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.
MISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY
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.
