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The University of North Dakota ('''UND''') is a comprehensive, Public University in Grand Forks, North Dakota , USA . Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883 — six years before the establishment of the State of North Dakota — UND now enrolls over 12,000 students.2 UND was founded as a university with a strong liberal arts foundation. Today, UND also offers a variety of professional and specialized programs. UND is one of only 47 public universities in the nation with both accredited graduate schools of law and medicine and is the only institution in the state with such programs. UND is also known for its School Of Aerospace Sciences which trains airplane pilots from around the world. Roughly half of the student body is from North Dakota with the remainder coming from around the nation and the world. UND’s economic impact on the state and region is more than $1 billion a year and it is the second largest employer in the state of North Dakota, after the Air Force .3 Recently, UND has put an emphasis on research and currently specializes in research involving health sciences, nutrition, energy and environmental protection, aerospace, and engineering. Several research institutions are located on the UND campus including the Energy And Environmental Research Center , the School Of Medicine And Health Sciences , and the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center.4 The UND athletic teams are called the Fighting Sioux . They currently compete in both Division I and Division II , but all teams will be at the Division I level starting in 2008. The men's Ice Hockey Team , which plays in the Ralph Engelstad Arena , has won seven national championships. HISTORY Founding UND was founded in 1883, six years before North Dakota became a state. Grand Forks native George H. Walsh submitted a bill to the Territorial Legislature of Dakota Territory 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, Old Main, 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. 20th Century 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 Caboose s 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 John D. Odegard School Of Aerospace Sciences at UND. 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. Today Today, issues facing UND include a move of its entire athletic program to Division I (announced in June of 2006), a legal battle regarding the Fighting Sioux nickname, the fact that UND is located in a state with a shrinking population of potential students, and efforts to increase external contributions and funding. Millions of dollars worth of construction and renovation projects have dotted the campus landscape in recent years. As part of a $50 million dollar plan to improve student facilities on campus, UND has recently finished building a $20 million dollar Wellness Center and is in the process of building an $18 million dollar parking garage and a $20 million dollar student housing complex. In January of 2007, UND President Charles Kupchella announced that he would be retiring in 2008 which means that a nationwide search will have to be undertaken to find his replacement. CAMPUS Main campus The main campus of the University of North Dakota sits in the middle of Grand Forks on University Avenue. The campus is made up of 223 buildings (5.33 million square feet) on 549 acres. The campus stretches roughly one and half miles from east to west and is divided by the meandering English Coulee. The western edge of campus is bordered by Interstate 29 , the eastern edge is bordered with University Park, the Grand Forks railyards sit on the south side of campus, and the north side of campus is marked by U.S. Highway 2 which is called Gateway Drive in Grand Forks. The central and eastern areas of campus are the older sections and the northern and western areas are newer. Central campus and eastern campus The central campus area is the oldest part of UND and contains many historic buildings.5 This area is home to most academic buildings on campus. At the heart of campus sits the Chester Fritz Library , the largest library in North Dakota . The 82-foot tower of the library is a familiar landmark on University Avenue. Behind the library is the park-like setting of the central campus mall. The mall includes several statues and is a popular place for students to study. The mall is lined with historic buildings including Merrifield Hall, Twamley Hall, Babcock Hall, Montgomery Hall, and the old Carnegie Library. The location of the first building on campus, Old Main, is marked with Old Main Memorial Plaza and the eternal flame of the Old Main Memorial Sphere. Other buildings in the central part of campus include the School Of Law , the North Dakota Museum Of Art , Memorial Union, Gamble Hall, the J. Lloyd Stone Alumni Center, the Burtness Theatre, and Chandler Hall — the oldest remaining building on the UND campus.6 The English Coulee flows along the western edge of the central campus area and on the western bank of the Coulee sits the Chester Fritz Auditorium and the Hughes Fine Arts Center. The historic 1907 Adelphi Fountain is located next to the Coulee as is the new Spiritual Center.7 On the eastern edge of the central campus area sits Memorial Stadium , the old Ralph Engelstad Arena , and the Hyslop Auditorium. These structures are all old athletic venues which have been replaced with new structures located elsewhere on campus. The eastern part of campus is also the home of the Energy And Environmental Research Center complex which includes the National Center For Hydrogen Technology . The Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, which is operated by the United States Department Of Agriculture , is also found in this part of campus. A five-story parking garage sits directly at the corner of University Avenue and Columbia Road. At the extreme eastern portion of campus sits University Park which is operated by the Grand Forks Park District . Northern campus and western campus To the north of the central campus area, along Columbia Road, sits the School Of Medicine complex. The main School of Medicine building is the