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Visiting Scientists Series focuses on flooding
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey will present "Flooding in North
Dakota - A Popular Trend?" at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 11. This Visiting
Scientists Series free presentation will be held in BSC's National Energy
Center of Excellence auditorium (304).
Gregg Wiche will give a historical perspective on efforts to monitor
streamflow and flooding in the state, beginning in the early 1800s on the
Red River and Devils Lake. Wiche is director of the USGS North Dakota
Water Science Center and has extensive experience studying the Red River
and Devils Lake.
Skip Vecchia, a USGS statistician, will discuss historical and potential
future periods of flooding at Devils Lake and explain how climate
variability affects the probability of a spill into the Sheyenne River.
Karen Ryberg, a USGS statistician, will show how recent flooding on the
Red River compares to other trends in flooding across the United States
and how timing and climate variables affect trend detection.
Sponsors of the Visiting Scientists Series are Bismarck State College,
Gateway to Science, the Institute of Electrical Engineers, and the ND
Society of Professional Engineers. Call Gateway to Science at (701)
258-1975 or visit www.gscience.org for more information.
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'Twilight' director scheduled for April 17
Bismarck State College ArtsQuest goes behind the scenes of the blockbuster film, "Twilight," with an afternoon screening Saturday, April 17, and an evening lecture by its director, Catherine Hardwicke. She was unable to be in Bismarck for an appearance initially scheduled for late March.
The movie starts at 3 p.m. April 17 in Sidney J. Lee Auditorium. Hardwicke's presentation begins at 7 p.m. that evening in the National Energy Center of Excellence 4th floor. Both events are free to the public.
Hardwicke trained as an architect and started in film as a production designer. She designed more than 20 films, including "Vanilla Sky," "Three Kings" and "Tank Girl." At the podium, she will explore why she moved from production design to directing, how she chooses a film project, and the director's role in bringing a mega, best-selling book to the big screen.
In her presentation, Hardwicke will reference her book, "Twilight: The Director's Notebook," which will be available for purchase.
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BSC Aquatic & Wellness Center opened March 3
The BSC Aquatic & Wellness Center, 1601 Canary Ave., opened at noon on Wednesday, March 3.
"Folks will have full access to the fitness center and the pool," said Kevin Klipfel, the facility's manager. "Our staff will be accepting membership applications. We can show people around and provide information on the facility, group fitness classes, personal training and the aquatics programming."
Here's the facility schedule for the first five days:
- Wednesday, March 3 through Friday, March 5: Noon to 9 p.m.
- Saturday, March 6: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 7: Noon to 7 p.m. The pool will close 30 minutes before the facility closes.
Starting Monday, March 8, group fitness classes begin and the facility's regularly scheduled hours will go into affect. Those hours are:
5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Thursday; Friday 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The pool will close 30 minutes before the facility closes.
Memberships at the BSC Aquatic & Wellness Center are also good at the Capital Racquet & Fitness Center.
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BSC holds exhibition of faculty art
The seventh annual Faculty Exhibition at Bismarck State College opens with an artist reception Wednesday, March 10, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the library's Gannon Gallery.
Exhibitors in the mixed media show are visual art faculty members Michelle Lindblom, Brian Hushagen, Barb Jirges, David Lewellyn and Debra Emerson; Graphic Arts & Communication instructors Sean Thorenson and Thomas Marple; and Andrea Fagerstrom, gallery coordinator.
On display will be ceramics, paintings, screen prints, jewelry, photography and other fine and graphic art media.
The exhibition runs through March 26.
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ArtsQuest draws professional artists
Bismarck State College ArtsQuest, now in its 13th year, showcases the arts with performances and programs featuring guest artists and the talents of BSC students in a month-long celebration that begins March 30.
Student showings start April 7-11 with BSC's spring musical, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" followed by concerts by the Chamber Winds and the Collage Concert of music, art and literature, and other student-focused events through May 7.
On Friday, April 16, ArtsQuest welcomes the Orenunn Trio, a chamber group composed of Mike Boren, trumpet, Julianne Boren, cello, and Kate Kyungmi Lee, piano. The Minot-based trio performs classical and contemporary works at 7:30 p.m. in Sidney J. Lee Auditorium. Admission is free.
The roster of guest artists continues with a FilmFocus event that takes a behind-the-scenes look at filmmaking with Catherine Hardwicke, director of the 2008 blockbuster movie, "Twilight."
