[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6135868,"mediaKeyId","5670500-0e2a299a4c856ddcc464a9960a8aa86f","parentId",5670500,"title","Williston State reports record enrollment, new health‑care facility and regional training partnerships","audioSeconds",6972,"startMs",6542000,"endMs",13514000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5670500-0e2a299a4c856ddcc464a9960a8aa86f&start=6542&end=13514","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5670500-0e2a299a4c856ddcc464a9960a8aa86f/thumbnail_6542000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6135868/North-Dakota/Williston-State-reports-record-enrollment-new-healthcare-facility-and-regional-training-partnerships","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6135868-c78b73b9665c7306d597649f727c9ddc/orig.mp4?Expires=1770443022&Signature=QeZ8~22aByNCybRlrKh077mK9zFTIXyzRAn0f7Wx31XevVBtvk3RRdws27W0HjxcrXT2mouA5ua5eQz-JWNn7FM6AKCd2SCytuEbXUqIxuNd1vJleKWjzgpo4ST0vycyIq6ddEnGO9rVA0r4P3QOKEh74tjUy4hHmB0s1~n0F2H2fCvTPNIBoWOuMUuqtz5OLyKxrztxQrHCMX90PaAZ3TJlXRokuHM8PfGPOmhtlXQUHf2RgG5bAet~sy66W2zMLdkLjzlU85d4DXZebwJmHBLq8s3Un2vdkUjxHXJF~1uGF7MyA0H8JqPNX3RsDaRQlifhPA0JwaiTJ8KNNG0OfA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","North Dakota Legislature","date","2025-08-22T00:00:00Z","article","Dr. Herning, president of Williston State College, told the Legislative Committee on Higher Education that the college posted a record spring semester and is expanding programs and facilities to meet a regional workforce shortage in health care, trades and technical occupations.

\"The spring semester of FY25 that just finished last May was a record setting year,\" Dr. Herning said, reporting a spring headcount of about 1,236 students and record full‑time equivalent and credit‑hour totals. The college also reported full campus housing and temporary measures that included tripling up 60 beds to meet demand.

Williston is completing a 41,000‑square‑foot health‑care training building and plans to launch roughly 15 new health‑care and related programs over the next academic year, Dr. Herning said. The foundation committed $8 million to the project and state appropriations cover the balance; the president said the total project cost is approximately $36.6 million and classes will begin in January.

The college described an outreach and enrollment strategy built around three areas: new in‑person health and allied‑health programs, off‑site cohort programs at CTE centers and hospitals (including Watford City and Sidney), and expanded evening/weekend/hybrid scheduling to accommodate working adults. Dr. Zahi Atala, vice president for academic affairs, said the college is promoting \"stackable\" credentials — short, credit‑bearing modules that can be combined into certificates and degrees — and is implementing cohort and comatriculation arrangements with four‑year partners so students can complete bachelor’s degrees locally.

Anna Nelson, economic development director for the City of Williston, and Daniel Stenberg, McKenzie County economic development director, endorsed the college’s approach. Nelson cited the college’s role in childcare planning, community events and workforce committees and said the school’s 2‑plus‑2 bachelor’s completion partnerships are helping keep students in the region. Stenberg said Watford City’s Bakken Area Skills Center is partnering with Williston State on practical nursing, GED and English language classes to bring training to where workers live.

Hunter Berg, executive director of the Williston State College Foundation, said the foundation has averaged about $2 million per year in scholarships over 15 years, with higher totals in recent years; the foundation’s net assets were about $44 million as of last June and roughly $34 million of that is donor‑restricted, he said. Berg described a foundation goal to grow endowment to support scholarships long term and highlighted a $5.6 million synthetic‑turf athletic complex funded in partnership with the city and private donors.

College leaders identified several operational constraints legislators might address: repayment obligations from prior capital projects (a multi‑year bond repayment of roughly $426,000 per year remaining), extreme local competition from oil‑and‑gas wages that make staff hiring and retention difficult, limited affordable housing and high childcare costs in parts of the region. Dr. Herning said the college had 1 person covering some key functions when enrollment rose, but recent legislative and foundation funds will allow hiring onboarding support for the new programs.

The committee did not take formal action; members said they would continue to the interim study, visit area campuses and review program‑level data shared by the system office.

