While many universities across the United States are grappling with declining enrollments and growing questions about the value of a college degree, the University of North Dakota (UND) is experiencing record growth.
In 2025, close to 16,000 students were enrolled, up from 13,500 in 2022. President Andrew Armacost knows why students from across the country are choosing UND.
“Creating a campus that is attractive to students, in terms of human interaction, the opportunities to learn from great programs and participate in a vibrant extracurricular life is important for them,” he tells The CEO Magazine.
When Armacost speaks with students, he finds that the same three reasons are cited as points of differentiation. The first is the physical space of the university’s Grand Forks campus, which dates from 1883, before North Dakota was even a state.
“We’ve invested mightily in the modernization of the campus, while preserving its traditional architecture, so the spaces are inviting,” he says.
“The R1 classification is an indication that we’re doing some pretty good work.”
The second reason is the programs the university is building, such as new aerospace engineering, biomedical engineering and forensic science programs.
“These are top-notch programs that attract not only from the state, but also the region,” he says.
Last but not least is its ability to make education affordable.
“Tuition is set at a reasonable level, but also thanks to the generosity of our donors, we’ve been able to offer great incentive packages to attract students through scholarships,” he explains.
World-class programs
The state’s flagship university, UND is nationally recognized for its aerospace, aviation, engineering, medicine and energy research and growing involvement in space-related programs.
“We run the largest commercial aviation program in the nation and we have a great focus on the national security of the United States and its allies through our work in autonomous flying systems,” Armacost says.
UND’s health research programs have both statewide and national acclaim for creating new therapies for patients and delivering healthcare to rural areas, while its work in energy and environmental sustainability is recognized as well.
In the six years that Armacost has been in the role, it’s not only enrollment figures that have grown. UND’s research expenditure is now close to US$250 million annually, up around 130 percent from five years ago.
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That growth is increasingly tied to partnerships with industry, such as UND’s agreement with Voyager Technologies, a company delivering mission-critical defense and space systems that is working on the replacement for the International Space Station as well as other national security initiatives.
“Their researchers are working directly with faculty on our campus, but they’ve also offered 10–12 internships this summer for UND students, around 20 percent of their total internship intake,” Armacost reveals.
The university has recently achieved Carnegie R1 status, making it one of the top research universities in the country.
“This is a by-product of what the true goal is, which is a robust and productive set of research activities that make an impact on humanity,” he says.
“The R1 classification is an indication that we’re doing some pretty good work.”
Shooting for the moon
Research is not the only area where Armacost has exceeded his targets.
“Early on, I wanted UND to launch a satellite mission. Now we have two satellites orbiting the Earth in an experiment to do an orbit docking,” he explains.
It’s the first time a university has undertaken such an experiment. Armacost refers to such lofty ambitions as ‘moonshots’ – inspired by John F Kennedy’s determination in the 1960s that the United States would have a man on the moon within the decade.
“A comprehensive university like ours needs to examine the interplay between technology and humanity.”
Now, Armacost has set two more moonshots. The first is launching four new companies this year alone based on university intellectual property.
“There has been a gap on our campus where we haven’t been doing a great job taking the research that’s coming out of our programs and starting companies,” he admits.
Modern learning spaces
Interdisciplinary opportunities in both education and research are a core area of focus for Armacost. As such, UND is building a new science, technology, engineering and mathematics complex.
“We felt there was an important need to embed the interdisciplinary connections between science and education, and to embed those into a common space where experimentation and discovery can happen in ways that are new and modern,” he says.
Ground has just been broken to begin construction, which is expected to take three years.
The second is around AI, particularly connecting AI with humanity.
“A comprehensive university like ours needs to examine the interplay between technology and humanity,” Armacost insists.
A new master’s degree in human technology interaction examines the ethical frameworks and boundaries between the two.
“Universities owe it to society to educate our students to understand the importance of the ethics and philosophical frameworks around this technology and bring those holistic experiences to the workplace,” he says.
A powerful investment
Much has been written about the declining value of four-year degrees and graduate degrees but, as Armacost counters, their power has also been recognized.
“It’s not only about academic discipline; it’s about preparing our students for the critical abilities that make them great citizens of the world,” he explains.
“It’s about preparing our students for the critical abilities that make them great citizens of the world.”
He wants UND to become the ‘beacon’ that demonstrates the absolute value of what it means to come to a college campus and grow as both a scholar and human being.
“We need to be the place where civil discourse happens – where people from all ideologies and political perspectives can come to a campus and understand each other; where discovery, research, invention and creativity thrive; and where we nurture a sense of wonder in our students so that they graduate with the ability to get along with others and to move society forward.”
Armacost believes UND can be that place.
“We hope that as people look at us, they have a renewed hope that four-year education remains a powerful and worthwhile investment,” he concludes.
