Research/Education
The Grand Forks region has a long-standing commitment to education, providing students with the background needed for careers in the fastest growing industries across the globe. With some of the highest attendance and graduation rates in the nation, our workforce of the future is raised on a strong tradition of high academic standards, dedication and dependability.
Educational Institution Enrollment 2007 - 08
(Source: Enrollment Statistics Fall 2007)
Research/Education: Research & Development
In the spring of 2003, U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan proposed the establishment of a Red River Valley Research Corridor as a primary agent of economic development for all of North Dakota.
In its fullest realization, this Corridor would promote research opportunities, resource sharing, development and training among partners in education, business, industry, and government in North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and Manitoba.
The state’s two research universities — the University of North Dakota and North Dakota State University — will anchor the Corridor.
Besides UND and NDSU, the initial list of partners will include the North Dakota University System, the North Dakota Congressional delegation, the Governor’s Office, the Department of Commerce, the private sector through the Greater North Dakota Association and its New Economy Initiative, and local governments. Eventually, the list of partners will expand to include universities and government agencies in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Manitoba.
The overarching vision for the Corridor is to develop an ongoing forum for exchanging information and combining resources among the partners. The Corridor could support comprehensive education and training to assist business development and corporate expansion, and to foster the implementation of broadband telecommunications infrastructure in support of research and commercialization.
Although the emphasis of the Corridor will be on science and technology, and on applied research and development, strong basic research programs will be critical to its strength. Just as vital will be the broad range of academic programs among the partners, particularly the arts and humanities which contribute so strongly to the quality of life in the region.
In addition to the Red River Valley Research Corridor initiative, UND and NDSU have shared a background of collaboration through the longstanding Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, the EPSCoR program.
The EPSCoR program is funded by a variety of federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Matching funding of about $2 million a year is appropriated by the North Dakota Legislature to support EPSCoR initiatives. The National Science Foundation created EPSCoR to improve the competitiveness of states like North Dakota in seeking grant funding. For more than a decade, the program has proved to be quite successful for the state.
UND researchers received more than $100 million in grants, contracts and other external funding during the 2007 fiscal year. The university's level of external research funding has risen about 40 percent in the past five years. That growth will raise UND's national status as a research university and increase future research opportunities for faculty researchers, graduate students and undergraduates involved in research.
Research/Education: Higher Education
The Grand Forks Region is home to four institutions of higher education, offering students the chance to choose from a diverse set of undergraduate, graduate and career opportunities as well as continuing education.
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota (UND), established in 1883, has a strong liberal arts and sciences foundation and offers students a breadth of program options, including 141 choices in one of eight colleges. UND was recently ranked as one of the 10 most entrepreneurial schools in the nation. The University of North Dakota also prides itself as a research institution, generating more than $300 million for research and other programs in 2005 - 06. The University has actively positioned itself for fast-paced growth, with enrollment increasing by 13% since 1997 and recently completing over $200 million in campus construction. UND is home to North Dakota's only law and medical schools, as well as the internationally-renowned Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) and John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. Over 12,500 students are enrolled at UND.
Grand Forks Human Research Center
The Grand Forks Human Research Center has been a world leader in mineral nutrition research for more than 30 years. It is one of six Human Nutrition Centers operated by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Center is one of the world's leading facilities for metabolic studies in healthy people and is internationally recognized for its contributions in the area of mineral nutrition.
Northland Community and Technical College - East Grand Forks
Northland Community and Technical College is a two-year institution that opened its doors in East Grand Forks, Minnesota in 1972. The East Grand Forks campus serves over 2,000 students; additional locations in Bemidji, Detroit Lakes, Moorhead and Wadena bring the total enrollment to nearly 17,000 credit and non-credit students.
The East Grand Forks campus offers a wide range of majors, but specializes in offering health-related career opportunities. Students complete programs such as Cardiovascular Technology, Chiropractic Technology and Para-medicine. Students can also take advantage of 19 Associate of Applied Science degrees offered cooperatively with the University of Minnesota-Crookston, as well as articulation agreements with Bemidji State University, Minnesota State University-Moorhead and the University of North Dakota.
University of Minnesota - Crookston
The University of Minnesota at Crookston is a public, co-educational institution and a coordinate campus of the University of Minnesota. The School is nationally known as the original “Thinkpad University". Ranked a U.S. News “Best College" for the last four years in the Midwest Public Colleges category, the University of Minnesota - Crookston has 20 baccalaureate degree programs, 6 associate degree programs, 3 certificate programs and over 2,000 students.
Mayville State University
Mayville State University was established in 1889 as a teacher's college and is located just 40 miles southwest of Grand Forks. All students have laptop computers on this "notebook campus", allowing them to be technologically driven as they study one of Mayville State University's 66 programs. Located in Mayville, North Dakota, Mayville State University has an enrollment of approximately 900 students.
Research/Education: K - 12
Grand Forks Public School District
The Grand Forks Public School District serves over 8,000 regular, special education and alternative education students and consists of 12 elementary schools (grades K-6), 3 middle schools (grades 7-8), 2 high schools (grades 9-12), one alternative schools (for students 16 and older) and one adult education center.
A long-standing tradition of excellence in education is the foundation for the Grand Forks Public School District.
- The Grand Forks Public School District has an average daily attendance rate of 96 percent and a graduation rate of 93.1 percent.
- Over 80 percent of graduating seniors in Grand Forks go on to college.
- Class sizes average between 15 and 20, giving students the personal attention they need to excel.
- Over 80 percent of Grand Forks students took the ACT, with an average score of 22 (equal to a score of 1020-1050 on the SAT Math and Reading or a score of 1550 on the 2400-Point SAT Estimate).
In June 2000, the U.S. Department of Education honored the Grand Forks Public School District with the Year 2000 Exemplary Career Guidance and Counseling Program. It was the only school in the nation to receive the award. The District was also a finalist for the 2002 National School of Character Designation Award from the Department of Education and Character Education Partnership. Grand Forks Public Schools were also ranked 14th out of 362 school systems studied in top metros of the U.S. overall for public schools.
Additional Awards:
- US Department of Labor - Model School-to-Work Program
- National School Boards Association - Named to the list of the Best 100 Communities for Music Education in America
- Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Award - Nominee
- Honor Unit in the Command for the JROTC Program
- Junior Achievement Award for Growth and Participation
- Several building level and individual awards, including Presidential Scholar award, state and national organization Presidencies, Presidential Science Teacher of the Year award, and Reading Teacher of the Year award
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