University of North Dakota

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University of North Dakota

Seal of the University of North Dakota
Motto Lux et Lex
(Latin: Light and Law)
Established 1883
Type Public
Endowment $89.3 million
President Charles Kupchella
(retiring in 2008)
Provost Greg Weisenstein
Faculty 790
Staff 1,906
Students 12,834
Undergraduates 10,377
Postgraduates 1,978
Other students {{{other}}}
Professional students 479
Location Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States
Campus Urban - 549 acres, 223 buildings, 5.33 million sq. ft.
Athletics North Dakota Fighting Sioux
Sports 2 Division I/18 Division II
Colors Green, White, and Black
Official colors: Green and Pink[1]
Nickname Fighting Sioux
Fight song "Fight On Sioux"
Affiliations North Dakota University System
Website www.und.edu
Logo of the University of North Dakota

The University of North Dakota (UND) is a comprehensive, public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. UND is the largest and oldest university in the state of North Dakota. Funded by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, UND was intended to be, and has remained, a university with a strong liberal arts foundation surrounded by a variety of professional and specialized programs. One of only 47 public universities in the nation with both accredited graduate schools of law and medicine, UND is known for high-achieving students and alumni, extensive resources, innovation, and a beautiful campus.

UND enrolls more than 15,000 students each year in 193 fields of study from baccalaureate through doctoral and professional degrees. Slightly more than half of students are from North Dakota with the remainder coming from around the nation and the world. Offering nearly 3,000 courses as well as extensive distance education programs, UND is a national leader in rural and family health, aerospace, energy and environmental research, and programs for American Indians. The five most popular areas include commercial aviation, elementary education, psychology, entrepreneurship, and nursing. Graduate education is offered in 94 programs, including the only schools of law and medicine in the state of North Dakota. The University is especially known for graduate programs in atmospheric sciences, forensics, biology, health sciences, and the engineering doctorate.

UND’s economic impact on the state and region is more than $1 billion a year. UND is the second largest employer in the state of North Dakota, after the Air Force.[2][3] The current president of UND is Dr. Charles Kupchella (retiring 2008).

Contents

[edit] History

UND was founded in 1883, six years before North Dakota became a state. Grand Forks native George H. Walsh submitted a bill to the Territorial Legislature of Dakota Territory that called for a university in Grand Forks. The university was viewed by many as the premier state institution to be given to a community; even more so than the state capitol.

The first building at UND, Old Main, housed all classrooms, offices, dorm rooms, and a library. In the 1880s, UND consisted of only a few acres of property surrounded by farms and fields. At this time, the university was nearly two miles west of Grand Forks. Students living off campus had to take a train from downtown to the university.

Gradually, more buildings were constructed on campus and a trolley system was built to connect the growing university to downtown Grand Forks. However, there were several major interruptions in the life of the university. In 1918, UND was the hardest hit institution in the country by the flu epidemic which killed 2,700 people in North Dakota alone. Later that year, classes were suspended so the campus could become an army base for soldiers during World War I.

During the Great Depression, UND provided free housing to students. "Camp Depression" consisted of many railroad cabooses each housing eight male students. Living at the camp was free for students who did manual labor on campus. "Camp Depression" students did not get regular meals from the cafeteria and had to be satisfied with only free leftovers. However, a number of Grand Forks citizens opened their homes and kitchen tables to many of these destitute young men.

After World War II, enrollment quickly grew to more than 3,000. A large amount of housing had to be built on campus as well as several new academic buildings. The 1950s saw the rise of Fighting Sioux hockey tradition.

The 1960s and 1970s saw many student protests. The largest occurred in May of 1970 when 2,000 students gathered to protest the Kent State killings. In 1975, enrollment swelled to a record 8,500. The 70's also saw the advent of the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at UND.

The 1980s and 1990s were another period of growth for UND. However, the devastating Red River Flood of 1997 inundated numerous buildings on campus and forced the cancellation of the remainder of the school year. So far, the 2000s have been a decade of record enrollments and an increased emphasis on research. Also, several high profile athletic venues have opened. Millions of dollars worth of construction and renovation projects have dotted the campus landscape in recent years.

Today, issues facing UND include a move of its entire athletic program to Division I (announced in June of 2006), a legal battle regarding the Fighting Sioux nickname, the fact that UND is located in a state with a shrinking population of potential students, and efforts to increase external contributions and funding. As part of a $50 million dollar plan to improve student facilities on campus, UND has recently finished building a $20 million dollar Wellness Center and is in the process of building an $18 million dollar parking garage and a $20 million dollar student housing complex. In January of 2007, UND President Charles Kupchella announced that he would be retiring in 2008 which means that a nationwide search will have to be undertaken to find his replacement.

