Dr. Carmen M. Simone was named Campus Dean and Chief Executive Officer for Dakota College at Bottineau in August 2022. Dakota College is one of five comprehensive community colleges in North Dakota and it is an affiliate campus of Minot State University. Prior to her return to North Dakota, Simone served as President of Western Nebraska Community College. She guided the institution through the worldwide pandemic with a commitment to serving students. During her tenure, the institution also successfully completed virtual and verification accreditation visits, launched a new technical program, and focused on strategic enrollment management.

Dakota College at Bottineau’s Agriculture Department is one of the seven recipients of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grant to support the Secondary Agriculture Education Challenge Grants Program. NIFA’s main objective in this grant is to “promote and strengthen food and agricultural science education” (United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) & National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), 2022).

Dr. Steven Shirley, president of Minot State University (MSU) and Dakota College at Bottineau (DCB), announced Monday that Dr. Carmen Simone will serve as the new campus dean at DCB. Simone has an extensive administrative background in higher education, and specifically with leadership experiences at two-year colleges. Most recently she served as president of Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff, NE. Dr. Simone earned her undergraduate degree from the University of North Dakota and her doctorate from Colorado State University, both degrees in chemistry.

Over a year ago, I was fortunate enough to be offered the opportunity to become the new North Dakota Farm Management Education (NDFME) Instructor for Dakota College at Bottineau at the Rugby location. Throughout my first year in this position, I have had to explain what my new job entails countless times to family, friends, and members of my community. In doing so I have quickly discovered that there is a widespread misconception of what the Farm Management Education Program is.

Careers in emergency medicine are growing in popularity and demand. Dakota College at Bottineau in collaboration with Trinity Health-First Response Ground of Minot has accepted nine students to the Paramedic Technology program this spring. The Paramedic Technology program is for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) who want to advance the level of care they can provide. Students applying to the Paramedic Program must have successfully completed the EMT-Basic Certification, hold a current BLS CPR certification and complete all necessary requirements for acceptance prior to being admitted into the Dakota College Paramedic Technology program.

May is always a busy month for the city of Bottineau, and it is no different for the Horticulture Department at Dakota College. Not only are they getting ready for graduation, but they are also finishing the semester, getting ready for their annual plant sale, and hiring summer workers while managing the greenhouse and campus high tunnels and gardens. This last semester was one for the history books. There was a record number of snow days where classes were canceled due to the weather. There was also a damaging storm that swept through the state in April and damaged all of the high tunnels on campus as well as some trees.

Dakota College at Bottineau recognizes students from the spring 2021 semester for their academic success. You will find a list of Honor Roll and Dean’s List students attached in an PDF format. This academic success recognizes outstanding students who are investing time, energy and resources to becoming contributing members of society. Dean’s List students maintain a GPA of 3.5 and higher and the Honor Roll recognizes students who have achieved a GPA of 3.0-3.49. We are pleased that they have achieved a high level of academic excellence.

With a new building on campus, comes new landscaping. In February of 2022 Dakota College at Bottineau opened an addition to the Knudson Center for dining. This opened a new dining experience for students, faculty, staff, and the community to eat, study and gather with one other. The design of the project will also give the dining center a cement patio area scheduled to be poured this spring.

Put some steam into your STEM classes this summer with a professional development workshop for educators. The Teach Science Through Art workshop is a fun and fast-paced workshop with hands-on activities on Dakota College Campus from June 14-15, 2022.