Dickinson State asks legislature for deferred‑maintenance, campus security and construction funds

Acting Dickinson State University President Tyler Norton told the Senate Appropriations — Education and Environment Division on Tuesday that Dickinson State needs one‑time funding in the next biennium to address aging buildings, deferred maintenance and program start‑up costs.

Norton, who said he has led the university for just over five months, told the committee that Dickinson State’s small, rural campus serves its region and that improving facilities and programs helps students in “their 720 days” of college. “We only get a little bit of time to change a life,” Norton said.

The university asked the committee for roughly $3.5 million in one‑time requests that include costs tied to the new presidential transition and start‑up support to reestablish a campus security function. Lehi Wietstock, vice president for finance, said Dickinson currently employs a single safety officer and is seeking funds to stand up non‑sworn security staff to reduce thefts and meet expanding Clery Act reporting requirements. “The Clery Act … requires us to report on an annual basis all the crimes that occur,” Wietstock said, and he cited fines levied elsewhere as reasons to improve reporting and logs.

Wietstock and Norton described deferred‑maintenance pressures: Dickinson State spends roughly 17–24% of its operating budget on repairs, maintenance and depreciation in recent years, and several campus buildings date to before 1960. Wietstock said a failed campus deaerator — which removes oxygen from boiler feedwater — has been bid at about $875,000 and drew only one bid because of the complexity of removing the existing unit. He said the university is asking for additional help for those unplanned, large repair costs.

The university described two capital approaches to reduce maintenance and square footage: an option to demolish Selke Hall and build new attached academic space, and a second option to remodel May Hall for an Educational Innovation and Academic Excellence Center and repurpose Stickney Hall for the Theodore Roosevelt (TR) Center. The administration estimated an option‑one cost at approximately $48.5 million (an estimate based on square‑foot calculations) and said remodeling could lower deferred maintenance by an estimated $25 million and reduce campus square footage by about 19,400 square feet.

Norton and Kiara Matherne of the DSU Heritage Foundation outlined progress on a 2023–25 capital appropriation for an ag building renovation and an indoor rodeo arena. Norton said the ag classroom portion of the renovation is expected to be available by Aug. 1 and the indoor arena is targeted for 2026. Matherne said the DSU Heritage Foundation has raised more than $35 million over eight years and noted a $10 million gift from the Walton Foundation, of which $8 million is an endowment item for the TR Center.

Other funding requests included approval to bond up to $7.5 million to finish renovation of Woods Hall, which would add about 68 residence beds; the university said it would prefer to use a proposed revolving loan fund in House Bill 1128 if that measure becomes available. The administration also asked that challenge‑grant funding continue and noted the utility of economic diversification grants and mental health funding: Dickinson used roughly $98,000 allocated earlier to expand mental health services, but current student health and mental‑health services remain funded nearly entirely by student fees.

Norton and Wietstock described enrollment and staffing trends: the university is down about 20% in faculty compared with four years ago following prior cuts, and the administration has combined positions to save about $200,000 a year while preserving academic offerings. They said enrollment and regional workforce alignment — including manufacturing and ag programs — are priorities.

Committee members asked about telehealth and contracting with regional psychiatric providers; Norton and Wietstock said they have explored telehealth and contracting with psychiatric nurse practitioners and outside clinics.

The administration emphasized the TR Center’s growing national and international reach and said it seeks seed funding to grow the library and digitization work, with a long‑term endowment target in the tens of millions to sustain operations.

The committee did not take votes on Dickinson State’s requests during the hearing; members said they will continue conversations as the biennial budget process proceeds.