Board keeps UND expansion alive

The state Board of Higher Education aims to keep an expansion of the University of North Dakota medical school alive by going to legislators with a more moderate proposal.

Board members decided Thursday to ask legislators for about $1.8 million for the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The money would fund eight additional medical students, 15 more health science students and nine new residency slots.

Gov. Jack Dalrymple did not include in his budget recommendation a significant expansion of the medical school, which included a $28.9 million facility.

Chancellor Bill Goetz said in order to keep the medical school proposal on the table, he’s recommending the more moderate investment of $1.8 million for the 2011-13 biennium.

It would also require investment for the following biennium so those students could complete their programs, Goetz said, for a total of about $6 million.

Goetz also recommends that legislators commission an interim study to examine the state’s health care work force needs and the role of the medical school to meet those needs.

“We know that we face in North Dakota some real challenges as it relates to our medical care needs,” Goetz said during the meeting, which was over conference call.

Board member Grant Shaft of Grand Forks said he agrees with the recommendation, but said members need to be mindful that the medical school will have some facility needs by expanding the number of students who are served.

Goetz said with the new proposal UND could accommodate the additional students, but it would be crowded.

Board members decided to continue discussing an information technology facility that would serve the university system and be housed at UND.

The board requested $17.6 million for the facility, and Dalrymple recommended $11.2 million.

Board members said discussions with legislative leadership indicate they’re not in favor of spending $17.6 million on the project.

Board member Duaine Espegard of Grand Forks suggested that officials visit again with the architect to see if the cost could be brought down.

“This could be the one issue in the session that could give us some grief,” Espegard said.

Board members identified two other areas they will seek legislative support for that were not in Dalrymple’s budget:

* $510,000 in one-time funding to buy online tutoring and writing software to improve student performance and retention.

* More than $4 million for smalland medium-sized building projects for the 11 campuses, such as classroom renovations, roof replacements and new elevators.

The requests are in addition to Dalrymple’s budget recommendation, which calls for about a 13 percent increase in ongoing funding for higher education and a 7 percent increase in one-time spending.

Amy Dalrymple is a reporter at The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, which is owned by Forum Communications Co.

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