BISMARCK, N.D. - Work has begun on the only polytechnic education facility in the region.
Kraus-Anderson recently began construction on a new $35 million Polytechnic Education Center at Bismarck State College located at 1601 Edwards Ave. in Bismarck, N.D., the company announced. The building is the only polytechnic education facility in the region.
The 89,486-square-foot, state-of-the-art polytechnic center, which was designed by ICON Architectural Group, will feature project-based learning and nontraditional, hands-on collaborative working environments, Kraus-Anderson announced in a press release. The building will include two flex labs where business and industry can partner on developing projects and ideas; and provide space for operating and expanding new academic programming and equipment as well as advancing applied research.
The building, once completed, will be three stories and is set to have a skywalk connect to the Bismarck State College National Energy Center of Excellence. It will also house a live event venue, a digital hive and a security operations center (SOC) as well as other state-of-the-art learning environments, Kraus-Anderson said in the release.
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“North Dakota has tremendous natural assets that support economic growth in our state,“ says BSC President Doug Jensen. “The decision to invest in our polytechnic mission aligns perfectly with the state’s economic growth projects.”
Gov. Doug Burgum has previously said the center will be of critical importance in helping North Dakota meet its workforce needs.
State lawmakers approved and Burgum signed legislation in 2021 providing $38 million for the BSC Polytechnic Education Center.
“Education has to be more responsive to workforce needs and more responsive to the signals from the private sector,” Burgum said during a 2021 press conference at BSC’s National Energy Center of Excellence. “This is far more than just a new building. This is a new pathway for higher education in North Dakota.”
The Polytechnic Education Center is expected to be completed in winter of 2024.
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