Hamm School of Engineering students working on school projects | Provided by University of Mary Media Relations Department
Hamm School of Engineering students working on school projects | Provided by University of Mary Media Relations Department
Six years after Energy Transfer Partners donated $5 million to the University of Mary, the university’s engineering school and workforce development projects are “thriving,” said a university spokesman.
“Yes, both programs are thriving,” Tom Ackerman, the university’s media specialist, told Central ND News, saying the 2018 donation “kick-started the engineering fundraising portion as part of Phase 1 of the University of Mary Vision 2030 Capital Campaign that eventually led to the current Hamm School of Engineering.”
The university’s Hamm School of Engineering, with contains 15,650 square feet of space, officially opened on September 20, 2022. The school offers courses in electrical, civil, and mechanical engineering education.
The school was granted full accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) on September 6, 2023, for the school’s Bachelor of Science degrees in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical Engineering.
ABET is an international, non-governmental organization that accredits post-secondary education programs in applied and natural sciences, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.
The university had 13 full-time engineering faculty teaching, in addition to other expert adjuncts on staff, and 223 engineering students enrolled, as of September 2023, according to a university press release.
Ackerman said that Energy Transfer’s contribution also supported the university’s workforce development program.
“The Workforce Development program helps educate and train businesses and their employees throughout North Dakota, allowing employers to better retain workers — thus helping economic development in their respective communities,” said Ackerman.
The University of Mary is a private, Catholic university located in Bismarck, North Dakota. It was founded in 1959 by the Benedictine Sisters of the Annunciation. The university offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs in various fields of study, including business, health sciences, and education. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The university operates on a traditional semester system and also provides online and accelerated learning options. The University of Mary has a student body of around 3,800 students and competes in NCAA Division II athletics as part of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
Energy Transfer Partners is a U.S.-based company that owns and operates energy assets, primarily in natural gas, crude oil, and refined products. It was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The company operates approximately 120,000 miles of pipeline infrastructure across North America, transporting natural gas, crude oil, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and refined products. Energy Transfer also owns and manages storage facilities and processing plants. The company has been involved in several significant pipeline projects, including the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) and the Mariner East projects.
The DAPL, completed in 2017, is a 1,172-mile underground oil pipeline that transports crude oil from the Bakken formation in North Dakota to a terminal in Patoka, Illinois. The pipeline has a capacity to transport up to 570,000 barrels of oil per day. It crosses four U.S. states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois.
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