University of North Dakota
The
University of North Dakota (
UND) is a comprehensive,
public university in
Grand Forks, North Dakota,
USA. Founded in
1883, it is the largest and oldest such institution in the state of
North Dakota. UND has the only
school of medicine and
school of law in the state. Enrollment in 2005 was nearly 13,200 students. The current president of the University is Dr.
Charles Kupchella.
UND was founded six years before North Dakota even became a state. Grand Forks native
George H. Walsh submitted a bill to the Territorial Legislature of
Dakota Territory in 1883 that called for a university in Grand Forks. The university was viewed by many as the premier state institution to be given to a community; even more so than the state capitol.
The first building at UND was Old Main. It housed all classrooms, offices, dorm rooms, and a library. In the 1880s, UND consisted of only a few acres of property surrounded by farms and fields. At this time, the university was nearly two miles west of Grand Forks. Students living off campus had to take a train from downtown to the university.
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Chester Fritz Library on UND campus |
Gradually, more buildings were constructed on campus and a trolley system was built to connect the growing university to downtown Grand Forks. However, there were several major interruptions in the life of the university. In 1918, UND was the hardest hit institution in the country by the flu epidemic which killed 2,700 people in North Dakota alone. Later that year, classes were suspended so the campus could become an army base for soldiers during
World War I.
During the
Great Depression, UND provided free housing to students. "Camp Depression" consisted of many railroad
cabooses each housing eight male students. Living at the camp was free for students who did manual labor on campus. "Camp Depression" students did not get regular meals from the cafeteria and had to be satisfied with only free leftovers. However, a number of Grand Forks citizens opened their homes and kitchen tables to many of these destitute young men.
After
World War II, enrollment quickly grew to more than 3,000. A large amount of housing had to be built on campus as well as several new academic buildings. The 1950s saw the rise of
Fighting Sioux hockey tradition.
The 1960s and 1970s saw many student protests. The largest occurred in May of 1970 when 2,000 students gathered to protest the
Kent State killings. In 1975, enrollment swelled to a record 8,500. The 70's also saw the advent of the
aerospace program.
The 1980s and 1990s were another period of growth for UND. However, the devastating
Red River Flood of 1997 inundated numerous buildings on campus and forced the cancellation of the remainder of the school year. So far, the 2000s have been a decade of record enrollments and an increased emphasis on research. Also, several high profile athletic venues have opened.
Currently, UND is constructing a $18 million dollar parking garage to try to lessen chronic parking problems and a $20 million dollar student housing complex in an attempt to serve a growing student body. In June of 2006, UND announced that it would be soon moving its entire athletic program to
NCAA Division I status.
The main University of North Dakota campus sits in the middle of
Grand Forks on historic University Avenue. The campus is made up of 235 buildings (5.25 million square feet) on 550 acres [
1].
The campus is divided by the meandering
English Coulee. The eastern part of campus is the oldest part of the University and contains many historic buildings. This area is home to most academic buildings on campus as well as the
Chester Fritz Library, the
School of Medicine, the
School of Law,
Memorial Stadium, the old
Ralph Engelstad Arena, and the
Energy and Environmental Research Center.
The western part of the UND campus is much newer than the eastern part and the architecture of most buildings found here is also more modern. This area is home to many student housing complexes, the
Chester Fritz Auditorium, and the
John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences.
To the north of the main UND campus sits an area that is now called
University Village. This development is on what was formerly referred to as the Bronson Property. University Village is anchored by the $100+ million dollar
Ralph Engelstad Arena which is used by the University's
ice hockey teams. University Village is also home to the
Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, the new $20 million dollar Student Wellness Center, a
Barnes & Noble bookstore, a condo development, a medical clinic, and several commercial properties.
There are other UND holdings throughout the city and region. UND maintains a small campus consisting of several buildings at
Grand Forks International Airport where the school's aviation students train. UND owns and operates a 9-hole golf course south of the main UND campus. UND is also the major tenant of the city-owned
Alerus Center in Grand Forks. UND also owns numerous tracts of farmland throughout the
Red River Valley.
