General News

A futurist who concentrates on higher education believes there are a number of “outside forces” that will likely re-shape higher ed as we know it.

Bryan Alexander was a speaker at the Western Interstate Compact for Higher Education meeting in Bismarck. He said one of the big trends is the change in demographics. Alexander said the population is aging – and the number of high school students who attend college is starting to decline.

The North Dakota Student Association has been working on a “Student Data Privacy and Security Bill of Rights.”

Student Association president Jared Melville of Fargo – who just graduated from NDSU – said this is in response to the erosion of privacy rights since the wake of the digital transformation of society. Melville said just about every day there are reports of data being used by companies like Google and Facebook without permission.

After 22 years on the board of directors of Bismarck-based MDU Resources, Harry Pearce is stepping down.

Pearce has been the chair of the board for the past 14 years.

"It's been a great ride, I'll say that," Pearce said.

Before joining MDU, Pearce had been the vice-president for General Motors, before joining MDU. He had been a partner in the Pearce and Durick Law Firm in Bismarck. Pearce had served as a Bismarck City Commissioner and municipal judge, as well as a US Magistrate.

Tuition at the UND Law School will be going up next semester.

But the University says the Law School is still at or near the bottom of law schools, when it comes to tuition rates.

UND associate vice president for finance Karla Stewart told a subcommittee of the Board of Higher Education the tuition rate at the law school will go up by about 13 percent.

"This brings the per-credit rate to $439, which is the base rate at UND for all graduate programs," Stewart said.

That’s $13,176 per student per year.

After facing the potential loss of the Dakota Women's Correctional and Rehabilitation Center in New England, residents of the Hettiger County Community are energized with support… Prairie Public Reporter Todd McDonald has this story...

After dropping in February, North Dakota oil production rebounded in March.

In January, North Dakota produced 1,403,808 barrels per day. That dropped in February to 1,335,591. But state mineral resources director Lynn Helms, in his monthly "Director's Cut," reported March production went up, to 1,390.138 barrels per day.

"That's still about 13,000 barrels per day short of the record," Helms said.

Helms said the weather in February and the first half of March was brutal.

"There was literally nothing moving," Helms said.

That changed after mid-March.

Otter Tail Power Company customers will see an added charge to their monthly bills.

It’s called a “generation cost recovery charge.” For an average Otter Tail residential customer, using 1000 kilowatts of power, it will be an added $1.96.

A committee of the State Board of Higher Education has endorsed a plan by Williston State College to charge in-state tuition rates for students from surrounding states and Canadian provinces.

WSC has done this in the past.

College President Dr. John Miller told the Board’s Budget and Finance Committee he’s concerned about the college remaining competitive.

"We believe that, if we keep our factors, our tuition at a cost-effective place, it's going to spur growth," Miller said. "That, in turn, will lead to additional tuition revenue in the long run."