[edit] Campus

Chester Fritz Library on UND campus
Chester Fritz Library on UND campus

[edit] Main campus

The main campus of the University of North Dakota sits in the middle of Grand Forks on historic University Avenue. The campus is made up of 223 buildings (5.33 million square feet) on 549 acres.[4] The campus stretches roughly one and half miles from east to west and is divided by the meandering English Coulee. The western edge of campus is bordered by Interstate 29, the eastern edge is bordered with University Park, the Grand Forks railyards sit on the south side of campus, and the north side of campus is marked by Gateway Drive (U.S. Route 2).

[edit] Central

The central campus area is the oldest part of UND and contains many historic buildings. This area is home to most academic buildings on campus. At the heart of campus sits the Chester Fritz Library, the largest library in North Dakota. The 82-foot tower of the library is a familiar landmark on University Avenue. Behind the library is the park-like setting of the central campus mall. The mall includes several statues and is a popular place for students to study. The mall is lined with buildings including Merrifield Hall, Twamley Hall, Babcock Hall, Montgomery Hall, and the old Carnegie Library. The location of the first building on campus, Old Main, is marked with Old Main Memorial Plaza and the eternal flame of the Old Main Memorial Sphere.

Other buildings in the central part of campus include the School of Law, the North Dakota Museum of Art, Memorial Union, Gamble Hall, the J. Lloyd Stone Alumni Center, and the Burtness Theatre. The English Coulee flows along the western edge of the central campus area and on the western bank of the Coulee sits the Chester Fritz Auditorium and the Hughes Fine Arts Center. The historic 1908 Adelphi Fountain is located in an oxbow loop of the Coulee, as is the new Spiritual Center.[5]

[edit] Eastern

To the east of the central campus area sits Memorial Stadium, the old Ralph Engelstad Arena, and the Hyslop Auditorium. These structures are all old athletic venues which have been replaced with new structures located elsewhere. The eastern part of campus is also the home of the Energy and Environmental Research Center complex which includes the National Center for Hydrogen Technology. The Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, which is operated by the United States Department of Agriculture, is also found in this part of campus.[6] A multi-story parking garage is being built directly at the corner of University Avenue and Columbia Road. At the extreme eastern portion of campus sits University Park.

[edit] Northern

To the north of the central campus area, along Columbia Road, sits the School of Medicine complex. The main School of Medicine building is the remodeled St. Michael's Hospital building which was built in 1951. Other buildings in the medical school complex include the Biomedical Research Center and the Neuroscience Research Facility.

Further north sits an area that is called University Village. This land sat virtually empty for decades, but has recently seen extensive development. University Village is anchored by the $100+ million dollar Ralph Engelstad Arena which is used by the UND Fighting Sioux ice hockey teams. University Village is also home to the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, the new $20 million dollar Student Wellness Center, a Barnes & Noble college bookstore, a condo development, a medical clinic, and several commercial properties.

[edit] Western

The western part of the UND campus is a newer area and most of the buildings found here were designed with a modern style of architecture. This area is home to the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences which includes Odegard Hall, Clifford Hall, Ryan Hall, and Streibel Hall. Directly adjacent to the Aerospace Complex sits the Skalicky Business Incubator, the Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center, and a Hilton Garden Inn. Ground will soon be brokern for the Center of Excellence for Life Sciences and Technology.

The western part of campus is also the location of most residence halls and student apartments. A new $20 million dollar student housing project is currently being constructed on University Avenue.

[edit] Other

UND operates a small campus consisting of several buildings at Grand Forks International Airport. This is where the University's aviation students train.

The University owns and operates a 9-hole golf course south of the main UND campus. The Fighting Sioux football team is the major tenant of the city of Grand Forks-owned Alerus Center. The School of Medicine operates several clinics throughout the state. UND also owns numerous tracts of farmland throughout the region.

[edit] Academics

The school has ten academic divisions:

Altogether, the University has 89 undergraduate majors, 63 undergraduate minors, 57 master's programs, 23 doctoral programs, two professional programs (medicine and law), and a specialist diploma program in educational leadership. The University also has an interdisciplinary program that allows students to obtain a degree in virtually any course of study. An extensive collection of online classes and degree programs are offered for students around the nation and world. UND is one of only 47 public universities in the United States that offer both accredited schools of law and medicine.

Nearly all professors hold the highest degree available in their profession, and the University is fully accredited.

On campus, academic classrooms range from smaller rooms capable of seating around twenty students to large lecture bowls capable of seating hundreds at a time. Many areas have wireless access for laptops, and "smart" classrooms enable professors to offer more interactive lectures. Extensive computer labs can be found in the libraries, Memorial Union, and academic areas.

