MARK KENNEDY

Kennedy calls finalist selection for University of Colorado president 'positive reflection on UND'

Sydney Mook / Forum News Service — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 17:08:00 GMT

GRAND FORKS — University of North Dakota President Mark Kennedy has been announced as the sole finalist for the University of Colorado’s open president position, potentially ending his tenure at UND after nearly three years.

While the process is not yet finalized, Kennedy said Wednesday that it would be “highly unusual that it is not the final selection.”

“This is really a very positive reflection on the University of North Dakota because there’s no way I would have been given this opportunity had it not been for all the great things the team here, in collaboration with our community and state partners, have advanced,” he said.

Should he ultimately be appointed to the position, Kennedy will stay on at UND through June 15. He would be one of the shortest-serving presidents in university history.

Kennedy said he was headhunted, which means he was encouraged to apply for the position. He said the process has been going on for a couple months.

The current president at the University of Colorado, Bruce Benson, is retiring from the school after 11 years. Wednesday morning, the Board of Regents voted unanimously to make Kennedy the only finalist for the president’s position. The position also oversees four CU system campuses, including Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs, along with the Anschutz Medical ��.

Late Wednesday morning, Kennedy issued a statement that said he is “sorry to leave UND.” Later, during a conference call with the Grand Forks Herald, he clarified, saying that “it would be presumptuous to say it’s a done deal until after this (two-week) period. I maybe should have put ‘we

would be

sorry to leave UND.’”

Waiting period

The Colorado system and Kennedy are now in a waiting period before any final decision can be made about the president’s position. Colorado law requires that a finalist’s name be public for 14 days before a candidate ultimately is appointed to the president’s position.

“It is highly unusual that it is not the final selection, but that option remains until the regents vote again in two weeks,” he said. A date for that vote has not been set yet.

During the week of April 22, Kennedy and his wife, Debbie, will visit the four campuses in the system to meet with faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends. These events will include open forums.

In March, the search for a new president in Denver narrowed to 10 candidates, according to reports by the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder. However, according to Colorado open-records laws, the finalists for the job were not named until Wednesday.

“Mark Kennedy is a proven leader with a diverse set of skills and experiences in higher education, government and business that will allow him to build on the considerable success CU has experienced in recent years and take the university to even greater heights,” Sue Sharkey, chair of the CU Board of Regents, said in a statement.

Kennedy said while he is in Colorado he will be using a portion of his allotted paid time off, so the stay will not be expensed to the university.

According to the University of Colorado salary database, the current president of the CU system makes $359,100 a year. Kennedy makes $365,000 a year in North Dakota.

Higher education leaders react

North Dakota University System Chancellor Mark Hagerott congratulated the Kennedys “as they embark on this exciting new chapter in their lives.” Hagerott added he is “very appreciative” of Kennedy’s work on UND’s five-year strategic plan, which Hagerott says is “already enhancing the university’s reputation as a model of innovation and future-facing education and research.”

“I thank President Kennedy for enhancing the overall quality of the university and for his leadership during historically challenging budget times,” Hagerott said. “I wish the Kennedys all the best in their new roles in Colorado.”

Don Morton, chair of the North Dakota Board of Higher Education, said Kennedy and “his leadership team have established a strategic foundation for accelerated success” over the long term at the UND.

“I fully appreciate the difficult decisions that had to be made in addressing recent major budget cuts,” he said.

Morton also praised Kennedy for his work with online curricula and use of technology at the university.

“As a state, it is a big win for North Dakota when higher education leadership embraces technology disruption and then builds the curriculum to educate our future leaders. President Kennedy has positioned UND well for this challenge,” Morton said.

Controversies

Kennedy’s time at UND has not been without criticism and controversy, including the cut of the women’s hockey team, the demolition of campus buildings and most recently his decision and then reversal regarding his chief of staff working remotely.

He notably has been publicly scorned by philanthropist Kris Engelstad McGarry, whose family donated the Ralph Engelstad Arena and has given millions of dollars to UND. She recently said the family will not donate directly to the university while Kennedy is president.

In February, Kennedy walked back a decision to allow chief of staff Angelique Foster to work remotely from Texas. Following public pressure, he changed that decision.

