Williston State Looking for Oil Help - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Williston State Looking for Oil Help

Williston State College's president says he's grateful for the financial help the state legislature has offered to deal with the impacts of the oil boom.

But Dr. Ray Nadolny says more help from the state and from local supporters will be needed to get through the situation.
He cites rising costs for housing and the lure of higher-paying jobs in the oil industry as issues WSC is dealing with.
Nadolny testified to the interim Higher Education Committee of the state legislature in Williston today.
He says the state has helped in many ways, such as providing extra funding for things like extra counseling and more security.

(Dr. Ray Nadolny, WSC President) "We're incredibly grateful and of course will go back and ask for some of this to continue.  We have a full time safety person during the day we'd like to see continue.  We have a full time counselor we'd like to see continue.  But the state has been very responsive and the government has been great partners."

Nadolny says there are several projects underway at WSC - from smaller work such as remodeling and upgrading the library - to larger plans that will be under construction soon.

(Dr. Ray Nadolny, WSC President) "The recreation center will break ground in the next couple of months.  We have a ten million dollar apartment building that will break ground in August and that's very exciting because we're talking high-quality housing, we're talking housing for my staff, and right now we have 18 staff that live in trailers and in my opinion that's not appropriate and I think we can do better and I think that through our foundation we're able to do better."

Registration is underway now for the fall semester at Williston State College.