Minutes of University Council Meeting
Jon Jackson, Chair of University Senate, called the meeting
of the University Council to order at
Mr. Jackson reported that the University Senate business has gone smoothly. The Senate is working well with the new administration. The student senators have brought forth student centered business items for Senate discussion and action.
Mr. Jackson announced that there will not be a
Mr. Jackson introduced a video presentation. The video was a photo montague representing the new branding. Photos were related to “creative,” “innovative,” “entrepreneurial,” and “spirited.”
Mr. Jackson explained to the audience the role of the University Council in University governance. He recognized the new faculty present.
Mr. Jackson introduced the new, 11th, President of the University. He noted that Mr. Kelley is a fellow faculty member in Anatomy and Cell Biology.
President Robert Kelley delivered his first State of the
University address, titled “
Good Afternoon.
Professor [Jon] Jackson, Members of the University Council, the UND community
and guests:
It is a great personal pleasure to present my first State of the University
address to the UND community. Marcia and I have been warmly welcomed by all of
you and, as a result, we have very quickly come to feel that we are an integral
part of the University and all that UND represents to our city and our new
state of residence. Thank you for welcoming us.
As Marcia and I have traveled the state, we have come to understand that
UND has transformed generations through its mission of education, learning,
research, scholarship and creative works, and has prepared its graduates for
leadership in Bismarck, Washington, throughout the United States and the World,
and, most recently, to the International Space Station in Earth orbit.
The University of North Dakota is a great University,
poised to be an
exceptional one, blessed with a creative, innovative and entrepreneurial
spirit.
Our goal is, quite simply, to be exceptional in all that we do, to be the very
best in the arts and humanities and the professions, as well as science,
technology, engineering and mathematics, which I will refer to as "
Since arriving on campus on July 1, I have observed that there are at least
four core values, unspoken but clearly present, shared by every member of the
University family: an emphasis on quality; a willingness to take advantage of
offered opportunities; an atmosphere that I can only call
"learner-centered"; and a strong sense of public engagement. I
believe that sharing these core values will help us move from Great to
Exceptional.
I would like to spend just a few moments at the beginning of this address
highlighting some of the outstanding achievements within the institution.
Clearly, I won't be able to speak to every accomplishment, and there should be
no attempt to read between the lines if a favorite program or achievement is
not mentioned. But I would like to showcase a sample of what the faculty, staff
and students of the University have achieved as a reflection of where we are at
the moment, and why we should be justifiably proud of the University.
UND has a remarkable faculty and staff. The University has recruited well over
the years, and we will continue to put priority emphasis on allocating
resources into faculty and staff compensation and professional development. The
efforts of UND's faculty and staff have resulted in
new centers and institutes; new advances in science and technology; creative
new performances in music and the visual and performing arts; and development
of innovative new technologies, like the AgCam that
was recently delivered to the International Space Station by NASA on the
Shuttle Endeavour.
Faculty have developed centers that focus on such diverse themes as digital
humanities, sustainable energy, human rights, digital archiving, neuroscience,
natural resource law, human behavior, regulation of the gaming industry, and
the list goes on and on.
And last week, UND staff leadership hosted the first North Dakota University
System Staff Leadership Conference on campus. In addition, it's important to
note that UND enjoys unprecedented leadership across the North Dakota
University System: Halee Cripe
is the student member on the State Board of Higher Education; Jon Jackson is
the faculty representative to the State Board; and Janice Hoffarth,
administrative assistant in the Department of Music, is the newly elected (and
first) president of the University System Staff Senate.
UND enjoys remarkable students, too. Enrollment is up. We have nearly 12,750
students at the University this Fall. And among those
students is a freshman class that, from the standpoint of grade point averages
and ACT scores, is possibly the most prepared incoming class in the
institution's history.
The
I just mentioned distance instruction. I learned the other day of one
remarkable student who is a truck driver based in
The University currently offers 31 distance degree programs and certificates
administered by Continuing Education. Enrollments stand at 3,161 and, in my
judgment, there is considerable capacity for growth in online and distance
education. And driving a long-haul 18 wheeler is not a prerequisite for
accessing UND's on-line programs. We have students on
campus who are taking UND courses through distance education to supplement
on-campus courses or to overcome a scheduling conflict.
Students of the future, as well as many enrolled now, will come to expect
choices in how they receive their education. This clearly is an area where UND
can do more, and we will.
