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Grant is part of more than $62.5 million given to first responder organizations across the U.S. by Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation

The past year and a half have been difficult for many, impacting first responders and communities across the country. As we continue to battle health crises and natural disasters, front-line heroes constantly expose themselves to dangerous situations, creating a need for updated lifesaving equipment.

Recognizing this need, Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation® continues to be a valuable resource for first responders across the nation and recently provided a $32,722 grant to North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) Alumni Foundation for NDSCS Police. The funding will be applied toward the purchase of eight portable radios and accessories which will be used to ensure greater lifesaving capabilities for first responders in the community.

“We are grateful to Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation and our local Firehouse Subs in Fargo for awarding us this grant,” said Whitney Link, Lieutenant at NDSCS. “By providing these state-of-the-art portable radios and accessories, our police officers will be able to better communicate with partnering agencies and help the people of Wahpeton during emergency situations, especially during the upcoming holiday season.

During the most recent grant cycle, the Foundation awarded 126 grants to public safety organizations nationwide. The 126 grants totaling nearly $2.7 million were given to organizations in need of critical lifesaving equipment and resources.

To donate and learn more about Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, visit FirehouseSubsFoundation.org.

The NDSCS Performing Arts Department will present its first concert of the season on Tuesday, October 26, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. in the Bremer Bank Theatre in the Harry Stern and Ella Stern Cultural Center on the NDSCS campus in Wahpeton.

The concert will include performances by the NDSCS Jazz Band under the direction of Dr. Adam Hollingsworth, and the NDSCS Wildcat Singers under the direction of Bryan Poyzer. The groups are kicking off their touring season. “We are excited to perform our fall concert in-person and let our students showcase their talent to the community,” says Bryan Poyzer, NDSCS Performing Arts Coordinator.

The concert is free and open to the public. Free-will donations will be accepted. Learn more about NDSCS Performing Arts at NDSCS.edu/Performing-Arts.

North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) honored numerous employees at the State of the College Address on September 21, 2021. Faculty and staff members were named recipients of the College’s Excellence in Teaching Award and Excellence in Service Award as well as the College’s LIFE and Steeple awards.

The Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes instructors who, among other outstanding characteristics, stimulate present and continuing interest in the subject matter, present courses so that the topics are clear, suitable and well-integrated, and demand rigorous thought and generate enthusiastic responses from the students while achieving course objectives. The honorees include:

• Vance Harthun: Associate Professor, Welding Technology
• Mike Redding: Associate Professor, Diesel Technology
• Amy Medhaug: Instructor, Nursing
• J. Whitmore: Instructor, Culinary Arts

The Excellence in Service Award recognizes employees who consistently go above and beyond every day and exemplify the College’s values of learning, integrity, flexibility and excellence. All NDSCS staff members are eligible to be nominated. The honorees include:

• Nick Kraft: HVAC Systems Lead, Facilities Management
• Dean Kappes: Building Services Technician, Facilities Management
• Rhonda Dehmlow: Dining Services Worker, Auxiliary Services
• Lisa Braun: Business Specialist, Information Technology Services

This year’s LIFE award recognized the NDSCS Human Resources department. The recipients included Sandi Gilbertson, Executive Director of Human Resources, Amy Keller, Human Resources Manager and Shirley Fox-Trydahl, Human Resource Administrative Assistant. The award stands for “Bringing LIFE to NDSCS” and is presented to an individual, employee group or committee that exemplifies the NDSCS LIFE (Leadership, Integrity, Flexibility and Excellence) values by demonstrating and practicing the NDSCS Quality Standards. This can be done with an event, project or activity that reflects these areas.

Gilbertson and her team had to exhibit a high level of flexibility in order to deal with the challenges of COVID-19, including multiple new human resource situations caused by the unprecedented COVID pandemic. The NDSCS Human Resources department effectively communicated college-wide essential information, while delivering remarkable customer service.

This year’s Steeple award was presented to staff within the NDSCS Facilities Management department. The recipients included Facilities Management staff Kari Hasbargen, Brenda Korinek and Dawn Jirak. The Steeple award stands for “Climbing New Heights” and is presented to an individual, employee group or committee for new and innovative methods to accomplish their role on campus. Hasbargen, Korinek and Jirak received this award for their involvement in three different projects: enhancement of employee on-boarding process, adoption of a simplified process for tool inventory, and identifying practices to effectively reduce warehouse inventory.

Fall enrollment numbers are now official at the North Dakota State College of Science. Total student enrollment is 2,802, which includes Wahpeton, Fargo, Online and Early Entry students.

The College saw an increase in the total number of credits in which students are enrolled, while the official headcount is a decrease of about 1% when compared to the fall 2020 enrollment of 2,829.

“We continue to see students coming to us because of the full college experience we offer,” said NDSCS President John Richman. “NDSCS continuously makes adjustments to fulfill our mission by providing our students the opportunity to learn in the mode that best fits their needs – including while in high school.”

New students to NDSCS (part-time, full-time, transfer) students increased 2.8% from Fall 2020. There was a slight decrease in the number of students taking classes face-to-face at the NDSCS Wahpeton location; however, the percentage of students living on campus increased 3.6% with 869 students living in a residence hall or campus apartment.

The enrollment data shows 907 students taking early entry courses, a 4.9% increase over 2020. An additional 462 students are taking classes at multiple NDSCS locations, or through a combination of in-person and online instruction, a 1.9% increase from 2020.

Students from North Dakota comprise 70% of NDSCS enrollment, with 47 of the state’s 53 counties represented.