Wednesday, Kennedy discussed the controversy with the Daily Camera, the newspaper in Boulder.

"I fear that part of the reason that that article got as much attention as it did is some people couldn't understand how a young African-American woman from the South could be as qualified and worthy" to do the job as others, he told the Daily Camera. "I'm quite confident it is about more than remote working."

When asked for clarification by the Grand Forks Herald, UND spokeswoman Meloney Linder said Kennedy was not available to speak further, but said Kennedy “understands there were many factors that people considered” about the Foster controversy.

Taking the job

This is not the first time Kennedy has been in discussions for a position at another university.

In February 2018, Kennedy was announced as one of four finalists to be president at the University of Central Florida. Kennedy ultimately was not offered the position.

In February 2019, UND said Kennedy had no interest in jobs outside of the university. At that time, rumors circulated that Kennedy had applied to be the president of the University of Minnesota.

Kennedy said the idea of making a positive impact on approximately 67,000 students’ lives in Colorado was one reason he was drawn to the position. Additionally, the Colorado system does around $1 billion in research between its campuses.

“Research is very important to me and, I believe, to the state and the nation as I have advocated for expanded investment in the state of North Dakota,” he said.

Kennedy said he is proud of the work the university has done to further research, of the boost to its four-year graduation rate and of the public-private partnerships built during his time at UND.

Kennedy said if he could do one thing differently at UND, it would be to “never say never again.” Early on in his tenure as president, before knowing how severe the budget cuts would be, Kennedy said the university would only consider cutting sports once. That supposed single round of cuts became deeper than Kennedy predicted.

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UND President Mark Kennedy rumored to be leaving

Forum News Service — Tue, 09 Apr 2019 15:08:06 GMT

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Mark Kennedy’s tenure at the University of North Dakota could be nearing its end.

Multiple sources said Tuesday, April 9, that rumors about Kennedy’s departure are swirling at the Capitol in Bismarck. Meanwhile, higher-education officials in Bismarck and at UND declined to comment when asked to verify the rumors.

Kennedy, president of UND since 2016, is rumored to be in line for a higher education position in Colorado.

“It’s all over the Capitol,” North Dakota Rep. Bob Martinson, R-Bismarck, said.

State Sen. Ray Holmberg, R-Grand Forks, also said he has heard the rumor in Bismarck.

Martinson said UND Provost Thomas DiLorenzo is rumored to become acting president if Kennedy leaves.

Meloney Linder, vice president for marketing and communications at UND, said the university has no comment when asked if the president will resign to take a position elsewhere.

North Dakota University System Chancellor Mark Hagerott also refused to comment when asked about Kennedy’s future at UND.

State Board of Higher Education vice chairman Nick Hacker said he had heard about some conversations regarding the matter but deferred comment to the university.

“We’re unaware of any resignation at this time, but would defer to the University of North Dakota and Mark Kennedy,” he said. “We’re supportive of our president and their leadership and supportive of President Kennedy continuing to serve at UND as president.”

State Sen. Ray Holmberg, R-Grand Forks, also said he has heard the rumor in Bismarck, but added he had not heard of any formal resignation yet.

The University of Colorado is in the process of hiring its next president, and its Board of Regents will hold a special meeting Wednesday in Denver to discuss their search.

Kennedy had been scheduled to meet Tuesday afternoon with the Grand Forks Herald editorial board, but that meeting was canceled by the university in the morning.

Last year, Kennedy was one of four finalists for the Central Florida president's job.

The former Minnesota congressman and businessman took over as UND's 12th president in July 2016, succeeding Interim President Ed Schafer and President Robert Kelley, who retired Jan. 14.

Kennedy came to UND from George Washington University, where he had been director of the Graduate �� of Political Management and a professor since 2012.

Kennedy, a Republican who served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, served on the financial services, transportation and agriculture committees during his tenure from 2001 to 2007 and was then appointed to the advisory committee on trade policy and negotiations, serving under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Before politics came business for Kennedy, who worked as the director of finance for Pillsbury and as a senior executive at Federated Department Stores, now known as Macy's.

