NDSU President Dean Bresciani is facing allegations that he deleted over 45,000 emails the same day he received a records request for emails from the state legislature, a breech of public record laws that could be as serious as a felony. Yesterday, a spokeswoman told the Fargo Forum that those emails weren’t deleted by Bresciani…
Anti-Shirvani "Whistle Blower" Was Involved In Serious Exposure Of University System Data
The North Dakota University System data exposure report below details an incident in which the private information of students and university system employees was exposed, but apparently not reported to them as it wasn’t specifically required by law. NDUS “whistle blower” Linda Baeza Porter was responsible for the breach according to the report. Porter was…
Shameful: ND House Votes Down Local Government Transparency Bill
Rep. Blair Thoreson has been a real champion when it comes to fighting for government transparency here in North Dakota. Back in the 2009 legislative session Rep. Thoreson introduced and got passed a bill creating an online database of all state government spending (you can see it here). Since then Rep. Thoreson has been trying…
Shirvani Involved In "Near-Constant Strife" Across Multiple Universities Since 1990
Even after Chancellor Hamid Shirvani and the State Board of Higher Education backed off their push to build a large chancellor’s suite in a building intended for university system IT workers, state Senator Tony Grindberg and others are intent on pushing he chancellor out. Mostly because this issue is about far more than the office.…
The North Dakota University System Didn't Do Themselves Any Favors Yesterday
State Board of Higher Education President Duaine Espegard dismissed the controversy over a huge, 2,300 square foot “chancellor’s suite” in an IT building on the University of North Dakota campus as “foolishness” yesterday in committee testimony. University officials were also quick to spin the issue, claiming that the issue over where the chancellor will work…
The Lunatics Are Running The Asylum In The North Dakota University System
Today comes news that another North Dakota University System Chancellor is about to be pushed out of office after a revolt by university presidents. Leading the charge in this push is North Dakota State University loyalist (and former double-dipping employee) Senator Tony Grindberg, who today announced an amendment authorizing funds to buyout Shirvani, and the…
Legislator Offers Amendment Buying Out North Dakota Higher Ed Chancellor Because Of "Questionable" Leadership
Yesterday we broke the news here on Say Anything that legislators were considering some sort of a “vote of no confidence” in North Dakota University System Chancellor Hamid Shirvani which might take the form of a buyout of Shirvani’s contract. Today state Senator Tony Grindberg has announced that he’ll be offering an amendment to the…
ND Legislature Considering Vote Of No Confidence In Chancellor Shirvani
There has been tension between the North Dakota legislature and the university system since the 2011 session, and last week things came to a head last week over changes the State Board of Higher Education and Chancellor Hamid Shirvani have tried to push through to an IT building being built on the University of North…
SBHE President Decries "Misinformation" About IT Building Scandal In Email To Legislators
A legislative source passes along this op/ed emailed out to members of the ND House this afternoon from State Board of Higher Eduation President Duaine Espegard. “Please find my response to the misinformation regarding the IT building in Grand Forks,” Espegard wrote in the email to legislators. “I wanted you have copy as I am…
The Independence Of North Dakota's University System Must Be Ended
This week news broke about North Dakota University System Chancellor Hamid Shirvani and State Board of Higher Education President Duiane Espegard attempting to order President Robert Kelley at the University of North Dakota to sign off on changes to a new IT building on that campus which would include a lavish new chancellor’s office. The…