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

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.