MTC officially opens the doors to new Ag Power Diesel Lab Building

By Erik Kaufman Mitchell Republic

MITCHELL — It’s been nearly a year in the making, but Mitchell Technical College officially opened its new Ag Power Diesel Building on Thursday, March 21 with a ribboncutting ceremony on campus.

The event saw hundreds of students, faculty, school district officials, industry partners, government officials and lawmakers set foot in the new building for the very first time to celebrate the new facility that officials said was a giant leap forward in the educational quality for Mitchell Technical College students.

“This dedication is less than a year after we announced that this building project was approved and moving forward,” Mark Wilson, president of Mitchell Technical College, told the gathered audience. “The completion of this building is a celebration of the beginning of a new era.”

The move marks the end of a yearlong effort to consolidate several of the school’s most popular programs under one roof and free up space for several other programs. The dedication of the new building, in use by program students and instructors since the start of the spring semester, marks the moment that every program at the school is now on one campus.

That alone is a sizable accomplishment, Wilson said, and one that will make a large difference in the lives of students.

“Currently all Mitchell Tech students, faculty and programs are on one campus. This is a vision that was in the making for a multiple number of years, and sets the stage for other projects that will keep Mitchell Tech at the forefront in educating and training South Dakota’s future workforce,” Wilson said.

Several official dignitaries shared thoughts on the new space.

Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden praised the $10 million addition, saying it will enhance the strength of Mitchell Technical College programs and the educational experience for which students flock to the technical school.

“This will help them provide the best quality education building the next generation of workers for our state’s ag industry. This new building will provide both collaboration and separation of projects, and it also allows other programs to fully utilize dedicated shop space rather than sharing with the diesel program,” Rhoden said. “I know Gov. (Kristi) Noem and I are very excited to see this plan come to fruition.”

South Dakota’s agriculture industry is thriving, Rhoden said. The industry employs about 129,000 South Dakotans and contributes over $32 billion to the economy each year. Rhoden noted that the food raised by South Dakota farmers feeds people around the country and around the world.

The state needs well-trained, talented young people entering that industry, Rhoden said.

“Gov. Noem and I want to make sure that we can pass this thriving industry on to the next generation, and this facility represents a huge part of accomplishing that, to allow the ag diesel power program to expand by an estimated 50 to 65 students and encouraging more South Dakotans to seek careers in agriculture,” Rhoden said.

Because of the 36,140 square-foot diesel program expansion, students are able to experience an enhanced education during which collaboration across both the agriculture and light

MTC: Page 13 truck divisions is possible and commonplace. Five other programs in the Nordby Trades Center — agricultural business, agronomy, animal science, precision agriculture and power sports technology — are now able to better utilize their own spaces to provide better education and training for those industries.

The building is annexed to the Nordby Trades Center building on the school campus next to Interstate 90. It features state-of-the-art power and light truck labs and effectively completes Mitchell Technical College’s plan to bring all of its programs to one campus on East Spruce Street.

The Mitchell Board of Education in January accepted a bid of $750,000 from Spencer Quarries for the former 7,270 square-foot Light Truck Lab building, located at 115 Pepsi St.

Funding for the project was secured through a combination of private and state funds. McGough Construction of Sioux Falls led the project, and Puetz Design and Build was the architect. Wilson also noted that the project would not be possible without strong support from industry leaders, as well as the governor’s office, legislators, the South Dakota Board of Technical Education and the Mitchell Board of Education.

Stacy Watters, state engineer for

South Dakota, praised the leadership of Wilson and his colleagues at Mitchell Technical College for spearheading the expansion effort and also praised individual donors, whose contributions helped make funding from the legislature and school go even further.

“One thing I’ve learned from living in South Dakota is that there are very generous firms and individuals who are donating millions to our colleges and universities. By those donations they are improving the education experience for this younger generation,” Watters said.

Nick Wendell, executive director for the South Dakota Board of Technical Education, said the hard work that went into funding the structure paid off in both the size and quality of the building, but also in its negligible impact on student fees and services.

That’s a benefit to students both current and future, he said.

“This facility, more than 30,000 square feet of new space, was built without a single dollar increase to student tuition or fees. Or a single dollar in debt incurred for the institution to build this structure,” Wendell said. “I think that’s a phenomenal point of pride for the project, because students and faculty will be learning in a state-of-the-art facility that is clean, efficient and expanded space producing graduates that will be used in high-demand fields, and they’ll be doing so in a way that will not burden current students or future generations of students.”

Devon Russell, a division leader at Mitchell Technical College, reflected on the yearlong process since ground was broken last April.

“Almost a year ago we stood together to celebrate the beginning of this remarkable project, and now we’re here to witness its completion and utilization,” Russell told the audience.

He said with the diesel expansion complete, programs like powersports and marine now have their own dedicated lab space because they no longer have to share with the diesel programs. The precision agriculture program also has its own dedicated lab space for the first time thanks to the expansion. Because of the new building, eight programs now have the room they need to grow, and also allows for larger student projects that simply weren’t possible before.

It’s a big moment for the school, Russell said, and the new space will likely serve Mitchell Technical College students, dozens of whom were in attendance for the event, for years to come.

“Thank you to the state of South Dakota, the city of Mitchell, our industry partners and the Mitchell Technical College administration for giving us the tools and space needed to equip our students with the skills necessary to be successful in their industries,” Russell said. ⊳