President Message: UND now classified as R1 research institution

President Armacost and Scott Snyder, vice president for Research & Economic Development, appear in a special edition of the president’s video series to share major news for the University of North Dakota.

The University is now classified as R1 by the Carnegie Foundation. Institutions that are classified as Carnegie R1 have “very high research activity,” denoting that annual research expenditures exceed $50 million and the institution awards at least 70 doctorates each year.

In joining the fewer than 200 universities nationwide designated as R1, UND went above and beyond the thresholds in the past couple years, Snyder says.

For 2023, the year used by the Carnegie Foundation to measure production, UND recorded $182 million in research expenditures and graduated 105 doctoral students.

The milestone goes beyond mere recognition, Snyder adds, in that it opens the door for more collaborations, additional funding opportunities and further credibility in UND’s ability to recruit faculty, staff and students.

Armacost asks what it takes to reach R1, aside from numerical thresholds, and Snyder says it amounts to dedication, creativity, innovation and the commitment to discovery that is central to the UND LEADS Strategic Plan.

The pair laud UND as a place where research of all kinds is encouraged and supported — to find out new things about the world, whatever parts of it those on campus want to study.

In closing, they congratulate the UND community for everything it’s done to make the new designation possible.