NE North Dakota News

The University of North Dakota’s student government leaders, President Jonathan Blankenship and Vice President Joslyn Sutton, have begun their terms representing more than 15,000 students for the 2025-26 academic year. Both juniors, Blankenship and Sutton were elected in May and recently spoke about their backgrounds, priorities, and plans for the coming year.

Blankenship is an honors student from Burleson, Texas, who graduated high school in Columbia Falls, Montana. He is double-majoring in Commercial Aviation and Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Previously, he served as secretary in the Student Government’s executive cabinet and as a university senator.

Sutton is from Bealeton, Virginia. She is majoring in Air Traffic Management with minors in Space Studies and Atmospheric Sciences. This marks her first role within UND’s student government.

Blankenship described his path to UND: “I’m a proud military dependent of two retired Air Force veterans, and their backgrounds have led me to this path. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do at first – I was interested in engineering in high school. My mom flew drones in the military, and she encouraged me to apply to UND Aerospace. I got accepted, came and visited with both of my parents, and I loved it. That’s when the full picture really came together for me, and I began to understand all of the educational opportunities and experiences offered within the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences and UND as a whole.

“I thought, ‘UND is the place for me.’”

Sutton said her interest began early: “I first went to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (part of the National Air and Space Museum) in Virginia when I was 2, and I was hooked on planes from there. Then when I was 12, I had the opportunity to visit the Potomac TRACON (terminal radar approach control facility) half an hour from my house. I was mesmerized. I remember walking out of that building and telling my dad, ‘That’s what I want to do – I want to be an air traffic controller.’

“UND’s program is phenomenal, and on top of that, we’ve gained Enhanced Air Traffic Collegiate Training status. That means I don’t have to go to the FAA academy in Oklahoma City; I can go straight to a tower after graduation. That really solidified UND in general for me.”

“Knowing that I picked a school for the program — and that the program is flourishing while I’m here — increases my confidence every day.”

During summer preparations for their new roles, Blankenship said: “We hit the ground running. You get a year — our terms run from May to May. We wanted to meet with administrators, faculty, staff and students if possible. We began attending meetings with the UND LEADS Implementation Committee. Those meetings are a way for us to get to know that group and provide student insight.”

Sutton added: “We started working with the MyUNDapp and were able to be the student voice for what they wanted to see and take suggestions for how to improve it. Seeing the excitement around it has been exciting, and kind of our first taste of ‘what we did really does matter.’ “

Blankenship also participated as North Dakota's representative at the Henry Clay Center College Student Congress—a two-week leadership program held in Lexington, Kentucky; he noted its focus on public policy skills development among undergraduates nationwide.

Both leaders attended a conference organized by the National Association of Campus Activities in Denver aimed at preparing student government officers across campuses.

The pair hired an executive cabinet consisting of 11 officers over summer break.

Looking ahead at priorities for their term:

Sutton said: “We have a lot of things but our main want is to increase safety on campus. We are a safe school but we agreed that we want a proactive rather than reactive approach.”

Blankenship explained their campaign platform: “I think it’s important to know that we ran on a VOICE for all platform – with VOICE standing for vision, opportunity, involvement, community and empower. We want to be a group out there that makes a difference for the students we represent.

“As stated by President Armacost, ‘community’ is the word of the year,” he continued,“and we believe that UND has a great sense of community... Mental health awareness is also a priority... And we want to make sure students feel empowered... Several organizations across campus have implemented mental health training... Other great programs/initiatives provided on our campus include UpLift, Smile Society,and University Counseling Center.”

He mentioned two safety initiatives they hope will benefit campus: Nightcap—an anti-drink-spiking product—and SafeRides—a free weekend ride service aimed at helping students return home safely.

The administration has worked closely with student government regarding issues such as parking,housing,and dining—especially important given increased enrollment numbers this year.

Sutton concluded:“Something that we said during campaign is that we’re not special just because we have these positions.We’re students too.We want to be that megaphone for students’ voices...We’re going uphold that belief & trust best we can.”

For those considering getting involved,Sutton advised:“Just do it! This was very much a ‘just do it’ moment for me personally...and it’s been one most amazing things I've ever done.”