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Becky Towery

SRT Offers More Scholarship Opportunities, Applications Now Open

SRT Offers More Scholarship Opportunities, Applications Now Open

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MINOT, N.D. – The 2025 SRT College Scholarship Program applications are now available. SRT is excited to announce an increase in scholarship awards and dollar amounts: Seven local scholarships totaling $15,000 will be awarded to students in 2025. National scholarships are also available through SRT’s partnership with the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS).

The SRT College Scholarship program now awards six $2,000 scholarships. The program evaluates community involvement, school activities, an essay response, and grade point average.

The SRT Technical Scholarship will award $3,000 to one student. This scholarship is open to graduating high school seniors or undergraduate students studying telecommunications or other computer-technology-related fields.

SRT is also proud to be a member of FRS to participate in a national scholarship program. Local students submitting an FRS application are eligible for multiple national scholarship opportunities.

Applications are available online at srt.com/srtcares. FRS Scholarship applications are due February 14 and SRT Scholarship applications are due by 5:00 pm on March 31. Scholarship recipients will be announced in April and an awards luncheon will be held for the winners.

SRT Communications, headquartered in Minot, North Dakota, is the state’s largest telecommunications cooperative. Established in 1951, SRT employs roughly 180 people and serves more than 25,000 customers across north central North Dakota. SRT earned the distinction as a Certified Gig-Capable Provider in 2017. Services include high-speed internet, phone, and security/surveillance systems for home and business. Learn more at www.srt.com.

National Scholarship Opportunities via SRT

National Scholarship Opportunities via SRT

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Minot, ND – SRT is once again proud to offer our annual scholarship opportunities to youth in the area.

The first opportunity comes from the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS). SRT partners with the FRS, whose educational focus is in rural America. The award amounts range from $1,000 to $9,000 each. Most, but not all, of the FRS Scholarship opportunities are geared toward students interested in studying STEM or students who are heavily involved in their communities.  

Please note that the FRS scholarship due date is earlier in the year; February 14, 2025. Click here to apply or visit at srt.com/srtcares. Recipients will be announced in April.

SRT Scholarship applications will become available in early January.

SRT Communications, headquartered in Minot, North Dakota, is the state’s largest telecommunications cooperative. Established in 1951, SRT employs nearly 190 people and serves roughly 8,000 square miles across north central North Dakota. SRT earned the distinction as a Certified Gig-Capable Provider in 2017. Services include high-speed internet, phone, and security/surveillance systems for home and business.SRT

The Importance of Cybersecurity

The Importance of Cybersecurity

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Online threats can come from all sources. That was the theme of the fourth annual NODAKON at Minot State University: cybersafety. The two-day event taught students and the public about online predators, financial threats, and risk management.

The first day of NODAKON kicked off with SRT Tech Day, where students from 15 area high schools took part in business- and technology-related competitions. SRT is a proud long-time sponsor.

Day two hosted a cybersecurity summit, where industry experts taught attendees about real-life examples of when cybersecurity tactics failed or succeeded. Jersey Kelly, Network Operations Engineer at SRT, spoke on a panel that discussed asset protection.

He and others on the panel (Jennifer Sackett, Connexus Energy; Jesse Clark, Tech Entrepreneur; Chris Geren, NDIT; Jacob Rued, First Western Bank & Trust) talked about the importance of identifying the full scope of each unique cybersecurity incident, the impact of technology changes, and continuous training for everyone within an institution. Insider threats don’t always come from bad actors. An employee could unknowingly open a link that would make a company susceptible to a phishing attack, which is just one example of an unintentional, insider threat.

A common theme among the panel was establishing a cybersafe culture, in which employees know it’s okay to question emails or links sent from coworkers or even the CEO, and understand a “think before you click” mindset. A cybersafe culture also includes physical security. “It plays a big role,” Jersey said. “We [SRT] have a lot of equipment that could be bad for any bad actor to get access to.”

