Rose Wendel, a Liberal Arts Agriculture Transfer student at North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS), has been named a 2024 Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar and will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation sponsors the Coca-Cola Academic Team program by recognizing 50 Gold, 50 Silver, and 50 Bronze Scholars with nearly $200,000 in scholarships annually. Each scholar also receives a commemorative medallion.

“The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has a long history of providing financial assistance to outstanding students at community colleges,” said Jane Hale Hopkins, President of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. “We are proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa to make it possible for more deserving students to achieve their educational goals and support tomorrow’s global community leaders.”

Students are nominated for the academic team by their college administrators. Selection is based on academic achievement, leadership, and engagement in college and community service. “Rose Wendell is an excellent nominee,” said Jeff Hart, NDSCS Phi Theta Kappa advisor, “She is an outstanding student, was a member of NDSCS’s Wildcat Volleyball team that participated in the national tournament, and is active in the NDSCS Music and Theater programs.”

Rose and other Coca-Cola Academic Team members will be recognized in both local and statewide ceremonies. They will also be recognized internationally during Phi Theta Kappa’s annual convention on April 4-6.

“We thank the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation for recognizing these student leaders and for investing in their futures,” said Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner, President and CEO of Phi Theta Kappa. “Scholarships like these are integral to the success of these students in reaching their educational and career goals.”

NDSCS Performing Arts Spring Production of Disney's The Little Mermaid has been rescheduled to Saturday and Sunday, April 6th and 7th, 2024 at the Harry Stern and Ella Stern Cultural Center on the NDSCS Wahpeton campus.

The Little Mermaid takes place in a magical kingdom beneath the sea, where a beautiful young mermaid named Ariel longs to leave her ocean home to live in the world above. But first, she’ll have to defy her father, the king of the sea, escape the clutches of an evil sea witch, and use her voice to capture the heart of a prince.

Featuring all the beloved songs from the Academy Award®-winning animated film, as well as three new songs from the Broadway show, this production is sure to delight audiences of all ages. Directed by Amy Frauenberg, with musical direction by Bryan Poyzer and choreography by Courtney Diestler, this enchanting production will bring the underwater tale to life on stage. The cast of 22 NDSCS students showcases the incredible talent and dedication of the College's performing arts community.

The public is invited to attend these performances of Disney’s The Little Mermaid — Admission is $5 for adults and $1 for students. Free admission will be offered for Military members, Law Enforcement, and NDSCS students and employees with their IDs. Join us for a journey under the sea that the whole family will treasure.

Learn more about the NDSCS Performing Arts department at NDSCS.edu/Performing-Arts.

NDSCS Culinary Arts students and faculty hosted the 3^rd annual Scholarship Dinner on Thursday, February 29^th.

The annual Culinary Scholarship Dinner helps raise funds to support scholarship dollars for Culinary Arts students, increasing accessibility for students to attend this program at NDSCS. This dinner is also an excellent opportunity for students to help create and serve a multi-course fine dining experience for guests, teaching important on-the-job skills and benefiting their overall Culinary education. This year’s event brought in over $9000, which will be added to the growing program-specific endowments for student scholarships!

This 6-course dinner was prepared and served by culinary students, faculty, and program alumni. Guests enjoyed a social hour with appetizers, and then soup, salad, fish, entrée, and dessert courses and wine pairings, along with great conversation and a relaxed atmosphere. 75 patrons attended this year’s event, which was the highest number of guests present at the Culinary Scholarship Dinner.

This year’s event chefs included Alyssa Burger from 84 Italian Steakhouse, Kevin Roller from NDSCS Dining Services, Summer Peterson from Bernbaum’s, Joe Brunner from Mezzaluna, Mark Schmidt from Bix Produce, and Grace Lamberson from the Toasted Frog. Our guest chefs are not only helping create dishes and teach our students, they’re also getting future employees! At least 3 Culinary Arts students typically get job opportunities because of the event. The businesses who invest in the program are able to attain much needed manpower.

After the event, Chef Kyle Armitage, the Culinary Arts program coordinator recalled, “The success of the 2024 Culinary Scholarship dinner is not just a celebration of fundraising, but a demonstration to the shared belief in the power of education to transform lives. Each person there, and those who support the event by donating, are helping our future students pursue their dreams. An event like this shows that there are limitless possibilities when a community comes together.”

The Culinary Arts program would like to include a special thank you to donors to the event: Brew Restaurants, Bix Produce, Sysco Foodservice, Mezzaluna, Bernbaum’s, 84 Italian Steakhouse, Toasted Frog, NDSCS Dining Services, NDSCS Alumni Foundation, ND Beef Commission, and the many others who donated wine for our Wine Wall Raffle. The Culinary Arts program is hoping to expand the wine wall next year, and appreciates donations to that portion of the event.

Chef Kyle Armitage remarked, “As a program, we can’t thank our guest chefs enough for sharing their talents, time, and knowledge with our students and community. As we reflect on the incredible success of this year's event, we eagerly anticipate the culinary delights and cherished moments that await us at next year's gathering.”

Photo courtesy of Haley Frost Creative.