UND President Mark Kennedy rumored to be leaving

Mark Kennedy addresses people after being selected as the next president of the University of North Dakota March 15 at the Gorecki alumni center. Jesse Trelstad / Forum News Service

UND President Mark Kennedy, left, and NDSU President Dean Bresciani speak to reporters about Senate Bill 2282 in Bismarck. Sydney Mook / Forum News Service

North Dakota State University President Dean Bresciani, left, and University of North Dakota President Mark Kennedy meet with The Forum Editorial Board to make the case for more legislative funding for research Wednesday, Sept. 12, in Fargo. Michael Vosburg / The Forum

UND President Mark Kennedy rumored to be leaving

Mark Kennedy addresses people after being selected as the next president of the University of North Dakota March 15 at the Gorecki alumni center. Jesse Trelstad / Forum News Service

UND President Mark Kennedy, left, and NDSU President Dean Bresciani speak to reporters about Senate Bill 2282 in Bismarck. Sydney Mook / Forum News Service

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Kennedy vs. Klobuchar: Minn. Democrat began political life with a race against current UND president

Sydney Mook / Forum News Service — Sun, 24 Feb 2019 12:00:00 GMT

GRAND FORKS — Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar has announced her intention to run for president, entering a crowded national field that’s gathering well before the 2020 election.

But long before she announced her candidacy to take over the Oval Office, Klobuchar made her way up the political ladder, one rung of which was a race for a Senate seat against current University of North Dakota President Mark Kennedy. In 2006, Klobuchar took on then-U.S. Rep. Kennedy in an election that gave Klobuchar her first of three terms in the Senate and put her on track as a rising force in the Democratic Party.

David Schultz, a professor of political science at Hamline University in St. Paul, said the political atmosphere in 2006 was not favorable for Republicans. In that election, Democrats took back the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, and also won a majority of governorships and state legislatures from the Republican Party. The election came halfway into President George W. Bush’s second term in office, when his approval ratings were falling amid the war in Iraq.

“It was very difficult waters to swim in 2006 if you just happened to be in the same party with a president who at that point was not as popular as he was when he was elected,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy last week said he and Klobuchar are on “very good terms.” In fact, Kennedy said Klobuchar came to his going-away party when he left George Washington University to come to UND. Also, she has spoken at the Economic Club of Minnesota, of which Kennedy is the volunteer chairman.

Kennedy emphasizes that, as the president of UND, he does not have an opinion on presidential candidates for the 2020 race.

Schultz said Kennedy did well representing his congressional district, but also said Kennedy faced a difficult race because of state voter demographics. Kennedy hailed from a conservative congressional district, but Minnesota Senate races are statewide elections and Minnesota, Schultz notes, is rather liberal.

Klobuchar won the race, garnering 58 percent of the vote, while Kennedy took 38 percent. Schultz considers it Klobuchar’s most difficult Senate race. Since then, she has won two additional Senate terms, with large winning margins.

Laying the groundwork

Don Davis, longtime Minnesota statehouse reporter, wasn’t directly covering the 2006 Senate race, but recalls having conversations with colleagues and initially thinking Klobuchar’s run was a surprise. Davis recently retired from Forum News Service.

Looking back, Davis says Klobuchar’s rise to the Senate wasn’t at all surprising. She was president of the county attorneys association in the state. She traveled extensively throughout Minnesota, speaking to local news media while she was there. She got her name out to the people of Minnesota long before she or anyone else knew she intended to run for a federal office.

“She had been laying the groundwork for the Senate run for some time,” he said. “It wasn’t like she announced it and then all of the sudden started running it.”

Lori Sturdevant, who recently retired from a career as a Minneapolis Star Tribune columnist and editorial writer, said one thing that stands out in her mind about Klobuchar’s campaign style is how hard she works. For example, Klobuchar visits every Minnesota county to talk to her constituents.

“She has an incredible tenacity and a willingness to be everywhere,” she said.

Klobuchar had other advantages during that first Senate run, Schultz said. She was already well known in Hennepin County, Minnesota’s largest county, as the county attorney. And it didn’t hurt that her father, Jim Klobuchar, was a columnist for many years at the Star Tribune.

“I think (having that name recognition) helped her. I think coming from a large county helped her, (and) campaigning in every county in the state helped her,” Schultz said.

Still, Schultz calls her 2006 campaign “perfectly executed.”

