How far North Dakota State University has come in ten years and what the future holds

President Dean Bresciani spoke to students, faculty, staff and alumni on Oct. 11 during his tenth State of the University Address. The speech was held in Festival Concert Hall holding up to 1,000 people.

To start, Bresciani spoke about how far the university has come in the ten years he has been president by listing past challenges.

In 2009, the per-student state appropriated finding was the lowest out of the four-year universities in North Dakota. Now, NDSU is funded equitably with other campuses within the state.

Bresciani then mentioned that ten years ago NDSU had national average graduation rates whereas now the graduation rates are steadily increasing. In the past six years, the four-year graduation rates have increased by 15 percent.

Another challenge NDSU faced a decade ago was a financial crisis that put the university’s accreditation at risk. Bresciani pointed out how this year’s strategic planning and business practices have been established to avoid another financial crisis.

The last reflection Bresciani made was about the infrastructure of NDSU. In 2009 NDSU was inevitably one of the most run-down infrastructures in North Dakota by outside evaluation.

Bresciani discussed the current state of NDSU’s infrastructure by describing how the A.Glenn Hill Center is now the focal point on campus as it is the second-largest academic building following Minard Hall. He then talked about the current Aldevron Tower expansion on Sudro set to open in January.

Catherine Cater Hall, the largest resident hall on campus, replaces the old adult student housing facilities and is now competitive with some of the best student housing in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Bresciani also briefly mentioned the replacement of Dunbar Hall with a new science facility aimed for academic success.

After listing the infrastructure improvements made on campus, Bresciani made sure to thank the facility management staff for their contribution over the years.

Bresciani stated: “We will leave this university far better than we found it ten years ago and we aren’t done yet.”

Regarding how the university has emerged from those times, Bresciani said, “We simply met those challenges head-on in a prepared and judicious manner that also left us ready to rebound as quickly as possible.”

After discussing the past decade at NDSU, Bresciani talked about what the future holds. Bresciani wanted the audience to imagine the ideas he listed with an open mind.

Some of these ideas included a new engineering building that would help improve the enrollment capacities in the department since engineers are in high demand throughout North Dakota.

Another idea Bresciani talked about included creating new student “marker spaces” that are found all around campus. These centers encourage students to become involved in the entrepreneurial environment within campus and throughout the community.

Bresciani discussed how the centers are expected to expand saying, “A much larger maker space is under development in the Research and Technology Park, and other such facilities are following.”

After asking the audience to imagine the future while listening to these ideas, Bresciani talked more about the impacts increasing graduation rates have on the campus.

Bresciani explained what can affect and slow students down from receiving a degree. According to national data, 60 percent of students work full time, 25 percent are parents and 40 percent rely on pell grants.

At NDSU, about a third of the student population is first-generation students while 90 percent rely on financial aid.

“Student success in these times is about more than getting them in the door. That is why I am especially proud of the work done by our faculty and staff to dramatically improve our students’ timely degree completion,” Bresciani said.

There is also a negative effect of increased graduation rates as Bresciani pointed out that the increased rates reduce the number of enrolled students.

Within the topic of enrollment, Bresciani stated: “That said, enrollments do factor in to measuring our success and NDSU remains responsible and perhaps uniquely positioned in our state to attract, retain and graduate more students than we do today.”

With the enrollment rate drops, Bresciani talked about the long-term commitment needed along with political, financial and environmental challenges the university is facing while thanking those who have supported NDSU.

The last part of Bresciani’s speech focused on what needs to be done now in order to reach full potential in the future.

Bresciani encouraged everyone to share their opinions on the strategic planning process by filling out input forms.

He also discussed the “In Our Hands” campaign which will help reach the goals set in the strategic plan from fundraising money.

“A gift to the campaign will strengthen NDSU’s unwavering commitment to the student experience so students have unparalleled opportunities to grow, succeed and make a difference,” Bresciani said.

Bresciani mentioned that as the scholarship endowment increases, more opportunities can be offered to students. “Our land-grant mission is based on access so tuition and fees should never limit student access to NDSU.”

Improving the stipends and health care offered to graduate students will also make NDSU more competitive considering the number of graduate students attending NDSU.

While looking forward to what the future will bring, Bresciani made it clear that there will be threats and factors that won’t always be in control. To add to this, Bresciani said, “Being nimble and responsive to unanticipated challenges will undoubtedly be the key to success.”

Bresciani ended his speech by saying, “The future really is in our hands,” referring back to the campaign and how everyone can help achieve NDSU’s goals.