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Logo of the University of North Dakota |
The school has ten academic divisions:
*
John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences:*College of Arts and Sciences:*College of Business and Public Administration:*College of Education and Human Development:*School of Engineering and Mines:*Graduate School:*
School of Law:*
School of Medicine and Health Sciences:*College of Nursing:*Division of Continuing Education
All together, the University has 87 undergraduate majors, 64 undergraduate minors, 56 master's programs, 22 doctoral programs, two professional programs (
medicine and
law), and a specialist diploma program in educational leadership. The University also has an interdisciplinary program that allows students to obtain a degree in virtually any course of study. An extensive collection of correspondence classes are offered for students outside of the immediate area.
UND is one of only 46 public universities in the United States that offer both accredited schools of law and medicine.
On campus, there are numerous buildings in which classes are held. Classrooms range from smaller rooms capable of seating around twenty students to large lecture bowls capable of seating hundreds at a time.
Libraries
The University has three major libraries for student use. The
Chester Fritz Library is the largest library in the state of
North Dakota and houses two million print and non-print items. The
School of Law operates the Thormodsgard Law Library and the
School of Medicine operates the Harley E. French Library of the Health Sciences.
UND has become a major research institution in recent years. It is currently classified as a Carnegie doctoral/research-intensive institution. In fiscal year 2004, research expenditures totaled $82.5 million. UND is a major part of the
Red River Valley Research Corridor.
The University operates many research units including: the
Energy and Environmental Research Center,
School of Medicine, Center for Rural Health, Center for Innovation, Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium, Bureau of Governmental Affairs, Bureau of Educational Services and Applied Research, and the Social Science Research Institute.
The Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) is one of the premier such research centers in the world. It includes the
National Center for Hydrogen Technology (NCHT).
In May 2006, students from UND and five other North Dakota colleges and universities unveiled a new
space suit that they had developed to be used by
astronauts that may someday travel to
Mars. The students were working off of a $100,000 grant from
NASA and the suit was tested in the
Badlands of western North Dakota. The suit weighs 47 pounds and costs only a fraction of the standard $22 million cost for a NASA spacesuit. The suit was developed in just over a year by the students. [
2]
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Logo of the North Dakota Fighting Sioux |
UND's athletic teams bear the name of the
Fighting Sioux (which is not without controversy). The school's colors are green, white, and pink (though pink is rarely used). The colors are supposed to be representative of North Dakota's state flower, the
Wild Prairie Rose.
UND is currently in
NCAA Division II in all sports except
hockey. The
Fighting Sioux men's and women's hockey teams both compete in the
Division I Western Collegiate Hockey Association. UND's sports teams are often nationally competitive in both divisions. On June 21, 2006, UND President
Charles Kupchella announced that the school will soon be making the move to Division I in all sports with the year 2007-2008 being an "exploratory" year. One thing that could change as a result of UND moving to Division I is a restoration of the longstanding rivalry with
North Dakota State University (NDSU). That rivalry recently came to a standstill when NDSU moved from Division II to Division I, but UND remained at Division II.
All of the athletic facilities that UND currently uses for its major sports are new and state-of-the-art. The
Fighting Sioux football team plays in the
Alerus Center, the basketball and volleyball teams play in the
Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, and the hockey teams play in the
Ralph Engelstad Arena. "The Ralph", as it is commonly known, is a $100+ million facility and is regarded by many as one of the finest hockey arenas in the world. A new $20 million Wellness Center (a large gym and physical/mental wellness facility) is also being constructed.
The school's best-known athletic alumnus is
NBA coaching great and former player
Phil Jackson. However, Phil Jackson, while arguably the most widely known former UND athlete, is not the only UND alumnus to play in the NBA. In 2003, UND's Jerome Beasley was drafted by the
Miami Heat in the second round of the NBA draft and appeared in two games. Many UND attendees have played in the
NHL as well, including
Toronto Maple Leafs goalie
Ed Belfour.
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Twamley Hall (Administration) |
About half of the UND student body is from
North Dakota. The other half is made up of students from all 50 states and over 50 other nations. The ratio between male and female students is about even.
Demographically, there is a significant majority of
caucasian students, although the campus is more diverse than North Dakota as a whole. UND hosts students from dozens of foreign countries. Politically, UND is equally composed of conservative and liberal populations. However, both the student body and the University faculty are often far more liberal than the rest of the state. Precincts in and around the University are often some of the most liberal in the state.
Students can choose to live on or off campus. On campus, there are 15 residence halls and 800 student apartment units, as well as 20 "
Greek" houses. There are over 200 student organizations. UND students ride free on the local transit system, and receive discounted fares on taxicab rides through Student Government subsidies.
