THE SCOPE OF THE UNIVERSITY

Classified as a high research activity, doctoral/professonal and engaged university by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the University of North Dakota is a coeducational, state-supported institution which recorded an enrollment of 12,834 students in the fall of 2006. UND is located in Grand Forks, a city of 50,000 situated across the Red River from East Grand Forks, Minnesota, about 300 miles northwest of Minneapolis and 150 miles south of Winnipeg.This university is characterized by a solid foundation of the liberal arts, a manageable size, high-quality students and faculty, a comprehensive curriculum, a widely recognized program of graduate education and research, law and medical schools praised for quality and innovation, rich cultural resources, and an outstanding record of alumni support.The University’s undergraduate and graduate programs are offered in 193 fields through 10 major units: College of Arts and Sciences (which includes a major division devoted to music, theater and visual art), Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, College of Business and Public Administration, School of Engineering and Mines, College of Nursing, College of Education and Human Development, School of Law, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Division of Continuing Education, and Graduate School (offering the doctorate in 23 programs, the specialist’s degree in one program, the master’s degree in 57 programs).In the fall of 2006, about 51 percent of UND’s students were residents of North Dakota and about 30 percent were from Minnesota, with the remainder representing every other state, Canada and about 50 other countries. Some 81 percent were enrolled in UND’s undergraduate programs. The University awarded 2,649 degrees in 2005-2006, including 1,874 undergraduate degrees, 500 master’s degrees, 110 doctoral degrees, 60 law degrees, 57 M.D. degrees and 2 specialist degrees.A total of $94.3 million in research and sponsored program activities was received in fiscal year 2005-2006.The University’s faculty and research staff numbers 790 full-time individuals. Its total full-time workforce of 2,696 makes it the state’s largest employer outside the two U.S. Air Force bases.UND’s 549-acre campus, regarded as one of the most beautiful in the region, includes 223 buildings and 5.33 million square feet of space. Facilities include a Barnes and Noble University/community bookstore and the Ralph Engelstad Arena, home of the University’s NCAA Division I ice hockey program. The Alerus Center, a 22,000-seat events and conference facility, joins such venues as the Fire Hall Theatre, Empire Arts Center, and North Dakota Museum of Art, as well as UND’s Chester Fritz Auditorium, Burtness Theatre, Josephine Campbell Recital Hall, and Hyslop Sports Center, in bringing cultural, entertainment, and athletic programming to the community.

BRIEF HISTORY OF UND

The University of North Dakota at Grand Forks was founded in 1883 by the Dakota Territorial Assembly, six years before North Dakota became a state. The cornerstone for the first building was laid that autumn. Four faculty members met the 11 students who entered the University on opening day, September 8, 1884. The first class was graduated in 1889.Unlike most state institutions of higher education west of the Mississippi, UND did not begin as an agricultural school or only as a teachers college. Organized initially as a College of Arts and Sciences, with a Normal School for the education of teachers, UND soon evolved into a full-fledged multi-purpose university. Instruction of graduate students (the first master’s degree was awarded in 1895) and the conducting of research were under way before the end of the 19th century. Depressions, drought, wars and financial crises have more than once threatened its future, but the University has been able to withstand these challenges and to prosper as an institution of national caliber.The University today would be recognizable to its founders. UND was the only institution of higher education in the state to be originally established as a university, with all of the implications of that title. A university has an obligation to preserve knowledge, to disseminate knowledge, and to create new knowledge. The University of North Dakota has served as a capstone for the entire system of public education in the state, and from its earliest year has embraced all levels of higher education—undergraduate, professional and graduate—and maintained an active program of research and service. The University has created a tradition in instruction, research, and service which has served as a model for other institutions. Consistent with the intent of the founding legislators, the University has served as a standard-bearer and leader for higher education in the state.

 

The following mission statement is on file with the State Board of Higher Education:
The University of North Dakota, as a member of the North Dakota University System, serves the state, the country and the world community through teaching, research, creative activities, and service. State-assisted, the University’s work depends also on federal, private, and corporate sources. With other research universities, the University shares a distinctive responsibility for the discovery, development, preservation and dissemination of knowledge. Through its sponsorship and encouragement of basic and applied research, scholarship, and creative endeavor, the University contributes to the public well-being.
The University maintains its legislatively enacted missions in liberal arts, business, education, law, medicine, engineering and mines; and has also developed special missions in nursing, fine arts, aerospace, energy, human resources and international studies. It provides a wide range of challenging academic programs for undergraduate, professional, and graduate students through the doctoral level. The University encourages students to make informed choices, to communicate effectively, to be intellectually curious and creative, to commit themselves to lifelong learning and the service of others, and to share responsibility both for their own communities and for the world. The University promotes cultural diversity among its students, staff, and faculty.
In addition to its on-campus instructional and research programs, the University of North Dakota separately and cooperatively provides extensive continuing education and public service programs for all areas of the state and region.