College Relations and Marketing |
Released: 10/22/2009 - Printer Friendly
WAHPETON, N.D. (October 22, 2009) - North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) President John Richman, Ph.D., reported today that the college is “sound” in his annual State of the College Address to the campus. Richman pointed to many factors in his assessment, including a stable enrollment, a secure financial position and an even greater emphasis on partnerships with the private sector.
“We are seeing some positive trends developing at NDSCS,” Richman said. “Headcount is up again this year, the numbers of on-campus residents and meal plan participants have stabilized, and our financial position is very sound.”
Richman praised North Dakota Governor John Hoeven, the North Dakota legislature and the State Board of Higher Education for increasing higher education funding during the 2009 legislative session. The funding increase means NDSCS is able to freeze its tuition for the current academic year and the next. According to Richman, that is a competitive advantage for the college as other institutions implement tuition increases.
“Our programs are competitive on their own because we provide world-class training and our graduates find great careers,” Richman said. “The tuition freeze means that we are in a position to be a very economical choice for students.”
Richman also cited the college’s 95 percent graduate placement rate as evidence of the college’s sound footing. “When we place 95 percent of our graduates, that tells me we are providing the types of training that employers desire. We are playing a vital role in the economic vitality of the state by training employees for the types of careers that need to be filled,” he said.
NDSCS plans to place an even greater emphasis on partnerships with the private sector in the future. “We are continually seeking and pursuing opportunities to work with private-sector partners. Our primary mission is not to increase enrollment. Our primary mission is to train the employees that our state needs to remain a national economic leader,” Richman said. “This state is prospering economically, even during a national economic downturn, and our role is to help drive that growth by providing well-trained employees for our state’s employers.”
Richman delivered his State of the College Address Thursday afternoon, October 22 in the Harry Stern and Ella Stern Cultural Center on the NDSCS campus. NDSCS employees and the public were invited to attend, with department supervisors responsible for ensuring duties were covered during the address.
NDSCS is a two-year, comprehensive, residential college with its main campus located in Wahpeton, N.D., and a second site, referred to as the Skills and Technology Training Center, located in Fargo, N.D. NDSCS offers degrees, certificates, and diplomas in over 80 academic options in traditional career and technical studies as well as the liberal arts. The college also offers a variety of Distance Education courses. Approximately 95% of graduates from its technical programs find jobs in their chosen fields.
Unlike most two-year colleges, NDSCS boasts a university atmosphere for its students, complete with residence halls, 35 affiliated clubs and organizations, music groups, theater productions, intercollegiate athletics, intramural athletics, and numerous social activities. For more information, visit www.ndscs.edu.
