Dickinson, ND – With renovations underway at the Southwest Area Career and Technical Education Academy (SWCTE), the DSU Heritage Foundation is announcing the kick-off of an expansive fundraising campaign to support Southwest Area CTE Academy and Dickinson State University's technical education programming. The DSU Heritage Foundation has a goal of raising $8 million dollars, providing support for ongoing programming and scholarship needs for the Academy, enabling high school and college students from throughout Southwest North Dakota to develop skills in the professional areas of their interest.

"North Dakota has an on-time graduation rate for High School students of 84%. This increases to 96.7% \for students who have taken two or more CTE credits in the same area of study, "according to Aaron Anderson, Director, SWCTE. "Thank you to the DSU Heritage Foundation for leading the fundraising efforts to complete renovations on the SWCTE campus." "The business community is showing incredible support for the SWCTE Academy," noted Rich Wardner, former North Dakota Senator (37 th District). "We thank the State of North Dakota for their support of this project, along with generous gifts from Baranko Companies, Steffes, Sax Motors, Baker Boy, and Bravera Bank."

"The SWCTE Academy brings invaluable hands-on learning and real-world work experience opportunities to students in Southwest North Dakota," said Glenn Baranko, President, Baranko Companies. "This Academy will positively impact businesses and healthcare facilities in our region as well as those looking to open, expand, or relocate a business here." Individuals and businesses interested in supporting SWCTE Academy programs can contact the DSU Heritage Foundation. Project stakeholders thank additional Sponsors of RDO Equipment, Butler Machinery, Gooseneck Implement, Dickinson Ready Mix and Marathon Petroleum have all donated extensively to the project already.

The DSU Heritage Foundation focuses on providing scholarships for DSU students, and long- term support for DSU programs through endowments, long-term support, and donations from Dickinson State University supporters. To date, the DSU Heritage Foundation has raised over

$21 million dollars, and has awarded over $4 million dollars in scholarships. During the 2021- 22 academic year, the foundation will award $1.1 million in scholarships to DSU students.

For more information: DSUHeritageFoundation.org

Southwest Area Career & Technical Education Academy is a public-school entity made up of seven high schools (Dickinson, Killdeer, South Heart, Belfield, New England, Beach and Trinity Catholic) along with Dickinson State University. It operates on a 40-acre campus with over 71,000 square feet of indoor training space on the north side of Dickinson. It currently has twelve educational programs providing students with opportunities and training for in demand careers in Southwest North Dakota.

For more information: SWCTE.org

Dickinson State University is a regional comprehensive institution within the North Dakota University System, whose primary role is to contribute to intellectual, social, economic, and cultural development, especially to Southwestern North Dakota.

For more information: DickinsonState.edu

Dickinson Public Schools has been serving the city of Dickinson and surrounding communities since 1893 and is the largest employer in the city of Dickinson, with almost 700 staff members providing services to over 4,400 students Pre-K-12.

For more information: dickinson.k12.nd.us