I believe that this kind of dedication to study at UND reflects exceedingly
well on our academic programs and the opportunities for learning that these
programs provide. Accreditation for professional programs is always an issue,
and it is an index of UND's excellence that programs
in the
UND recently hosted a very successful Higher Learning Commission site visit
focusing on program and learner outcome assessment. Because of the hard work of
our faculty and staff, UND received high marks on our response to the Higher
Learning Commission about learning outcome assessment and how we use the
results of assessment to continually strengthen our educational programs.
Let me mention just a few of UND's many areas of
programmatic excellence.
Recently, I was introduced to the Integrated Studies Program, an opportunity
for students entering the University to explore how multiple disciplines – for example,
economics, political science, the intersection of technology with society,
music and the arts -- all come together to frame solutions to contemporary
issues. That was an enjoyable morning for me, because this is the way I learn,
and, of course, I think others should enjoy learning this way, too.
UND rolled out its new nationally recognized Essential Studies Program,
providing a roadmap for students to navigate through the University and obtain
a general education that benchmarks against the curriculum of other exceptional
universities.
And I've had a great deal of satisfaction watching students in the
National rankings are a somewhat fickle index of an institution's quality, but
I would be remiss if I didn't state that it gives a president a great set of
talking points to be able to highlight areas with national recognition -- like UND's entrepreneurship program (top 15 nationally); UND's programs in aerospace sciences and aviation education
(uniformly ranked No. 1 nationally); national standing for UND's
community-based program in medical education, in partnership with health care
systems in the state; nationally recognized academic programs for Native American
students (INMED (Indians into Medicine) and
recent success of the AgCam associated with the
Northern Great Plains Center for People and the Environment.
The
Also, this past summer, the four telescopes at the UND Internet Observatory
were brought into operational status. Three optical telescopes and a radio
telescope are now available for use over the Internet. Observers can be at
home, in different states, in different countries and make observations. How
cool is that! A telescope for the southern hemisphere is the next goal of this
group. Also this summer and Fall, UND enjoyed events associated with the 125th
anniversary of its founding -- commencements; convocations awarding honorary
doctorates; Great Conversations with Salman Rushdie,
Phil Jackson and Stephen Bloom; an inauguration ceremony; An Afternoon of the
Arts; a day of memory for President John F. Kennedy; Travis Roy; performing
arts productions in the Burtness Theatre; musical
performances and concerts by the Pride of the North Marching Band, the 12 O'Clock Jazz Band, and the Steel Drum Band. If you haven't
had the opportunity to attend a performance of this last group, you should.
They're a creative blend of the
UND's research enterprise continues to grow. Awards
for research and sponsored programs have been at or around the $100 million
mark for the past two years. And many people have contributed to this growth.
Faculty and staff efforts have played a major role through their competitive
ideas and innovation. UND has a very productive, supportive congressional
delegation that assists in providing funding for new ideas that will be the
nucleus of economic development for the state and nation.
As an example, Sen. Byron Dorgan founded the Red River Valley Research
Corridor, and provided funding for a number of centers and institutes that have
contributed to the success of the Corridor. And Gov. John Hoeven,
by recommending funding for
The University's work through the Red River Valley Research Corridor – which includes
collaborations with
And UND's facilities are supporting the expectations
of faculty, staff and
students in their respective activities. In September, we dedicated the new
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the new University House where Marcia and
I have the privilege to live. It's another example of the impact of our growing
UND Foundation. Through a generous gift from William and Jane Marcil, administered through the Foundation in partnership
with the UND Office of Operations and Finance, UND has a new venue for greeting
guests to campus and a gracious home that adds value to an already handsome
campus.
The Foundation has assets of nearly $220 million, thanks to many generous
alumni and friends. True, we are now in turbulent economic times -- and how the
global downturn impacts our future remains to be seen -- but the Foundation
Board is composed of accomplished alumni who are dedicated to the success of
UND and will continue to work with all of us to assure a successful future for
the University in the years ahead.