The Saturday, April 17, schedule begins at 3 p.m. with a free screening of "Twilight" in Sidney J. Lee Auditorium. Hardwicke speaks at 7 p.m. in the National Energy Center of Excellence fourth floor. She will talk about her creative process in designing and choosing a film project and the director's role in bringing a best-selling book to the big screen.
"Twilight" was adapted from Stephanie Meyer's wildly popular paranormal romance novel in which a 17-year-old girl falls in love with a vampire. The movie version's No. 1 box office debut and $70 million in gross ticket sales made it the highest opening ever for a female director.
Roxana Saberi, the Iranian-American journalist imprisoned in Iran for alleged spying, discusses her 100-day ordeal in a reading/lecture presentation Tuesday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m. in Sidney J. Lee Auditorium. Saberi recently completed her book, "Between Two Worlds: My Life and Captivity in Iran." BSC Campus Read sponsors her appearance along with the North Dakota Humanities Council, BSC Foundation and the North Dakota Newspaper Association.
The graphic arts move center stage with a presentation April 21 by Jeff Fisher, nationally recognized graphic designer, author and speaker and recipient of more than 600 regional, national and international design awards. His presentation takes place at 7:30 p.m. in the National Energy Center of Excellence auditorium (304).
Fisher works out of his Jeff Fisher LogoMotives design shop in Portland, Ore., where he has created logos, corporate identity systems, and branded organizations, businesses and products for 32 years. He writes for several design magazines, blogs and Web sites and is completing his third book, "Logo Type: 200 Best Typographic Logos from Around the World Explained."
ArtsQuest retains a strong music focus with the concert Friday, April 23, by classical guitarist Petar Jankovic, an expressive interpreter of Spanish and Latino American repertoire. BSC presents his 7:30 p.m. performance in Sidney J. Lee Auditorium at no charge.
A professional performer by age 16, Jankovic studied in his native Yugoslavia, where he earned several competitive awards and graduated from the Music Academy in Belgrade. Jankovic performs and gives master classes throughout Europe and the United States. He teaches at Indiana University, Bloomington.
Other music programs include concerts by the Wind Ensemble, Concert Choir and Men's and Women's ensembles, the Guitar and Percussion ensembles, and the Jazz Ensemble with special guest Big Al's Big Band. In addition, the campus offers outdoor raku firing, student art show and sale, student-directed plays, and classroom sessions with guest artists - all open to the community and free of charge.
The seventh annual Rock the Lawn outdoor music festival, a student-planned event, gets underway Friday, May 7, south of Jack Science Center. Presented at no charge, the music festival runs from 5 to 10 p.m. and features area bands, combos and soloists. An afternoon tie-dye event precedes the festival from 2-5 p.m., with other springtime activities planned. Rain location is Sidney J. Lee Auditorium.
ArtsQuest began in 1998 as a project of the Arts and Communication Department. For more information, visit the BSC Web site at bismarckstate.edu/artsquest/ or contact Barbara Jirges at (701) 224-5601.
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BSC bachelor's degree approved for Air Force members
Bismarck State College's bachelor of applied science (BAS) in energy management is now available for students of the Air Force Virtual Education Center.
BSC recently received approval from the Air University Associate to Baccalaureate Cooperative Program (AU-ABC) to provide the online program for Community College of the Air Force graduates. To be eligible, the graduates would need to have completed one of six specific associate in applied science degree programs.
"We're delighted that the Air Force has selected this Bismarck State program," said BSC President Larry C. Skogen. "The excellent reputation of our energy education programs, and our ability to deliver quality educational programs online factored into this new program approval that expands BSC's offerings for our nation's service members."
Airmen who are interested in pursuing a bachelor's degree will be able to learn about BSC's degree through AU-ABC. This is an initiative between the Air Force and civilian higher education institutions to offer baccalaureate degree opportunities to every Air Force enlisted member. The program directs airmen with associate in applied science degrees to a collection of accredited "military friendly" colleges and universities to consider when pursuing a four-year degree. Airmen who choose BSC will work directly with the college to complete program enrollment and degree requirements.
Since early in 2009, BSC has been a partner school with Community College of the Air Force to provide general education classes to Air Force members who are working on associate degrees.
BSC's BAS degree in energy management is designed to educate energy students to move into supervisory and management positions. Kari Knudson, vice president of BSC's National Energy Center of Excellence, said the BAS degree provides an opportunity for Air Force students to receive a degree in the highly demanded energy area. The BAS program was launched in January 2008 and has approximately 120 students located throughout the U.S.
