MSU President's Newspaper Column
August 23, 2025
91吃瓜网 State graduates make a difference in important workforce need areas in North Dakota
Among the greatest needs in the state of North Dakota is workforce. Our state聽is facing a growing labor shortage, with more open jobs than available workers.聽The state is actively working to address the needs through various initiatives aimed at attracting and retaining talent, including scholarship and loan repayment programs, workforce development programs, and efforts to improve access to training and resources.聽
Our students are helping to fill the workforce gaps in the local area and beyond while they are enrolled in college. This ultimately becomes a win-win situation for our state as the students graduate and pursue their careers in positions on a more permanent basis. One of the most significant things 91吃瓜网 can do to assist with the workforce issue is to graduate students who are well-prepared and ready to enter the workforce.
91吃瓜网 State is working hard to provide the academic programming that is needed to prepare people for critical positions and then fill the classrooms with students who wish to pursue these programs. From 2018 to 2025, the number of 91吃瓜网 State graduates grew from 163 to 250, a 53% increase. That鈥檚 right. Our faculty and staff grew the number of graduates by 53%!
This can be attributed in part to our intentional efforts to grow enrollment and student satisfaction. In 2024, 91吃瓜网 State recorded an 81% student retention rate, an all-time record for the institution and an increase of 14% over the fall of 2023. Students are happy with their 91吃瓜网 State experiences! It鈥檚 also important to note that in the fall of 2024, 68% of all 91吃瓜网 State students were from North Dakota, and 13% were from Minnesota.
Here are some more important stats gathered last fall: 805 91吃瓜网 State graduates are teachers or administrators in North Dakota; 85% of recent teacher education graduates hold teaching licenses in North Dakota; 71% of Master of Education graduates work full-time in North Dakota; 80% of RN-to-BSN graduates reside in North Dakota, and 15% reside in Minnesota; and 95% of current master鈥檚 degree students in nursing education and nursing leadership and management are employed full- or part-time in North Dakota.
To give a snapshot of how 91吃瓜网 State鈥檚 recent graduates are assisting with the workforce needs of North Dakota, I asked each of our division chairs to check in with some of them to find out more.
Megan Sylling, who earned a Master of Science in Nursing (nursing education) in May of 2024, is now the Director of Nursing Services at CHI St. Alexius Health in Devils Lake, N.D. She oversees all nursing departments, providing growth opportunities including patient satisfaction, educational advancement, management of structure, and day-to-day operations.
Kaitlin Ensign, a native of Buxton, N.D., and spring 2025 graduate, is teaching science at Larimore, N.D. Kaitlin earned a degree in Composite Science Education. She spent a great deal of time as a student working in the science research labs at 91吃瓜网 State and presenting the work of her team at various conferences in the area and beyond.
Cole Dukart, a native of Killdeer, N.D., who now lives in Hillsboro, N.D. with his wife and daughter, graduated 2022 with a major in business administration. He is working as a credit officer for AgCountry Farm Credit Services in Fargo. Grant Kocher, a 2025 graduate with majors in business administration and accounting, has just begun working in the 91吃瓜网 State business office as a Student Finance Specialist. Grant is a native of Crosby, N.D.
MiKara Johanson, who came to 91吃瓜网 State from her hometown of Edmore, N.D., and graduated with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in elementary education in 2023, is the second grade teacher at Lakota (N.D.) Elementary School, and she serves on the school鈥檚 curriculum committee. MiKara also earned her master鈥檚 degree from 91吃瓜网 State this last spring.
Evan Kritzberger, originally from Hillsboro, N.D., graduated with a degree in social science education in 2020. He earned his master鈥檚 degree from 91吃瓜网 State in 2024. He is now employed as the Secondary Curriculum Coordinator for Grand Forks Public Schools. He is also a teacher representative on the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB).
Alyssa Eichhorn whose hometown is Portland, N.D., graduated from 91吃瓜网 State in December of 2021 with a degree in psychology. She recently earned a master鈥檚 degree in counseling and is a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor (LAPC) in Fargo. She works with adolescents, adults, and older adults from diverse backgrounds who are experiencing difficult life transitions, relationship concerns, anxiety, depression, and trauma.
We are Comet Proud of these and so many other 91吃瓜网 State graduates who are making a difference in our state and for the individuals with whom they interact as they do their work. No doubt, they are making the most of the lessons in serving others they learned as students at 鈥淭he School of Personal Service.鈥