Burgum announces International Music Camp founder Dr. Merton Utgaard as recipient of Rough Rider Award
Gov. Doug Burgum on Friday announced the late Dr. Merton Utgaard, award-winning musician, educator, and founder and long-time director of the International Music Camp, as the 47th recipient of the North Dakota Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award, the state’s highest commendation for its citizens.
Utgaard (pronounced UHT-gard) founded the International Music Camp in 1956 at the International Peace Garden along the U.S.-Canada border near Dunseith in north-central North Dakota. Utgaard served as the camp’s full-time director for 28 years, overseeing tremendous growth and gaining international recognition for the music program, the International Peace Garden and North Dakota.
“With passion and vision, Dr. Utgaard founded the International Music Camp to provide a unique educational opportunity for young musicians in North Dakota, across the United States and around the world,” Burgum said. “For more than 60 years, performers at the International Music Camp have spent their summers developing their musical talents and making lasting memories. Under Dr. Utgaard’s guidance, the International Music Camp has grown into a nationally and internationally known program supporting arts and culture in our communities and sharing North Dakota with the world.”
Utgaard died Dec. 19, 1998, at the age of 84. Burgum presented the Rough Rider Award, symbolized by a bust of President Theodore Roosevelt, to Utgaard’s three children before a concert performed Friday evening at the International Music Camp during this weekend’s celebration of the 90th anniversary of the International Peace Garden.
“We are extremely proud to accept this award on behalf of our father Dr. Merton Utgaard. He would be honored and humbled to be counted among the recipients of the Rough Rider Award,” said Utgaard’s daughter Karen Rolston of Mesa, Ariz. “Our father loved North Dakota. He was born and raised here, and although his teaching career took us to several other states, he returned to North Dakota in the late 1950s and has always thought of North Dakota as his home. He loved music, teaching and young people. With this being the place where he got his start in music, it was the logical location for him to start a music camp. He was a man of few words, but someone who made his voice heard with his love of music. He never stopped sharing this love of his, with the citizens of North Dakota, the United States, Canada and many places around the world. We thank Governor Burgum and the Rough Rider Committee for this amazing honor and thank the Peace Garden for the spark you gave Dad, so he could make his dream come true.”
Originally from Maddock, N.D., Utgaard was introduced to music at an early age by his father, who played alto horn in local concerts. Utgaard began playing the coronet in sixth grade and continued through high school. Upon graduating in 1933, he enrolled in the Teachers College in Valley City earning his teaching certificate. In 1940, Utgaard earned bachelor’s degrees in music and physics from Valley City State University in furtherance of his career. From 1943 to 1945, Utgaard served as a commissioned officer in the Army Air Corps. After his honorable discharge, he enlisted with the Army Air Corps Reserve, serving for 20 years and retiring with the rank of major.
Early in his career, Utgaard taught at Aneta Elementary School, organizing its first school band, and served as music director for Carrington Public Schools. Following his active military service, Utgaard was the marching band director at the University of Minnesota while enrolled as a graduate student earning his master’s degree in music education in 1947. He went on to teach in Rochester, Minnesota, and at the University of South Dakota (1949-1953), Ball State University (1953-1957) and Northern Illinois University (1957-1960). Utgaard earned his doctorate in music in 1950 from the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley.
Utgaard and his wife, Noella, founded the International Music Camp in 1956. The idea for a music camp in North Dakota first came to Utgaard while teaching in a summer program at Ball State. After some thought and research, he remembered attending the dedication of the International Peace Garden in 1932 as an Eagle Scout and felt that it would be an ideal location for a summer music camp bringing together students from both the United States and Canada. After personally recruiting for the camp at schools across North Dakota, and with assistance from the International Peace Garden and the University of North Dakota, Utgaard launched the first International Music Camp on July 1, 1956, with 113 students and 19 directors attending. The program grew quickly, and in 1960, he was appointed the camp’s first full-time director – a position he would hold for 28 years.
The vision, perseverance and tireless efforts of Utgaard helped to grow the International Music Camp to a world-renowned program serving more than 140,000 students and directors from 84 countries around the world. Today, in addition to music education, the International Music Camp provides weeklong programs in dance, creative writing, painting, drawing, theater and several other fine arts disciplines, with nearly 1,000 students this year served by a staff of over 150 artist-teachers from mid-June to early August.
In addition to his work founding and leading the International Music Camp, Utgaard was a dedicated public servant. He served on numerous local, state, national and international boards and commissions, including the North Dakota Economic Development Commission and the North Dakota Federation of Music Clubs. Among many awards, Utgaard was honored with the North Dakota Outstanding Music Educator Award and is a member of the North Dakota Music Educators Hall of Fame.
The Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award recognizes present and former North Dakotans who have been influenced by the state in achieving national recognition in their fields of endeavor, thereby reflecting credit and honor upon North Dakota and its citizens. Established during the 1961 Dakota Territory Centennial, the award was initially given as an honorary rank of Colonel in the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Riders. North Dakota Secretary of State Al Jaeger and State Historical Society Director Bill Peterson both concurred with Burgum’s selection of Utgaard for the Rough Rider Award.
Utgaard’s portrait will be unveiled and installed in the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Hall of Fame at the North Dakota Capitol in Bismarck at a later date.
Burgum thanks Klipfel for over four decades of public service as WSI director announces retirement
Gov. Burgum on Thursday announced the retirement of Workforce Safety & Insurance (WSI) Director Bryan Klipfel effective Dec. 31, thanking him for his more than 13 years of exceptional leadership of the agency and nearly 46 years of dedicated service to the State of North Dakota.
Klipfel has served as director of North Dakota’s workers’ compensation agency since 2009, currently overseeing a staff of about 260 WSI team members and a two-year budget of approximately $73 million. Prior to joining WSI, he served 30 years in the North Dakota Highway Patrol, the last four of those years as superintendent. Klipfel also served as interim executive director of Job Service North Dakota from 2019 until Jan. 1 of this year, when he returned to leading WSI full time.
“During his more than four decades of service to the state, Bryan Klipfel has improved the lives of citizens and team members alike by developing strategy that focuses on customers,” Burgum said. “From working to make our state safer through increased visibility and collaboration with other law enforcement, to providing relief to workers during the pandemic by handling 14 years of unemployment insurance claims in 14 months, to providing a safe, secure and healthy workplace, Bryan has been a champion for the well-being and safety for all, helping to ensure that North Dakota continues to be a great place to live and work.”
Klipfel began his law enforcement career in 1977 as a North Dakota Highway Patrol trooper in Rolla and Minot. He served as a district sergeant and commander in Williston and in 1992 was assigned as training director at the Law Enforcement Training Academy in Bismarck. He was appointed superintendent of the Highway Patrol in 2003 by then-Gov. John Hoeven and reappointed, serving in the role until his retirement from law enforcement in 2007. He was appointed director of WSI by Hoeven in 2009 and reappointed in 2010 by then-Gov. Jack Dalrymple and in 2016 by Burgum.
“I’ve been blessed with a wonderful personal and professional family, and the decision to retire was not an easy one, but it’s time to spend more time with family,” Klipfel said. “It has been an incredible privilege serving the citizens of North Dakota for the past 46 years. I appreciate the Governor’s support and the opportunity to serve as director of WSI. Over the last 13 years, the greatest thing I learned is Team WSI is resilient and talented. I am leaving them in good hands with a strong leadership team who will continue building on their purpose of caring for injured workers.”
Under Klipfel’s leadership, WSI developed and implemented a philosophy focused on strategy and servant leadership to successfully meet the purpose of caring for injured workers. With a strong focus on safety, injury rates have fallen by over 30% in the last decade, and during Klipfel’s tenure WSI has issued nearly $300 million in safety premium discounts to employers participating in WSI safety programs.
Workforce Safety & Insurance is an exclusive, employer-financed, no-fault insurance state fund covering workplace injuries and deaths. As the sole provider and administrator of the workers’ compensation system in North Dakota, WSI’s vision is a safe, secure, and healthy North Dakota workplace. The director’s position will be posted immediately.
Standing Rock flag hoisted at the International Peace Garden
Gov. Burgum on Friday joined representatives from tribal nations with whom North Dakota shares geography for a ceremony to raise the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe flag at the International Peace Garden.
"We are grateful to take part in such a meaningful gesture and sign of respect and strength of tribal sovereignty at this living monument to peace and friendship," Burgum said. "We look forward to the day when the flags of all five of the tribal nations with whom we share geography will fly proudly over the beautiful Peace Garden."
Among those in attendance were Standing Rock Tribal Chairwoman Janet Alkire, Vice Chairman Frank Jamerson and Council Member Delray Demery; Turtle Mountain Tribal Chairman Jamie Azure; Spirit Lake Nation Chairman Doug Yankton; Miss North Dakota USA SaNoah LaRocque; International Peace Garden Executive Director Tim Chapman; North Dakota Parks and Recreation Director Cody Schulz; state Tourism Director Sara Otte Coleman; and representatives of the Treaty 2 territory in Manitoba.
The Standing Rock flag joins the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa flag as being flown at the International Peace Garden. Officials plan to raise the flags of the other three tribal nations with whom North Dakota shares geography in the future.
Burgum: Bitzero signs agreement to acquire Nekoma pyramid, develop it into highly secure data center
Gov. Burgum announced Monday that the Cavalier County Job Development Authority (CCJDA) has executed binding agreements for international data center developer Bitzero Blockchain Inc. to acquire and redevelop the historic Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex at Nekoma, N.D., commonly known as “The Pyramid.”