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BSC and MDU partner on wind power project
Bismarck State College and Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. (Montana-Dakota) are partnering on installation of a wind turbine for demonstration and educational purposes. The small turbine, recently installed at the southwest corner of the BSC campus, will provide power to a maintenance building behind the BSC Armory.
The turbine, a Skystream 3.7, is designed for homes and small businesses with a rated capacity of 2.4 kW (kilowatts).
"This is a great opportunity for our company and BSC to both benefit from this collaborative project," said Dave Goodin, president and CEO of Montana-Dakota. "The data from this demonstration site will help us assess the efficiency and benefits of small-scale projects while BSC will have a wonderful learning opportunity for its students."
The turbine provides access for students enrolled at BSC's National Energy Center of Excellence (NECE) to learn about wind as a renewable source of electricity generation. This renewable component will be integrated into existing energy program curriculum, said Kari Knudson, BSC vice president of the NECE.
"Having this demonstration turbine on campus will enhance the education about wind generation, which is becoming increasingly important across the nation," Knudson said.
Montana-Dakota provided direct and in-kind contribution for the purchase and installation of the wind turbine. This project was also funded in part by the North Dakota Office of Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency, N.D. Department of Commerce. The $13,000 grant required a 50 percent match.
Shane Goettle, commissioner of Commerce, said wind energy is an important component of North Dakota's extensive energy portfolio. "We are at the early stages of developing our state's wind energy potential," Goettle said. "We will continue to see small and large-scale wind energy development in our state so it's vital that future energy leaders educated at the National Energy Center of Excellence have this opportunity to learn first hand about wind energy."
BSC President Larry C. Skogen said the college greatly appreciates the support of Montana-Dakota and the state Department of Commerce to fund this project. "Anytime we can partner with industry on projects that enhance our students' education, it provides a benefit to both the college and then to industry through the comprehensive education their future employees are receiving," Dr. Skogen said.
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BSC makes list of Military Friendly Schools
Bismarck State College was recently named to the 2010 list of Military Friendly Schools by G.I. Jobs magazine. The list honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools that are doing the most to embrace America's veterans as students.
Lane Huber, chief distance learning and military affairs officer, said this designation is important because it demonstrates BSC's commitment to our nation's service members and veterans in providing a quality educational experience that's delivered in a manner that is flexible and affordable.
BSC will be listed in the 2010 Guide to Military Friendly Schools, on a poster distributed to all education services offices, and on a website that will launch in September.
"This list is especially important now because the recently enacted Post-9/11 GI Bill has given
veterans virtually unlimited financial means to go to school," said Rich McCormack, G.I. Jobs
publisher. "Veterans can now enroll in any school, provided they're academically qualified. So
schools are clamoring for them like never before."
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Instrumentation and Control Tech program goes online
The new Instrumentation and Control Technology program at Bismarck State College begins its second year this fall with offerings of online classes.
Students interested in this high demand field can take the first year of electronics theory and lab courses entirely online. Second year, the six Instrumentation and Control Technology (I&C) theory courses will be available online.
"It's important for online students to know that the second year of Instrumentation and Control laboratory classes must be completed on campus," said Robert Arso, chair of the Industrial Technology Department.
For that reason, online students will have an additional step in the BSC enrollment process - an interview with Arso or I&C instructor Vance Vesey to make sure they understand the on-campus requirement for lab courses.
The Instrumentation and Control Technology program, the only one in the North Dakota University System, was developed at the request of regional energy plant managers. Automation has increased the need for highly trained technicians to operate the increasingly complicated machinery and computerized controls in plants and manufacturing industries of all kinds.
"Any company that takes raw materials and makes a product needs trained I&C operators," Arso said.
Graduates receive an Associate in Applied Science degree or a Diploma. The first year is spent studying electronics. Second year curriculum includes mechanical practices, measurement, automation, process control theory, and mastering control techniques with simulation equipment.
Job Service North Dakota predicts significant growth in industrial technology occupations. Production, manufacturing and engineering related occupations are projected to grow 14-16 percent with instrumentation technicians achieving nearly 13 percent job growth.
BSC developed the program with grant assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor and North Dakota Workforce Enhancement. Classes began in fall 2008.
