As we move ever closer to the 125th anniversary of the founding of the University of North Dakota, we remain committed to the ideal of the liberal arts foundation built into UND at its creation. The University remains strongly studentcentered and learning-centered. The University is unique in having an unusually rich array of programs, all connected at some level with the mission of learning. Whether it is public service, instruction in classroom settings, internships, research projects, or commercialization activities, learning runs through all of our endeavours. We continue to offer nearly 200 different programs of study, and we continue to focus on core values and basic skills such as learning to work together effectively as members of a group, being able to find information and evaluate it quickly, and a love and appreciation for the need for lifelong learning. What once might have been referred to as extra-curricular activities, we now see as co-curricular, since they all contribute in some way to the broad general educational goals we have for our students.
We continue to make progress in moving the University of North Dakota securely into the top 100 doctoral research universities in the nation. Having long been there by many measures, we continue to add to the array of measures and external validation of the University’s status. In keeping with a long-standing series of such recognitions, the University achieved a trifecta, or “hat trick,” in recognition by external sources this past year as one of America’s leading universities. These are the Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report, and Washington Monthly magazines. Most noteworthy among these is the recognition by Washington Monthly, which placed UND at position 104 among all of the nation’s universities — a move up from 169 just a year earlier — and at 72nd among all public universities. Noteworthy about the Washington Monthly review is that it focused on outcomes rather than 3 inputs, and attempted to measure the actual impact universities have in terms of public service and value to students.
| As many of you are aware, the University of North Dakota is in the midst of a branding initiative. It is critical that we take a more strategic approach to how we tell our story about this outstanding institution. We are excited about the approach and should have the creative development completed this spring. Our brand promise centers on an “environment filled with an innovative, creative and entrepreneurial spirit.”
We celebrate and tout:
- Globally respected research faculty who teach
- Cutting-edge research and creative scholarship
- A rich array of educational opportunities in an approachable, personalized setting
- Well-rounded, balanced, and exceptional educational opportunity
Many of the accomplishments and changes that took place last year had Universitywide implications. All of the University’s accomplishments in the pages to follow were made possible by the extraordinarily strong support system provided by such units as Finance and Operations, Student and Outreach Services, the Budget Office, and many other central administrative units.
On October 5, the University published a tobacco-free campus policy, meaning that tobacco is banned in all forms both indoors and outdoors. This policy was developed over the period of a year, with the endorsement of the University Senate, the Student Senate, and the Staff Senate. This is in keeping with the University’s emphasis in recent years on health and wellness, marked by the opening of the Student Wellness Center one year ago. In September, the University received the platinum and gold achievement awards from the American Heart Association for its Work-Well programming. At the time this report was being developed, we were notified by the National CEO Roundtable that UND is one of the first universities in the United States to achieve the “Gold Standard” accreditation for its worksite wellness programming. |
