Southeast Tech Doubles Capital Campaign Goal

Stephen Williamson

Paula Hawks

The Southeast Technical College Foundation has successfully successfully concluded a capital campaign after raising more than double its goal. With an initial target of $6.2 million, the three-year New Opportunities in Workforce Development (NOW) campaign launched in fall 2018 and ended on Dec. 31, 2021, after raising more than $13 million in new pledges and gifts. This includes more than 1,300 individual gifts from more than 300 donors.

“We are thrilled to have had such a successful capital campaign,” said Robert Griggs, president, Southeast Tech. “I am personally grateful to each and every individual and business that contributed to this campaign so that Southeast Tech can continue to offer hands-on, industry-relevant training and grow our region’s workforce.”

The NOW campaign’s four goals were to:

• Grow industry sponsors and scholarships to support an increase in enrollment;
• Fund needed support services to significantly improve recruitment and retention of first-generation and diverse students;
• Strengthen industry connections, apprenticeships, internships and annual unrestricted funds to meet industry needs; and,
• Financially support the new renovation for the Veterinarian Technician and Dental Assisting programs, as well as other smaller projects.

Paula Hawks, Career Services Coordinator at Southeast Tech, says one outcome from the campaign was cultivating and developing relationships with industry and creating more scholarship opportunities for students, particularly through the Build Dakota scholarship program.

“When we started leveraging our scholarship dollars by matching students with industry sponsors, we started small – with 20 sponsorships in 2016,” Hawks said. “That number has increased nearly five-fold over the last few years, and we are overjoyed to be able to deliver these opportunities to our students.”

By most measures, the campaign has been successful says Stephen Williamson, Director, STC Foundation.

“In almost all aspects, NOW has been a success for Southeast Tech. The Foundation Office and Board is proud to serve the workforce mission, faculty and students of Southeast Tech.”