For years UND President Robert Kelley has argued that what was prompting his move to get rid of the controversial “Fighting Sioux” nickname and logo was the NCAA. To hear Kelley tell it, if it weren’t for the NCAA threatening sanctions against the university for using the logo/nickname, UND would have kept it. Kelley has…
UND Pres. Kelley: "North Dakota" Nickname Back In Consideration
In an email sent out to the University of North Dakota campus early this morning, UND President Robert Kelley has announced that he’ll consider including the plain old “North Dakota” nickname in an upcoming vote. “Many different opinions have been expressed, and they have come from many sources,” he states in the email which you…
Obligatory "North Dakota" Nickname Eliminated At UND Post
I’ll be honest with you. I have crossed the threshold from interested into disinterested when it comes to what the University of North Dakota’s new nickname is going to be. But still, if I don’t put up a post about this news, I’m sure I’ll get a thousand emails from you readers asking why. So…
Rod St. Aubyn: Whatever Happened To…
Several events reminded me that there have been no recent updates on these issues. It made me wonder, “Whatever happened …?” Whatever happened with President Kelley’s sabbatical report? – On Sunday I read in the Grand Forks Herald about 4 UND professors that were denied tenure. Tenure is usually granted after 6 years of service…
Rod St. Aubyn: Rants About Robert Kelley, Aaron Knodel, And Miley Cyrus Naked With A Pig
I have noted several news stories in the past week that I wanted to write about, but none alone deserved a full story. So instead, I thought I would express my opinions in this week’s story that I have entitled “Rod’s Rant.” Feel free to disagree with my opinions. Obama and the upcoming Supreme Court…
Somehow Embattled UND President Who Has Clashed With Faculty And Students Gets Glowing Evaluation
If there is a problem in the North Dakota University System it is that they live inside a bubble. Our higher education leaders live in their own version of reality where all is well and complaints from the public about poor performance and a lack of transparency are just misunderstandings by the ignorant hoi polloi.…
UND President Robert Kelley Is Leaving Six Months Early And Presumably $160,000 Poorer
In the middle of an increasingly rancorous relationship with faculty and students embattled University of North Dakota President Robert Kelley announced his resignation this week. Since that announcement, apologists for the university system have been busy trying to spin the situation, the worst example being yesterday’s Grand Forks Herald editorial which praised Kelley for leaving behind so…
On Television: When University System Incompetence Becomes A Sign Of Competence
On my weekly segment with Chris Berg on Valley News Live last night we discussed what was obviously the biggest news story to break yesterday, the announced retirement of University of North Dakota President Robert Kelley. Today there’s a lot of spin going on about the retirement, particularly in the pages of the Grand Forks…
After Scathing Review From Employees UND President Robert Kelley To Retire In January
Yesterday we got news of a scathing survey from UND employees which was highly critical of UND President Robert Kelley. That came on top of a showdown with students earlier this year where he was nearly the recipient of a vote of no confidence. Today campus sources tell me that Kelley is set to announce…
UND Employee Survey Blasts Administration
Update: The survey has been released and is available below. A few weeks ago a number of UND employees began circulating a survey soliciting feedback on the performance of the UND administration (see the email here). The survey was to have been completed on May 23rd, and according to an email sent out to the UND campus…