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Recovery Mode is Over At NDSU

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By Alyssa Pereira

North Dakota State University is now in a time of stability after facing statewide budget cuts last year, according to Provost Beth Ingram. On February 22, 2017, NDSU President Dean Bresciani announced cuts to key senior administrative positions.

In the announcement, Bresciani referred to the state’s financial situation as “the largest economic recession in a quarter-century.” In response to this financial crisis, the NDSU Division of Student Affairs, senior level administrative positions, and support staff under the division were dissolved. Additionally, athletics and other administrative areas took cuts, while academic areas saw a budget reduction through the general support fund.A year later, the results of these cuts can now be more clearly seen, and the outcome is overall positive. There has been no direct negative impact on the student experience nor were any programs or majors eliminated due to the budget, according to Ingram.

“We are guided by the strategic plan which says there are two things we focus on: students, the student experience and student success, and the research mission,” Ingram said.

  Additionally, the university has not seen an increase in faculty departing the institution since the budget cuts.

“The percentage of faculty that are leaving for jobs elsewhere is the same as it has always been. It ranges from about six to eight percent,” Ingram said.

With the financial stability, upper-level administration now turn their attention to the future.

“The president has set a goal for about 18,000 students,” Ingram said. “He thinks any more than that, we outgrow the personalized attention that students expect on our campus.”

Ingram is confident in this goal and the universities ability to serve a larger student body.

The university is already seeing an increase in incoming out-of-state students from states other than Minnesota and South Dakota. Ingram attributes this increase partly to the new tuition model starting in the new academic year. Out-of-state tuition will reduce from 267 percent of in-state tuition to 150 percent.

Furthermore, the growth of the Fargo-Moorhead area leads way to the growth of NDSU.

“As a research university, our strength depends on the community that we live in,” Ingram said. The larger the community around the university gets, the more attraction there is for incoming students. Ingram believes the vibrant Fargo-Moorhead community is a real selling point for NDSU with a great community and plenty of future job prospects after graduation. The link between the university and the Fargo-Moorhead community keeps both going strong.

“I think we sustain each other,” Ingram said. “But as Fargo grows, NDSU can grow, and if we got to the point where 18,000 was not a big enough population to support the needs of Fargo-Moorhead, we would talk about what we would need to do to grow beyond 18,000.”

Future budget cuts may be on the horizon, but this has not been confirmed. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum released his preliminary budget guidelines Wednesday, April 18, which outlined more than $50 million cut to higher education. If this passes, NDSU will have to take another look at where additional cuts can be made.

Although this is not an ideal situation, the current strength of the university’s strategic plan as well as the growth of the Fargo-Moorhead community, NDSU is in a good position to manage any future, unforeseen challenges.

YMCA Brings Community Integration to Youth

Original Post

By Alyssa Pereira

A simple classroom in a local YMCA may not seem like much to most, but to some youth in the community, it is a place that allows them to grow and develop in a positive way. The Y’s Reach and Rise program is bettering the lives of youth in the Fargo-Moorhead community by placing positive adult role models in their lives.

This national Y group mentoring program operates in 38 states around the country. Children between the ages of 8-15 are match with a group of up to five other youth and two local adult community members who act as mentors.

“We aim to match youth with adults that they feel that they can connect with,” said Valerie Fechner, program director “to give them healthy positive relationships that can hopefully help them grow in whatever area they may be struggling with and may need support with.”

Fechner believe youth are the future and it is important to ensure they are equipped with the skills and tools needed to succeed. Mentoring programs such as Reach and Rise do just this. Mentors in the program use therapeutic techniques along with research based activities to enhance self-esteem, confidence, decision-making skills, school performance and relationships.

Within the Fargo-Moorhead community, Y of Cass Clay focuses on bettering the lives of the community, including the youth. Reach and Rise was established in this community about a year ago and has since seen continued success. About 90 percent of refereed youth are matched with a group and there is rarely a struggle to find mentors.

“There are adults in our community who want to invest in the future generations and be a positive influence for a child,” Fechner said.

These volunteer mentors understand community grows with the future, and the youth are what will make the Fargo-Moorhead area thrive. According to the 2016 Fargo-Moorhead Demographic Forecast, the population of youth aged 5 to 17 in Cass and Clay counties will increase from 31,133 in 2015 to 39,135 by 2020. With this growth, the need for programs such as Reach and Rise will increase. From what Fechner is already seeing, a growing community impacts local schools and neighborhoods as the number of youths increase.

Reach and Rise lends itself to accommodating area growth. “It is a great program to be able to reach new communities and new people who maybe aren’t used to this area and another resource they can rely on,” Fechner said.

Another valuable aspect of this program is its mobility. Mentors are able to bring the program wherever the youth are able to meet, whether that is community centers, local schools, or YMCA sites. Fechner has little concern that Y of Cass Clay will not be able to meet the needs of the growing community.

Overall, the feedback Fechner has received from parents and youth has been very positive. The hope is that as this community expands so will the Reach and Rise, impacting more youth and adapting to the new communities.

“We believe in the mission and we are excited to get that going.” Fechner said.