|EDUCATION| “I feel that the future of the oil and gas industry in North Dakota will be dependent on having a strong university here and strong energy programs and committed faculty." - Hesham El-Rewini, dean, University of North Dakota College of Engineering and Mines
able high-paying jobs in the industry. “There’s so many opportunities now in the field and students are very aware of it,” he says. Many of the school’s undergrads go on to receive graduate degrees, but even the undergraduate degrees at the geology and geological engineering department command high wages in the workforce. In 2010-2011, for example, a geological engineering degree garnered a $63,000 annual salary, the highest average starting salary on campus, according to Laurie Anderson, head of the department. Anderson says it is will be difficult to estimate how the new Schlumberger software impacts enrollment until the next round of admissions numbers becomes available in the spring, but the school plans to use its new capabilities to aid in the recruitment of students as well as new faculty members. She says Schlumberger has a pattern of donating software licenses to schools that have strong petroleum, geology and engineering programs. “We’ve been added to the list and that puts us in very good company with universities nationwide,” she says.
Business Management
Technical expertise is an integral component of energy sector education, but it’s not the only area in need of additional focus. The University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D., aims to improve management education offerings for all energy sectors with a new master of business administration degree in energy management. Courses specific to the degree will be offered beginning next fall on campus and online, says Shanda Traiser, dean of the university’s Tharaldson School of Business. “We’re really excited about this program because most energy-related degrees come out of engineering schools,” she says. “[But] we’ve visited with lots of people over the past three years who are working in the energy industry in various aspects and they all said that this is a hole. The business side of energy is different, and there isn’t anybody teaching that aspect of it.” Courses in the program will provide an overview of specific energy industries, including fossil fuels as well as renewable energy sources. The diversity of the program has made its creation a challenge at times, Traiser says, but she is confident in the program director, Sen. Kent Conrad staffer Tim Moore, and his
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ability to identify industry experts in all sectors that will provide students with specified training. “We live in this great location where we’ve got access to expertise and knowledge in areas like energy development, economics and markets, financing, regulatory issues, legal issues, all of those things,” she says, adding that the wealth of knowledge in the region was one of the drivers in developing the program.“We wanted to use it to benefit the people working in the industry,” she says. The enrollment goal for the first year of the MBA-Energy Management program is a modest 15 to 20 students. However, Traiser says the online availability opens the door to a potentially much larger audience. Additionally, the program will allow students not interested in a master’s degree to receive a certificate instead. This option may be attractive to someone who already holds a master’s degree, in engineering for example, but would like to supplement their education with business-specific courses, Traiser says.
Healthy Competition
University representatives agree that enhanced energy programs will benefit the region overall through economic development and, potentially, higher student retention rates. ElRewini points out that North Dakota is the No. 2 oil-producing state in the country, but until two years ago there were no instate options for students seeking a degree with an emphasis on petroleum geology. He remembers meeting several North Dakotans during a trip to the Bakken region two years ago who had all left the state to obtain their degrees, only to return later for work.“So I think our main purpose is to serve students from North Dakota who would have left the state to get education somewhere else and also to help the region and attract people from [elsewhere],” he says. There is healthy competition between universities offering similar programs, but SDSMT’s Anderson says it’s good to have competition. “It keeps us all active in trying to move forward,” she says. “It’s a good sign for the whole region that companies are paying attention to higher education in the Dakotas.” PB Kris Bevill Editor, Prairie Business 701-306-8561, kbevill@prairiebizmag.com