For more program information, contact Arso at 701-224-5416 or R.Arso@bsc.nodak.edu. To learn about applying, contact BSC Admissions at 1-800-445-5073 or 701-224-5429 and visit bismarckstate.edu/prospectivestudent/.
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Bismarck State College goes BEYOND with launch of new brand
Bismarck State College (BSC) President Dr. Larry Skogen along with BSC Board of Governors President Kristine Weippert revealed today the college’s recently developed new brand identity and logo.
Using the word, BEYOND, BSC will begin to revamp its communication materials to focus on this concept. The new logo also will be rolled out in stages beginning this month.
"BSC has experienced evolutionary growth since we were established in 1939," said Skogen. "We have evolved with the needs of the communities we serve and in response to an ever-changing, competitive educational environment. Our new brand identity, BEYOND and all it encompasses, represents who we are and what we do today and in the years to come."
The planning process for the new brand development began in 2008. A team of staff and faculty realized that the new brand identity also would require a revamped logo in order to make a mark on BSC's new and current markets.
BSC marketing director Mary Friesz said, "BSC has become a truly innovative learning institution, meeting the education needs of our area and beyond. We've expanded online courses, built partnerships with the energy industry and with the military. All of this has shown the college's ability to serve beyond." Additionally, partnerships with Minot State University and Dickinson State University to provide four-year degrees on campus have established BSC’s movement beyond the role of a traditional two-year college.
"I believe the idea of BEYOND and symbolism of the logo perfectly represent the story of BSC that I’ve learned from being a student here," said Weippert.
BSC conducted a Benchmark Position Study in 2006 and later began developing a long-term enrollment management plan. The new brand identity and marketing strategy were developed partly in response to the studies. Together, these findings indicated an opportunity and need for BSC to more clearly communicate the vast and diverse offerings available at BSC.
"Our new brand shows we are thinking beyond mainstream with programs and opportunities for every stage of education," said Dr. Skogen. "We want all those who encounter BSC to move BEYOND their current place in life and become whoever they want to be. I believe we have created something that not only shows our forward motion but will contribute to it in the years to come."
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BSC among 'Top 10 Best Places to Work'
The Bismarck-Mandan Chamber Young Professionals Network presented BSC with a plaque denoting the college as one of the "Top 10 Best Places to Work for Young Professionals."
President Larry C. Skogen accepted the award on May 15. BSC also made this list two years ago.
Rita Lindgren, chief human resources officer, said HR is really pleased with the award. "This is a great way to enhance BSC's visibility in the community and help attract future employees," Lindgren said. "This recognition demonstrates our goals of the Recruitment and Retention Plan."
Comments from the nominator(s) were included in the YPN news release: "Young professionals are encouraged to become involved with the many committees on campus. Young professionals have the opportunity to voice their opinions to a campus-wide audience and have prominent roles on both our Staff Senate and Faculty Senate."
The other businesses receiving the recognition this year: Aetna, American Bank Center, Applied Engineering Inc., Barr Engineering Co., Capital Credit Union, Kadrmas, Lee & Jackson, National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC), N.D. Department of Transportation, and Odney Communications Group.
They were selected from more than 30 nominations through anonymous evaluation by a committee of six individuals from diverse backgrounds, according to the YPN news release.
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Online management program starts in fall
Bismarck State College plans to offer a management program online, designed for workers employed in emergency response careers. A sequence of five eight-week management courses will begin in late August 2009. Those enrolled could complete the program by the end of July 2010.
Completion of the 15 credit hours of online courses will lead to a Certificate of Completion in Management (Emergency Responders).
Those enrolled in the program will study principles of management, management information systems, project management, organizational behavior, and human resource management.
The certificate of completion program was developed through a partnership with the N.D. Firefighters Association. By enrolling in the program, firefighters will be preparing for fire officer training.
Bismarck Fire Chief Joel Boespflug said he sees the program, known as the "Firefighters Fast Track to Management," as an exciting fire service opportunity to advance the professionalism of fire officers. "I believe we could experience measurable results in productivity, customer service and fire company motivation with the education that firefighters will receive in this program," he said.
Others who would benefit from the program are EMT-paramedics and criminal justice personnel.
Current tuition and fees for the online courses is $182.78 per credit for students enrolled 12 or fewer credits per semester. Financial aid may be available for degree seeking students taking at least six semester hours each term: fall, spring and summer.
For information, contact Jim Wright, BSC Chairperson of the Business Department, 224-5462 or BSC Advisors at 224-5585 or 224-2459.
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