For construction management students, there’s no substitute for setting foot on an active job site. Recently, over 30 students from Minnesota State Moorhead’s Construction Management program did exactly that – spending two days at Rice Lake West’s water treatment plant expansion project in Dickinson, South Dakota.
The visit gave students an up-close look at a large-scale municipal infrastructure project in progress. The Dickinson expansion features a new 140×210 ft concrete building with pumping, piping, and dewatering equipment, plus full mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation systems. Everything is being constructed within a constrained footprint while keeping the existing facility and systems running throughout. Underway since 2025 with completion expected in early 2028, it’s the kind of complex, real-world project that textbooks can only begin to describe.
MSUM’s Construction Management program – the first ACCE-accredited CM program in Minnesota – covers estimating, project management, scheduling, safety, equipment operations, and more. Students arrived with real context for what they were seeing.
“It was a wonderful two days – students learned a lot,” said Rachel Axness, MSUM Associate Professor. “We appreciate these opportunities!”
Experiences like this site visit are exactly what bridge the gap between classroom learning and career readiness. Rice Lake West is proud to support the next generation of construction professionals, and we look forward to welcoming future visits, internships, and, hopefully, future team members from programs like MSUM’s.
