Former Sen. Byron Dorgan will visit classes Thursday and Friday
Former U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., will be a special guest on campus Thursday and Friday and will speak to classes while he’s here.
Sen. Dorgan, who stepped away from politics earlier this year after a 41-year public service career, 30 of which were spent representing North Dakota in Congress, is scheduled to speak in Dana Harsell’s “State and Local Government” class between 11 a.m. and 12:15 p.m., on Thursday, March 31 in Gamble Hall, room 1; and then in Mark Jendrysik’s political science class between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., Friday, April 1, also in Gamble Hall, room 1.
The media is welcome to attend either of the senator’s classroom visits.
Sen. Dorgan, over the years, repeatedly has spoken fondly of his long association with UND, dating back to his years as an undergraduate when he stepped onto campus for the first time. He came from Regent, N.D., in the southwestern part of the state, with a high school graduating class that had fewer people than the number of students in one classroom at UND.
Sen. Dorgan graduated from UND in 1965, before going on to an illustrious 41-year public service career at the state and national level.
In 2002, the Senator was invited back to UND to receive an honorary Doctor of Letters Degree. It was then that he addressed other UND graduates, telling them that he was living proof that anything is possible if you think big enough.
“UND is a wonderful institution, and I treasured the time I spent [there],” he said, at the time, “It’s been an honor and a privilege to stay so closely involved with the University since my graduation many years ago.”
In December, Sen. Dorgan started the process of handing over a significant portion of all records documenting his public service. The Dorgan Papers will be housed in the UND Chester Fritz Library’s Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.
“Archiving the materials from my Congressional service will offer students and the general public the opportunity to have access to the papers, records and materials that reflect my 30 years of service in the United States Congress,” he said. “I am proud that UND is interested in archiving these materials.”
U.S. Sen. Byron L. Dorgan:
Sen. Dorgan became North Dakota’s youngest-ever constitutional officer, at age 26, when he was appointed State Tax Commissioner in 1969. He is well-known for his advocacy on behalf of family farmers, seniors, veterans, American Indians and small businesses.
His Red River Valley Research Corridor initiative has created thousands of jobs in the state and has had a $1 billion impact on the region. The tremendous success of the Research Corridor has helped to curb out-migration and has contributed greatly to North Dakota’s economic prosperity.
Currently, Senator Dorgan holds many influential positions in the U.S. Senate. He serves as Chairman of the Senate’s Democratic Policy Committee; Committee on Indian Affairs; Energy and Water Development Subcommittee; and Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security. He is a senior member of the full Appropriations, Commerce and Energy Committees.
Senator Dorgan’s rural upbringing is something he’s very proud of. He grew up in the small southwestern North Dakota community of Regent, where his family worked in the farm equipment and petroleum business and raised cattle and horses.
— David Dodds, writer/editor, University Relations, 777-5529, david.dodds@email.und.edu.
