Bismarck State College unveiled its National Energy Center of Excellence on Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring past college presidents, students and Gov. John Hoeven.

Hundreds of people piled into the fourth floor of the 106,000-square-foot building that had taken seven years to get from the drawing board to completion.

"Today marks the beginning of a new era," said Larry Skogen, president of BSC.

The new four-story building that overlooks the Missouri River costs $18.3 million, which came from public and private financing with the largest donation of more than $5 million coming from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The fourth floor, which will feature a "grand room" for large gatherings, is still awaiting its finishing touches and will add another $2.8 million to the building's price tag, Skogen said

The building now houses all of BSC's energy programs, which had been scattered around the campus since the school's energy program started in 1976. The building also features new equipment for its students.

Cory Beery, 20, president of BSC's student energy club, is looking forward to using it.

"It's a great building," Beery said. "Everything is new."

Former BSC president Donna Thigpen told the audience that she felt like a proud parent while standing in a building that was still an idea seven years ago.

"We had a dream on this campus," said Thigpen, who served as BSC's president from 1995 to 2006. "Do we dare to dream? We did dare."

Ron Harper, the CEO of Basin Electric Power Cooperative, was a key player in securing about $2 million for the building. He said at Monday's ceremony that BSC's new center will help train a workforce for North Dakota's energy industry.

"It brings value back to our investment," Harper said.

Hoeven said North Dakota's energy future is looking bright as oil development continues and other alternative energy sources are introduced.

"It's about training the workforce of the future," Hoeven said.

North Dakota's congressional delegation was expected to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony, but stayed in Washington in light of pending legislation to address the nation's financial crisis.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., addressed the audience via telephone, saying the building marks a new beginning for the state's energy future.

"This has become a real center of energy in our state in so many ways," Dorgan said.

(Reach reporter Brian Duggan at 223-8482 or brian.duggan@;bismarcktribune.com.)