The university has the only schools of law and medicine in the state of North Dakota. Its best known college is perhaps its John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, the first in the country to offer a degree in unmanned aircraft systems operations, and programs in aviation and aerospace. Several national research institutions are on the university's campus including the Energy and Environmental Research Center, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center.
North Dakota's athletic teams compete in the NCAA's Division I. Most teams compete as members of the Big Sky Conference, with the exceptions of men's hockey (National Collegiate Hockey Conference), and swimming (Western Athletic Conference). The men's ice hockey team has won eight national championships and play in the Ralph Engelstad Arena.
History
Founding
UND was founded in 1883, six years before North Dakota became a state. Grand Forks native George H. Walsh submitted the bill to the Territorial Legislature of Dakota Territory that called for the new state of North Dakota's university to be in Grand Forks. The first classes were held on September 8, 1884. The first building at UND, Old Main, housed all classrooms, offices, dorm rooms, and a library. In the 1880s, UND consisted of only a few acres of property, surrounded by farms and fields, nearly two miles west of the city of Grand Forks. Students living off campus had to take a train or a horse and carriage bus, dubbed the "Black Maria", from downtown to the campus.
20th century
As the university grew, more buildings were constructed on campus and a trolley system was built to connect the growing university to downtown Grand Forks. However, there were several major interruptions in the life of the university. In 1918, UND was the country's hardest-hit single institution by the flu epidemic that killed 1,400 people in North Dakota alone. Later that year, classes were suspended so the campus could become an army base for soldiers during World War I. During the Great Depression, UND provided free housing to students willing to do manual labor on campus. "Camp Depression," as it was called, consisted of railroad cabooses that each housed eight male students. "Camp Depression" students did not get regular meals from the cafeteria and had to be satisfied with free leftovers. However, Grand Forks citizens often opened their homes and kitchen tables to many of these young men.
After World War II, enrollment quickly grew to more than 3,000. A large amount of housing and several academic buildings had to be built on campus. The 1950s saw the rise of the Fighting Sioux hockey tradition. In the 1960s and 1970s, many student protests occurred at UND. The largest was in May 1970 when over 1,500 students protested the Kent State shootings. In 1975, enrollment swelled to a record 8,500. The 1970s also saw the establishment of the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at UND. During the 1980s and 1990s the University continued to grow. However, the devastating 1997 Red River flood inundated numerous buildings on campus and forced the cancellation of the remainder of the school year.
21st century
The start of the 21st century was marked by the opening of two major venues for UND athletics. The Ralph Engelstad Arena, home of men's and women's hockey, and the Alerus Center, home of UND football, both opened in 2001. The Betty Engelstad Sioux Center opened in August 2004, and serves as home to UND volleyball and men's and women's basketball.
Millions of dollars worth of construction and renovation projects have dotted the campus landscape. As part of a plan to improve student facilities on campus, UND constructed a Wellness Center, a parking garage, and an apartment-style housing complex. Other construction projects around campus have included a new LEED Platinum-certified alumni center, a renovated and expanded College of Education and Human Development, and an expanded Energy and Environmental Research Center. As of 2014, a $124-million Medicine and Health Services building was under construction. The new building was designed by JLG Architects in partnership with Perkins+Will and Steinberg Architects.
In 2015, UND's economic impact on the state and region was estimated to be more than $1.4 billion a year according to the NDUS Systemwide Economic Study by the School of Economics at North Dakota State University. It was the fourth-largest employer in the state of North Dakota, after the Air Force.
Culture
The North Dakota Museum of Art, the official art museum of the state of North Dakota, is in the heart of campus and offers exhibits throughout the year. The Burtness Theater and the Chester Fritz Auditorium regularly feature theater and concert events. The Ralph Engelstad Arena also features non-athletic events including concerts. The nearby city-owned Alerus Center hosts several concerts each year as well as other events. Each year, UND hosts the University of North Dakota Writers Conference. This is a week-long event that brings together prominent American and foreign writers. Participants have included Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, Eudora Welty, Tom Wolfe, Allen Ginsberg, Louise Erdrich, Chuck Klosterman, and Gary Snyder.
The UND Concert Choir has distinguished tradition of performing renowned choral literature at the highest level of artistry. The choir performs regularly with the Grand Forks Chorales and tours overseas every three years. Most recently, the choir visited Japan in 2017, and toured Cuba in 2014.
The choir has performed such masterworks as Durufle's Requiem, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Chichester Psalms by Leornard Bernstein, Haydn's Creation, Mozart's Requiem, and Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem, from the recent past. The repertoire of the choir is explored through traditional, thematic, and newly composed music. Most of the repertoire is unaccompanied, with additions of strings, winds, and piano when appropriate. The repertoire is a mix of sacred and secular and includes all the style periords and genres.
Choir members are from many majors at UND, therefore, all majors are welcome and invited to audition. The concert choir rehearses four days a week and performs several concerts each year on and off campus and during annual spring tours.