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PRESIDENT WERNER HELPS MAKE BJC "THE COLLEGE WITH A FUT U R E" ARE A LIT Y How was the college established? The only member in his high school graduating class, Mr. Ralph Werner is now the President of one of North Dakota's most rapidly growing colleges ... BJC. Being the sole Senior, the then sixteen-year-old Werner delivered the Valedictory at the 1929 Commencement Exercises in Burlington, North Dakota. His graduation motto was "Climb Though the Rocks Be Rugged." And "climb" he did. The small-town boy entered nearby Minot State College, which at that time had an enrollment of approximately 500 students. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree and went on to the University of North Dakota where he majored in education and earned a Master of Science degree. But Mr. Werner did not stop there. He did post graduate work at the University of Washington, the University of Colorado, and the University of Minnesota. Velva High School provided the surroundings for Mr. Werner's first classroom teaching experience, in which he instructed students in Office Education. After several years there, he accepted the position as Principal in the Harvey school system. He remained there until 1941, when he and his wife, Ina, moved to Bismarck. He began teaching part-time in the newly organized junior college, which then was located on the third floor of the Bismarck High School. In time, Mr. Werner began to ascend the BJC administrative ladder. He went from classroom instructor to Business Manager to Registrar to the Assistant to the President. When in 1963, College President Sidney J. Lee died, Mr. Werner assumed the duties of the chief administrative post. In my visit with him, I also asked him some questions about the college itself. 4 In 1939 Bismarck businessmen held a meeting that sparked the beginning of a community college. They felt that students couldn't afford to leave the Bismarck area to attend college and that secondary classes should be offered in the city. As a resu It, Bismarck Junior College was organized and classes were held on the third floor of the Bismarck High School, with an enrollment of 40 students. The school began to grow and in 1955, a juniorcollege building was constructed near the State Capitol. Then, in 1959, Harold Schafer donated land overlooking the Missouri River west of Bismarck on which to build a larger and more modern campus. It was completed in 1962. In the following years, the dormitories and the library were added. The new Student Union and Vo-Tech buildings were opened in 1974. Having been accredited by UNO until 1966, BJC is now fully accredited by the North Central Association of Junior Colleges. President Werner presented the North Dakota College Athlete of the Year Award to Gary Hoffman at a ceremony during the BJC-Jamestown dual meet