07 Oct SBHE gives support to Complete College America Alliance, reviews fall 2024 enrollment numbers
The North Dakota University System (NDUS) has become the 53rd member of the Complete College America (CCA) Alliance, which is a national coalition committed to increasing college completion rates and closing institutional performance gaps. Joining other participating states, systems and consortia, NDUS’s membership was confirmed by a unanimous vote from the N.D. State Board of Higher Education (SBHE) during its Sept. 24 meeting at the University of North Dakota.
By joining CCA, North Dakota will pledge its commitment to increasing college completion for the state’s two research universities, four regional universities and five community colleges serving nearly 45,000 students. The initiative also aligns with the state’s Envision 2035 strategic plan, which is focused on ensuring the state’s public higher education system is preparing students for the future of work and lifelong economic opportunity and mobility.
“From a system perspective, I was particularly interested in some of the work (CCA) had done in helping colleges and universities around the areas of course placement and reducing layers of remediation, or what we call developmental coursework,” said Lisa Johnson, NDUS vice chancellor for student and academic affairs. “Specifically, in the areas of English and Mathematics. This can sometimes be costly; these courses can be confusing to students and even counter-productive to our efforts in achieving college completion.”
Johnson introduced to the Board Dr. Brandon Protas, assistance vice president for Alliance Engagement, who gave an overview of CCA and what the initiative entails.
The Board also heard presentations from Dr. Colleen Fitzgerald, vice president of research at North Dakota State University, and Dr. Scott Snyder, vice president of research at University of North Dakota, about the National Science Foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). They gave an overview of the program, updates on current awards and changes to federal EPSCoR programs.
Dr. Jennifer Weber, NDUS director of institutional research and analytics and chief data analyst, also reported to the Board on fall 2024 semester census counts at each of the system’s institutions. Systemwide, NDUS recorded a headcount of 45,806 students, the highest number since fall 2018. Additionally, full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment increased for the third straight year at 34,781students, the highest since 2020.
The jump in headcount from last fall represents a 3.6% increase from 44,227 in 2023, while the FTE count increased by 4.1% from 33,442. Additionally, total credit hour production increased by 4.2% with 511,484 hours recorded for 2024, up from 490,643 in 2023.
Eight of NDUS’s 11 institutions reported enrollment gains for the fall 2024 semester. Williston State College had the largest increase at 16% while other large gains were had at Mayville State University at 8.2%, North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) at 7.2% and the University of North Dakota (UND) at 6%.
“Our standard outreach, our standard procedures ended up yielding about 32% (increase) in first-time freshman and transfer students just by doing what we normally do: demonstrate the value of a UND education,” said UND President Andrew Armacost.
Board Actions
During a closed executive session, the Board considered four finalists for interim president at Dickinson State University. The members voted to keep Ty Orton as acting president. Going forward, a search committee will be formed to determine a permanent president. Both NDUS Chancellor Mark Hagerott and SBHE Vice Chair Danita Bye will sit on the committee.
Committee Reports
Board Member Curtis Biller reported on behalf of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee. He said the group approved a 4-year dental hygiene program for the North Dakota State College of Science.
Board members Dr. Casey Ryan and Danita Bye reported for the Research and Governance Committee. The Research Committee heard a presentation from Dr. Colleen Fitzgerald and Dr. Scott Snyder about the various research projects taking place across the system. The Governance Committee heard an update about the Enterprise Resource Planning initiative from Corey Quirk, Core Technology Services deputy chief information officer. The group also received an update on the orientation process for new board members and reviewed the Board’s strategic plan and goals.
Dr. Casey Ryan and SBHE Chair Tim Mihalick reported for the Ad-Hoc Tenure Committee, which had ongoing discussions with the Council of College Faculties about the post-tenure document.
Board Member Michael Linnell reported for the Staff Senate. The group talked about various fall kick-off events being held across the campuses. Linnell said campuses were encouraged to keep these events going while also finding new ways to carry out events. There also is an active committee working on creating more professional development opportunities, including hosting national speakers and presenters.
The Board heard first readings for HR Policies 12 (Overtime) and 21 (Leave Without Pay) and Policies 701.1 (Leave Without Pay), 840 (Contract Review), 917 (Smoke-Free Facilities), 1914 (Centers of Excellence) and 1901.2 (Computing Facilities).
Second readings of Policies 1202.2 (Incident Response) and 1202.3 (Data Privacy) also were heard. All policies were approved.
No public comments were made.
The Board’s next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 25, 2024.