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North Dakota State College of Science will hold its Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 12 at 3 p.m. in the Ed Werre Arena located in the Clair T. Blikre Activities Center in Wahpeton, N.D. Approximately 620 students from the Wahpeton campus, NDSCS-Fargo location and online are scheduled to graduate.

Faculty Senate President Michael Redding will serve as the Stage Marshal, and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Lisa Karch will preside as the Master of Ceremonies. NDSCS President Dr. Rod Flanigan looks forward to celebrating his first commencement at NDSCS, and will give remarks and recognitions as well as the presentation of degrees, diplomas and certificates. Additional remarks will be provided by Dr. Mark Hagerott, NDUS Chancellor, and Amanda Edwards, Student Senate President. The NDSCS Wildcat Singers will also perform a musical selection.

This is a free event, and there are no tickets required. The South doors of the Clair T. Blikre Activities Center will open for guests at 1:45 p.m. and will close at 2:50 p.m. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis, and arriving with all parties in your group is recommended – reserving seats will not be permitted.

A seating section will be arranged at Commencement for those attending the 100th Anniversary Celebration of the NDSCS Electrical Technology program and Friends of Barnard Hall.

For guests that are unable to attend in person, the entire ceremony will be live-streamed. The link will be available on Friday, May 12 at NDSCS.edu/Graduation.

North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) partnered with the American Welding Society (AWS) to host the annual Behind The Mask competition for high school and college students. The competition, which took place at the NDSCS Wahpeton campus on April 20th, saw ninety high school and college students from North Dakota and Minnesota compete for the top prize.

The competition is designed to challenge each student’s welding skills and to provide them with a platform to present their skills to the welding industry. Behind The Mask is judged by industry professionals who evaluate participants on safety, quality of welds, and the ability to follow AWS welding standards. Students from high schools in Wahpeton, Mandan, Minot, Grafton, Valley City and Fargo, as well as college students from NDSCS, Alexandria Technical College, and Lynnes Welding Training, Inc. all competed in the event.

The competition’s generous sponsors donated all the prizes for the event, which consisted of awards for the top welders in the separate high school and college divisions. All the proceeds from this event go back into AWS scholarships ranging from $500-$2,500 that are available to high school and college students pursuing a welding career. These scholarships help up-and-coming welders pursue their craft and continue to build upon the skills they already have.

The results of the top welders in the high school division include:

• GMAW (wire)
  • 1st – Ben Klemen (NDSCS-Fargo)
  • 2nd – Colton Prellwitz (Minot)
  • 3rd – Daniel Kryvenia (Minot)
• SMAW (stick)
  • 1st – Chantz Delzer (Mandan)
  • 2nd – Caeiton Eslinger (Minot)
  • 3rd – Braeden Olavson (Sheyenne Valley Area CTE)

The results of the top welders in the college division include:

• GMAW (wire)
  • 1st – Jarred Maleska (Alexandria Technical & Community College)
  • 2nd – Shadera Burian (NDSCS)
  • 3rd – Tyler Heida (Alexandria Technical & Community College)
• SMAW (stick)
  • 1st – Dexter Seese (NDSCS)
  • 2nd – Parker Meyer (Alexandria Technical & Community College)
  • 3rd – Colin Lenieux (NDSCS)

“We are excited to have partnered with AWS to provide this unique opportunity for welding students,” said Lee Larson, Associate Professor of NDSCS Welding and AWS Northwest Chairman. “The competition was a great opportunity for students to get feedback from industry experts and gain valuable welding experience.”

The AWS Behind The Mask Competition is a great way to showcase the talents of welders, while also providing an opportunity for students to gain recognition and financial assistance. NDSCS is proud to be a part of this exciting competition and looks forward to hosting an amazing competition at NDSCS-Fargo next year.