In 2018, United States President Donald Trump nominated Dickinson State University alumnus Dallas Carlson to be the U.S. Marshal for the District of North Dakota. The U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination and the former director of the ND Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) was appointed.
Fifteen years ago, Carlson earned his bachelor’s degree from Dickinson State University’s Bismarck campus (DSU-B) as a nontraditional student with a full-time job. We reached out to congratulate Carlson and asked him to share his thoughts about his experience as a DSU-B student.
Why did you choose Dickinson State University-Bismarck for your bachelor’s degree?
As an older-than-average student, I chose Dickinson State University for convenience and the ability to participate in an accelerated program. Like a lot of older-than-average students, I had a number of college credits from various institutions. I was living in Bismarck at the time, and Dickinson State offered off-campus classes in Bismarck. After meeting with the staff at Dickinson State, it became clear I could combine the course work and credits that I had on file with the needed courses through Dickinson State to complete my degree.
How did you learn that Dickinson State offered classes in Bismarck?
I found the program through research. I compared the Dickinson State program with others that were available at the time. Dickinson State seemed to fit my schedule the best. I then met with the advisor that had an office at Bismarck State College. This advisor was very helpful in putting together my credits from other colleges and universities and was able to prepare a path for me to follow. All of the staff and instructors I met with or had classes from were very understanding of each student’s needs, limits and schedules. Without this program, I would not have been able to complete my degree without traveling and being away from work and home.
What were the benefits and challenges of being a DSU-B student on the Bismarck campus?
I don’t recall any challenges. The benefits were numerous. The convenience of completing an affordable bachelor’s degree by staying in Bismarck was fantastic. As I mentioned, I did not have to take time away from work as all of my classes were in the evening. I was able to meet other students that not only became friends but also were a great resource for some projects at work.
What would you tell someone who is considering taking DSU-B classes?
Do the research. My recommendation aside, I believe the program speaks for itself. For an older-than-average student, it was comfortable knowing the other students were in the same situation as I, full time jobs and difficult to travel to another college to complete their degree. DSU understood this and made every effort to accommodate the student by researching prior education credits and helping the student every step of the way to completion.
What are you most proud of when you look back at your time at DSU-B?
Without this program, I would not have qualified to be the director of BCI nor would I have qualified for the appointment to U.S. marshal for the District of North Dakota. I am proud of our state and university system that recognized a program like this was needed to help full-time working students who want to better themselves.
What was the most difficult thing for you as an undergraduate?
Finding the time to complete the program.
What did you enjoy about the program?
Meeting the other students and getting to know their background. Same goes for the instructors; it was interesting to get to know them as well. I feel the instructors were comfortable with the students in a program such as this because all students truly wanted to be there to learn and excel. It was very enjoyable to see the respect shown by the students and instructors to each other.
