Ralph Werner

Ralph Werner, third dean and first president of BSC, began his career at Velva High School in 1937. Hired by the Bismarck Public Schools in 1941, he taught business classes at the high school and college level, joining the U.S. Air Force in 1943. He became registrar in 1946 and continued teaching. In 1948, he was named business manager, assistant to the dean in 1958, acting dean in 1961, and dean the following year. The title was changed to president in 1967. Werner retired in 1977 after 36 years with BSC. In 1979, he received the BSC Distinguished Service Citation. The citation reads, “During his 16-year tenure as president of the college, Ralph Werner guided the institution to a position of stability and prominence among North Dakota’s Colleges.” The Bismarck State College Foundation established a scholarship in his honor in 1979, and Werner Hall was named for him in 1989. Werner died March 15, 2009, at the age of 97.Bismarck State College Connections. 17.2. August 2014. pg. 16