Discovery
Advance research, creative activity, and scholarship through our spirit of inquiry and our desire to better understand the world around us.
As a nationally recognized public research institution, UND cultivates excellence in creativity, research and innovation. As North Dakota’s flagship university, with nine colleges and schools―as well as several centers and institutions―it is our responsibility to both serve and lead the region in our distinctive areas of expertise and excellence.
Rooted in the liberal arts traditions of critical thinking, problem-solving and intellectual risk-taking, our commitments to the principles of innovation and creativity are reflected in our research, partnerships, creative work and teaching. We value the breadth of scholarly work that is being produced all across UND. It is this which makes possible the interdisciplinary collaboration that is essential for addressing complex problems. This breadth, combined with the depth embodied by UND’s Grand Challenges, is what helps propel North Dakota toward new horizons.
We will cultivate an inclusive environment where creative expression, intellectual risk-taking, critical inquiry, research excellence and a spirit of wonder flourish. By removing barriers between disciplines and communities, we can engage in substantive public discourse, intentional research and focused actions aimed at finding cutting-edge solutions and building a more inclusive world. We value academic freedom, free speech, creative expression, critical inquiry and innovative thinking, and we will forge partnerships that lead the way in developing responsible solutions to pressing problems.
Discovery Strategic Priorities
UND Leads by fostering a culture of creativity, research and innovation; preparing
students for the workplace
through hands-on research, inspiring collaboration and cross disciplinary work, and
uniting UND with partners
in the community, state and beyond. We will:
- Coordinate and manage resources to support the strategic balance of breadth and depth of research, creative activity, and scholarship happening across campus.
- Foster innovative teaching, applied learning, and transformative research that exemplifies discovery, as shown by experimenting, researching, drafting, writing, prototyping, rehearsing, etc.
- Infuse creative expression, critical inquiry, and innovation across the students’ learning journeys by supporting comprehensive curricular and co-curricular participation in research.
- Enhance and deepen UND’s Grand Challenge areas which foster and sustain cross-disciplinary
teams dedicated to identifying solutions to pressing challenges. Be open to the addition of new Grand Challenges to help meet society’s changing needs. - Facilitate and enhance connections, where new and existing partners―including industry, government, and inter-institutional collaborations, among others―can easily engage, and where internal efforts to foster partnerships can be supported and flourish.
- Strengthen service units that support creativity, research and innovation in all stages, from program development to promotion and beyond.
- Further empower departments and units to establish appropriate and measurable outcomes for creative activity and research. These outcomes should be specific to each department’s professional discipline and incorporated into the evaluation process and faculty tenure and promotion standards.
Discovery Stories
