NTC looks ahead to next 40 years

By Laurie Swenson

Pioneer Staff Writer

      Bemidji’s Northwest Technical College celebrated its 40th anniversary Thursday by looking at what has been, what is, and what will be.

      “Some people say you go downhill after 40,” Provost Charles Giammona said. “I like to think that we’re gathering momentum.”

      Barb Schueppert, dean of co-curricular activities, has the longest tenure of anyone currently at the college.

      “We keep thinking that we’re getting better and better,” she said, adding that the goal is continual improvement.

      “Forty years ago we opened our doors to begin a technical journey that took Northwest Technical College to the 21st century,” Giammona said. “We celebrate this history amid technology advances that are accelerating faster than we can read about. So fast, in fact, that we couldn’t be successful in the next 40 years if we did the same things we did these last 40 years.”

      The old “tech schools” born after World War II died when the information age emerged from the garages of technology entrepreneurs such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, Giammona said.

      “So with our doors now wide open, we must open our eyes and see with our hearts,” he said. “We’re on almost a spirit journey that transcends technology and embraces our cultural diversity and the diversity of our society.”

      Enrollment has surpassed 1,000 for the first time ever, NTC President Jon Quistgaard said. He believes the college should set its sights on 2,000.

      “I think we can get there,” Quistgaard said, noting that not all students need to study on campus. “This college is recognized nationally for its leadership in distance education.”

      NTC should also focus on growth in resources and reputation, he said. “You will hear much more about this college. It’s a special jewel.”

      Northwest Technical College is one of 33 educational institutions comprising Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Between the Bemidji campus and a satellite location on the Red Lake Indian Reservation, NTC offers 31 programs in business, health, technology and trade careers.

Art, technology fuse

      Some changes can be seen by just walking inside and viewing the new furnishings, equipment and the artwork that enhance the surroundings.

      All the artwork – impressive sculptures by Gordon Van Wert, a mural by Maureen O’Brien, silk banners by Mary Solome Vandergraft – turned heads. But Paul Simonson’s work turned heads upward – toward the ceiling, where he had painted about 110 of the ceiling tiles in the cafeteria, where the anniversary program was held.

      Simonson painted the tiles in a process similar, albeit on a larger scale, to the “spin art” paint machines used at street fairs and amusement parks to create multi-colored posters and clothing. His paintings have been shown in several galleries.

      The idea of doing ceiling tiles started when he volunteered to put together a machine to paint ceiling tiles at Evangelical Covenant Church. He said it doesn’t take long. “If I’m just doing random ones, I can do 12 to 18 in an hour.”

      The tiles with symbols that Simonson worked into the design took longer. About 20 to 25 tiles are symbolic to the college. “I wanted to represent every department here,” he said.

      Inside the entrance to the college, equally colorful hand-dyed silk banners crafted by Vandergraft hang from the ceiling in the walkway.

      In an area that once housed a lineup of orange lockers lies the Northwoods Cyber Lounge, a kiosk with computers and laptop hookups. On the wall above and around the kiosk is O’Brien’s mural, which shows a lake surrounded by trees, with an island in the center.

      A wall display of photographs shows NTC students in a day on campus. The photos were taken by Voyageurs High School students as part of a project.

      NTC nursing student Jeff Roesch handcrafted two rustic wooden benches that sit near the college entrance.

Teachers remember

      The program was highlighted by three retired teachers who shared memories of the college. Bonnie Bredenberg spent 27 years teaching business at NTC, and was there at the beginning.

      Back then, women had to wear skirts. Men wore uniforms color-coded to their course of study – green for auto mechanics, brown for carpentry. Tuition was free for high-school graduates younger than 21. Initially, there were three business teachers and one each in auto mechanics and carpentry.

      “In our first year I don’t think our graduating class was even 20 students,” Bredenberg said. “As I look around, I see some of my students and colleagues,” she said. “It brings back a lot of memories. This school was such a large part of my life.”

      Jan Langan, also a business teacher, was at the college for 32 years. She noted that while women had to wear skirts, they couldn’t wear just any skirt. If the skirt was more than 3 inches above the knee, the woman would be sent home. For men, sideburns could be no lower than their earlobes, and mustaches were forbidden.

      Alice Thompson, a nursing instructor who recently retired, came out in a nurse’s uniform and announced she was there to recruit students. She did a comedy sketch based on attributes of nursing students that had spectators laughing loudly.

      Giammona presented awards to Bredenberg, Langan and Thompson. He also honored Vern Skretvedt, the oldest living founding instructor at NTC, and Vern Treat, former provost.