NE North Dakota News

UND administrators addressed a range of questions from faculty and staff during a virtual Town Hall held on Aug. 27. The meeting, conducted via Zoom, covered topics including salary data reconciliation, onboarding processes for new employees, campus building updates, parking policies, post-tenure review, remote work considerations, digital accessibility requirements, and more.

During the session, Vice President Peggy Varberg was asked about the timeline for implementing salary and staff position changes based on ongoing data reconciliation efforts. She also responded to inquiries regarding standard onboarding procedures for new employees and concerns about administrative turnover.

Associate Vice President Matt Kibbon provided updates on plans for areas where buildings have been demolished in the past year, specifically mentioning former sites such as Walsh quad and Columbia Hall. He also addressed questions about the status of older vacated buildings like Johnstone, Fulton, Smith, Columbia Hall, and Gamble Hall.

President Armacost discussed UND’s affiliations with new facilities being constructed around Grand Forks, including the Altru Sports and Aquatics Complex and a children’s museum.

Parking Services representative Jennifer Duffy answered several questions related to parking permit eligibility criteria and pricing strategies. Employees raised concerns about equity in permit allocation following recent policy changes that restrict special reserved permits to certain titles within UND leadership. There were also discussions about hybrid work arrangements prompting requests for part-time parking permit options and suggestions to reassess underutilized student reserve lots near campus businesses.

Provost Eric Link was questioned about the benefits associated with the new Post-Tenure Review policy for full professors and associate professors. He also provided updates on ongoing dean searches across campus as well as issues related to academic advisor turnover that have affected students’ ability to maintain consistent advising relationships.

Other topics included remote work productivity—citing vocational psychology research supporting efficient remote work—and institutional plans for addressing digital accessibility regulations affecting faculty workloads.

Chief Clark responded to concerns over recent rule changes prohibiting e-bike charging inside university buildings amid ongoing conversations about promoting alternative transportation options on campus.

Questions were also directed at other administrators regarding vending machine contracts after Pepsi machines were removed from campus; shuttle bus schedules; feedback mechanisms such as 360 reviews of vice presidents or directors; and findings from external reviews concerning faculty positions.

The full video recording of the Town Hall is available online with closed captions for those seeking detailed responses to each question posed during the session.