“She did a great job at posturing herself as the moderate, posturing herself as someone who could reach out to everybody across the state,” he said. “I think all of that was absolutely brilliant. I just don’t know how she translates all of that to a national stage.”

Run for president

When he was a reporter, Davis said he often asked Klobuchar if she aspired to be president. He sees a similarity between the first time Klobuchar ran for Senate, after years of spending time around the state, and her run for president, after spending years doing speaking engagements across the county.

“Whether she was going to run or not, she’s in demand as a speaker,” Davis said. “So it looks a little bit like when she ran for Senate. She has been around the country, spoken all over the place and she doesn’t publicize where she’s been.”

Klobuchar doesn’t have as much name recognition as others across the country and she’s not coming from a highly populated state with a heavy media market, Schultz said.

He said the highly polarized political environment may not play well for Klobuchar, who is viewed as a centrist Democrat by many. Schultz notes that in 2016 Hillary Clinton ran on a similar idea, but it still didn’t get her the presidency.

“I sort of view our political system now as so intensely polarized that I really do wonder if any Republican can earn Democratic votes or if any Democrat can win Republican votes,” he said.

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Former aerospace dean had a 'tumultuous' relationship with UND provost

Sydney Mook — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 10:01:03 GMT

GRAND FORKS-A former dean of UND's John D. Odegard �� of Aerospace Sciences on Tuesday, Sept. 11, described his previous relationship with Provost Thomas DiLorenzo as "tumultuous" and says he agrees with a no-confidence resolution signed by staff at the school.

The comment from Bruce A. Smith comes almost two weeks after the aviation department, one of the largest programs on campus, voted 32-0 in favor of the resolution. Two staff members abstained from voting on the resolution.

The resolution urges UND President Mark Kennedy to remove DiLorenzo from his position as provost. Kennedy has since said he plans to keep DiLorenzo in place. The resolution claims DiLorenzo has "little if any concern" about the best interests of the department. It also claims a potential decision to form a committee, made up of people outside the aviation industry to set flight training rates, could impact student flight safety.

Smith, who served as dean from 2000 to 2016 and now lives in Alabama, said he is "not surprised" by the faculty's vote.

"It's been something that's kind of been lurking in the background ever since the provost came on board," he said in a telephone interview Tuesday.

DiLorenzo became provost in 2013.

Smith submitted an unsolicited opinion piece to the Grand Forks Herald regarding the resolution and what he says was occasional friction between the Odegard school and the provost's office. That friction helped create the tumultuous relationship with the provost's office, Smith said.

Smith said the school is somewhat run as its own entity. The school does its own recruiting and has its own student services, among other things, which contributes to the success of the school.

Smith said there have been efforts to "centralize" student services and recruiting with the rest of the university. Each time it happened, Smith said he would refuse because part of the school's success is its autonomy.

He said there was a program to evaluate departments across the campus in a different way, involving people who did not have extensive knowledge of a particular department.

"Even all the right-minded people are not going to have the background to know what a distinct department does and what its value is to the university," Smith said, adding there was no way to appeal the process. That, he said, would subsequently create friction with the provost's office.

In his op-ed, Smith wrote that in order to be successful, the aviation department and flight operations need to "have a reasonable amount of trust and autonomy" because the school has a reputation of being the pre-eminent aviation college in the country.

Reached later, Kennedy said Tuesday that "if there is to be a trust and autonomy" between the Odegard school and the university, it should be done directly and not through the pages of the local newspaper. Kennedy said he is available to speak by phone and also that, if needed, his calendar can be cleared.

Kennedy also said he believes the university is "stronger together than apart."

"There's no doubt that every college needs to have a focus on their own direction, but there's also no question that every college is a part of the university," he said. "Our plan is called One UND for a reason. An overemphasis on autonomy and an underemphasis on One UND is not an optimum path for mutual communication and trust."

Smith said if he were still in the dean's position, he would handle the situation similarly to the current dean, Paul Lindseth, noting that Lindseth did not encourage the resolution.

"If the administration and the provost can step back and give the Odegard �� the trust and autonomy that it needs to be successful and without trying to control it and without trying to centralize it ... that would be the resolution for this," Smith said.

