Thank you and Good Morning.

North Dakota State University is a truly fine institution with a long tradition of educational excellence. We bring passion to our work, and are strongly committed to providing the best possible environment for our students, faculty and staff now and in the future.

In the past 10 years, we have accomplished a great deal for our students and for our state. We have broadened our research base, brought more educational opportunities to more students, and created facilities for both to flourish. We have furthered the strong traditions of this great institution and we have been to the Big Dance.

It has been a decade of very positive achievements in many important areas. North Dakotans have much to be proud of and can look forward to a brighter future thanks to the contributions of North Dakota State University.
Everyone here - every one in the NDSU family - has contributed and deserves credit for our achievements. Our success is built on the collective energy and commitment of all of you.

The North Dakota legislature, the Executive Branch, and the State Board of Higher Education continue to support the vision of higher education as an economic engine, and sustain the wisdom to grant flexibility with accountability. Our 2009-2011 state budget is the best ever, and we appreciate the state support of the NDSU Greenhouse and the Minard Hall renovation.

Our congressional delegation has been instrumental in bringing a tremendous amount of opportunity to NDSU and to North Dakota. By supporting our research capabilities and infrastructure needs, their efforts have benefitted the entire state of North Dakota, and we appreciate their support.

The cities of Fargo and West Fargo continue to be positive partners. The communities across the state that are home to our Research Extension Centers, the Forest Service, and our county extension offices are tremendously supportive and appreciated.

Our partners in the Development Foundation, and in the Alumni Association, and our Teammakers, give their time and generosity to foster the philanthropy so critical to our institution. Our many donors are integral to our success, and we are all thankful for their commitment.

Our private sector partners have stepped in and provided housing and other facilities to benefit our students.

Our faculty and staff are extremely talented, dedicated and hard working. They have met every new challenge, and have created a remarkable record of achievement. In my visits to the departments and programs on campus, I observe a tremendous level of energy and a commitment to continue our accomplishments in the future.

The students of NDSU are extraordinarily committed to the success of their institution and we are a better place because of them. This was especially evident last spring during the flood. Within moments of the first call for volunteers, our students lined up by the hundreds and put in countless hours of hard work. Our international students also joined the efforts, because, as one student said: "This is our home."

Faculty and staff also volunteered thousands of hours. When our communities needed us, we were there, and to everyone who contributed, I offer a heartfelt thank you.

Our alumni give their support generously, whether it's cheering at a ball game, wearing an NDSU shirt in the community or giving a financial gift. The spirit of NDSU lives in the alumni and is vital to our success.

Students, staff, faculty, alumni, friends, leaders, communities - all are crucial to our success and progress. I am deeply appreciative of all you have done.

When I arrived in 1999, our total enrollment was about 9,600 students. Today we have nearly 14,200 students. Ten years ago, we had 18 doctoral programs. Today we have 44. In 1999, we had 800 graduate students, and today we have more than 2,100. We had $44 million in research expenditures, and today, $115.5 million in research expenditures. This success has been widely recognized and reported nationally in the New York Times, Chronicle of Higher Education, network television news, and others.

In 1999, we were a very good Division II athletic program, and now have completed a highly successful transition to Division I, with 7 teams competing in post season play the first year we were eligible. Women's volleyball was the first team in NDSU history to advance to NCAA Division I post season play, and our women's softball team advanced the farthest, to the sweet 16 in their post season competition. In men's basketball, our team was the first to make it to the post season tournament in its first year of eligibility in 30 years, and it's only happened twice in NCAA history.

We knew that by being a strong and growing institution, we would benefit everyone. The economic impact to North Dakota over the past 10 years of just our growth is 3.15 Billion Dollars. By bringing students to the community, we boost the local economy as well. Our students spend about 110 million dollars a year in the local economy, over and above tuition and fees. Meanwhile, our tuition remains competitively low in the region.

We expanded our services to students, developing the Academic Collegiate Enhancement program for tutoring, an Advising Program, an Equity and Diversity Center, and tripled the size of the Wellness Center. We helped change the face of downtown Fargo, by bringing thousands of students a day to our three academic buildings.