Cybersecurity is something every Internet user should keep top of mind. SRT holds monthly training for all employees and encourages continuous education like the opportunities provided by NODAKON at Minot State.

$1500 in SRT and RDFC Grants Support Granville Veterans Memorial Monument

$1500 in SRT and RDFC Grants Support Granville Veterans Memorial Monument

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MINOT, N.D. – SRT met with members of Granville’s American Legion Post 155 this week to commemorate the newly installed Veterans Memorial Monument in Granville Cemetery. The Rural Development Finance Corporation (RDFC) awarded a $750 grant, which SRT matched with an additional $750, toward purchasing the monument that now stands atop a hill in the cemetery.

Jeff Smette, the Post’s adjutant, said the project was “Legion member Karl Wittstruck’s baby, which got us going. Then it became a matter of keeping after it, and the community got behind us once we got started.”

Contributions from local businesses, organizations, and individuals helped bring total donations to nearly $14,000. The result, Smette said, is a “nice, lasting monument for the community and all veterans, where we can gather and honor those who served.”

The monument was installed on a cement pad where four crosses have marked this ground for years, honoring two World War I veterans and two World War II veterans.

Kristi Miller, SRT Board President, said of SRT’s matching grant, “This monument marks the indelible gratitude we all have for those who have made such profound sacrifice to defend our nation and way of life. SRT is humbled to support our military and is proud to be part of this community coming together for veterans.”

SRT is among the North Dakota rural telecommunication and electric cooperatives that are members of RDFC, a nonprofit finance and development corporation that provides funding for economic development and diversification projects in rural North Dakota. Applications are submitted to RDFC and, if approved for funding, are matched 100% by SRT.

SRT Communications, headquartered in Minot, North Dakota, is the state’s largest telecommunications cooperative. Established in 1951, SRT employs roughly 180 people and serves more than 24,000 customers across north central North Dakota. SRT earned the distinction as a Certified Gig-Capable Provider in 2017. Services include high-speed internet, phone, and security/surveillance systems for home and business. Learn more at www.srt.com.

A Lasting Impact – Decades of Blood Drives at SRT

A Lasting Impact – Decades of Blood Drives at SRT

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It’s a meaningful tradition that brings dozens of employees together to give a potentially life-saving gift.

Fay Alexander, GIS Specialist, who has been organizing SRT blood drives for more than five years, said donating blood has always been important to her. “Blood is so important for a lot of reasons,” she said. “As the coordinator, I see what blood type people have and I get lists that say what kind of blood they need, and so many people need all kinds – from an accident or really for any reason – they need blood.”

The impact of a blood donation especially hit home for her during the pandemic. “My husband got COVID in 2021 and the hospital called me and asked if they could give him a blood transfusion because the antibodies would save his life, and they did. The blood saved his life,” Fay said.

Three times a year, Fay reaches out to all SRT employees, asking for donors to schedule a time at one of the blood drives she organizes. Vitalant holds the blood drives at SRT headquarters, where employees are invited to donate at their convenience.

Vitalant and SRT are mutually grateful for their partnership. Vitalant’s willingness and ability to host the blood drive onsite at SRT makes donating easy and accessible to employees. Senior Recruitment Manager at Vitalant, Teresa Johnson, said, “SRT is a very steadfast account that’s always very reliable, has great donors, and is very supportive of our mission. Employees get to take an hour out of their day to be amazing lifesavers.”

Randy Hysjulien, Right of Way Agent, is a long-time donor who volunteers at every SRT blood drive. “I feel it’s important to donate blood to help other individuals that may need this ‘gift of life’ to help someone recuperate from a serious health issue or even save a life,” he said. “It’s easy to do and very convenient when Vitalant comes to our office regularly for a blood drive.”

SRT holds blood drives in February, June, and October each year. October happens to mark Co-op Month, a time to highlight the principles cooperatives are built on. One of those principles is concern for the community. Allowing employees to donate blood is just one way SRT acts as a community steward. Our employees live and work in the communities we serve and SRT believes it’s up to people like us to lend a hand where we can.