Weekly meetings have been planned for the next several months with DiLorenzo, Lindseth and UND Vice President of Finance and Operations Jed Shivers. In addition, Kennedy has committed to meeting with aviation faculty members on a monthly basis.

"Scheduling meetings does not create communication," Smith said, noting that he had been through a series of similar meetings when he was at the school and said the meetings ended up being more informational than meaningful, problem-solving dialogue.

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Emails show Kennedy-Engelstad feud centered on logo at the Betty

Tom Miller — Tue, 15 May 2018 20:07:45 GMT

A logo at center court is at the center of a feud between UND donor Kris Engelstad McGarry and UND President Mark Kennedy.

In the months leading up to McGarry telling the Herald editorial board about the fractured relationship with Kennedy, the two parties disagreed over a floor marking at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, according to emails obtained by the Herald through an open records request.

The disagreement stems from UND's plan to place its recently adopted Fighting Hawks logo at center court and the Engelstad family's desire to put "North Dakota" in that position.

The email arguments surrounding the court’s logo eventually dig deeper into a larger theme of the contractual relationship between the two parties, with Kennedy pointing out the university is the arena’s landlord.

"I think it's an unusual situation," Kennedy said to the Herald on Tuesday afternoon. "I'm not sure of many other places where the wishes of the athletic department are not the governing operative, whether the facility is owned or leased or not."

When asked for further specifics, Kennedy said he wasn't interested in negotiating through the media.

"We could have a long, public narrative back and forth in this, or our preference would be, to meet with the Engelstads to reach a conclusion that is mutually beneficial," Kennedy said.

McGarry's father, Ralph Engelstad, was an outspoken supporter of the now-retired Fighting Sioux nickname, although McGarry said in her recent interview with the Herald that her family doesn't share the same passionate views of the nickname as her father, who donated the $110 million arena to the university.

The arena, which opened in 2001, is currently owned and operated independently and is leased for use by the university. The Engelstad Family Foundation is scheduled to hand over operations to UND in 2030. The Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, which houses basketball and volleyball, opened in 2004.

On March 28, Ralph Engelstad Arena General Manager Jody Hodgson emailed Kennedy to inform the president that McGarry prefers "that we brand the Betty floor with the 'North Dakota' wordmark instead of the Fighting Hawk logo."

On March 30, Kennedy responded to Hodgson pleading the university's position regarding the benefits of placing the Fighting Hawks logo at center court.

"It is clearly in the interests of the University of North Dakota and our athletics department that our Fighting Hawk logo be prominently displayed at the center court of the Betty when the floor is redone in the months ahead to include the Summit League logo," Kennedy wrote.

On April 19, UND athletic director Bill Chaves, who started his post March 1, emailed Hodgson to offer support of Kennedy's March 30 email.

"I concur wholeheartedly with President Kennedy's sentiments of having our Fighting Hawk logo on center court," Chaves wrote. "Doing so is no doubt in the best interests of our teams and student-athletes that play in the Betty."

On April 20, Hodgson responded to Chaves telling him "design work and discussions continue" but cautioning "I don't believe that mindset will change," in reference to the feelings of the Engelstad Family Foundation.

On April 25, Kennedy sent another email to the Engelstad Family Foundation asking to revisit the issue.

"Today we stand at a pivot point," Kennedy wrote. "Will the Engelstad legacy embrace all those passionate about raising high the banner of UND, or only those bearing a Sioux logo? Will it be a legacy of inclusion or exclusion? The inclusive spirit welcomes those who cheer Let's Go Sioux and those who cheer Let's Go Hawks-some in hockey, but most in every other sport.

"Will the Engelstad legacy embrace all UND fans, or will it fuel a generational divide? More and more of today's UND players and students are proud to be Hawks. Do today's students not have every right to be as proud of who they are, compared to earlier UND students who also harbor the pride engendered during their time at the university? Should the Engelstad legacy turn aside Hawks fans?"

In the April 25 email, Kennedy includes quotes from men's basketball coach Brian Jones, women's basketball coach Travis Brewster, volleyball coach Mark Pryor, UND Licensing Coordinator Breanna Linert and others in support of a Fighting Hawks logo at center court.

