As BSC worked to bring all the health science programs to campus over this last year, more than $3.5 million in grants and donations were awarded for equipment, supplies and technology, as well as a renovation that created a 30,000 square foot virtual hospital training facility providing state-of-the-art training to BSC’s healthcare students.
“Our BSC Foundation and Property Holdings Boards had the foresight to purchase this property more than five years ago to ensure we could provide for the future growth of Bismarck State College,” said Kari Knudson, Executive Director of the BSC Foundation and Vice President for College Advancement.
“The financial support we’ve received for this project has been critical in reaching our goal and providing the best in healthcare training. We’re especially grateful to Sanford Health who established the lead gift for
our project”
In addition to Sanford Health, the project received broad support from a variety of organizations and donors who saw the value of how high-quality healthcare and a skilled healthcare workforce can positively impact a community, including the North Dakota Legislature which provided BSC with the funds to purchase the building from the Foundation.
More than $830,000 was awarded from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration to purchase equipment and supplies for Health Sciences programs, with BSC providing a 50 percent match on funds. $247,366 was awarded to BSC from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Rural Development Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program to expand and improve the college’s ability to educate nurses in surrounding rural communities. Additionally, the Otto Bremer Trust awarded a $200,000 grant to the BSC Foundation for building renovations.
“We couldn’t have met our goal without these important partners that value improving quality of life for all citizens through access to good healthcare and a trained workforce,” said Knudson. “The project is close to completion, and students are now enjoying the space, thanks to our generous donors, loyal BSC supporters, and the grants that we’ve received for this project.”
The renovation of the Health Sciences building was completed last summer, and students in Nursing, Surgical Technology, Emergency Medical Technician and Paramedic Technology began attending classes there in August 2019. The campus and community celebrated with an Open House Oct. 9.
The Medical Laboratory Technician program will move into the building in April, following completion of the second phase of remodeling. With that move, all healthcare programs will be under one roof and in a position to grow.