From Helena Worthen
Organizers from North Dakota United (NDU) recently met with HELU organizers to discuss ND higher education workers’ situation and make connections with activists in other states. NDU is an 11,000 member state-level education and public employee union. In 2023, with the help of NDU advocacy, a bill in the North Dakota legislature, HB 1446, that would have limited tenure at two universities, failed to pass in the senate by one vote. North Dakota’s legislature meets only every two years. The project was then taken up by the Chancellor of the University system. The result in March 2024 was a report recommending strong limitations on tenure throughout the higher ed system including community colleges. The Chancellor is appointed by Republican Governor Doug Burger.
Community colleges and universities in North Dakota are spread across many miles of thinly populated landscape. Many students in North Dakota higher ed come from Minnesota to take advantage of low tuition. The establishment of the North Star Promise scholarship, a similarly low tuition program in Minnesota set to start in fall 2024, is likely to reduce enrollment in North Dakota, but not eliminate the need for centers of higher education in remote communities. However, faculty may be reluctant to locate in small communities without the expectation of tenure.