The North Dakota State College of Science will honor Barbara Bang as Dean Emerita and Max Reinke as Faculty Emeritus at the College’s Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 12, in Wahpeton.

A graduate of the NDSCS Architectural Drafting program, Barbara Bang was an associate professor and department chair for 25 years and served as the Dean of the Technologies and Services Division for 17 years. As Dean, she developed partnerships and strategies to help meet workforce needs in manufacturing, transportation and construction. Bang currently serves as the immediate past-president of the National Council for Workforce Education and is a representative for the Commission on Economic and Workforce Development for the American Association of Community Colleges. She has an A.A.S. degree from NDSCS, a B.S. degree in Technical Education from the University of South Dakota and an M.Ed. in Educational Administration from North Dakota State University.

A graduate of the NDSCS Liberal Arts program, Max Reinke spent 42 years as an instructor and coach at the College, and twice served as Department Chair of the Mathematics and Science Department. Reinke was the Secretary/Treasurer of the Alumni Letterwinners Club for 15 years, a 10-year member of the Catbackers/Letterwinners Club and coordinated Wildcat Athletic Camps for 39 years. He has been honored by the NDSCS Alumni/Foundation with the Wildcat Award and Tradition Award, and was honored four times by the NDSCS Athletic Hall of Fame. Reinke has an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts from NDSCS and a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Dickinson State University.

The NDSCS Commencement ceremony will be held in the Ed Werre Arena in the Clair T. Blikre Activities Center at 3:00 p.m. on May 12, 2017.

The North Dakota State College of Science Jazz Band and Wildcat Singers will conclude their concert series with a performance on Monday, April 24, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. The concert will be held at the Bremer Bank Theatre in the Harry Stern and Ella Stern Cultural Center on the NDSCS campus in Wahpeton.

The concert, which is free and open to the public, will feature a variety of genres including rock, pop, country and jazz.

The North Dakota State College of Science Concert Band and Concert Choir will perform in the College’s spring concert at 7:30 p.m. on April 6 in the Harry Stern and Ella Stern Cultural Center on the NDSCS campus in Wahpeton. The concert is free and open to the public.

Following the concert, the performance groups will embark on a tour in New York City from April 7-12. Funding for the trip is provided by the students and by private donations. No college dollars will be used, and donations are still being accepted to help students pay for meals during the tour.

“This is a big step for NDSCS,” said Poyzer. “We strive to offer the four-year college experience in a two-year setting, and this is part of that complete education.”

On the tour, the Concert Band, under the direction of Dr. Adam Hollingsworth, will play on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Intrepid, which is now docked in the Hudson River and includes the Space Shuttle Enterprise on its deck. The band will also perform in a combined event with the Concert Choir at Thomas Paine Park. The choir, under the direction of Bryan Poyzer, will have the opportunity to sing at the Statue of Liberty and tour Ellis Island.

The April 6 concert at NDSCS will feature many of the songs the Concert Band and Concert Choir will perform while on tour. The music selections will have a patriotic theme.

“These are still the kids of the September 11th era and they need a chance to view the memorials and see first-hand how music helps in the healing process and brings people together,” said Poyzer.

Other sites on the tour will include the newly constructed Freedom Towers, Broadway shows, Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Plaza, St. Paul’s and St. Patrick’s Cathedrals, and attempting to be seen on TV during filming of NBC’s Today Show on the morning of April 11.

The North Dakota State College of Science Performing Arts Department will present its spring play, School House Rock Live! Jr., at 7:00 p.m. on March 28 and 29 in the Bremer Bank Theatre in the Harry Stern and Ella Stern Cultural Center on the NDSCS campus in Wahpeton. Admission at the door is $5 for adults, and $1 for students (with an ID).

See NDSCS students perform “Conjunction Junction”, “I’m Just a Bill” and many other songs from the award-winning Saturday morning cartoon on which the play is based.

School House Rock Live! Jr., originally conceived and directed by Scott Ferguson, is based on the book by Scott Ferguson, Kyle Hall and George Keating, with music and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, Bob Dorough, Dave Frishberg, Kathy Mandry, George Newall and Tom Yohe. The play is presented through special arrangement with Music Theater International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.