Overview of Institution

Overview

A. The Institution

A.1. Historical Context

The University of North Dakota is located in Grand Forks, a college town on the Red River of the North separating North Dakota and Minnesota. The campus includes 235 buildings on 550 acres. The University of North Dakota is the state’s most comprehensive intensive research university and the primary center for professional education and training. “Founded by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before statehood, UND was intended to be, and has remained, a university with a strong liberal arts foundation surrounded by a variety of professional and specialized programs” (excerpted from https://www.und.edu/aboutund).

UND is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled in 10 academic divisions, which together offer more than 2,836 courses in 191 fields of study. The divisions are as follows:

The John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Studies,
College of Arts and Sciences,
College of Business and Public Administration,
Division of Continuing Education,
College of Education and Human Development,
School of Engineering and Mines,
Graduate School,
School of Law,
School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and
College of Nursing.

“UND enrolls more than 12, 000 students representing every state and more than 50 nations in baccalaureate, master’s, doctoral, and professional programs. The five most popular areas include commercial aviation, elementary education, psychology, communication, and nursing. Graduate education is offered in more than 80 programs, including professional programs in law (J.D.) and medicine (M.D.)” (excerpted from https://www.und.edu/aboutund/crownjewel.html).

A.2. Institution’s Mission

“The University of North Dakota, as a member of the North Dakota University System, serves the state, the country, and the world community through teaching, research, creative activities, and service. State-assisted, the University's work depends also on federal, private, and corporate sources. With other research universities, the University shares a distinctive responsibility for the discovery, development, preservation, and dissemination of knowledge. Through its sponsorship and encouragement of basic and applied research, scholarship, and creative endeavor, the University contributes to the public well-being. The University maintains its original mission in liberal arts, business, education, law, medicine, engineering and mines; and has also developed special missions in nursing, fine arts, aerospace, energy, human resources, and international studies. It provides a wide range of challenging academic programs for undergraduate, professional and graduate students through the doctoral level. The University encourages students to make informed choices, to communicate effectively, to be intellectually curious and creative, to commit themselves to lifelong learning and the services of others, and to share responsibility both for their own communities and for the world. The University promotes cultural diversity among its students, staff and faculty. In addition to its on-campus instructional and research programs, the University of North Dakota separately and cooperatively provides extensive continuing education and public service programs for all areas of the state and region” (excerpted from: https://www.und.edu/stratplan/01_02/html/mission.html).

A.3. Institution’s Characteristics

The University of North Dakota is a public university, one of 11 colleges and universities in the North Dakota University System (NDUS), with a Carnegie classification of RU/H: Research Universities (high research activity). The campus is located in Grand Forks, ND one of four urban areas in the state. As of 2006, the census bureau reports the population of Grand Forks at 53,000 in a state with a total population of 635,867.

B. The Unit

B.1. Candidates enrolled in programs preparing them to work in P-12 schools

As of the fall of 2007, 801 candidates are enrolled in the unit’s initial (336) and advanced programs (465) for teachers and programs for other professionals.

B.2 Faculty, Including Clinical Supervisors, and Administrators

As of the fall of 2007, 54 full-time faculty teach, supervise or administer our initial and advanced programs for teachers and programs for other professionals. In addition, 21 graduate assistants teach education courses in the unit and 88 supervisors mentor and support our candidates during the student teaching semester.

B.3. Academic Rank of the Full Time Professional Education Faculty

Table B.3.1 provides detail describing the ranking of full time professional education faculty. Included in this table are faculty in the Colleges of Arts & Sciences and Business and Public Administration who teach the methods course in the secondary program and K-12 programs.

B.4. Programs for the Preparation of School Professionals

Please refer to table B.4.1 for a complete list of programs and their status.

B.5. Programs Offered Off-campus or Via Distance Learning Technologies
Please refer to table B.5.1 for a complete list of programs.

B.6. Substantive Changes Since the Last Visit

The major organizational and programmatic changes in the unit since the NCATE visit 2001 are bulleted below in sequential order:

Since the last visit faculty have received salary increases of between 3-4% each year;
In the fall semester of 2002, we implemented a Teacher Education Program Fee. This fee assesses each admitted candidate in teacher education $100 per semester. The revenue generated supports the field and student teaching experiences of the candidates throughout their program, and allows us to make improvements in those experiences by supporting Teacher Talk, a meeting with cooperating teachers, supervisors and university faculty 4 times per year;
The Department of Teaching and Learning, the largest department in the unit has had 2 Chairs appointed since the AY01 visit;
In the 2004-2005 academic year, we instituted a $215 course fee for student teaching. This fee has provided additional resources for the Office of Teacher Education;
In 2005, Dr. Margaret Shaeffer, Director of Teacher Education, resigned and Dr. Barbara Combs was appointed to that position;
As of the spring of 2005, all new admissions to the undergraduate Teacher Education Programs are required to purchase LiveText. Faculty and teacher candidates are supported in the use of this web-based data management tool and a Technology Coordinator dedicated to LiveText support has been hired half-time. This web-based tool allows faculty to assess and analyze critical tasks that address our program and INTASC standards as well as our conceptual framework. We use the data collected to engage in program area discussions that will result in program improvement for our teacher candidates;
In the spring of 2006, the College of Business and Public Administration informed Teacher Education of their intent to suspend the Business Education program. No new students are being accepted into this major;
In 2006, the title, Director of Teacher Education was changed to Associate Dean for Teacher Education. Dr. Combs holds that position at the time of this review;
In 2006, a second half-time Associate Dean’s position was created with a focus on research and graduate studies;
In 2006, the position of Director of Field Placement was expanded from 10 to 12 months;
As of the spring of 2006, teacher candidates are required to take the Praxis II exam in their discipline if the North Dakota Standards and Practices Board requires this exam for licensure;
Over the course of the 2005-2006 academic year, a committee of stakeholders reviewed and revised the dispositions form and process for all undergraduate teacher candidates. The new process is slated to be implemented in the fall of 2007;
In 2006, in order to increase our candidates’ experiences with diverse populations a new program requirement, VITAL, was developed and is slated for implementation in the fall of 2007. All Teacher Education candidates must provide evidence of 30 volunteer hours with diverse populations within 3 years of application to the program prior to student teaching;
In 2006, an undergraduate Advising Survey was constructed and implemented to ascertain candidates’ perspective on advisement by faculty and staff in the Office of Advising and Admissions;
In the 2006-2007 academic year, the Department of Teaching and Learning revised their assessment plan for advanced programs for teachers to include more transition points that include the assessment of critical tasks and clinical experiences. The goal is to implement the system in the summer and fall of 2007;
In Spring 2007, the faculty elected a new tenure track faculty member to serve in the role of Chair of Educational Leadership.
In AY01 there were five positions allocated to Educational Leadership. As of fall 2007, there are eight positions – five K-12 and three Higher Education allocated; however, Educational Leadership has been staffed by untenured, tenure track faculty since Spring 2003. Having identified the challenges an untenured department of eight faces, significant work has been accomplished: a departmental strategic plan was developed and adopted; an assessment plan was developed and implemented; the curriculum was reviewed and the master’s curriculum was revised; and a distance [off-campus] doctoral program in Fargo ND began and is completing coursework.
In the spring of 2007, the president of the University announced his retirement effective January 2008.
In the late spring of 2007, the Superintendent of Grand Forks Schools, our largest field experience partner, retired and currently a search for a new superintendent is on-going.