Tomorrow we will formally dedicate the opening of Richard H. Barry Hall. This is a world class facility, and is a prime example of the powerful result that comes from commitment by alumni and friends and businesses. Generous gifts of time, money, and ideas, all came together to make it possible.



Thanks to the contributions of many people who believe in NDSU, students have the opportunity to study at the home of the College of Business and the Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics, along with our Center for Global Initiatives and Leadership, which provides a broad range of interdisciplinary programming to educate students on matters of global importance, and prepare them for global leadership. The North Dakota Trade office also is located in Barry Hall, fostering connections between our students and faculty with private sector activity around the globe. The State Agricultural Department also will have an office in Barry Hall.

This is a truly remarkable addition to the instruction, research and outreach capabilities we offer our students and citizens. North Dakota is dependent on the rest of the world for its well being, and this global approach to education helps our students prepare to serve the state.

In fact, in the past 10 years we expanded the university's infrastructure to accommodate many needs of students and the state. In addition to Renaissance Hall, Klai Hall, and Barry Hall in downtown Fargo, we have added the Equine Science Center, three buildings at the Research and Technology Park, new residence halls and several other structures.

We also renovated or adapted a number of buildings to meet rapidly growing needs, including the Criminal Justice building, the Graduate Center, Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse, the Memorial Union, Sudro Hall, the Beef Center of Excellence, the Arboretum, the Animal Physiology and Nutrition Center, to name a few. Right now, Minard Hall is undergoing an extensive and much needed renovation.

When I arrived, it was clear North Dakota needed to become more entrepreneurial, and NDSU aspired to be more than a regional university. Research funding comes when you have the infrastructure and the people who have the education and desire to do the work. We made that happen because it was needed and we wanted to do it. We established a Research and Technology Park that is nationally recognized as a model of how to do it right. We went to the private sector, and brought a spirit of true partnership. To date, the park has attracted 17 new businesses, and created hundreds of good jobs.

Our Alumni and Friends recognize the quality of our efforts, and the necessity of advancing the opportunities in North Dakota. They contributed generously to a capital campaign, which raised 108 million dollars.

Our students deserve a very high quality education, and the opportunity to live and work in a state that values progress and achievement. In the last 10 years, more and more North Dakota students have been able to stay in North Dakota, to build good careers, to raise their families. 73 percent of our 2009 employed graduates who are from North Dakota are employed in North Dakota, up from 66 percent last year. And 38 percent of the Minnesota students are working in North Dakota.

We have worked diligently to educate our students outside the classroom. We established the President's Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs, which has developed a long-term, comprehensive plan grounded in proven prevention strategies to address alcohol and other drug issues at NDSU. This comprehensive plan was developed with input and guidance from students, faculty, staff and community members.

We continue to advocate for and further develop an inclusive environment. This is important on so many fronts. For our graduates to succeed in a global work world we must offer a diverse environment. Embracing diversity is essential to our future.

As a Land Grant University, it is our charge to prepare people for change. We have accomplished many, many good things because we provided the leadership to recognize and develop opportunities and because talented people welcomed the challenges. Progress doesn't come without pushing the envelope, and at times sparking controversy. We modeled our goals on the land-grant ideal, with a clear understanding of the positive impact we can have on our students and our state.

For the past 10 years my efforts have been about moving North Dakota forward. When I interviewed for this position, I said that my strength was in creating an environment where people succeed, and that has remained my focus. We are on this journey together. As one of our colleagues said to me a few years ago, once you achieve the next level, you can never go back.

We have in fact laid a strong foundation for a bright future. As we move ahead, let us be mindful of our qualitative themes. To be inclusive, responsive and excellent is the basis for positive achievement.

It is an honor today to celebrate the successes and appreciate our community over the past year. It also is a day for renewing our commitment to the opportunity to lead the world in change as our Land Grant mission demands.

North Dakota State University changes lives. Research at North Dakota State University changes the world. We have the tools and the talent and the ability. We are North Dakota State University.

Thank you.