[edit] Libraries

The University has three major libraries for student use. The Chester Fritz Library is the largest library in the state of North Dakota. It houses 1.5 million print and non-print items and provides access to over 30,000 electronic journals and other resources. It also serves as a U.S. patent and trademark depository and a government document depository. UND's special collections department is renowned for its genealogical resources, including Norwegian Bygdeboker, or Norwegian farm and town records. Branches of the Chester Fritz Library include the Energy and Environmental Research Library, the F.D. Holland Geology Library, and the Gordon Erickson Music Library.

The School of Law operates the Thormodsgard Law Library and the School of Medicine operates the Harley E. French Library of the Health Sciences.

[edit] Research

UND is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a high research activity, doctoral/professional, and engaged university, and is a major part of the Red River Valley Research Corridor. In UND's fiscal year 2006, program awards reached $94.3 million and sponsored program expenditures reached $81.2 million. The research portfolio of UND included $315 million in total ongoing and committed accounts.[7]

The University operates many research units including: the Energy and Environmental Research Center, School of Medicine, Center for Rural Health, Center for Innovation, Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium, Bureau of Governmental Affairs, Bureau of Educational Services and Applied Research, and the Social Science Research Institute.

The Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) is one of the premier such research centers in the world. It includes the National Center for Hydrogen Technology (NCHT).

In May 2006, students from UND and five other North Dakota colleges and universities unveiled a new space suit that they had developed to be used by astronauts that may someday travel to Mars. The students were working off of a $100,000 grant from NASA and the suit was tested in the Badlands of western North Dakota. The suit weighs 47 pounds and costs only a fraction of the standard $22 million cost for a NASA spacesuit. The suit was developed in just over a year by the students.[8]

[edit] Athletics

Main article: North Dakota Fighting Sioux
Athletic logo of the North Dakota Fighting Sioux
Athletic logo of the North Dakota Fighting Sioux

UND's athletic teams bear the name of the Fighting Sioux (which is not without controversy). The official colors of the University are green and pink. However, this color combination is rarely employed outside of official or ceremonial applications.[9] The colors are supposed to be representative of North Dakota's state flower, the Wild Prairie Rose. In most cases, the school uses green and either white or black as its colors.

UND is currently in NCAA Division II in all sports except hockey. The Fighting Sioux men's and women's hockey teams both compete in the Division I Western Collegiate Hockey Association. UND's sports teams are often nationally competitive in both divisions. On June 21, 2006, UND President Charles Kupchella announced that the school will soon be making the move to Division I in all sports with the year 2007-2008 being an "exploratory" year. One thing that could change as a result of UND moving to Division I is a restoration of the longstanding rivalry with North Dakota State University (NDSU). That rivalry recently came to a standstill when NDSU moved from Division II to Division I, but UND remained at Division II.

All of the athletic facilities that UND currently uses for its major sports are new and state-of-the-art. The Fighting Sioux football team plays in the Alerus Center, the basketball and volleyball teams play in the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, and the hockey teams play in the Ralph Engelstad Arena. "The Ralph," as it is commonly known, is a $100+ million facility and is regarded by many as one of the finest hockey arenas in the world. A new $20 million dollar Wellness Center (a large gym and physical/mental wellness facility) opened in September of 2006.

The school's best-known athletic alumnus is NBA coaching great and former player Phil Jackson. However, Phil Jackson, while arguably the most widely known former UND athlete, is not the only UND alumnus to play in the NBA. In 2003, UND's Jerome Beasley was drafted by the Miami Heat in the second round of the NBA draft and appeared in two games. Many UND attendees have played in the NHL as well, including Florida Panthers goalie Ed Belfour.

[edit] Student body

Twamley Hall (Administration)
Twamley Hall (Administration)

About half of the UND student body is from North Dakota. The other half is made up of students from all 50 states and over 50 other nations. The ratio between male and female students is about even.

Demographically, there is a significant majority of caucasian students, although the campus is more diverse than North Dakota as a whole. UND hosts students from dozens of foreign countries. Politically, UND is equally composed of conservative and liberal populations. However, both the student body and the University faculty are often far more liberal than the rest of the state. Precincts in and around the University are often some of the most liberal in the state.

Students can choose to live on or off campus. On campus, there are 15 residence halls and 800 student apartment units, as well as 18 "Greek" houses. There are over 200 student organizations. UND students ride free on the local transit system, and receive discounted fares on taxicab rides through Student Government subsidies.

