Northern receives $3.15M donation

At the Montana State University-Northern football game Saturday, leaders of Northern and its business partners announced that the university will receive the $3 million it needs to build a new automotive and diesel technology building.

Those who helped grant Northern the funds gathered for a press conference before the game.

Montana State University President Waded Cruzado was one of the many to speak at the conference.

"This is a very happy day for the family at MSU-Northern," Cruzado said. "We are here because this is a day of new beginnings. ... This is thanks to the great generosity of corporations that have partnered with MSU-Northern for a long time, but it's also due to faculty, our students, our staff, our alumni, the community that surrounds our campus that believes so passionately in the promise of the future that this college represents."

Cruzado said the program is already successful, and this upgrade will further push the reputation of Northern and its program.

MSU-Northern Chancellor Greg Kegel said the diesel program has consistently grown for the last five years and now they are having issues with lack of space to accommodate the growth. He said the new facility will allow the program to increase its student enrollment and give them more space to learn their trades.

"These are some of the biggest companies in the world and they have endorsed this program and said 'you are worthy of this type of investment from us.' So that gives us instant credibility," Kegel said.

He said because of Northern's position in the state and situation, they have to fight harder to maintain its place in Montana and have been successful so far.

"Everybody keeps their eye on Northern, and I think it's because we compete so hard," Kegel said.

Mike Callaghan, executive director of the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, said this is an exciting time for the foundation to be able to partner with BNSF and General Electric Transportation "to be able to spearhead and begin the construction a nationally recognized diesel technology program and hopefully take it to the 21st century.

"It's our honor to be part of a project that we think is going to put Montana on the map for a long time to come," he said.

He added that his foundation normally does not take part in capital construction projects. They mainly deal with creating programs for kids, but since the graduates of the diesel program are hired by many companies around the state and nation, an exception was made. The majority of their programs deal with scholarships, early education and afterschool programs

"We cannot be competitive in a global marketplace if we don't have the graduates coming out of institutions that are top of the line kids and that's what this facility will do once it's constructed," Callaghan said.

The foundation contributed $1 million for the project.

"It's just for us to be a part of a community that is so supportive of their school," he said.

Jason Greenwood, a senior site manager for GE Transportation, said they were donating equipment to the program.

"What we're going to be able to do is supply some of the actual equipment," Greenwood said. This will allow the students to work on equipment that is currently being used in the real world at the facility instead of having to learn the ins and outs of the equipment when they get on the job.

They are donated an cutaway engine on a locomotive and some electrical components used in locomotive engines.

Greenwood said the Havre GE site has hired 92 Northern graduates since 1996.

"We have a very large stake (in the program)," Greenwood said.

In the last legislative session, Northern was allowed to use $4.9 million of state funds, according to a press release from the university, but had to raise the rest of the funds before they could start the construction.

In addition to the foundation's gift, BNSF gave the program $1 million, GE donated $1 million in equipment and Independence Bank gave them $150,000.

Dave Marino, superintendent of the mechanical site at BNSF in Havre, said this is an exciting time for the community and for BNSF.

Marino said there are currently 30 Northern graduates at the shop in Havre.

"We have a mutually beneficial relationship with Northern," said Matt Jones, the regional director of public affairs for BNSF Railway.

The program enrolled a record 287 students in the diesel program this fall and will be able to increase this number once the facility is completed. The new facility will be 7,000 square feet larger than the current facility.

Kegel said Northern is looking at creating specialized curriculum for the program when the new facility is completed that will better allow students to flow into job openings with companies interested in Northern's students. He said with the new building and curriculum, they may be able to hold 500 students in the program.

He said they would also look at increasing the faculty and staff of the program when the building is built, but that it's difficult to find educators for the program, because not many people in the industry have education experience and they make much more money if they stay in the industry.

Roughly, he said, they are going to try and make four new hires for the program.

MSU-Northern Director of University Relations Jim Potter said the college is hoping to start breaking ground next fall. He said it will probably be a two-year project and they need to make a game plan to figure out how to continue teaching their courses as the new facility is built and the old facility is taken down, as well as continuing conversations with architects, contractors and others.

"The building will be here before you know it," Cruzado said.