NDSU asks Legislature to fund new programs, expanded facilities after enrollment, retention gains

FARGO, N.D. — North Dakota State University President David R. Cook told the state’s Appropriations — Education and Environment Division on Friday that NDSU has stabilized a recent enrollment decline, is moving ahead on a $59,000,000 engineering complex funded in part by large private gifts, and is seeking $35,000,000 in legislative “New Horizons” funding to accelerate workforce-oriented degrees and training.

Cook said NDSU’s one-time $4,800,000 education-transformation allocation helped raise first-to-second-year retention and new online offerings, and asked lawmakers to consider a follow-on investment. “That tuition freeze funding, which came out of this committee, was very significant for us,” Cook said during the hearing. He described the $4.8 million as “transformational” for retention-oriented advising and learning-assistant programs.

Why it matters: Lawmakers on the division heard program-level proposals aimed at North Dakota workforce shortages in health care, engineering, precision agriculture and energy. Cook and college deans framed the requests as investments to produce job-ready graduates and to reduce the number of unfilled health and technical positions across the state.

Cook told the committee that last session the Legislature authorized $59,000,000 for an engineering complex on the NDSU campus, matched by philanthropic commitments the university solicited. “A gentleman, named Richard Oferdahl … wrote us a check for $25,000,000,” Cook said.…