Students and faculty on the Bismarck campus were privileged to have attended the presentation given by Lieutenant Nick Sevart of the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Office from 5:30 to 7:00 P.M. on Wednesday November 7.
Lieutenant Sevart began his law enforcement career as a police officer in the small northeastern town of Langdon, North Dakota in 1981. A short time later he was hired by the Bismarck Police Department to serve as a patrol officer. Later in his career with the city of Bismarck, Nick headed the Police Youth Bureau for the Bismarck Police Department. In January of 2003 Nick became Major of the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Office under Sheriff Steve Berg. In the fall of 2006 Sheriff Berg was defeated for re-election by Pat Heinert, a former Major of the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Department. Nick currently serves as a Lieutenant with the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Department.
Nick is a law enforcement officer who has a heart as well as a head. He is someone that I met ten years ago as an undergraduate student, as a Rasmussen faculty member I treasure my personal and professional friendship with Lieutenant Sevart. Nick served as a patrol officer where he learned first hand the dangers, stressors, and rewards of police work. Our students found his real world experience and knowledge, combined with his amazing sense of humor and his ability to relate to 
college students and those who are not members of the law enforcement profession to be quite remarkable. Lieutenant Sevart emphasized that those entering the law enforcement profession should continue to enjoy the hobbies that they are passionate about and to nourish relationships with family and friends who are not law enforcement officers. Those hobbies, those family members, and all of the people who are dear to a law enforcement officer are the ties that will sustain the officer when the profession has its dark days.
In addition to Lieutenant Sevart’s presentation we were pleased to have one of our current criminal justice students, Juana Perius, offer a testimonial detailing the richness of her academic experience as a criminal justice student in Bismarck. Juana will graduate in December of 2007 with her two year criminal justice degree.
We are very proud of her.