Robert Boyd, Long Serving VP for Student and Outreach Services, to Retire Dec. 31

Robert H. Boyd, long serving Vice President for Student and Outreach Services at the University, has announced his intention to retire Dec. 31.

“It has been a privilege to serve UND.  I am passionate about this institution because of the way it has treated me, and more importantly, because of what it does for students.  Students climb off the combine on the family farm or sweep the floor of the family drug store for the last time and come to UND and leave as physicians, artists, poets, entrepreneurs, and a variety of other professions.  For them UND, is a place where dreams come true.  I have had the wonderful satisfaction of being a witness to that,” said Boyd.

“UND is coming to the end of an era with Vice President Robert Boyd’s decision to retire from the University.  Bob has been a leader and advocate for higher education and for students for more than 30 years.  His commitment to serving students and to their success is well documented through his many achievements, awards and honors.  On a very personal level, Bob was among the first to welcome Marcia and me to UND when we arrived in 2008, and very quickly became a trusted advisor and friend.  As I observed his commitment to the institution and to UND’s students, I came to think of him as ‘Mr. UND.’  I enjoyed introducing him as such, although I think it might have made him a little uncomfortable.  UND, and I, will miss his contributions to this exceptional institution,” said President Robert O. Kelley.

Boyd has been with UND for more than 30 years, starting out as the Director of Extension and Professional Services, next as the Dean of Outreach Programs and since 1998 as the Vice President for Student and Outreach Services.  Areas reporting to Boyd include Health and Wellness, Enrollment Management, Student Services, and Outreach Services.

During his time at UND, Boyd has often been the “go-to” leader for UND presidents.  In the late 1990s, then president Ken Baker tapped Boyd to run the “virtual” University set up by UND in the immediate aftermath of the Flood of ’97.  He then asked Boyd to chair the Exigency Task Force on Enrollment to help return UND to its preflood headcount.  A year later, he turned to Boyd to lead the newly reconstituted Division of Student and Outreach Services.  Four UND presidents asked Boyd to lead the recruitment of high-level positions to campus and appointed him co-chair of the task group that guided UND in its move to Division I Athletics.  President Emeritus Charles Kupchella appointed Boyd to chair UND’s Quasquicentennial, the celebration of 125 years.  Meanwhile, Boyd has led his own vice presidential division to a level of excellence that has often been noted through national awards.

Boyd has had many major accomplishments during his career, including:

• Being widely known as a strong advocate for students;
• Leading the initiative to use technology to provide access to UND at a distance (Interactive Video Network (IVN) and Internet online) and served as the first leader of
  the state-wide IVN system;
• Developing processes and procedures that permitted non-traditional students to have easy access to UND;
• Leading a small continuing education unit to one that is the most comprehensive unit in the region and which has gained national recognition;
• Leading enrollment growth to record highs;
• Establishing a health and wellness unit that led to the construction of a $19 million facility;
• Leading the initiative to save and use the former Carnegie Library on campus as a welcome center and home for Enrollment Services;
• Leading the development of the only fully accredited undergraduate distance engineering program in the nation;
• Establishing the UND Graduate Center at Bismarck State College in 1980;
• Being a much sought after speaker, including serving as a commencement speaker at UND in 2005

During his career at UND, Boyd has been active in the Grand Forks community, as well, a fact that earned him the Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce’s prestigious Henry Havig Award in 2008.  He has been involved in many community organizations, has invested countless hours volunteering on committees, and has served on boards of organizations like The Chamber of Commerce (serving as Board Chair in 1998), the United Way, North Dakota United Methodist Church, Prairie Public Broadcasting and many more.

Boyd started his career as a high school mathematics teacher in Mohall, N.D., winning two awards as Outstanding Young Educator.  Since that time, he has received awards for outstanding achievements in the education field, the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Service and Extraordinary Leadership, to name a few.  In 1996, he was awarded the prestigious Julius M. Nolte Award, one of the highest national awards presented by the University Continuing Education Association.  Boyd has built a reputation as a catalyst for promoting leadership and management qualities, and spent more than two decades consulting and coordinating strategic planning for businesses, schools and hospitals.

Boyd has also had a career-long interest in addressing alcohol abuse among students. During his years as principal of Magic City High School in Minot, he initiated an award-winning, student-led program that involved peer counseling, education, and coaching.  As dean Outreach Programs, his education unit at UND was the coordinating body for the International School for Alcohol Studies.  He was instrumental in establishing a task force on high risk drinking; a task force that officially became the Commission on Student Use of Alcohol.