The new
And the Chester Fritz Library continues to be an integral component of
teaching, learning and scholarship on campus. Digital Collections have grown;
historical records and manuscripts have been archived; and the library has
partnered with the
Let me also share with you the status of UND's
transition to Division 1 in the NCAA. Under the very capable direction of UND's new Director of Athletics, Brian Faison, UND is in
the first year of transition to full D1 membership status. In July, our first
month of the transition, we took our first big step as a D1 program when we
were invited to join the Great West Conference. This provided almost all of our
sports programs with a conference home. In this regard, women's soccer, women's
volleyball, football, men's basketball and women's basketball have all enjoyed
wins over Division 1 opponents this. We have dramatically increased the marketing
reach of UND Athletics through a marketing partnership with the Ralph Engelstad Arena. I'm sure that you have seen the advertisements
for our teams as you travel around the city and state --
"We are One, We are North Dakota"
Also, as I "Stand Up and Cheer" for our teams, I'm impressed that
these
outstanding young athletes are also outstanding students. At the close of the Spring semester of 2008, seven graduating seniors held a
cumulative GPA of 3.75 or better. Eighteen student athletes held a 4.0 GPA
through the Fall 07 and Spring 08 semesters; and coming into competition this
semester, 55 student athletes hold GPAs of 3.5 or better. Fourteen of our 20
teams were represented in NCAA post-season play. Six Student athletes were
named to Academic All-District teams and four were named Academic
All-Americans. And three earned individual event NCAA Championships.
Clearly, UND is a great university -- creative, innovative and entrepreneurial.
So, what do we do next? Where are we going, and how will we get there?
As I indicated in my inaugural address to the University family a few weeks
ago, there is a great deal to be learned from the 125 year history of our
institution. We've had good times and bad. Significant challenges have
confronted the University, and we certainly have some significant ones ahead of
us.
Going forward, the following challenges will provide the working foundation for
UND's specific priorities as outlined in the current
academic plan for UND:
We will be challenged by the increasing
costs of higher education. These costs are driven by the need for competitive
compensation, competitive benefits like healthcare, construction
costs for new facilities, regulation and compliance with government mandates
and oversight, and campus security. All are necessary and must be managed
thoughtfully. Effective allocation of fiscal and human resources will be an
ongoing process to assure that UND reaches its goals.
We will continue to be challenged to provide access to new generations of
students. We will continue to work with the Chancellor and North Dakota State
Board of Higher Education to promote increased contributions from the state to UND's revenues. We have no wish to raise tuition if that
can be avoided, because that action simply places a greater burden on students
and families, and makes higher education less accessible.
And we will continue to be challenged by the need to maintain and improve
educational quality, along with the need to be accountable for that quality.
There are five specific areas that I wish to emphasize for the coming year: the
global financial landscape in which we live; enrollment; leadership; academic
priorities and synergies; and UND's athletic
transitions.
First, all of us are aware of the major economic downturn that has had ripple
effects around the world for the past several weeks and months. Although UND
and the State of North Dakota appear to be relatively stable at the moment, we
may have challenges ahead with institutional finances. In this regard, UND supports
the budget recommendations advanced by the Chancellor of the NDUS and approved
by the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education.
UND has explained its portion of that budget to the Executive Branch in
for UND and for
UND's budget relies on several major related
components: about half of our operating revenues are derived from state
appropriations and tuition and fees, both about equally divided. The remaining
revenues come from grants, contracts, the auxiliary enterprises of the
University, and our modest, but growing endowment. And we thank our friends and
alumni for helping grow that endowment.
As we apportion our revenues, we will continue to focus on faculty and staff
compensation; UND's academic programs, with special
priority on arts and humanities, the professions, and
And we will continue to target resources for improvements to our facilities. We
anticipate that a new Information Technologies and
I wish to add that UND will be challenged to provide stewardship of resources
which we must earn -- and I emphasize earn. Whether they are appropriations
from the state legislature, tuition and fees from enrolled students, grants and
contracts from state and federal agencies, or gifts from friends and supporters
of this great University, these resources are being competed for by many
sectors. UND must compete at the highest levels to earn the resources that are
assigned to us. I believe that these resources will be earned, by all of us,
through our creativity, innovative and entrepreneurial spirit.
Another ongoing priority will be building UND's
enrollment. We had increases this year, but it will take a lot of hard work to
continue that trend. We will step up activities in recruitment through
strategic marketing and advertising. This will require additional resources,
but equally important it will require a clear set of goals that are both
challenging and realistic. We will work with staff in the Office of University
Relations, and also extramural expertise, in UND's
marketing and advertising initiatives. Success in this area will require all of
us to contribute to a university environment that will be welcoming,
stimulating and safe for students; a culture that is conscious of, and places a
priority on, multicultural diversity; and one in which this diversity is
coupled with critical thinking through UND's
curriculum. In brief, an exciting place for all of us to
learn, live, create, innovate and advance our respective goals and
ambitions.
