program to help meet the growing need for skilled instrumentation and control technicians in North Dakota's power plants, ethanol plants and other process plants. Other employment opportunities would be with manufacturers of appliances, medical equipment, or others industrial sites in which automated systems are used.

Students in the program will gain the skills and knowledge to install, repair, upgrade, maintain and troubleshoot instrumentation and control systems. They will earn an associate in applied science degree or a diploma upon successful completion of the program.

BSC is the only college in the North Dakota University System offering this program.

For information about the program, contact Bob Arso, chair of the Industrial Technology Department, at (701) 224-5416, click here to visit the I&C Technology Web site, or click here to receive additional information.

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