There are a number of cultural offerings on the UND campus. The
North Dakota Museum of Art is located in the heart of campus and offers exhibits throughout the year. The
Burtness Theater and the
Chester Fritz Auditorium regularly feature theater and concert events. The
Ralph Engelstad Arena, to a certain extent, also features non-athletic events including concerts. The nearby city-owned
Alerus Center hosts several concerts each year as well as other events. In addition to these facilities, the city of Grand Forks is home to other theaters and museums.
The University has a strong tradition in the liberal arts. This is supported by its faculty, among whom include Guggenheim Foundation Fellows, National Endowment for the Humanities Scholars, and PEN/Faulkner award winners.
The University hosts a renown literary conference on campus each year. The
University of North Dakota Writers Conference is a weeklong event that brings together prominent American and foreign writers. Past participants have included
Truman Capote,
Tennessee Williams,
Eudora Welty,
Tom Wolfe,
Allen Ginsberg,
Louise Erdrich, and
Gary Snyder. A film festival is held in conjunction with the conference.
Print
The college newspaper is the
Dakota Student.
The English department at UND produces a literary magazine,
North Country, which features avant-garde and traditional work. It draws on the talents of several departments on campus.
The UND Athletic Department publishes
Sioux Illustrated magazine. It is the official publication of UND athletics.
Sioux Illustrated is published six times per year. It features
Fighting Sioux athletics, including interviews, previews, editorials, and "season-in-review" articles.
Radio
UND currently owns two public radio stations: KUND-FM and
KFJM-FM. KUND-FM rebroadcasts
North Dakota Public Radio (NDPR). KFJM broadcasts some NDPR programming, but also broadcasts some locally-produced programs. KFJM was one of the first college radio stations in the
United States and is the second oldest station in
North Dakota.
UND also used to own KUND-AM. In 2004, UND sold KUND-AM to a Catholic radio broadcaster because the transmitter blocked proposed expansion at the University. KUND-AM was renamed to
KWTL.
Television
UND owns two local cable channels. One operates as an information billboard and also features a weekly student-produced news program entitled
Studio One. The other channel, The
Fighting Sioux Sports Network, is operated in conjunction with
WDAZ-TV. It broadcasts all home hockey games and several away games each year. It also broadcasts several football and basketball games during the school year. The Fighting Sioux Sports Network is carried on cable television in North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota by
Midcontinent Communications. It is also available throughout the entire
North American continent via
Free-To-Air satellite.
On campus,
Showtime is replaced on the cable lineup by
Residence Life Cinema. The University separately licences movies for showing on this channel.
For a more extensive list, please see :Category:University of North Dakota alumni*
Fred G. Aandahl - former
governor of North Dakota and former
U.S. Congressman*
Mark Andrews - former
U.S. Senator*
Ronald Davies - former federal judge, ordered the integration of
Little Rock Central High School*
John E. Davis - former governor of North Dakota
*
Byron Dorgan - current U.S. Senator
*
Carl Ben Eielson - pioneer
aviator*
Ralph Engelstad - former
Las Vegas casino owner and controversial UND philanthropist
*
Lynn Frazier - former governor of North Dakota and former U.S. Senator
*
Jon Hassler - novelist
*
Phil Jackson - former
NBA player and current coach
*
Kimberly Krueger -
Miss North Dakota USA 2006
*
William Langer - former governor of North Dakota and former U.S. Senator
*
Nicole Linkletter - winner of reality show
America's Next Top Model fifth season
*
Hugo Magnuson - founder of
Hugo's regional grocery store chain and former
Grand Forks mayor*
Thomas McGrath - distinguished poet and
Rhodes scholar*
John Moses - former governor of North Dakota and former U.S. Senator
*
Ragnvald A. Nestos - former governor of North Dakota
*
Allen I. Olson - former governor of North Dakota
*
Edward T. Schafer - former governor of North Dakota
*
Vilhjalmur Stefansson - arctic explorer
*
Era Bell Thompson - former editor of
Ebony magazine
*
List of all University of North Dakota Presidents*
History of UND - (source of much of the historical information provided in this article)
*
UND official website*
UND Athletics website*
UND Aerospace website*
Dakota Student website*
Ralph Engelstad Arena website*
Alerus Center website*
Sioux Sports fan website*
UND Alumni Association and Foundation website*
UND athletic apparel commercial website