We will enhance our international student presence on campus. And we've already
had some very good success in this area. UND is the number one destination
campus for Norwegian students studying in the
In addition, I believe that we must engage more actively in exchanging UND
students with other universities and institutions beyond the borders of the
More and more students are requesting the opportunity to enroll in courses and
programs offered in part or totally online. We will need to review our program
and course-offering culture. To succeed, in some cases it will be necessary to
examine how and when courses are scheduled and how they are delivered and
funded. We must become more nimble in addressing this cohort of our students.
In addition to recruiting more students, we must find more ways to retain those
who do come, and to find ways to assure their progress to a degree. We have a
wealth of academic programs for a university of our size. But we need to
utilize this strength to retain students. We lose far too many students after
they get here. The retention rate for the freshman class has improved over the
past two years, which may be a direct result from increased admissions
standards implemented in 2005. But we need to do more to keep students from
leaving us after their first, second and third years. In this regard, finding
more compelling ways to engage students in the life of the University may have
the most immediate impact on meeting this goal. And retention, time to
graduation
and UND's graduation rate must become metrics by
which we gauge institutional success.
UND has one of the most comprehensive curricula of any university of comparable
size. The newly launched "Curriculum Master Planning Initiative,"
administered by the Dean's Council and the Office of Academic Affairs, will
continue to assess issues of quality, identification of important new program
initiatives, and in some cases, revisions to existing programs, to assure
maintenance of the highest quality education at the University.
As UND's future begins to unfold under a new
administration, I wish to state that shared governance is alive and well at
UND. We have an engaged group of senates -- faculty, staff and students -- all
with dedicated, capable leadership. The President's Cabinet and I participate with
each of these groups and have listened to the respective issues that have been
brought to the administration to be addressed. In this regard, it is my
position that the leadership of the University is responsible for nurturing the
UND family.
UND has a tradition of caring for members of the family, and that tradition
will be continued. The administration of the University will strive to
communicate its deliberations and decisions wherever possible, and to permit
input into those decisions that impact the UND community. That's not to say
that hard decisions will not have to be made, but it is to say that the
business of the University isn't just business. It's also about how students,
faculty and staff are affected.
In addition, UND will continue to partner with the City of
achieve new collaborations with
There has been some reorganization within the President's Cabinet. I have asked
Brian Faison, Director of Athletics, to join the cabinet; and I have eliminated
the position of Vice President for General Administration. Robert Gallager, Vice President for Finance and Operations, has
announced his retirement starting in December, and I have asked Alice Brekke, UND's Budget Director, to
serve as interim vice president. Provost Weisenstein
will chair the search committee for that position.
In addition, Gary Johnson, interim Vice President for Research, has resigned to
take a position with the South Dakota University System, and I have asked Dean Hesham El-Rewini to chair a
search committee to recommend candidates for the position of Vice President for
Research and Economic Development. Barry Milavetz has
stepped up to the interim vice presidency as the search progresses. I wish to
personally thank each of these individuals for their service to UND.
The respective portfolios of each vice president and the provost will continue
to be examined to best serve a growing, evolving university so that they will
reflect added emphasis on meeting goals in equity, multicultural and
international issues, and informational technology utilization for the campus.
I mentioned earlier in this address that priorities for academic programs would
reside in the arts and humanities, the professions, and the
I believe that UND has done an excellent job in building and strengthening the
research enterprise. We will continue to do so. But, in addition, we must renew
our commitment to the liberal arts and to scholarship in the arts and
humanities.
We can do that in several ways. First, we will find ways to continue the Great
Conversations that have been so popular. These were special events associated
with the 125th anniversary celebration of UND. We need to continue these
instructive and entertaining events. I would like to see UND host at least two
or three "Great Conversations" during the course of an academic year.
I also suggest that UND establish an Arts and Humanities Council to help focus
attention on the liberal arts and humanities. Among its charges would be
developing and organizing conferences and symposia, much like the "John F.
Kennedy History, Memory, Legacy" event held this past September. This
excellent conference represents the focus on scholarship and knowledge that
characterizes an exceptional University like UND.
An additional priority will be placed on the development of connections among
campus resources, both human and fiscal capital, to create synergies. UND
already has some excellent examples. The School of Nursing, the Department of
Psychology, and UND Aerospace have teamed up to lead a nationwide study of
human factors that affect aircrew performance, and to examine how differences
such as personality and communications styles may affect pilot training. Such
synergies
contribute to excellence in academic programs and to competitiveness in
obtaining extramural funding to support the synergy.
