BSC dean and professor recognized for career and technical education excellence

Post Date: Aug 12 2019
BSC dean and professor recognized for career and technical education excellence
Bismarck State College Dean of Current and Emerging Technologies Carla Hixson and BSC professor of computers and office technology Dr. Lynette Borjeson Painter were recently recognized for their contributions to career and technical education at the North Dakota Association of Career and Technical Educators (NDACTE) annual conference. Hixson was named the NDACTE Administrator of the Year and Borjeson Painter the NDACTE Post-Secondary Teacher of the Year.
 
The NDACTE Administrator of the Year award recognizes Career and Technology Education (CTE) administrators who are providing superior leadership for staff and students in their respective position. As the Dean of Current and Emerging Technologies at BSC, Hixson has been successful in leading several new startup programs for the college including TrainND, the National Energy Center of Excellence, Innovation and Cybersecurity. Since 2016, Hixson has overseen 23 of BSC’s 49 diverse CTE program offerings including health sciences, computers, agriculture, electronics, graphic design, welding, carpentry, automotive technology and others. Under Hixson’s leadership, BSC added a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in cybersecurity to better meet workforce demands and the health sciences programs moved to a new virtual hospital facility on campus allowing for more innovative and collaborative training opportunities for students.
 
The NDACTE Post-Secondary Teacher of the Year award recognizes post-secondary educators who are providing excellent career and technical program education for youth and/or adults in the respective fields and communities. Borjeson Painter is a tenured professor at BSC. She teaches computer and web development courses using online, hybrid, blended and traditional formats. She is a two-time North Dakota Business Education Association (NDBEA) president, was co-coordinator of the 2017 Mountain-Plains Business Education Association (M­PBEA) conference, and currently serves as the North Dakota M-PEA membership director. Borjeson Painter is a 2012 graduate of Leadership Bismarck-Mandan, currently serves as co-advisor for the BSC Phi Beta Lambda chapter and will serve as the 2019-20 BSC Faculty Senate president. 
 
Hixson and Borjeson Painter will move to be considered for the Association of Career and Technical Educators (ACTE) Region V Administrator of the Year and Post-Secondary Teacher of the Year awards which will be presented in April 2020 at the ACTE Region V Conference in Lake Tahoe, Nev.