30 Oct NDUS freshmen enrollment bucks national trends
According to data reported during the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education’s (SBHE) October meeting, the state has exceeded national freshmen fall enrollment trends by a significant margin. Jennifer Weber, NDUS director of institutional research and analytics, showed NDUS new freshmen enrollment is up 10% systemwide from last fall compared to a national decrease of 5%. Her report was derived from preliminary national fall enrollment data from National Student Clearinghouse (NSC).
NSC also said public and private nonprofit 4-year institutions nationally saw the largest declines in freshmen enrollment, however, NDUS 4-year schools were up 9%.
“You (SBHE) should all be proud of the work you are doing. The nation has had the worst freshmen enrollment since the pandemic and North Dakota is going gangbusters – 15% differential – we may be the best in the nation,” said NDUS Chancellor Mark Hagerott. “We all got together when the FAFSA debacle happened and came out No. 2 in the nation on completions and it’s easy to say ‘what is North Dakota doing?’ And it’s called collaboration and teamwork.”
Weber additionally reported that undergraduate enrollment nationally has increased by 3 percent while the NDUS undergraduate cohort increased by 4%.
Board Actions
During the meeting, Board Chair Tim Mihalick gave an update on the search for a new chancellor for the NDUS. The Board passed a motion to first hire a consultant to establish listening sessions with statewide stakeholders and interest groups to assess future needs and structure for governance of the NDUS. The listening sessions task force would precede a review of the Board’s and chancellor’s roles and responsibilities. After the work is complete, the Board will form a search committee to seek out a new chancellor.
“I think it makes sense to take a look at a comprehensive study in 2024 and into 2025. We all know that the world’s changed and it’s my belief that it’s going to change even faster in the years ahead,” said Board Chair Tim Mihalick.
The Board also reappointed Dickinson State University’s Ty Orton as acting president until the next Board meeting an Dec. 5. Vice Chair Danita Bye said a search committee with be established the week of Nov. 4 to identify candidates for a new president, one of whom will be selected at the March 27 SBHE meeting.
Member Casey Ryan later gave an update on the post-tenure review study, noting that all Board members had received copies of the study report, which was the result of a series of committee meetings held between June 2023 and October 2024. The group is still working with the NDUS campuses to provide inputs through survey questions. The survey results will be sent to the Governance Committee for review March 2025 for consideration. The Board approved the post-tenure review study document to move forward but will conduct a policy review related to any proposed changes during its Dec. 5 meeting.
The Board also received legal and compliance training at the October meeting where members reviewed guidelines for open meetings, open records, record retention and conflicts of interest.
Committee Reports
Member Curtis Biller reported for the Academic and Student Affairs Committee (ASAC) which at its last meeting reviewed a series of academic requests. Biller reported that Walden University has not been approved for providing academic programs in North Dakota. The online institution appealed but were denied based on a pending lawsuit, which was reviewed during ASAC.
Additionally, ASAC discussed dual credit to make sure the system is academically preparing high school students for colleges through the program. They also looked at 3-year degree program or 90-credit proposals and will further consider which programs could potentially be adopted. The group also reviewed the missions of the 11 NDUS institutions.
Member Kevin Black reported for the Budget and Finance Committee. The group heard a presentation from Rick Tonder about the institutions’ facilities master planning process. They also heard a report from Chancellor Hagerott and David Krebsbach, vice chancellor for administrative affairs and chief financial officer, about the System Office’s budget meetings with North Dakota’s Office of Management and Budget.
For the Audit Committee, Member Jeffry Volk said the group had reviewed reports from staff at its last meeting and heard a report from the Campus Security Task Force.
Member Casey Ryan and Vice Chair Danita Bye reported for the Research and Governance Committees. The Research Committee received an update on metrics established in the Board’s Strategic Plan. Ryan said that North Dakota State University’s (NDSU) Research funds went from $175 million to $190 million this year, while the University of North Dakota (UND) went from $147 million to $182 million. He said the goal is to get North Dakota’s collective research funding to over $1 billion.
The Governance Committee approved the tenure committee’s draft report approved. It also received an IT security briefing from Corey Quirk, NDUS deputy chief information officer. Members of the committee also reviewed the Board’s strategic plan and will go over each of the goals during future meetings to ensure compliance.
Member Maxwell Eriksrud reported for the North Dakota Student Association (NDSA). The group looked at potential impacts from the passage of Measure 4 during the upcoming election and discussed developing NDSA promotional materials.
Faculty Advisor Lisa Montplaisir, Ph.D. reported for the Council of College Faculties. The group had discussions about policies needing to be changed for post-tenure review changes.
For the Staff Senate, Michael Linell said the group had further discussion surrounding campus events, including professional development and campus recognition committees.
The Board heard first readings for policies 100.1 (Constitutional and Statutory Authority), 100.7 (Institution Mission Statements), 302.9 (Faculty and Staff Advisors), 310.1 (Board Member Responsibilities), 1208.1 (Emerging Technology), 462 (Instructional Material Access and Affordability), 916.1 (Possession of a Firearm or Dangerous Weapon in a Campus Residence).
No public comments were made.
The next SBHE meeting will be Dec. 5, 2024.