NDSU Students react to institution’s proposed academic reorganization plan

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - North Dakota State University announced plans to restructure its institution.

The first step is possibly reorganizing and potentially merging or eliminating some academic programs.

In October, NDSU President David Cook announced major budget cuts, citing a budget shortfall of $10.5 million.

To cut costs, the university is considering decreasing the number of colleges, which in return could mean cutting or merging programs.

“This is a college we are here to be educated so cutting programs likely isn’t a great way to save some money,” said Regan Johnson, an NDSU student.

Some students are now questioning the possible impacts of the proposed plan.

“Just kind of curious for the most part. There could be a lot of different effects, especially depending on if they also cut down on how many people are working on there in each of the different departments,” said Andrea Strange, another NDSU student.

Many also say the strategy may not be best.

“They’re spending money left and right. They just built a new football complex,” said Grace Nantt, a freshman student. ”It feels a little odd to cut academic programs.”

President Cook says there is an opportunity to add more programs following the reorganization.

He says the goal is to help the university stay attractive to future students and the workforce.

Some students worry this may not be the case.

“NDSU is a big engineering school and they have a new nursing program. Depending on the ones they cut, it could really cut down on the students that want to attend NDSU,” said Johnson.

The university has yet to determine which programs could be cut or merged.

A comprehensive plan for the potential changes isn’t expected until January.

NDSU is asking for feedback from students, regarding possible restructuring options.

More information on the proposed plans can be found on the institution’s website.

The survey can be found here.

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