Williston State reports enrollment rebound, seeks funding to launch new healthcare training center

Williston State College President Bridal Herning told the Appropriations - Education and Environment Division that the college has reversed a pandemic-era enrollment decline and is pressing the Legislature for start-up funding to open a new healthcare training facility that leaders say will expand regional workforce capacity.

Herning said the college’s head count rose from a low of 908 in fall 2021 to an all‑time high for recent years, and that full‑time equivalent (FTE) and credit hours also increased. He described an enrollment gain of 16% in the fall and spring increases that staff reported as roughly 20.7% and said campus housing is full, requiring the college to add 60 beds.

Why it matters: Williston is seeking state support to staff and equip a 42,000‑square‑foot, two‑story healthcare training building scheduled to open this November with classes starting January 2026. College leaders told lawmakers that the facility — and roughly 15 new health programs approved by accreditors — could add capacity for about 350 additional healthcare students per year, which they say is critical to keeping households and employers in northwest North Dakota.

Herning outlined three capital…