The
University is expanding its collaboration
with other North Dakota University System schools. Two
especially important efforts were UND’s involvement
in Sen. Byron Dorgan’s Red River Valley Research
Corridor initiative and the UND Medical School’s
receipt of $16.3 million in federal funds to build biomedical
research efforts at all of the state’s four-year
universities and tribal colleges.
| National
Science Foundation federally funded expedatures
fro science & engineering |
University
of Minnesota $295.3
million
Montana State University $39.8
million
University of North Dakota $25.0
million
University
of Montana
$22.6
million
North Dakota State University $21.4
million
University of Wyoming $20.0
million
South Dakota State University $9.1
million
South Dakota School of Mines
$6.9 million
University of South Dakota $5.8
million
Minnesota State University Mankato $1.8
million
Fiscal year 2002, the latest available NSF
tabulation |
|
There
was further development of the University Commercialization
Complex. Bolstered by its internationally recognized
centers of excellence in medicine, energy and the environment,
and aerospace, UND now serves as a hub for a substantial
complex linking companies and commercial enterprises
throughout the world. All of this serves as a lifelong
learning laboratory, and thus is integral to the University’s
core mission (see RESEARCH).
Graduate
student enrollment:
regional comparison |
University
of Minnesota 13,841
University of North Dakota
2,045
University of Montana 1,887
University of South Dakota 1,630
North Dakota State University
1,477
South Dakota State University 1,409
Montana State University 1,120
Fall 2004 headcount, public
universities with doctoral programs, excluding
M.D. and J.D. (law), as reported by the institutions
|
|
Enhancements
of both the physical and human infrastructure
will keep UND at the cutting edge. New construction
on the campus has totaled more than $225 million in
the past five years on University-owned land (see items
on Pages 16, 19, 23, and 27). Progress has been made
in reducing the gap between UND’s median faculty
salaries and those at peer universities nationwide (see
SALARIES).
The University is strengthening its capacity,
especially on the part of the deans of its component
colleges and schools, to raise private funds in collaboration
with the UND Alumni Association and Foundation (see
ALUMNI).
The
promise of higher education |
The
benefits of a college degree are comparable to the American
ideal of home ownership: an individual action taken
on the basis of self-interest, but that when multiplied
makes a remarkably positive contribution to the nation
at large.
Although a college education is not the only path
to success, for most a degree means increased lifetime
earning potential. Moreover, college is a transforming
experience, leading to broader horizons for individuals
who become accomplished, polished and prepared. Their
lifetime contributions as workers, parents, taxpayers,
and active citizens result in a better world for everyone.
The same is true for the non-teaching missions
of research universities such as UND. The impact of
research, scholarship, and service upon society is becoming
more evident these days. This is especially true in
North Dakota, a state that is reinventing itself in
response to negative demographic trends.
In 2001, the North Dakota State Board of Higher
Education and its component institutions committed themselves
to a new relationship with the Legislature, the executive
branch of government, and the private sector. They pledged
to connect more effectively the powerful capabilities
of the University System to the needs and opportunities
of the state.
This vision, since reaffirmed, was created by
the Roundtable on Higher Education, a statewide group
of public and private sector leaders. The approach is
becoming a national model for other states. More information
is available on the Board’s Web site at:www.ndus.edu
|
