A fishing trip brought Bismarck State College Provost Wayne Boekes back to Bismarck.

After 27 years, he'll now have more time for fishing. He's retiring at the end of the month.

It was 1981 and Boekes was fishing with colleagues in Poudre Canyon in Colorado. He was surrounded by snow-capped mountains and the trout were biting.

He wanted to share the moment with friends. His friends, though, lived about 750 miles away in North Dakota.

That's when he talked with his wife, who also missed North Dakota, and serendipity stepped in. A friend in Bismarck called about an opening for a director in vocational education at Bismarck Junior College.

In this role, he helped make vocational education more interdisciplinary. The programs also expanded.

"For many years, it was completely separate," Boekes said.

But, students in his area could benefit from a more liberal arts education.

By 1996, he was vice president of academic and student affairs. Then the title changed to provost. He could help shape what was available to all of the college's students. He's especially proud of the variety of options students have at BSC.

"The fact that we worked with our sister institutions to bring public baccalaureate education to Bismarck … it is the greatest change in Bismarck," he said.

It let students come to BSC, get an associate degree, and if they wanted, they could get a bachelor's degree through Minot State University or Dickinson State University without leaving Bismarck. Now, the college also offers its own bachelor's degree in energy management.

He consistently supported the program in the face of opposition and skepticism. In the end, it was about responding to the needs of the community.

But he always wants to keep in mind that BSC is so much more than its energy programs. The budding GIS program, the changing agricultural program and the criminal justice program are among the programs that come to mind.

"It's dangerous to pick two or three," he said, not wanting to slight any other program at the school.

He's counting the days to his retirement. He and his wife sold their house and bought a condo in Bismarck. They spend more time visiting their children and grandchildren in Colorado and Arizona. They have three children and six grandchildren. He also plans to be more involved on different boards in the community.

His replacement is Drake Carter, associate vice president of academic affairs. Carter will have to deal with state funding for BSC and exploring new methods for delivering instruction, Boekes said. One initiative in the works is for Navy and Army personnel to take classes at BSC regardless of where they are stationed, Boekes said.

"He has a very scientific mind and is a good decision maker," Boekes said.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@bismarcktribune.com.)