New dean takes over Northern's College of Technical Sciences

The new dean of the College of Technical Sciences at Montana State University-Northern, Dave Krueger, said the college has a great foundation for success and he is excited to add to it.

He said he and his staff are here to grow all the programs at the college and to increase enrollment, which will be the primary strategy of meeting the mission of the university.

Originally a farmer and rancher from southern Idaho, Krueger said, he he started his career in education as a high school teacher of agricultural science for seven years, adding that he also received his bachelor's and master's degrees in agricultural science and extension education from the University of Idaho.

After obtaining his degrees, he went on to Michigan State University, he said, where he worked on his doctorate. He added that he was interested in curriculum development and program design. He worked at Michigan State University for 27 years, Krueger said, but he always planned on moving back out west somewhere.

"I believe wholeheartedly my passion is in career tech education," he added.

He worked 17 of those 27 years in administration and created programs for students, Krueger said, adding that, as a private contractor, he also created a horticulture program - the art or practice of garden cultivation and management - for Michigan's Department of Corrections.

He also created an agricultural tech program for Baker College, he said, where afterward he was asked to be the dean of all applied technical programs. Krueger said he was in charge of nine campuses around the state of Michigan. But when an opportunity opened up in Montana he jumped on it, very excited for the opportunity to be the dean of the College of Technical Sciences at Northern.

Krueger said he was looking for an opportunity to be a dean at a college or university with a primary focus on trades and agriculture, those being his background, and after searching across the country found Northern.

"I thought, what a great fit," Krueger said, "because not only do they have an agricultural program here but they have auto and diesel and welding and everything that I had been doing at Baker College."

He said Northern has a fantastic program and he is excited to be here.

"My first couple of weeks have been absolutely fantastic," he said.

Krueger said he also has an interest in growth and wants to look into new programs to meet the needs of local employers and those in the state, preparing the college and the students for job opportunities that might come in the future.

"We always have to look to the future," he said, adding that technical and agricultural programs have to remain fluid to allow for adaptation.

The strength of the college is that Northern is the leader in Montana in technical trades and has a diesel program that, nationally, no one can touch, Krueger said. The diesel program, specifically the large engine program and its partnership with BNSF Railway, gives students hands-on experience, he added. Most technical colleges across the country work primarily on small, lightweight, diesel engines, when students at Northern are able to work on large locomotive engines or even cruise line ship engines.

"I think that's very unique to this program here," Krueger said. "We need to continue to develop that relationship and nurture that relationship and look at ways we can expand our diesel program, as well.

"I would like to see us continue to grow," he added, "hire more faculty, get more students engaged."

The things that Northern is doing with the diesel program need to expand into the other programs in the college, he said.

"(The diesel program) is a model program," Krueger said. "I would like to see all of my programs grow to that point and build relationships with industries to that point that we can build facilities like that for all our programs."

Relationship with industry are crucial for success, Krueger said, all programs in the college need to continue building these relationships to remain current and relevant.

He said that in his job, he doesn't give preference to any particular program, and he has the goal to grow all programs at the college to assure that the college is current, relevant and engaging in the newest technology that's readily available to the students.

Krueger said he wants to let the rest of the world know what is offered at Northern and how its programs benefits the students.

He also wants to prepare the students with all the necessary tools needed to go into the industry "boots on the ground" and ready to go to work or go on the job when they are finished in any of the programs.

Northern has a great graduation rate, with 100 percent of the students who graduate in some programs finding higher-end jobs immediately. He added that this speaks of the industry and the need for technical graduates, in the state and the nation.

"I tell students who are coming into our programs, 'You're in the right major, you're in the right field,'" Krueger said. "'Be persistent, stick to your program and when you're done you'll be hired.'"

Krueger and Havre

Krueger said he also is very happy with coming to Havre and is amazed in the diversity in the environment around the area, adding one of his favorite things is the big open sky that can be found in Montana. Montana is Big Sky Country and being in Havre, he said, it is obviously true.

"I love Havre so far," Krueger said.

Being originally from the west, he loves being able to head up the road and be in the mountains in 20 minutes.

"If you don't get off Highway 2, you don't know what's the real gem you have around us," he said.

He added that he is very excited to be part of the community and he looks forward to working with the people here and assisting the community any way he can.

"I absolutely love everything I do," Krueger said. "Great people, great faculty - we have great faculty here - we have great administrative support and such great staff."