4 minute read
Linking Arms with Northwest North Dakota
In the winter of 1878, five Benedictine Sisters from St. Joseph, Minnesota, stepped off a Northern Pacific passenger car in downtown Bismarck, Dakota Territory, then a remote railway settlement nestled in the northeast corner of the Missouri River Basin. Seeing that the area was in dire need of schools, they rose early the next morning to found St. Mary’s Academy, resolving to bring Catholic education to the children of the northern prairie and beyond. The successors of these pioneering Sisters established Mary College on former farmland in 1959, and before long, the seed they planted would blossom into the region’s premier fouryear institution and a proven innovator in the global arena of higher learning.
Today as ever, the University of Mary seeks to carry that heritage of courageous service into the future. “Every time the University of Mary embarks on a new course, we look to see if there’s a need we can meet,” said Monsignor James Shea, the university’s sixth and current president. “We want to see if there’s a way we can truly add value. That’s the University of Mary’s DNA, that’s what we love to do, and we’re always looking for new ways to serve.”
The university’s latest venture in this regard, one of the most ambitious in its 60-year history, came to fruition this spring. Through a groundbreaking partnership between the University of Mary and the Williston community, residents of northwest North Dakota and eastern Montana will have the opportunity to earn their bachelor’s degree in Williston for under $5,000. “We already have our regional scholarships, by which students are able to get their two-year degree tuition-free through the Williston State College Foundation,” said Dr. Bernell Hirning, president of Williston State College. “This opportunity from the University of Mary will help students in years three and four finish their degree in person at a reduced tuition rate.”
In an effort to address mounting workforce demands in the area, the university's Williston location will offer flexible degree programs in four critical sectors: business administration, business management, elementary education, and nursing.
“Williams County has never been short on opportunities for success," said Cory Hanson, Williams County Commissioner. “But access to local, affordable higher education provides our citizens with another reason to live and work in our community and creates new reasons for job seekers to say ‘Yes’ to moving here.”
Classes will take place both in person on the campus of Williston State College and online, allowing regional students to complete bachelor's-level coursework without having to leave home. “What we've heard again and again is that what northwest North Dakota needs is a way for students who graduate, for instance, from Williston State College, to stay right here in their community and earn their bachelor's degree and beyond,” Shea said. “If the University of Mary is able to help with that, we’re happy to serve in whatever way we can.”
Generous contributions from local and regional donors, among them Sanford Health and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck, have furnished the means for the University of Mary to support each Williston area bachelor’s candidate with a total of over $25,000 in scholarship funding. Each student’s overall tuition cost will amount to no more than $4,985. “By thinking through this process carefully and gathering the necessary support, we’ve been able to offer Williston students a terrific, terrific deal on a university-level education through this partnership,” Shea said. “And so they’re highly incentivized to stay in their community. In fact, they would be crazy to go elsewhere. These programs can’t be matched in terms of flexibility and affordability.”
Dr. Hirning and Monsignor Shea raise a toast to inter-institutional cooperation. “We live in a world where the winners will always be those who are willing to link arms and partner,” Shea said.
Accordingly, Williston community leaders expect the initiative to bear fruit for years to come. “This program is a wonderful example of collaboration between public and private institutions to provide our students with even more opportunities for education and success close to home,” said Shawn Wenko, Executive Director of Williston Economic Development and interim City Administrator. “It’s going to help us retain talent in the area, and it’s going to contribute to our local workforce, which is going to be essential for our economic growth in the future. This partnership is a game-changer for the city of Williston and northwest North Dakota.”
“Williston is currently the sixth largest community in the state of North Dakota. We’re projected to make it to 50,000 people by 2030. For that to happen, partnerships like this need to happen,” Hirning added, underscoring the significance of the venture. “I’m grateful to the University of Mary, the city, the county, and everybody who came together to make this vision a reality.”
