University of North Dakota Informations

The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, it is the state's oldest. UND was founded with a strong liberal arts foundation and expanded to include scientific research.

The University offers a variety of professional and specialized programs, including the only schools of law and medicine in the state of North Dakota. Its best known college is perhaps its John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, which is the first in the country to offer a degree in unmanned aircraft systems operations, and programs in aviation and aerospace. Several national research institutions are on the university's campus including the Energy and Environmental Research Center, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center.

North Dakota's athletic teams compete in the NCAA's Division I. Most teams compete as members of the Big Sky Conference, with the exceptions of men's hockey (National Collegiate Hockey Conference), and swimming (Western Athletic Conference). The men's ice hockey team has a long history as one of the top in the nation. They have won eight national championships, and play in the Ralph Engelstad Arena.

UND was founded in 1883, six years before North Dakota became a state. Grand Forks native George H. Walsh submitted the bill to the Territorial Legislature of Dakota Territory that called for the new state of North Dakota's university to be in Grand Forks.The first classes were held on September 8, 1884. 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, nearly two miles west of the city of Grand Forks. Students living off campus had to take a train or a horse and carriage bus, dubbed the "Black Maria", from downtown to the campus.

As the university grew, 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 country's hardest-hit single institution by the flu epidemic that killed 1,400 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 willing to do manual labor on campus. "Camp Depression," as it was called, consisted of railroad cabooses that each housed eight male students. "Camp Depression" students did not get regular meals from the cafeteria and had to be satisfied with free leftovers. However, Grand Forks citizens often opened their homes and kitchen tables to many of these young men.

After World War II, enrollment quickly grew to more than 3,000. A large amount of housing and several academic buildings had to be built on campus. The 1950s saw the rise of the Fighting Sioux hockey tradition. In the 1960s and 1970s, many student protests occurred at UND. The largest was in May 1970 when over 1,500 students protested the Kent State shootings. In 1975, enrollment swelled to a record 8,500. The 1970s also saw the establishment of the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at UND. During the 1980s and 1990s the University continued to grow. However, the devastating 1997 Red River Flood inundated numerous buildings on campus and forced the cancellation of the remainder of the school year.

The start of the 21st century was marked by the opening of two major venues for UND athletics. The Ralph Engelstad Arena, home of men's and women's hockey, and the Alerus Center, home of UND football, both opened in 2001. The Betty Engelstad Sioux Center opened in August 2004, and serves as home to UND volleyball and men's and women's basketball.

Millions of dollars worth of construction and renovation projects have dotted the campus landscape. As part of a plan to improve student facilities on campus, UND constructed a Wellness Center, a parking garage, and an apartment-style housing complex. Other construction projects around campus have included a new LEED Platinum-certified alumni center, a renovated and expanded College of Education and Human Development, and an expanded Energy and Environmental Research Center. As of 2014[update], a $124-million Medicine and Health Services building was under construction. The new building was designed by JLG Architects in partnership with Perkins+Will and Steinberg Architects.

In 2015, UND's economic impact on the state and region was estimated to be more than $1.4 billion a year according to the NDUS Systemwide Economic Study by the School of Economics at North Dakota State University. It was the fourth-largest employer in the state of North Dakota, after the Air Force.

The University of North Dakota's main campus sits in the middle of Grand Forks on University Avenue. The campus is made up of 240 buildings (6.4 million square feet) on 550 acres (2.2 km2). The campus stretches roughly one and half miles from east to west and is divided by the meandering English Coulee. The western edge is bordered by Interstate 29, the eastern edge is bordered with University Park, the Grand Forks railyards sit on the south side, and the north side is marked by U.S. Highway 2 which is called Gateway Drive in Grand Forks.

The central campus area, the oldest part of UND, has many historic buildings. 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 (25 m) 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. Old Main Memorial Plaza and the eternal flame of the Old Main Memorial Sphere mark the location of Old Main, the first building on campus. 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. 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 next to the Coulee as is the on-campus Spiritual Center.

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 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 in this part of campus. A five-story parking garage sits 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.

To the north of the central campus area, along Columbia Road, sits the School of Medicine complex. A new School of Medicine and Health Sciences building opened in 2016. Other buildings located along Columbia Road include the Biomedical Research Center and the Neuroscience Research Facility. Also north of the main campus is an area called University Village. This land sat virtually empty for decades, but has recently been developed for UND, commercial, and residential purposes. University Village is anchored by the $100 million Ralph Engelstad Arena, which is used by the men's hockey team. University Village is also home to the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, the new Student Wellness Center, university apartments, the UND bookstore, a medical clinic, and several residential and commercial properties.

The western part of the UND campus is a newer area with modern styles of architecture. This area is home to the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, which includes Odegard Hall, Streibel Hall, Clifford Hall, Ryan Hall, and Robin Hall. Directly adjacent to the Aerospace Complex sits the Skalicky Business Incubator, the Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center, the "REAC 1," which houses the University of North Dakota's Center of Excellence in Life Sciences and Advanced Technologies (COELSAT), and a Hilton Garden Inn. The western part of campus is also the location of most residence halls and student apartments, including a new $20 million student housing project called University Place on University Avenue.

UND operates a satellite campus consisting of several buildings at Grand Forks International Airport where aviation students train. UND Aerospace also operates flight training centers in Crookston, Minnesota, and Phoenix, Arizona. UND owns and operated the now closed Ray Richards 9-hole golf course south of the main UND campus. The School of Medicine and Health Sciences operates several clinics throughout North Dakota. The UND football team is a major tenant of the city of Grand Forks-owned Alerus Center.

The Council on Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability, made up of representatives from various departments, is exploring ways to improve sustainability.The campus's recycling system reduces UND's overall waste stream by 20 percent. UND has conducted lighting retrofits and installed heat recovery systems and power management technology for peak and off-peak use adjustment. Students are involved in promoting sustainability via recycling and other initiatives. The University received a B− grade on the 2011 College Sustainability Report Card released by the Sustainable Endowments Institute.

The Gorecki Alumni Center on campus is North Dakota's first LEED Platinum build. The building uses a combination of Geothermal and Solar Panels to power the building.

UND offers a total of 224 fields of study, including 90 undergraduate majors, 73 undergraduate minors, 54 master's programs, 27 doctoral programs, two professional programs (medicine and law), and a specialist diploma program in educational leadership. UND also has an interdisciplinary program that allows students to obtain a degree in virtually any course of study. A collection of online classes and degree programs are offered for students around the nation and world. This online program has been highly ranked by US News and other leading online college rankings. "Based on factors such as graduation rates, indebtedness of new graduates and academic and career support services offered to students," US News ranked the online Bachelor's program 208th of 217 online colleges and universities. 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.

The university has ten academic divisions:

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