remodeled St. Michael's Hospital building which was built in 1951. Other buildings in the medical school complex include the Biomedical Research Center and the Neuroscience Research Facility. Further north sits an area that is called University Village . This land sat virtually empty for decades, but has recently been developed for UND, commercial, and residential purposes.8 University Village is anchored by the $100+ million dollar Ralph Engelstad Arena which is used by the UND Fighting Sioux Ice Hockey teams. University Village is also home to the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center , the new Student Wellness Center, a Barnes & Noble College Booksellers store, a condo development, a medical clinic, and several commercial properties. The western part of the UND campus is a newer area and most of the buildings found here were designed with a modern style of architecture. This area is home to the John D. Odegard School Of Aerospace Sciences which includes Odegard Hall, Clifford Hall, Ryan Hall, and Streibel Hall. Directly adjacent to the Aerospace Complex sits the Skalicky Business Incubator, the Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center, and a Hilton Garden Inn . Ground was recently broken for the Center of Excellence for Life Sciences and Technology.9 The western part of campus is also the location of most residence halls and student apartments. A new $20 million dollar student housing project called University Place recently opened on University Avenue.10 Other facilities UND operates a small campus consisting of several buildings at Grand Forks International Airport . This is where aviation students train.11 UND Aerospace also operates flight training centers in Lumberton, North Carolina , Crookston, Minnesota , Duluth, Minnesota , Phoenix, Arizona , Spokane, Washington , and Williston, North Dakota .12 UND owns and operates the Ray Richards 9-hole golf course south of the main UND campus.13 The Fighting Sioux Football team is a major tenant of the city of Grand Forks-owned Alerus Center . The School of Medicine operates several clinics throughout the state.14 ACADEMICS UND has ten academic divisions:15
Altogether, UND has 89 undergraduate majors, 63 undergraduate minors, 57 master's programs, 23 doctoral programs, two professional programs ( Medicine and Law ), and a specialist diploma program in educational leadership.16 UND also has an interdisciplinary program that allows students to obtain a degree in virtually any course of study.17 A collection of online classes and degree programs are offered for students around the nation and world.18 UND is one of only 47 public universities in the United States that offer both accredited schools of law and medicine. Nearly all professors hold the highest degree available in their profession and UND is fully accredited. On campus, academic classrooms range from smaller rooms capable of seating around twenty students to large lecture bowls capable of seating hundreds at a time. Many areas have wireless access for laptops and technologically equipped classrooms enable professors to offer interactive lectures. UND offers 1,000 computer workstations for student use and computer labs can be found in the libraries, Memorial Union, and in several academic areas. Libraries UND has three major libraries which, together, form the largest system of research libraries in the state of North Dakota .19 The Chester Fritz Library is the largest library in the state.20 It houses 1.4 million volumes, provides access to approximately 28,000 electonic journal subscriptions, and owns over 20,000 electronic books.21 It also serves as a U.S. patent and trademark depository and a government document depository. UND's special collections department is known for its genealogical resources, including Norwegian ''Bygdeboker'', or Norwegian farm and town records.22 Branches of the Chester Fritz Library include the Energy and Environmental Research Library, the F.D. Holland Geology Library, and the Gordon Erickson Music Library. The School Of Law operates the Thormodsgard Law Library23 and the School Of Medicine operates the Harley E. French Library of the Health Sciences.24 RESEARCH UND is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a a doctoral/research-intensive institution.25 This level of research activity is shown in UND's research statistics which, in fiscal year 2006, included program awards that reached $94.3 million, sponsored program expenditures that reached $81.2 million, and an overall research portfolio that included $315 million in total ongoing and committed accounts.26 Research activity at UND focuses on health sciences, nutrition, energy and environmental protection, aerospace, and engineering. As a major component of the Red River Valley Research Corridor , UND operates many research units including the Energy And Environmental Research Center , the School Of Medicine , the Center for Rural Health, the Center for Innovation, the Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium, the Bureau of Governmental Affairs, the Bureau of Educational Services and Applied Research, and the Social Science Research Institute.27 The Energy and Environmental Research Center — located on the eastern fringes of the UND campus — has been recognized as a leader in researching cleaner, more efficient forms of energy.28 The EERC operates a number of research units at UND including the National Center For Hydrogen Technology . In May 2006, students from UND unveiled a new Space Suit that they had developed to be used by Astronaut s 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.29 ATHLETICS See Also: North Dakota Fighting Sioux UND's athletic teams bear the name of the Fighting Sioux , which is not without some controversy.30 The official colors of UND are green and pink. However, this color combination is rarely employed outside of official or ceremonial applications. The colors are supposed to be representative of North Dakota's state flower, the Wild Prairie Rose . In most cases, the school uses green and either white or black as its colors. This color scheme also applies to UND athletics. UND is currently in Division I in both Men's And Women's Ice Hockey and Division II in all other sports. The hockey teams play in the D-I Western Collegiate Hockey Association and all other teams currently play in the D-II North Central Conference . 