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One of President Kupchella’s first priorities was to engage the entire University in developing a strategic plan. Rather than having it sit on a shelf, he wanted it to be a living, working document that would chart UND’s future. And it has.
Thanks to strategic planning, UND today is a stronger national doctoral research university, with more undergraduate and graduate students, better facilities, and expanded research, scholarship and creative activity. Educational outcomes, fundraising, salaries, and wellness initiatives have all improved.
Strategic planning informed the budget and priorities. It was conducted with input from all |
sectors of the University community, and linked to the Legislative Higher Education Roundtable. It took into account the interests of public sector leaders, legislative leaders, the governor, the State Board of Higher Education, and other leaders.
Strategic Plan 1, Pathways to the Future, was published in August 2001 after input and deliberations by more than a thousand faculty, staff, students, alumni, and other stakeholders and officials.
Each area, academic and non-academic, developed specific, measurable goals to mesh with the broader, University-wide objectives of the Strategic Plan. Because of more financial flexibility from the Roundtable, funding was tied to those objectives, resulting in tangible achievements.
UND’s Strategic Plan 2, Building on Excellence, set a goal of sustaining externally supported research and development, and other externally funded activity, at the level of $100 million or more annually by 2007. The University surpassed that mark, reaching $100.2 million in June. Research grant and contract awards reached an all-time high in 2007 of $89.2 million, and research expenditures also set a record at $86 million. External grants in 1998-1999 totaled just $37.7 million.
One of the major goals of the Strategic Plan is to move UND into the top 100 doctoral research universities in the nation and position it to move into the top 50. We’re already there by many measures. The Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report, and Washington Monthly all named UND as one of America’s leading universities in 2007. Specific programs, such as entrepreneurship, aerospace, and rural medicine, are already ranked in the top 10. |
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Building on Excellence:
Priority/Action Goals of the Strategic Plan
The University of North Dakota will:
• Prepare students to lead rich, full lives, enjoy productive careers, and make meaningful contributions to society by providing them with a high-quality educational experience solidly grounded in the liberal arts.
• Expand and strengthen the University’s commitment to research and creative activity, both as a means of enriching the learning environment and as a driver for economic development.
• Serve the people of North Dakota and the world more effectively through applied and basic research, cultural programs, and economic development programs as well as through a comprehensive array of educational offerings.
• Sustain a positive campus climate for living and learning.
• Optimize and stabilize enrollment to achieve the desired number and mix of students appropriate to the University’s mission.
• Optimize the use of information technology to improve learning, research, and the administration of the University.
• Take resource development to a new level through an enhanced cooperative approach involving the president, vice presidents, deans, and chairs in concert with the UND Foundation and other foundations, while building greater public understanding and support of the University’s mission, distinctive qualities, and strategic agenda.
• Ensure, in support of the above, that the University has a well-prepared, enthusiastic faculty and staff, first-rate physical facilities, adequate financial resources, and an appropriate, efficient organizational structure. |
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1999
April 20: The State Board of Higher Education selects Charles E. Kupchella to be UND’s 10th president.
July 1: President Kupchella takes office.
August: Chuck and Adele Kupchella join other new faculty and administrators for the annual bus tour of the state.
October: Chuck Kupchella is formally inaugurated as president .... Chinese ambassador Li Zhaoxing visits campus.
November: The new UND athletic logo is unveiled; it was created by American Indian artist and UND alumnus Bennett Brien.
2000
Departments and offices across the campus draw up specific objectives as the University develops a comprehensive Strategic Plan.
January: Cargill funds an information technology initiative in the College of Business and Public Administration.
February: President Kupchella names a commission to compile information on all aspects of UND’s Fighting Sioux athletic nickname.
President Kupchella presents his first degree at the 1999 summer commencement. Receiving a Ph.D. is Wendy Granum Frappier of Fargo. At right is her advisor, Dr. Lynne Chalmers, professor of teaching and learning.
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