NE North Dakota News

The University of North Dakota (UND) President Andy Armacost delivered the annual State of the University address last week at the Memorial Union, outlining new goals and highlighting recent achievements. In his speech, Armacost set forth two major objectives for UND: establishing the university as North Dakota’s leader in artificial intelligence and creating four new companies in partnership with UND’s Center for Innovation.

Armacost referenced UND’s history in space research, noting that earlier this year, the university launched its first pair of satellites commissioned by North Dakota. He drew a parallel between these efforts and former President John F. Kennedy’s call to put a human on the moon, describing UND’s current ambitions as “moonshots.”

“When you say, ‘to infinity and beyond, sometimes people listen,’” Armacost said.

He explained that UND is well-positioned to address legal, ethical, and technical questions surrounding artificial intelligence due to its strong scholarship across natural and social sciences.

“There’s no better place to have the discussions about the technology, and what its impact is on our humanity, than at the University of North Dakota,” he said. “We have the people who are interested in these discussions across all disciplines. We want all our students to have these tools, but they should also have skepticism about abandoning their human responsibilities.”

Armacost noted continued growth in research expenditures in areas such as space, national security, and unmanned aircraft systems. He also pointed out that UND has achieved Carnegie R1 status—a recognition given to universities with high research activity—and welcomed its largest freshman class ever this fall.

Student retention from fall 2024 to spring 2025 reached 94%, which Armacost cited as evidence of student satisfaction with UND.

To conclude his address, Armacost declared 2025 as the “Year of Community.” He used a quilt created by Jolene Mikkelson—a UND alumna—as a symbol for community unity. The quilt hangs outside Altru Hospital's radiology department in Grand Forks.

“These are ways that people gather as a community to create art,” he said. “When we think about other forms of quilting, you think about how a simple pattern can then create so many different designs.

“Us human beings have so many different patterns – each one more beautiful than the next.”

Questions or comments regarding the UND LEADS Strategic Plan can be directed to Ryan Zerr or Anna Marie Kinney—the co-chairs of the implementation committee—or submitted through the strategic plan home page.