Another opportunity resides in the development of an exciting new field, digital humanities, that is being explored in the Department
of English and other units across campus. By using computational technologies,
one can study the development of the thought and creative reasoning that goes
into a creative work -- a poem, a concerto, a novel, and a public address. By
adapting these methods to assess the creative process, and to extend that line
of creativity and reasoning beyond the completed work, an investigator may then
able to develop paradigms that predict how further work in that area might be
framed. The applications to public policy, business planning, legal issues, and
even health diagnostics and human behaviors are limitless.
And I've already mentioned UND's AgCam,
another example of multidisciplinary activity creating a "supercluster" to advance ideas into realities. This
instrument will capture on-demand images of land and other earth surface
features across the upper Midwest, and will be used by farmers, ranchers,
tribal resource managers, and researchers to assess hydration, nutritional
content, and other properties of soils, in addition to biological resources
like forests and crops within the range of the sensors and analytic instruments
contained in the camera.
Students and faculty involved in this project came from four UND colleges
--Arts and Sciences, Business and Public Administration, Aerospace Sciences,
and Engineering and Mines -- and from eight departments: electrical
engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, space studies, earth
systems science and policy, business and public administration, physics and
theatre arts.
An obvious opportunity for multidisciplinary synergy is the potential of
developing an academic unit at UND dealing with alternative and sustainable
energy resources. The goal would be to provide an undergraduate and,
eventually, a graduate degree program focused on understanding current energy
sources and their management and utilization. Clearly, UND has existing
strengths in this area as evidenced by the activities in the EERC, the SUNRISE Initiative,
the new department and degree program in Petroleum Engineering, and the Jodsaas Center in the School of Engineering and Mines.
Connecting existing strengths in several colleges and schools across the campus
-- a new, exciting synergistic curriculum dealing with natural resource law and
policy, executive management, languages and cultures in energy producing regions
of the world, as well as the technology behind development, recovery and
production -- would provide opportunities for students to enter the energy
industry with knowledge and tools not available through programs at other
universities. And we currently have our best and brightest from a variety of
disciplines working on recommendations for curriculum development in these
important areas.
These are examples of activities in which we need to do more. I've asked Prof.
John La Duke, Associate Dean in the
And fifth, UND will continue the transition into NCAA D1 competition. Our goal
of full Division 1 membership for all of our sports programs will involve the
following priorities during the next five years:
* Administer the athletics program in full compliance with all D1 membership
requirements;
* Continue to lead the mandated process for reclassification, continually
engaging all constituencies of UND in the progress of the process;
* Continue to build and maintain competitive athletic teams;
* Aggressively grow the financial resources needed to operate a competitive
Division 1 athletics program, including the continued partnering with the City
of Grand Forks and the UND Foundation for development of competitive facilities
for training and game-day competition;
* Expand the presence of UND athletics in the local, regional and national
media;
* Work in partnership with the University to maintain the department's
commitment to diversity and gender equity;
* And ensure the continuation of the tradition of academic success by our
student-athletes.
I have asked Sue Jeno to continue to be the faculty
representative to the NCAA and will ask the Athletic Director, Brian Faison, to
continue to work with his coaches and staff to assure appropriate progress
towards completion of these priorities.
In closing, as I indicated in my inaugural address, UND will continue to
demonstrate a shared set of values -- academic freedom; academic integrity and
honesty; inclusiveness; understanding of cultural, ethnic and racial diversity
in our society; respect for individual differences and beliefs; a genuine
commitment to advancing knowledge through teaching, research and scholarship;
and a commitment by the University to serve our society at every level. Leading
universities, and UND is one, exhibit focus, passion,
courage, wisdom and integrity in coupling multicultural and international
awareness with the critical thinking that students gain from participating in
the curriculum of that leading institution.
Strategic Positioning of a university comes from a lively, robust institutional
conversation. From these conversations will come "the Big Ideas" --
and a more complete understanding of the institution's mission and goals. I believe that UND's
"Big Idea" is the realization that we are educating our students for
"complexity" -- to prepare our students to participate in a global
community and to address complex questions for which there are no simple, or
even correct, answers. And it is to this end that we must renew our commitment
to the University and to its success in moving from Great to Exceptional.
We will go there together.
Thank you.
Mr. Jackson asked the audience if there were any questions. There were no questions.
The meeting adjourned at
Suzanne Anderson, Secretary
University Council