As part of UND’s Outreach Programs, the Division of Continuing Education is among the most consistently service-oriented organizations on campus. It provides a wide array of educational opportunities to many on-campus students as well as nontraditional learners across the state and beyond. For example, two bachelor’s degrees are available for nontraditional students who want to pursue their degrees at their own pace. Last year, more than 4,000 nontraditonal students utilized the flexibility of Correspondence and Online Studies. And more than 5,000 teachers in North Dakota and surrounding states were served through the Professional Development for Educators Program. Continuing Education administered 23 degree and certificate/endorsement programs to 2,500 students who were unable to attend classes on the Grand Forks campus. Classes were delivered online, through videoconferencing, or face-to-face at UND’s outreach centers in Bismarck and Fargo.

The Office of Workforce Development, housed under the University’s Division of Continuing Education, works with business, industry, and governmental organizations to develop customized educational and training programs and services. In FY 2006, Workforce Development provided services to more than 70 businesses and industries serving about 2,100 workers. Services to UND’s external clients include identification of training resources and enhancing the overall operation of an organization’s training program. Other services include needs analysis, grant writing, human resource consulting, management of training initiatives, report writing, strategic planning, and training plan development.

Each year the UND School of Law’s Public Interest Law Student Association runs a free tax clinic to prepare tax returns for people qualifying under Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) program that allows community organizations to assist people who cannot prepare their own taxes or afford professional assistance. That’s just one program that connects UND law students and faculty to service. Others include Central Legal Research, which employs second- and third-year law students to work on current legal research questions posed by North Dakota judges, prosecutors and court-appointed defense counsel; the Northern Plains Indian Law Center, which assists tribal governments with legal issues affecting tribal lands and members, and promotes diversity within the legal profession by increasing recruitment and retention of American Indian law students; and Continuing Legal Education, which helps North Dakota attorneys stay fresh and up to speed.

The College of Business and Public Administration (CoBPA) operates two non-academic service units, the Center for Innovation and the North Dakota Small Business Development Center (SBDC). CoBPA Dean Dennis Elbert says these organizations extend UND’s service and outreach by further connecting faculty and students to the business community. The Center for Innovation — which includes the Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center and the Norm Skalicky Tech Incubator — has helped launch 440 new products and ventures since it was formed in 1984.