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BSC and VCSU Announce Collaborative Elementary Education Bachelor's Degree
A new collaborative program between BSC and Valley City State University (VCSU) means students now can earn an Associate in Science degree with an emphasis in elementary education from BSC and a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from VCSU on the BSC campus. The VCSU elementary education coursework will be delivered to the BSC campus using various distance delivery technologies, but mostly online.

For more information visit bismarckstate.edu/vcsu.
Business and Office Technology Programs, Professor Receive Top Honors
BSC’s Business and Office Technology (BOTE) programs were recently recognized as Program of the Year, and BSC Associate Professor of Computers & Office Technology, Dr. Vickie Volk, was named Post-secondary Teacher of the Year by the Mountain-Plains Business Education Association (M-PBEA) at their recent annual conference.
President Named To National Panel Rethinking Higher Ed Accreditation
BSC President Larry C. Skogen has been named to a new Higher Learning Commission (HLC) panel, the HLC Partners for Transformation, tasked with rethinking higher education accreditation practices.

“At times accreditation has felt like a roadblock to innovation,” Skogen says. “I’m excited that HLC is thinking how accreditation can facilitate innovation instead.”

BSC has long been a model of innovative delivery, Skogen says, citing the distance learning within the Dakota Nursing Program and the online delivery by the National Energy Center of Excellence as two standout examples.
Surgical Tech Faculty Honored
Vanessa Taylor, BSC associate professor of surgical technology, was recognized by the National Board of Surgical Technology & Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA) in September, maintaining certification for 25 years as a certified surgical technologist (CST).

Trudy Riehl, associate professor and program director of surgical technology at BSC, received the Fellow of the Association of Surgical Technologists (FAST) award in recognition of her contribution to the profession of surgical technology.
BSC Student Outlets Earn Top National Honors
The College Media Association has again recognized the excellence of BSC’s student-led media and literary outlets in their annual Pinnacle Awards. The student-run radio station, The Myx, earned a first place Two Year Radio Station of the Year award; MystiCast, the student-produced and led broadcast news program earned second place in the Two Year TV Station of the Year category; and BSC’s literary magazine, Figments of Imagination, earned third place honors in the Two-Year Literary Magazine of the Year category.

The Myx, MystiCast and Figments of Imagination are part of the BSC Mass Communications program. Figments of Imagination is an annual publication that is both a credit offering and an opportunity for students in any discipline to have their work published.

To learn more about these hands-on, student-led efforts, visit BSCMysticMedia.com.
Federal Grant Creates 18 Nuclear Energy Scholarships at BSC
BSC received a $140,934 grant from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) which will be used to fund 18 scholarships for qualified students enrolling in BSC’s Nuclear Power Technology program over the next two academic years.

“BSC’s program is highly affordable, so this $5,000 scholarship covers much of the student’s first year expenses. That affordability coupled with the flexibility of an online program creates a real opportunity for anyone interested in finding a career in nuclear energy,” says Kyren Miller, department chair for BSC’s nuclear program.

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the U.S. most nuclear workers can expect to earn a salary ranging from $50,000 to more than $100,000 per year.

BSC’s Nuclear Power Technology Program is regionally accredited and is the only fully online program authorized by the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) to issue the NUCP certificate through a partnership with the Exelon Cooperation.

Learn more about BSC’s Nuclear Power Technology program at bismarckstate.edu/energy. For more information about the scholarship, email kyren.miller@bismarckstate.edu.
BSC Foundation Board of Trustees Welcomes New Members
The BSC Foundation Board of Trustees welcomed new members at its annual meeting in September. BSC President Larry C. Skogen appointed Lacey Lange as the BSC staff representative, Jean Rolandelli as the BSC faculty representative, Kyren Miller, National Alumni Association representative and Tamara Barber as fiscal officer.

Lange is the marketing manager for BSC and president of the BSC Staff Senate. Rolandelli is an associate professor of Biology and secretary/treasurer of the BSC Faculty Senate. Miller, a 1998 BSC graduate, is the past president of the BSC Alumni Association and department chair for the National Energy Center of Excellence.  Barber is the associate vice president for finance and operations at BSC.

Timothy Atkinson, Chairman, North Dakota Guaranty & Title Co. was elected president of the board. Norm Clark, regional manager, Gate City Bank, was elected vice-president of the board. Debra Gallagher, president, Capital Credit Union, was elected chairman, and Dave Clark, BSC executive vice president, was re-elected secretary-treasurer.

The following new trustees were approved at recent meetings:
  • Thomas Atkinson, Environmental Engineer at Western Area Power Administration
  • John Bauer, director, ND Generation, Great River Energy
  • Florence Hauer, owner, United Printing
  • Ken Rutter, Senior vice president of marketing and asset management, Basin Electric Cooperative
  • Sandi Tabor, general counsel, KLJ
  • Ron Day, Director of Government and Public Affairs, Andeavor (Tesoro)
  • Kevin Dykema, Bismarck regional president, American Bank Center
  • Chad Johnson, market president, First Western Bank & Trust, Bismarck
  • Brady Torgerson, president of First Security Bank - West, Beulah
  • Danette Welsh, manager of government relations, ONEOK