All teachers, administrators, and counselors are encouraged to apply. Teachers in the following categories may find particular value to this seminar:
Repeat attendees are allowed, provided there is at least three years’ time elapsed since the last attendance.
The Lignite Education Seminar is a no-cost seminar for K-12 teachers in the upper Midwest, including North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa to attend. Teachers may incur transportation costs to and from the Seminar. A travel stipend may be available for those teachers traveling from out-of-state. In-state teachers are required to cover their own transportation costs to and from the seminar.
The Lignite Energy Council provides housing in BSC Residence Halls and most meals during the Seminar. The Lignite Energy Council will not provide reimbursement or cover the costs of housing outside of the BSC Residence Halls or the costs of any meals during the seminar outside of what is provided.
Graduate credits are paid for on behalf of the Lignite Energy Council. The costs associated with obtaining a transcript reflecting credits is not covered. Costs associated with late registration for the seminar may not be covered.
A $60 deposit is required to reserve your spot in the seminar. The deposit will be returned to you upon attendance at the seminar, or for cancellations prior to May 1. If you should have to cancel after May 1, your deposit will be forfeited.
Sponsorships may be available for transportation reimbursement to and from the seminar for eligible teachers in Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa. Those sponsorships will be arranged by the utilities and cooperatives serving those states.
Sponsorship Eligibility
If your school or home electricity is produced by an electric cooperative served by Basin Electric Power Cooperative or Minnkota Power Cooperative, or your school or home receives its electricity from one of these investor-owned utilities: Montana-Dakota Utilities, Otter Tail Power Company or Minnesota Power, you may be eligible for a sponsorship to attend.
Sponsorships are reimbursed after attendance at the seminar and are ONLY available for mileage and qualified per-diem expenses. Hotel rooms or other incidentals are NOT reimbursable.
Yes. We accept sponsorship applications on a case-by-case and/or first-come, first-serve basis. In most years, sponsorships are available to cover all out-of-state attendees, but it is not guaranteed and you may need to arrange and pay for your own travel expenses.
The Lignite Energy Council will provide lodging and some meals during the seminar as well as pay for your graduate credits for all attendees.
Teachers who complete all requirements are eligible to earn two professional development graduate credits. Teachers are responsible for registering for graduate credits appropriate for their licensure needs.
All credits are paid for by the Lignite Energy Council.
After registration you will receive an email with instructions on how to register for credit at the school you have selected. Registering for credit with one of the colleges does not replace the need to register for the seminar itself.
Instructions for registering for credit are updated each May.
You must be registered for credit with your intuition of choice prior to the start of the Seminar. The Lignite Energy Council is not responsible for additional costs associated with late registration.
Once the deadline to submit assignments is over, the LEC will submit grades to the institutions and submit payment for the credits. At that point, the colleges will begin posting credits to individual transcripts. If you have questions about accessing your transcript, you must work with the individual college. The Lignite Energy Council does not post the credits or provide transcripts, or cover any of the costs associated with transcript requests.
If you are seeking a letter verifying attendance at the seminar and CE hours only, those letters will be provided by the LEC after the seminar is complete.
If you are traveling from out of town and plan to stay in the housing provided by the Lignite Energy Council, you will be staying in a residence hall room on the Bismarck State College campus. Residence hall room availability is limited.
Residence hall rooms are four or six person suites. This means two bedrooms (two or three to a room) that share a bathroom. Sheets, blankets, pillow, and pillowcase are provided in the rooms. You will want to bring towels, soap, toiletries, and an alarm clock.
If you would like to request a roommate (ie: friend, spouse) that is also attending the Seminar, include that name on your application. Requests are not guaranteed.
Residence hall rooms are air-conditioned.
TV jacks are available in the residence hall rooms (TVs NOT provided) if you wish to bring a TV (be sure to bring your own cable cords along). The cable TV hookups are free. The lounge in your residence hall also has cable TV.
Phones are not provided in the rooms but there are phones in the lounge area where local calls can be made.
There is no dress code for the seminar – dress comfortably for light movement and learning activities throughout the day. The room we will be in for most of the lessons is air-conditioned.
For the industrial site tours on Wednesday, close-toed shoes are required. You will be walking on uneven ground and open grating, so pants or shorts and comfortable walking shoes like tennis shoes are recommended. Parts of the tour will involve being outside, so dress for the current weather conditions. This is North Dakota!
Dietary limitations and medical considerations will be accommodated for the seminar. The tour segment of the seminar does include walking on open grating and uneven ground, as well as climbing steps.
If you have specific needs, please provide information during the registration process or contact the organizer at education@lignite.com.
Only if your spouse, significant other or child(ren) are eligible attendees may they also attend the Seminar. Due to limited space and funding, we do not allow non-teaching or non-faculty/staff to attend the Seminar. Only attendees registered to attend the Seminar are allowed to stay in the on-campus housing provided by the Lignite Energy Council through Bismarck State College.
The Lignite Energy Council follows the Bismarck State College Animals on Campus guidelines. Pets are not allowed in the residence halls. BSC guidelines and procedures may be found at https://bismarckstate.edu/uploads/resources/1272/animalsoncampus.pdf.
Pets and emotional support animals are not permitted on site at industrial facilities throughout the week.
Bismarck State College is a tobacco and smoke free campus. BSC prohibits the use of tobacco and e-cigarettes on campus property and sponsored off campus events. Tobacco usage includes all tobacco-derived products, including, but not limited to cigarettes, cigars, pipes, e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco, snuff, smokeless pouches, and other forms of loose-leaf tobacco. This prohibition includes indoors, outdoors, and in college/state vehicles.
Seminar attendees must abide by the Tobacco & Smoke Free Campus policy while on campus grounds. Operational_Procedure_917.0_Tobacco_SmokeFree_Campus.pdf
