cyberspace ethically and responsibly.” Students learn to think critically about emerging technologies. “What we’re talking about today, a year from now could be something different because technology is changing so fast,” she notes. The college ensures graduates won’t be surprised by technological shifts in their chosen fields. COMMUNITY COLLABORATION AND THE ROAD AHEAD Regional partnerships form the backbone of North Dakota’s workforce strategy. Business leaders, educators, and government officials recognize that solving labor shortages requires coordinated effort. The Fargo-Moorhead region exemplifies this collaborative approach through initiatives that bring diverse stakeholders together. “The Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo Chamber just had their Midwest Summits,” Dr. Karch says. “They put on a Midwest summit quarterly. This past week they did the Agriculture Midwest Summit, bringing in international leaders, national leaders, regional leaders to talk about agriculture, agribusiness, AgTech.” Discussions range from autonomous tractors to supply chain challenges. “In those conversations are businesses, farmers, ranchers, higher education, high school superintendents, principals.The Chamber does an exceptional job bringing key partners together.” New facilities expand NDSCS’s reach.“We’re building a Career Innovation Center in South Fargo that will be a clear connection and collaboration with our high school students coming there to take CTE classes as well as college students,” Dr. Karch explains. The 87,000-square-foot facility, opening August 2025, will serve 3,800 individuals annually. Aviation maintenance training launches this fall through partnerships with Fargo Jet Center. Looking ahead, Dr. Karch remains cautiously optimistic. “While I’d like to say here’s my list of programs we’re going to launch in the next 18 months, every summer we do annual reviews of our academic program portfolio,” she says. “We also do extensive reviews looking at data and trends, what’s currently happening and what the shortages are.” 61 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 07 NORTH DAKOTA STATE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE
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