At Bismarck State College, a passing of the torch

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Bismarck State College is going through a period of considerable flux, adapting to major changes with how higher education is delivered due to the coronavirus pandemic while also navigating a transition in leadership at its highest level.

Longtime President Larry Skogen retired June 30 after 13 years at the helm. Doug Jensen was named his successor by the state Board of Higher Education in March. He comes to Bismarck from Rockford, Illinois, where he was serving as president of Rock Valley College.

The philosophies and leadership styles of the incoming Jensen and the outgoing Skogen are similar in nature but differ in origin. Skogen had a long career with the Air Force before getting into higher education, while Jensen 'œnever dreamed of going to college'ť while growing up in Pittsburgh.

'œMy goal was to graduate from high school and to go to work in U.S. Steel,'ť Jensen told The Bismarck Tribune.

Both his parents died during his youth, forcing him to become an independent adult early in life. Working in the steel mills was a common occupation in the community -- until the tides of the economy shifted and the mills began to shutter.

Jensen found himself in a 'œvery difficult position'ť where he wasn't ready for college but didn't see any other opportunities around him. When a former teacher suggested he tour a community college program for displaced workers, 'œI was really hesitant to do it because I did not see myself going into college,'ť he said.

Upon his arrival to campus, he initially felt a sense of fear and a lack of belonging. Jensen credits the belief his instructors had in him for helping him get through the uncertainty, and that experience molds how he sees higher education today.

'œWhat you'll hear me say is that a community college is somewhere you go where people will believe in you before you're capable of believing in yourself. Those individuals at that college saw something in me ... that I could not see in myself and believed in me, and I had to trust them,'ť Jensen said. 'œSince that time, I've just dedicated myself to higher education, because I know what impact that has made on my life, and I know the impact it can make on other people's lives.'ť

Skogen's path into higher education was different, happening 'œalmost accidentally, because I was crewed with a guy who had gone to the Air Force Academy,'ť he said.

He was raised in Hettinger and grew up working in his father's hardware store, where he discovered he liked talking to other people. He got a bachelor's degree in education and worked as a teacher in Cooperstown before enlisting in the Air Force.

'œOfficers in the Air Force are encouraged to pursue graduate degrees,'ť Skogen said.

He was pursuing a master's degree in history, considered an unusual area of study among airmen at the time, while working in an intercontinental ballistic missile combat crew.

'œI was in this program, and my (crew) commander said, '~You know, the Air Force Academy is always looking for active duty officers that have graduate degrees to teach at the academy.' I thought, '~there's absolutely no way that I could end up at the Air Force Academy,' but he encouraged me, and I got the contact information and went through the process. Lo and behold ... I got offered a job as a young faculty member at the U.S. Air Force Academy,'ť Skogen said. 'œOnce I got into the college environment with these really motivated students and really got to understand what higher ed was, I was bitten.'ť

His stint at the academy was temporary. He went back into operations and became a squadron director and wing inspector general before retiring from the service.

After working as a vice president at the New Mexico Military Institute, Skogen desired to return home to North Dakota to be near his parents. He applied for the BSC position and was selected to become the school's sixth president in 2007.

Skogen said he hopes his legacy at BSC will be tied with the physical growth of campus and the polytechnic direction in which the college is heading.

Multiple buildings including dorms and classroom buildings have sprung up on campus since he began at BSC, Skogen said. And the college has been tasked with a polytechnic mandate from the state Board of Higher Education to add more four-year, bachelor of applied science degrees to assist with state workforce development initiatives.

'œThe physical plant that we have, I'm hoping, coupled with the polytechnic concept, together is going to really position Bismarck State College well to serve the community and the state,'ť Skogen said.

He credited the Board of Higher Education and the Legislature with making the growth possible.

He commended the Board of Higher Education for its selection of his successor, and said Jensen is excited about the polytechnic mandate.

'œWe've set the table, and now it's up to Dr. Jensen with the BSC team to make it happen and expand on that and to build on it,'ť Skogen said. 'œI think in many ways, (Jensen) is going to be very much like me and that is trust your people, and stay out of their way. You know, you put good people in positions and let them do their job. It is with full confidence that I'm turning the reins over to Dr. Jensen.'ť

Jensen moved to Bismarck on June 15. He and Skogen have met multiple times in the past two weeks to talk about the history of the college, share documents and discuss strategies.

Jensen has made multiple educational leadership transitions in his career and knows how it goes from both sides of the table.

'œYou really need to take time to listen and to understand'ť the history when coming into a new college, he said.

The transition has been affected significantly by the coronavirus pandemic. Skogen, who hoped to relax, walk around campus and ease his way into retirement during his last month, finds himself working to safely reopen the college in the fall.

'œInstead of being able to kind of slide out, I've got three more work days and I'm still working on budgets and COVID stuff,'ť Skogen said during a recent interview. 'œI didn't get to ride quietly off into the sunset.'ť

Jensen soon will be tasked with leading BSC into the post-COVID era. He thinks BSC, with its strong basis in online learning, affordability and polytechnic direction, is well positioned to thrive in the changed world of higher education.

'œWe will be open, we will get through this, and we will continue to touch people's lives,'ť Jensen said.