The Daily Dispatch

In his third State of the College Address Thursday, John Richman, North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) president, addressed the college’s sound environment and plans for future growth in student accessibility.

Richman reviewed the current state of the college in four areas — educational attainment, meeting needs of business and industry, financial security and enrollment.

“We are seeing some positive trends developing at NDSCS,” Richman said. “We just got our new [retention rate] in, calculating ’08. It climbed again.”

The campus’s retention rate sits at 79 percent, more than 20 percent above the national average for two-year colleges and universities.

Richman also cited the college’s 95 percent graduate placement rate as evidence of the sound nature of the college.

“Our graduates remain in high demand, receiving high salaries at several employment opportunities,” Richman said. “Our programs that we offer that align with the fastest growing and most openings in North Dakota are allied health, transportation, construction, manufacturing and business computers.”

In addition, the campus’ Train ND employees have given NDSCS a 98.9 percent satisfaction rate, while Train ND businesses gave NDSCS a 100 percent satisfaction rate.

“We are playing a vital role in the economic vitality of the state by training employees for the types of careers that need to be filled,” Richman said.

A statement submitted by North Dakota University System Chancellor Bill Goetz, read by Richman, indicates NDSCS’s financial position is sound. Goetz said the college’s net liquid assets are increasing and their debt is decreasing.

“Between partnerships and our alternative funding sources and efforts we generate over $6 million per year. That is roughly 17 percent of our operating budget we generate ourselves,” Richman said.

Per a funding increase from the North Dakota Legislature and the State Board of Higher Education in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011, NDSCS will be able to freeze tuition. Richman indicated this creates a competitive advantage for the college as tuition nationwide continues to increase.

And as North Dakota’s population becomes more diverse and high school graduation rates continue to decline, Richman said it’s critical for NDSCS to adapt their programs and become more accessible to an even more diverse crowd of students. He said it’s just as important to remain accountable and affordable.

“Our position is not to grow our enrollment. Our position is to align ourselves closer and more often with business and industry, more than we have already,” Richman said.

NDSCS can do this, he continued, by collaborating with other two-year colleges, implementing marketing plans, and creating “on-ramps” for students to interact with the businesses in the career fields they hope to enter.

“It is not about us. It’s not about having the largest campus in the system, it is about having the best college in the system,” Richman said.

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