Ending

Williston State’s presentation emphasized rapid local growth, a strategy of in‑person credential expansion, and regional partnerships intended to keep more graduates in the area. College leaders asked the legislature for sustained attention to operational constraints — staffing, housing and childcare — that affect both institutional capacity and the region’s ability to retain trained workers.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Higher Education Institutions Committee Aug 22, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Williston State College told legislators a record spring headcount, new health‑care building, expanded program list and regional partnerships aim to supply workforce needs, but the college cited staffing, housing and local cost pressures as ongoing challenges.","taxTitle","Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28306,"location","North Dakota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6135873,"Midwestern compact warns North Dakota officials of a coming demographic cliff and outlines closure risks",4313,437000,4750000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5670500-0e2a299a4c856ddcc464a9960a8aa86f&start=437&end=4750","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5670500-0e2a299a4c856ddcc464a9960a8aa86f/thumbnail_437000.jpg","/articles/6135873/North-Dakota/Midwestern-compact-warns-North-Dakota-officials-of-a-coming-demographic-cliff-and-outlines-closure-risks","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6135873-3b97b02c317d958f3c7e8672fd6ff5be/orig.mp4?Expires=1770443022&Signature=EdPwhoX~~x56Byyslx3hlXeP~1~zdYBVSAncsX7flMwXwZ8VZEYHfzcVhpDJvhTfCZ7aAauw7PL7AnRGC~Gz4ZkhEs3rPNjNGOMX6z9U1NcMJVA9Grv3sOa3ITFIgztDTPeYGmkiXnE8aLBCFkqN7Eq~~hOxB2girwGeeN0PW1jRZBgIo3VxTqJWIe14HbN3hb8lsFd6ZMWMeSjJZe4VObu0kH~h4Xw4USKeSi26jViWZ1tkQFzVFHj0QD~53Ax1D0d-2GazYb7M4~~f8LH6pu-qBuTy4SMcVRVQbsddf4PVxyZmhCNsJkuhjJ0eWXwQBFiyirCDbDsKcL8jfI05-g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Susan Heegard, president of the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, told the North Dakota Legislative Committee on Higher Education on Friday that regional and national enrollment trends show a potential multi‑year decline in the traditional college‑age population and urged state leaders to prepare.

Heegard said the region faces a “demographic cliff” driven by lower birthrates dating to the Great Recession and that enrollment effects are likely to begin appearing in the mid‑2020s. She told committee members, “a demographic cliff is projected over the next 2 decades and yes, it'll even happen here.”

The warning matters because enrollment determines tuition revenue and institutional viability. Heegard said enrollment and financial stress have already produced closures and consolidations elsewhere in the Midwest, with 190 campus closures regionally in the past decade and the private for‑profit sector accounting for most of those shutdowns.

Her presentation summarized policy tools states use to reduce student harm when institutions close or consolidate. Key protections include: robust student‑record retention policies; tuition‑recovery or surety mechanisms; formal teach‑out agreements so students can finish programs elsewhere; and enforceable financial‑responsibility measures. She told the committee that researchers found students “are 37 to 51% less likely to complete a credential if they experienced a closure in a state lacking a teach out or student records maintenance.”

Heegard also reviewed how demographic shifts vary by state and by institution type. She said North Dakota currently fares better than many Midwestern states because of net in‑migration and higher rates of high‑school‑to‑college enrollment, but she urged legislators to examine campus‑level differences rather than rely on statewide averages. “Some institutions have experienced upticks in enrollment and others have not,” she said, recommending targeted supports such as expanded internships, apprenticeships and student supports that increase retention among historically underrepresented groups.

The presentation covered examples of state responses. Heegard described mergers and consolidations in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Minnesota that centralized administration or combined campuses; Connecticut’s move to a single accredited multi‑campus community college; and Indiana’s recent program‑level consolidations. She emphasized these reorganizations often accompany investments in academic advising and student support, which in some cases raised on‑time graduation and retention rates.

Committee members asked about cross‑border effects: whether neighboring states such as Montana, South Dakota or Minnesota were showing similar trends and how North Dakota’s relatively younger and growing population might alter the outlook. Heegard said projections show North Dakota’s total population is expected to grow through mid‑century, and she offered to provide specific border‑state slides flagged in her presentation.

Heegard cited multiple data sources during the briefing, including research from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank on institutional distress, Lumina Foundation attainment data, and federal financial responsibility metrics used to flag institutions at risk. She also noted the compact’s role in administering programs such as NC‑SARA (state authorization for distance education) and inter‑state contracts and services for higher education.

The committee did not take formal action at the meeting. Heegard closed by offering the compact’s staff as a follow‑up resource; legislators asked for additional state‑level data and for copies of the cited reports.

Ending

Heegard’s remarks framed the coming years as a time to plan rather than panic: states that have merged campuses or refocused programs often combined those steps with investments in advising and student supports. Committee members said they would follow up with the compact’s staff and review the cited reports as the panel continues its interim study of potential reorganizations within the North Dakota University System.","A Midwestern Higher Education Compact presentation to North Dakota legislators highlighted regional enrollment declines, a projected “demographic cliff,” and policies states use to reduce student harm when campuses close or merge.","actionData","errors"]

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Williston State reports record enrollment, new health‑care facility and regional training partnerships

Midwestern compact warns North Dakota officials of a coming demographic cliff and outlines closure risks