Why did you choose to attend Dickinson State University-Bismarck?
I enrolled at Dickinson State University (DSU) because of the classes offered on the Bismarck State College campus. I prefer the traditional classroom setting over online courses so this was a perfect scenario because I wanted to stay in Bismarck.
by DSU student Hailey Entze and Seth Moerkerke
Let’s be honest, college is an adventure. A mass of young adults thrown together without parental supervision is bound to be. Thankfully the adventure doesn’t end after graduation. Adventures after college just take a different form, an adventure in “real life”. Which is a perfect way to describe Jared and Sovi Herring’s life after DSU. A life that is taking them across the world to China.
This piece was written by Annika Plummer for Dickinson’s Heart River Voice publication in August.
Step into the Dickinson State University Department of Agriculture and Technical Studies building and you’ll be greeted with the aroma of fresh coffee. The coffee’s always on at the Ag Building! The coffee, combined with the smell of dirt in the arena and the attentive nature of the faculty and staff, make the students in the Ag Department feel welcome and comfortable in our space.
Once a student becomes an agricultural major, they become a member of the Ag Department family. As a family member, the students are supported and encouraged and, of course, subject to some good-natured teasing! Our students primarily come from North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming, but we do have a few sprinkled in from other neighboring states and a couple from other countries, including Canada and Japan.
The DSU Department of Agriculture and Technical Studies’ mission is to be a leader in developing the human capital necessary to create and maintain agricultural systems, landscapes, and communities that are economically and environmentally sustainable in southwestern North Dakota and across the region. One of the ways we meet this mission is to motivate our students to be actively engaged on campus and to develop leadership skills through club involvement. With four clubs in our department, Ag Club, Collegiate Farm Bureau Club, Range Club and the Rodeo Club/Team, we have a very active agricultural student body. The agricultural students coordinate the annual Kids Day on the Farm event in April; plan and execute Roughrider Judging for local 4-H and FFA contestants; and both fundraise for and compete in the DSU Blue Hawk Stampede Rodeo, among other events throughout the year. These students compete in local, regional, and national competitions such as the American Farm Bureau Discussion Meet and the Society for Range Management’s Undergraduate Range Management Exam. In addition, through a variety of field trips, our students have the opportunity to learn about agricultural businesses and agencies, farm and ranch practices, and range plants and communities in a hands-on learning environment. Our department also encourages the students to partake in “real world” experiences through internships. The students learn in a variety of settings, including in banks, on farms or ranches, and many more varied environments. We are working on exposing some students to international internships and hope to have student placements internationally by summer 2020.
We are proud of how we are preparing our students to be contributing members to their communities once they graduate and start their careers. If you’d like to learn more about the department, please email Annika.Plummer@dickinsonstate.edu and I will email you our latest department newsletter. Once a member of the Ag Department family, always a member! We also welcome you to stop in at the Ag Building to learn more about our department and our students and enjoy a tour of the building. The coffee’s always on, and everyone is welcome!
Dr. Holly Gruhlke, associate professor of business and chair of the School of Business and Entrepreneurship at Dickinson State University (DSU), recently received the Mountain-Plains Senior College or University Business Teacher of the Year award. The Mountain-Plains Business Education Association (M-PBEA) uses this award to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to business education in their region. Gruhlke accepted her award at the 2019 M-PBEA Convention in Denver, Colorado, this June.
Annika Plummer, administrative secretary for the Department of Agriculture and Technical Studies at Dickinson State University, is featured in the summer 2019 issue of North Dakota Horizons. Her article, “Lead and Learn in North Dakota through the Rural Leadership North Dakota Program,” centers on Plummer’s journey across the U.S. and in South America, meeting those involved with agriculture and learning how they contribute to the local and global industry. Plummer has had the opportunity to travel to communities across North Dakota and Minnesota, and she has visited Washington, D.C., and even Chile as part of her involvement with Rural Leadership North Dakota.
To view a full list of articles featured in North Dakota Horizon‘s latest issue and to subscribe, visit
www.ndhorizons.com/magazine-subscriptions/in-this-issue.aspx.
This piece was written by Thadd O’Donnell for Dickinson’s Heart River Voice publication in May.
The Dickinson State University Department of Health and Physical Education has been an integral part of more than half my life. I came to Dickinson State College in 1985 as a student athlete.
Written by Annika Plummer, administrative secretary for the Department of Agriculture and Technical Studies
As the students in the Dickinson State University (DSU) Department of Agriculture and Technical Studies will tell you, they enjoy learning outside of a classroom setting. Hands-on activities and field trips to different locales are what make learning interesting in agriculture. Experiencing the diversity in the places around us make learning fun!
Pete Stanton has been appointed by Dickinson State University (DSU) President Dr. Thomas Mitzel to serve as the director of intercollegiate athletics.
Visit Flickr for the full album of photos.
Dickinson State University (DSU) held its annual faculty and staff award ceremony on May 2, 2019. This event, which was first held in 1988, is an opportunity for the University to celebrate the accomplishments and service of faculty and staff.
Why did you choose Dickinson State University for your bachelor’s degree?
I knew someone that was currently in the biology program. Upon questioning that person about what DSU was like, I knew it would be a good fit for me. I chose DSU because it was a small school, great faculty, great natural science department, great sense of community, and I always had an ample amount of opportunities presented to me.
