A LU M N I S P OT L I G H T
86-Years of Welding at NDSCS Diverse team of educators trained the region’s farmers, builders and manufacturers
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rnold Olson’s repair shop housed the first six NDSSS welding students in 1930. The department eventually moved to Haverty Hall and later to the Trade Tech II building. By 1936, the number of students had swelled to 78 and Mr. Olson added John Fradet, a former NDSSS student, as a second instructor. They even added an evening session from 7 p.m.-midnight, to accommodate more students. In the 1940s Julian Szczur, a former employee of the Olson’s repair shop, joined the staff. After a year, the war effort drew Szczur to the Manitowoc, Wisconsin shipyard building war ships, he then went to Washington State to repair bombed out ships–about the time that welding replaced rivets. He also worked in pipe fitting and on aircraft carriers. He returned to NDSCS as Welding Department Chair, bringing with him his new skills and continued in that role until 1986.
1931 Welding Class
Initially, demand for welders came from farms and the new sugar beet factories up and down the Red River Valley. Today, welding is an integral part of many manufacturing and building construction fields, and most graduates have numerous job offers prior to graduation. Working conditions and opportunities have improved, as well as the perception of the welding industry. These factors, along with salaries starting at the around $42,000 (based on Placement Department figures) for welders with one-year certificates, make welding a viable option for students of all ages. 8
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Expansion Enrollment continued to grow on campus as the instructors traveled to high schools around the state to recruit potential students. As the industry became more technical, a second year welding program began in 1985. Many students enrolled to learn robotic and advanced welding skills.
Today’s NDSCS welding department produced one of the school’s top 2015 one-year graduate program salaries of $62,400. However, the industry still faces an immense challenge of replacing the 50,000 welders who retire each year. Only 20,000 certified welders are entering the field on an annual basis.
Growth built on diverse welding experience
Current NDSCS Welding Class
In 2004, the program was renamed Manufacturing Technology and expanded to NDSCS-Fargo. The Welding Department, now in two locations, has six staff members, all of whom hold college degrees, advanced welding certifications and diverse industry backgrounds. The educators of the past and present built a department that now enrolls approximately 70 students a year. Lee Larson was hired as the Welding Technology Associate on the NDSCS Fargo campus. The Fargo North High School shares the welding lab, which encourages post-secondary enrollment with NDSCS. The college now offers 1st and 2nd year welding at both NDSCS locations. Joel Johnson is the current coordinator of the Wahpeton Welding program.
For 86 years, the NDSCS Welding Department has trained generations of welders and hired instructors with diverse backgrounds. “We hired individuals who knew the trade and then helped them become good teachers,” says John Cox, instructor and Welding Department Chair from 1979-2007. New welding instructors learned to become teachers from Odin Stutud, a NDSCS Vocational Instructor for many years. Each welding instructor is an AWS Certified Welder and attends continued education workshops with written and hands-on testing. Cox, who brought sales and welding business ownership/operational experience, joined a diverse team of instructors with varied industrial skills.
Recent Successes The workforce shortage in the welding field has created the need for a collaborative effort between NDSCS, industry, state and the federal government. Read how NDSCS has recently secured Federal grants, created new partnerships and competed successfully in SkillUSA events in the full article online at NDSCSAlumni.com/news-events.
Industry Professionals & NDSCS Welding Instructors Harvey Bisek John Fradet (‘36) Clint Gilbertson (‘94)* Tom Hafliger Vance Harthun (‘98)*
Arne Hinsverk Paul Jacobson Joel Johnson (‘98)* Steven Johnson (‘85)* Lee Larson (‘10)*
Robert Lemke (‘57) Robert Mracek Arnold Olson (‘36) Arvid Olson (‘57) Chance Pausch (‘11)*
Julian Szczur (‘41) Mitch Van Vleet (‘91)* Lowell Westfield *Indicates current faculty