News

Hess Corporation donates over $25 million to assist the state in education

By Governor Jack Dalrymple's Press Office and Scott Wagar Bottineau Courant

03/27/2012

In November of last year, Governor Jack Dalrymple and the Hess Corporation announced that the global energy company is donating more than $25 million to fund “Succeed 2020,” a statewide education project aimed at helping North Dakota students become better prepared for college and careers, and, which could in the possible future assist students in Bottineau County thanks to the Hess Corporation and assistance from local community members.

“Hess Corporation’s donation gives us a tremendous opportunity to improve the quality of education for North Dakota students and to ensure they are ready for both college and the workplace,” Dalrymple said in November. “The past three legislative sessions have focused heavily on creating equitable funding for schools, and this public-private partnership will allow our local partners to enhance and design programs that better prepare our students.”

Dalrymple and Hess Corporation have worked on the project’s development for more than a year. The project is designed for middle and high school students, beginning with next year’s fifth graders, or the graduating class of 2020, putting them on a path to being better prepared for their college and career goals. During this school year, planning grants will be distributed to bring together education, business, community leaders and parents. Regional Education Associations (REAs) will have the lead responsibility for bringing partners together to design collaborative solutions.

Specific goals of the Succeed 2020 project aim to increase ACT scores, decrease developmental or remedial education, and increase the number of students who complete high school and college programs on-time. The REAs will work with their local school districts and partners to design and implement programs that improve college and career counseling beginning in the middle school grades, increase access to and success in career and technical education programs and advanced placement courses for rural students, and provide professional development for teachers and counselors.

“This investment in building North Dakota’s workforce of the future is part of our commitment to make a positive impact on the communities where we do business,” said John Hess, Chairman and CEO of Hess Corporation. “We hope this program will ensure that each student in North Dakota has the opportunity to build a rewarding career, which will help further strengthen the state economy for many years to come.”

Hess Corporation engaged FHI 360 (formerly AED), a non-profit education, workforce development, and human development organization, to work with the state and Hess Corporation to facilitate planning and assist with implementation of the project. The project will be guided by a North Dakota steering committee led by John Hess and Dalrymple as honorary co-chairs.
For decades in Bottineau County, the Hess Corporation has played an important role in the energy industry and has increased economic prosperity for the county through its company’s presence within the region.

With the Hess Corporation’s Succeed 2020 project in the state, Cynthia Jelleberg, director of the North Central Education Cooperative, which is headquartered in Bottineau, is working with a number of individuals in the area preparing to bring the

“School to Career” program to the school districts in the NCEC area.

“There will be funding and there will be career and college readiness opportunities funded in our region,” Jelleberg said. “We will eventually get the funding, we just don’t know specifically when, it could be six months, a year or two years, but it is going to happen.”
School to Career is part of Hess’ Succeed 2020 project, and it prepares students in grades five through 12 for the 21st Century work force.

According to the NCEC, students benefit in six different ways through the School to Career program:

  •  Obtain work force experience which allows them to compete for jobs.
  •  Gain higher earning potential through real world experiences.
  •  Develop technical problem solving and teamwork skills that help in academic and career growth.
  •  May receive school credit for participation in School to Career activities.
  •  Build skills that provide for lifelong learning and career flexibility.
  •  Some receive special recognition from colleges and businesses.

      
The NCEC also added that the program allows students to make better career and academic planning choices while in school; offers job shadowing, internships, mentorships and work based experience opportunities; integrates school curriculum with work place experiences; prepares students to enter the workforce and/or post-secondary educational opportunities; ACT prep and (CET) Work Keys prep; and strengthen core skills in math, reading and science.

Senator John Hoevevn, R-ND, stated that the Hess Corporation’s Succeed 2020 is a positive project for North Dakota.

“Good businesses become a part of the communities they live and work in, and there’s no better way to become part of the community than by supporting education,” Hoeven said. “As Hess Corporation increased its presence in North Dakota, John Hess and I discussed ways the Hess Corporation could make a lasting impact in North Dakota beyond energy development, and one of those ways was support for education. With this gift, the Hess Corporation and FHI 360 are not only helping to create jobs in North Dakota, but also helping to prepare young people for careers in a dynamic and growing industry.”

For more information about the Succeed 2020 Project contact Kayla Effertz, senior policy advisor in the office of the governor at (701) 328-2200 or kmeffertz@nd.gov.