"I am in favor of our new logo being on the floor in the Betty simply for the fact that it is our logo," Jones was quoted as saying. "To keep it really simple, it is who we are now. We need to turn the page and be a united front and all look the same."

Pryor added: "There is not one player on our roster anymore who has played for UND when we had no nickname, much less when we were the Fighting Sioux. Two NCAA tournaments later, we are absolutely the Fighting Hawks; we are damn proud of that, and it's time to move on."

Two days later, on April 27, Engelstad Family Foundation Executive Assistant Denise Rich emailed Kennedy a graphic of the athletic court "to be installed at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in May of 2018."

The graphic shows the words "North Dakota" at center court, with the words "Fighting Hawks" on the two baselines and accompanied by the Fighting Hawks logo, as well as a Summit League mark near both free-throw lines.

"The design has been finalized and submitted to the court contractor so that stencils and paint can be ordered to complete the project," Rich wrote.

Rich said the project would start May 7 and be completed by the end of the month.

As of Tuesday afternoon, however, construction work on the court had yet to begin and the interlocking "ND" remained at center court from the previous season.

On May 1, Kennedy expressed his displeasure with the April 27 email from Rich outlining the decision to move forward with "North Dakota" at center court.

"As the landlord and sole beneficiary of the financial results of the Ralph Engelstad Arena, the University expects that none of the REA's resources (staff or outside services) should have been expended for the drafting of the attached unauthorized proposal, much less in proceeding with its being painted on the floor of the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center," Kennedy wrote on May 1.

Kennedy later wrote in the May 1 email: "It is essential to the UND interests that the REA proceeds along the timetable you suggest, but with the Fighting Hawks logo center court design that our athletic director sent to Jody on April 19."

On May 9, McGarry requested a meeting with the Herald editorial board to outline her relationship with Kennedy.

During that interview, McGarry discussed her stance on the Fighting Sioux nickname controversy.

"The issue for a very long time in this community, and we seemed to get stuck in the middle of it, was the issue about the logo," McGarry said. "That's a non-issue for me and for us. It's decided. We complied to the NCAA. We did what they asked us to do. I don't have an issue, period, with the logo situation, because it was settled."

Outside of Ralph, the Engelstad family, McGarry said, doesn't have the same connection to the Fighting Sioux name.

"My dad felt very strongly about (the Fighting Sioux nickname)," she said. "He identified with that university as a Sioux. That's what he played under; that's where he went to school."

McGarry couldn't be immediately reached for comment when contacted Tuesday through her spokesperson.

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Federal Reserve president answers economy questions in Grand Forks

Andrew Haffner — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 01:26:58 GMT

GRAND FORKS-Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, made an appearance Monday in Grand Forks as part of a tour of his Midwestern district.

Kashkari spent much of the day touring the city with local leaders, making visits in an itinerary that included a talking session with public health experts to discuss the opioid crisis and a walk-about of downtown Grand Forks to discuss recovery after the flood of 1997.

He also made a trip to the Grand Sky unmanned aviation test site before rounding out the day with an appearance at the University of North Dakota to speak at a town hall conversation as part of the university's Eye of the Hawk lecture series.

The conversation, like the rest of the visit, was wide ranging. Kashkari was joined on stage by UND President Mark Kennedy, who prompted the central bank leader to walk the audience through the basics of what the Federal Reserve is, what it does to influence U.S. monetary policy and why that should matter for everyday life.

After the general information piece, the two opened up the conversation to the rest of the audience for questions. Kashkari fielded an opener about the role of digitally based "cryptocurrencies" such as Bitcoin on the U.S. economy-he didn't see it as a serious competitor to the dollar-and another question soon after about his involvement with the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, known to most as the federal bailout of financial institutions deemed "too big to fail."

"We hated that we had to bail out the banks," Kashkari said, later describing the financial crisis as having "felt like a war." But even still, he believed providing the bailout headed off a set of economic conditions that could have pushed the Great Recession into Depression-level depths. Policy came up later when one audience member asked about the downsides of recession-era regulations such as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a major reform package that expanded oversight over the financial sector.

Kashkari, who cautioned the audience that "the biggest banks are still too big to fail," said Dodd-Frank had brought positive change while unintentionally harming small community banks through regulatory burden. He said the Federal Reserve is discussing plans to relax some rules for banks of a certain size.