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 2007-2008 calendar year desiganted as an "exploratory" year.31 On August 2 , 2007 , UND announced that it would be joining the D-I Great West Football Conference .32 The men's ice hockey team has won seven national championships and has been runner-up five times. Both the men's and women's ice hockey teams play home games at Ralph Engelstad Arena . The Ralph, as it is commonly known, has been called one of the finest hockey arenas in the world.33 The Football Team , which plays home games in the Alerus Center , won the national championship in 2001 and was the runner-up in 2003. The Basketball Teams play in the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center . The women's team has won three national championships in 1997, 1998, and 1999 and was runner-up in 2001. One notable UND athletic alumnus is NBA coach and former player Phil Jackson . Many UND alumni have played in the NHL as well, including Carolina Hurricanes Defenceman Mike Commodore and Florida Panthers goalie Ed Belfour . STUDENT LIFE Student body Currently, over 12,000 students attend classes on the UND campus each year. About half of the student body is from North Dakota and the other half is made up of students from all 50 states and over 50 other nations.34 The ratio between male and female students is about even. Demographically, about 90% of the student body is Caucasian . Students can choose to live on or off campus. On campus, there are 15 residence halls35 and 800 student apartment units36, as well as twelve Fraternities 37 and six Sororities .38 There are over 230 student organizations at UND39 as well as an Intramural Sports program called RecSports.40 Culture There are a number of cultural offerings on the UND campus. The North Dakota Museum Of Art — the official art museum of the state of North Dakota — is located in the heart of campus and offers exhibits throughout the year.41 The Burtness Theater and the Chester Fritz Auditorium regularly feature theater and concert events.4243 The Ralph Engelstad Arena also occasionally 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.44 Each year, UND hosts the University Of North Dakota Writers Conference .45 This is a week long 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 .46 A film festival is held in conjunction with the conference. Media The student newspaper at UND is the '' Dakota Student ''. ''Dimensions'', a twice-yearly promotional publication, features stories on faculty, staff, and the University.47 ''The University Letter'' serves as the faculty and staff newsletter of UND.48 ''The Alumni Review'' is published by the UND Alumni Association and Foundation.49 ''The North Dakota Quarterly'', a literary journal, is edited at UND.50 The ''The North Dakota Law Review'', published by the School Of Law since 1924, serves as the journal of the State Bar Association of North Dakota.51 UND currently owns two public radio stations: KUND-FM and KFJM . KUND-FM rebroadcasts the Prairie Public radio network, which also carries National Public Radio programming. KFJM broadcasts some Prairie Public and NPR 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 and KUND-AM was renamed to KWTL . 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 local ABC affiliate WDAZ-TV . FSSN 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 America n continent via Free-To-Air satellite. The campus residence halls include a movie channel, Residence Life Cinema, on cable channel 17. The University separately licenses movies for showing on this channel. NOTABLE PEOPLE AND ALUMNI See Also: List of University of North Dakota people See Also: Presidents of the University of North Dakota Alumni of the University of North Dakota have become notable in a variety of different fields including politics and government, business, science, literature, arts and entertainment, and athletics. Eight Governors Of North Dakota were educated at UND, including Fred G. Aandahl , Lynn Frazier , William Langer , John Moses , Ragnvald A. Nestos , Allen I. Olson , and Edward T. Schafer . Many U.S. Senators and Representatives of North Dakota are also graduates of UND, including current Senator Byron Dorgan and current Representative Earl Pomeroy . Former United States House Of Representatives Majority Leader Dick Armey is a UND graduate. Ronald Davies , a UND graduate and former federal judge, became a part of history when he ordered the integration of Little Rock Central High School during the American Civil Rights Movement . UND alumni who went on to notable careers in the business world include current president and CEO of Cargill Gregory R. Page , current president and CEO of the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant chain Sally J. Smith , current CEO of Forum Communications William C. Marcil , geologist and former CEO of Aramco Thomas Barger , and former Las Vegas casino owner and UND philanthropist Ralph Engelstad . In the realm of science, notable UND alumni include Harry Nyquist , an important contributor to Information Theory ; Carl Ben Eielson , a pioneer Aviator ; Vilhjalmur Stefansson , an arctic explorer; and Karen L. Nyberg , a NASA astronaut. Alumni who have become notable through literature include the Pulitzer Prize -winning playwright and author Maxwell Anderson , Rhodes Scholar and poet Thomas McGrath , and novelist Jon Hassler . Two UND graduates have become editors of major magazines — former '' Ebony '' editor Era Bell Thompson and former '' LIFE '' editor Edward K. Thompson . Alumni who have become notable in arts and entertainment include actor Sam Anderson and '' America's Next Top Model '' winner Nicole Linkletter . Former UND students who have went on to notable careers in athletics include former NBA player and current NBA coach Phil Jackson and current Minnesota Vikings NFL player Jim Kleinsasser . NOTES EXTERNAL LINKS
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