Yesterday we had a bit of a political conflagration caused by NDSU President Dean Bresciani who claimed state lawmakers were trying to close a nursing program in Bismarck. Students at the school, understandably alarmed, organized a protest and showed up at the capitol en masse to weigh in. The truth, which Bresciani may have been trying…
"He Thinks We're A Bunch Of Hayseeds" One Lawmaker Says Of Doug Burgum Contributions To Legislative Candidates
In his big money advertising campaign gubernatorial candidate Doug Burgum has been campaigning against North Dakota’s budget headaches and rapid spending growth, casting himself as an outsider candidate who will change the status quo. Behind the scenes, though, Burgum has been quietly sending money to the Republican lawmakers who represent that status quo, and not all…
Lawmaker Says He Has "No Faith" In North Dakota's University System
The Legislature’s interim Higher Education Committee met in Dickinson this week, and new Chancellor Mark Hagerott presented lawmakers with the university system’s latest strategic plan, something committee member Rep. Bob Martinson (R-Bismarck) dismissed as “fluff stuff.” This from a Dickinson Press article about the meeting which buries Martinson’s provocative comments 22 paragraphs into an article headlined,…
NDSU Pres. Dean Bresciani Cuts And Runs From Email Demands
Earlier this year NDSU President Dean Bresciani was throwing a fit over a plan to unify the North Dakota University System’s email accounts. After being accused multiple times of deleting emails on purpose to evade open records requests, Bresciani argued that it would be a “terrible embarrassment” for the university system if NDSU was forced…
University System Removes Termination For Auditor, Compliance Officer From Agenda
Last night the North Dakota University System filed an updated agenda for the November 20th (tomorrow) meeting of the State Board of Higher Education. On the original agenda (I wish I’d kept a copy) was a line item to address the terminations of NDUS Chief Auditor Timothy Carlson and Chief Compliance Officer Kirsten Franzen. If…
Legislator: NDSU President "Went To The Lois Lerner School Of Email Management"
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about North Dakota University System Chancellor Larry Skogen giving NDSU President Dean Bresciani a temporary pass on participating in a new, consolidated university email system. The laudable goal of the university system is to create a unified system of electronic communication that allows all administrators and…
Higher Ed Board President Kirsten Diederich Pretty Much Lied To Legislators
Back in April I wrote that lawmakers were going to be reviewing a deal struck between the North Dakota University System and Sanford Health Care to take over a nursing college in Bismarck. The deal was controversial, with North Dakota State University President Dean Bresciani finalizing the deal before the State Board of Higher Education…
North Dakota District Conventions: Bismarck Area Guide
This post is part of a continuing series highlighting the potential state legislative candidates from each district for their party’s nomination. For more information on this series, refer to the “SAB’s Guide To North Dakota District Conventions: A Government Of People Who Show Up” post. The Districts: 7, 30, 32, 35, and 47 Click on a…
Two Year Tuition Freeze For North Dakota Universities Voted Down
“I think you’ve almost guaranteed yourself a [tuition] freeze,” said Rep. Bob Martinson back in 2011 during a committee hearing in which legislators chastised North Dakota State University for a massive 8.8% tuition hike that went well beyond the guidelines legislators had set in the budget. Today the North Dakota House had a chance to…