In a later question about the economic effects of technology, particularly automation, Kashkari gave a kind of shout out to North Dakota's energy producers.

"When I look, in the last decade, at what was the most important innovation in the U.S. economy, it's not Facebook or Twitter-it's fracking," he said. "That's had a much more profound impact on the U.S. and global economy than anything out of Silicon Valley, and it doesn't get the credit it deserves."

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UND proposes tuition hikes, including 9 percent increase at law school

Andrew Haffner — Wed, 10 May 2017 21:55:48 GMT

GRAND FORKS-Tuition at the University of North Dakota is likely to increase as campus leaders eye a hefty deferred maintenance backlog.

As permitted by the North Dakota Legislature, UND has delivered proposals to the State Board of Higher Education to lift its rates for the next academic year by 4 percent for both resident and nonresident undergraduate students, the former of which fall under caps set by state lawmakers.

Tuition for students in graduate programs and the UND �� of Law are not subject to legislative controls and could see even greater rate hikes for the 2017-18 academic year.

UND has proposed a 7 percent tuition increase for most graduate programs, as well as a 9 percent jump in rates at the law school. Tuition for the law program, which is the only one of its kind in North Dakota, have been ranked in the past among the least expensive-if not the outright cheapest-in the country. Even with the proposed rate increase, UND President Mark Kennedy said Tuesday he expects the school to be less expensive than the university's graduate programs and remain among the very least expensive law programs of national accord.

Kennedy previously has advocated for increased law school tuition to boost revenue at a time of declining state appropriations. He also has suggested UND's undergraduate tuition has been priced too far below regional competitors such as the University of Minnesota-Duluth and the University of Minnesota. In-state students at those schools, he said, pay about $13,100 and $14,200 per year, respectively.

Current tuition rates for full-time, resident students at UND total to an annual cost of almost $8,140. Nonresidents pay a little less than $19,300 in tuition for a year of enrollment. If rates increase as currently proposed, in-state students would pay about $267 more while nonresidents would see an approximate bump of $713.

As proposed to the SBHE, 1 percent of UND's tuition increase would be directed to a university capital fund, a pool that doesn't currently exist on campus. Kennedy estimated that fund could provide an annual $1 million capital budget to pay down deferred maintenance costs.

Kennedy described campus revitalization as a valuable recruitment strategy for prospective students. To help address deferred maintenance costs, the state has provided in its appropriations a sum of $4.4 million in 2-1 matching funds, meaning UND needs to raise $8.8 million on its own to receive state dollars. State funding notwithstanding, university leaders have estimated a total campus backlog of $500 million in deferred maintenance needs.

"The state of North Dakota has not faced deferred maintenance in the mirror and said, 'We have a real plan to address it,'" Kennedy said. "We're trying to look in the mirror, and though we haven't found the answer yet, we're trying to look at everything we can."

The SBHE will consider UND's proposed tuition increases during its May 15 meeting.

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Students sign petition labeling UND president Kennedy 'unfit'

Andrew Haffner — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 02:24:14 GMT

GRAND FORKS, N.D.-An online petition started by University of North Dakota students to protest the administrative approach to campus budget cuts labeled university President Mark Kennedy as "unqualified and unfit" to represent the institution.

UND senior Madison Berns, a philosophy student, said she and a group of students drafted the change.org petition because they felt "our voices haven't been heard at all" in the reduction process. The petition states administrators have "kept the students in the dark about their plans to gut our liberal arts programs."

Berns said she understood budget cuts were mandatory but believed the process of identifying reduction areas has been closed off to the students. As of Thursday night, the petition had gathered about 420 supporters.

A day earlier, Twitter users started the handles @RogueUND and @MyUNDnotYours. Both feeds support the petition in protest of campus budget reductions.

By Thursday evening, someone had hung fliers in academic buildings with the @MyUNDnotYours handle, urging students to "resist the UND administration" against cuts to liberal arts programs.

As for the petition, Berns said students need to "voice our concerns now, before cuts become permanent."

"I'm hoping to see more transparency from administrators, an actual dialogue about where cuts are going to come from," she said. "I would like to see the administration be held accountable for what's happening."

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