Bitzero plans to develop the abandoned Cold War-era military installation into a highly secure data center for high-performance computing and data processing. Waste heat captured from the data center’s servers will be used to heat an on-site greenhouse, and the company also is planning an interpretive center and additional community engagement at the site, representing a total expected investment estimated by Bitzero at $500 million.
“This is fantastic news for Cavalier County and our entire state, putting this iconic pyramid on the prairie to innovative use and further solidifying North Dakota’s status as a global hub for data center development,” Burgum said. “We are deeply grateful for Bitzero’s significant investment in our state and for the tireless efforts of the North Dakota Department of Commerce and Cavalier County Job Development Authority to secure a viable tenant and seize the potential of this historic structure. This important piece of history will be restored and become a beacon for North Dakota innovation to the rest of the world.”
“The announcement from Bitzero to purchase ‘The Pyramid’ is a great leap forward for North Dakota,” said Josh Teigen, director of Commerce’s Economic Development and Finance Division. “North Dakota leads the world in a variety of verticals whether it is our robust tech sector, autonomous farming or unmanned aircraft systems, and expanding highly secure data center infrastructure in our state will help support all industries and diversify our economy. Bitzero’s announcement also brings together two pillars of our economy, energy and agriculture, as all waste heat from the data center will be used in an on-site greenhouse to enable North Dakota to grow crops year-round and help feed the world.”
Bitzero’s bid for the site was delivered with a comprehensive Zero Carbon Displacement (ZCD) energy strategy, meaning the facility’s carbon footprint will be offset with use of renewable energy sources. The CCJDA Board of Directors voted unanimously on July 18 to accept Bitzero’s bid proposal after a presentation from Bitzero CEO Akbar Shamji.
“We in Cavalier County have taken great efforts to preserve and maintain this site with clear intentions: to use the infrastructure along with the county’s abundant resources to create jobs and to restore dignity to the history here,” said Carol Goodman, a consultant to the CCJDA for the Stanley R. Mickelsen site redevelopment. “We have had bids and interest in the site in the past, but none came with a track record and a strategy that we could trust to meet our objectives. We look forward to supporting Bitzero and watching our collective ambitions become a reality.”
Shamji and Bitzero strategic investor Kevin O’Leary announced in June that the company had selected North Dakota for its headquarters and hub for all North American operations, with plans to build 200 megawatts of data centers in the next two to three years, as well as a graphene battery assembly and distribution hub.
Total expected investment into the Nekoma site to bring it to completion, including the perfection of zero carbon displacement power generation and supply, is estimated at approximately $500 million, according to Bitzero. Shamji said the resulting job creation – the site is expected to employ 35 to 50 people when operational – and economic benefit to the county and state will be very visible and are a testament to the State of North Dakota’s vision and leadership in energy transition and carbon emissions reductions strategies.
“The history of this site and the integrity of the community and leadership we have met here in Cavalier County are a marvel,” Shamji said. “The Pyramid when correctly understood is a monument to peace. The extraordinary capacity of the site in its first incarnation was a direct catalyst to the peace treaties of 1975 and the end of the Cold War. In its new incarnation the site will reappear again as a beacon for change in the now biggest challenge we face as society, climate change. The use of existing unutilized resources and ZCD energy at this site will guide the global data center industry and its stakeholders. Be they developers, users or shareholders, The Pyramid Data Centre will demonstrate for all concerned the increased functionality, lower cost of capital and higher profitability from harnessing natural energy and working in tandem with local communities and leading minds when approaching data services.”
More than 1,000 workers came to Nekoma in the 1970s to build the Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex, the centerpiece being the huge concrete pyramid with its 3-foot-thick walls and the supporting towers that remain on the landscape. As part of the U.S. nuclear defense system during the Cold War, the site once controlled anti-ballistic missiles. It became operational in April 1975 but was shuttered after only eight months, as Congress voted in October 1975 to deactivate the complex. The CCJDA has owned the site’s tactical area – the pyramid, adjoining underground power plant and missile field – since 2017.
Burgum urges federal agency to expedite review of Fufeng Group land purchase and project
Gov. Doug Burgum on Monday sent a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin asking that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) conduct an expedited review of Fufeng Group’s recent purchase of land in Grand Forks for a wet corn milling plant.
The governor’s letter was sent in support of a formal request made the previous week by U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and Marco Rubio of Florida for CFIUS to conduct a full review of the land purchase.
“We fully support their request and urge CFIUS to expedite the review of this land purchase and project, with a focus on potential national security implications related to the proximity to Grand Forks Air Force Base and involvement in the U.S. food supply chain,” Burgum wrote, noting that the City of Grand Forks has encouraged Fufeng Group to make a voluntary CFIUS filing, and according to a published report, the company has agreed to do so. “We ask that this review process be completed with the utmost urgency to aid Grand Forks officials in their decision-making process and provide clarity on whether this land purchase has national security implications. Our top priority is, and always will be, the safety and security of our citizens and our nation.”
The full letter can be viewed here.
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