[edit] Culture

There are a number of cultural offerings on the UND campus. The North Dakota Museum of Art is located in the heart of campus and offers exhibits throughout the year. The Burtness Theater and the Chester Fritz Auditorium regularly feature theater and concert events. The Ralph Engelstad Arena, to a certain extent, also features non-athletic events including concerts. The nearby city-owned Alerus Center hosts several concerts each year as well as other events. In addition to these facilities, the city of Grand Forks is home to other theaters and museums.

The University has a strong tradition in the liberal arts. This is supported by its faculty, among whom include Guggenheim Foundation Fellows, National Endowment for the Humanities Scholars, and PEN/Faulkner award winners.

The University hosts a renown literary conference on campus each year. The University of North Dakota Writers Conference is a weeklong event that brings together prominent American and foreign writers. Past participants have included Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, Eudora Welty, Tom Wolfe, Allen Ginsberg, Louise Erdrich, and Gary Snyder. A film festival is held in conjunction with the conference.

[edit] Campus media

[edit] Print

The student newspaper at UND is the Dakota Student.

Dimensions[10], a twice-yearly publication, features stories on faculty, staff, and the University. The University Letter[11] serves as the faculty/staff newsletter of UND. The Alumni Review[12] is the alumni magazine, published by the UND Alumni Association and Foundation.

The North Dakota Quarterly[13], a well-respected literary journal, is based at UND. The UND English department at produces a literary magazine, North Country, which features avant-garde and traditional work. It draws on the talents of several departments on campus. The North Dakota Law Review[14], published by the School of Law since 1924, serves as the journal of the State Bar Association of North Dakota.

[edit] Radio

UND currently owns two public radio stations: KUND-FM and KFJM-FM. KUND-FM rebroadcasts North Dakota Public Radio (NDPR). KFJM broadcasts some NDPR programming, but also broadcasts some locally-produced programs. KFJM was one of the first college radio stations in the United States and is the second oldest station in North Dakota.

UND also used to own KUND-AM. In 2004, UND sold KUND-AM to a Catholic radio broadcaster because the transmitter blocked proposed expansion at the University. KUND-AM was renamed to KWTL.

[edit] Television

UND owns two local cable channels. One operates as an information billboard and also features a weekly student-produced news program entitled Studio One. The other channel, The Fighting Sioux Sports Network, is operated in conjunction with WDAZ-TV. It broadcasts all home hockey games and several away games each year. It also broadcasts several football and basketball games during the school year. The Fighting Sioux Sports Network is carried on cable television in North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota by Midcontinent Communications. It is also available throughout the entire North American continent via Free-To-Air satellite.

The campus residence halls include a movie channel, Residence Life Cinema, on cable channel 17. The University separately licences movies for showing on this channel.

[edit] Notable alumni

For a more extensive list, please see Category:University of North Dakota alumni

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Information about official colors
  2. ^ 2005 State of the University address
  3. ^ North Dakota Job Service listing of largest employers in state
  4. ^ Information about UND campus
  5. ^ UND Spiritual Center
  6. ^ Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center
  7. ^ UND press release about research
  8. ^ News article about Mars space suit developed at UND
  9. ^ Information about official colors
  10. ^ Dimensions
  11. ^ The University Letter
  12. ^ The Alumni Review
  13. ^ The North Dakota Quarterly
  14. ^ The North Dakota Law Review

[edit] Reference

  • History of UND - (source of much of the historical information provided in this article)

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
The University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Academics: School of Aerospace Sciences | School of Law | School of Medicine
Athletics: The Fighting Sioux | Baseball | Basketball | Football | Hockey | Soccer | Volleyball
Campus: Alerus Center | Betty Engelstad Sioux Center | Chester Fritz Auditorium | Chester Fritz Library | Energy and Environmental Research Center | Memorial Stadium | National Center for Hydrogen Technology | North Dakota Museum of Art | Ralph Engelstad Arena (old) | Ralph Engelstad Arena (new) | University Village
Media: Dakota Student | Fighting Sioux Sports Network | KFJM

North Dakota University System

Universities:
University of North Dakota | North Dakota State University
Minot State University | Dickinson State University | Valley City State University | Mayville State University
Colleges:
Bismarck State College | North Dakota State College of Science | Lake Region State College
Williston State College | Minot State University-Bottineau
North Central Conference
Augustana • Central Washington† • Minnesota Duluth • Minnesota State Mankato • Nebraska-Omaha • North Dakota • Saint Cloud State • South Dakota • Western Washington†
† Football-only member
Western Collegiate Hockey Association
Men's Division: Alaska-Anchorage • Colorado College • Denver • Michigan Tech • Minnesota • Minnesota-Duluth • Minnesota State • North Dakota • St. Cloud State • Wisconsin
Women's Division: Bemidji State • Minnesota • Minnesota-Duluth • Minnesota State • North Dakota • Ohio State • St. Cloud State • Wisconsin
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