Celebrants at the opening of the National
Energy Center of Excellence (NECE) basked
in achievement and the sunshine of a stunning
fall day Sept. 29 as power plant student
Cory Beery cut the ribbon outside the
106,200 square-foot building dedicated to
energy education and workforce training.
“This marks the beginning of a new era
for BSC,” President Larry C. Skogen said to
the more than 500 people assembled on the
panoramic fourth floor. “The NECE represents
all that is good about the college, the
community, and our coalition.”
Speakers included N.D. Gov. John Hoeven,
U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan (via conference
call), U.S. Dept. of Energy representative Patricia
Hoffman, former BSC President Donna
S. Thigpen, capital campaign chairs John
Giese and Michael Hummel, BSC Foundation
Executive Director Gordon Binek,
Basin Electric CEO Ron Harper, and Kari L.
Knudson, NECE director and vice president
of energy technology programs.
North Dakota’s U.S Sen. Kent Conrad and
Rep. Earl Pomeroy sent letters of congratulations.
“This was a vision that just kept getting
sharper,” Hummel said about the planning
process that began seven years ago. “The
NECE is a shining example of community,
industry and government coming together to
address a state
and national
need.”
Hoeven
called the
NECE “one-of-
a-kind” and
a “beautiful,
wonderful
home for a
world class
program.”
He lauded
Thigpen for
lobbying hard
to make the
NECE project
among the
first to receive
funding from
the governor’s
Centers of
Excellence
program.
Thigpen
was president
from 1995 to 2006 and led the NECE project
from concept through groundbreaking and funding. Initially, she and her cabinet
questioned - “Do we dare to dream this?”
she said. Seeing the culmination of her work,
Thigpen said she felt like a proud parent, but
that “together, all of us have done this.”
The $18.3 million capital campaign is the
largest undertaken by BSC. After Thigpen
and tri-chairs Giese, Hummel and Judith Ekberg
Johnson secured the $2 million lead gift
from Basin Electric Power Cooperative, contributions
came from local, state and federal
government, industry, individuals, and more
than $180,000 from BSC employees.
“This is a great building built through a
wonderful partnership,” said Dorgan, who
helped obtain federal funds. “I’m so proud of
what all of us have done. The NECE will be
a landmark center of education, knowledge
and economic growth in our country for a
long time.”
To view more photos of the NECE dedication,
go to bismarckstate.edu/nece/photos/
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