North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) is proud to announce the expansion of its Agriculture department with the introduction of new AAS degrees in Precision Agronomy and Precision Agriculture Technician.

These programs are crafted to meet the growing demand for skilled professionals in the agricultural industry and to support the CHS Foundation mission of developing a new generation of ag leaders. CHS and the CHS Foundation recently awarded $96,000 to NDSCS to help reach these goals. That grant will help NDSCS purchase and implement a variety of GPS receivers and field displays; purchase and install John Deere AutoTrac and ActiveYield; and purchase and implement a planter row unit test table.

“The CHS partnership is invaluable to the Precision Agriculture Technician program at NDSCS. The high-tech equipment provided by this grant will provide innovative, real-world training. NDSCS students will now be even better prepared to take on the challenges ahead in their ag careers,” shared Craig Zimprich, Program Director at NDSCS Agriculture.

The new Precision Agriculture Technician program is meticulously designed to train students in the latest technological advances in agriculture equipment. It prepares students for careers where they will sell, troubleshoot, and repair precision equipment, a critical need identified by major precision equipment dealers. The program offers extensive hands-on experience, including a paid internship and the opportunity to operate state-of-the-art machinery at the NDSCS Kosel Family Land Lab.

“Training in precision agriculture and experience with precision agriculture equipment are essential skills for today’s graduates,” says Megan Wolle, president, CHS Foundation. “Through this partnership, NDSCS students will be ready to tackle new precision ag challenges and pursue careers in the agriculture industry.”

NDSCS's commitment to diversity and inclusion is integral to its vision, fostering a respectful and supportive environment that celebrates individual differences and promotes cultural appreciation. Chandra Langseth, a program instructor on the CHS Dakota Plains Ag producer board, exemplifies this commitment, enhancing program development and workforce diversity in collaboration with CHS.

“We are fortunate to have Chandra lead our Precision Agriculture program. She is very talented and provides valuable insight coupled with practical knowledge for the students here at NDSCS,” shared Zimprich.

The college's innovative strategies include interdisciplinary teaching, leveraging expertise from NDSCS's diesel and manufacturing faculty to ensure that graduates possess comprehensive technical skills. The program's success is already anticipated, with the North Dakota Legislature allocating approximately $20 million for facility enhancements to advance precision agriculture education at NDSCS.

The program's SMART goals are ambitious and well-defined, focusing on equipping students with practical skills in data management, equipment calibration, and troubleshooting. The long-term impact is clear: NDSCS aims to be a national leader in precision agriculture training, providing students with the knowledge and practical experience needed for immediate career success.

NDSCS's strategic partnerships and collaborations with industry leaders, including CHS Foundation, ensure that the curriculum remains cutting-edge and relevant. The program is set to be sustainable, with funding strategies involving the reinvestment of proceeds from the NDSCS Kosel Family Agriculture Land Lab and ongoing support from industry partners.

The college plans to promote the program through various channels, including opportunities for high school students and active engagement with FFA organizations in North Dakota, Minnesota, and throughout our region.

Learn more at NDSCS.edu/Ag.

North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) is proud to announce that thirty-six NDSCS Collegiate DECA members competed at the 2024 North Dakota Collegiate DECA Conference on February 21st and 22nd.

This annual competition brings together some of North Dakota's best and brightest business students from eight different colleges to compete in various business case study events.

Students were entered into one individual event and were also paired up in a team competition. In both experiences, the students were presented with a real-world business problem and then asked to solve the scenario in front of judges. Area Fargo/Moorhead business professionals served as judges for this event. 

NDSCS Collegiate DECA had 28 members qualify to compete at the 2024 International Career Development Conference in Austin, Texas in April.

Top award winners in individual events include:

• Emma Hagemeister (1^st Place) Sales Management and Leadership Event
• Wyatt Rittenhouse (2^nd Place) Retail Management
• Natalia Nazario (2^nd Place) Entrepreneurship Operations
• Madison Hagan (3^rd Place) Travel and Tourism 
• Adnan Rahman (3^rd Place) Entrepreneurship Operations
• Triton Kaercher (3^rd Place) Financial Accounting
• Lucas Allen (3^rd Place) Hotel and Lodging
• Moriah Blazek (3^rd Place) Human Resource Management

Top Team Event Winners Include:

• Kylie Geray and Emma Hagemeister (2nd Place) Business-to-Business Marketing
• Ava Bladow and Corissa Lang (2nd Place) Business Ethics
• Myah Jelinek, Natalia Nazario (2nd Place) Entertainment Marketing
• Lauren Oster and Savannah Puetz (2nd Place) Event Planning
• Moriah Blazek and Taylor Slominski (2nd Place) Marketing Communications
• Lucas Allen and Mathias Kackman (3rd Place) Marketing Communications

Gregory Anderson, the faculty advisor for NDSCS Collegiate DECA, commented “I was pleasantly surprised at how well our students performed. As is usually the case, almost all NDSCS Collegiate DECA members are first-year students who have never competed before, going against seasoned juniors and seniors from four-year colleges who have experienced both state and national competitions. For our students to do well, they had to display a certain level of confidence, and I think that is what showed. I will be very proud to see a number of qualifiers take the next step at the International Conference in Austin, Texas.”