LEADS: Building a legacy of service

Editor’s note: The following letter, written by Katie Barta, faculty affairs specialist at UND; Chih Ming Tan, Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor and Page Endowed Chair in applied economics; and John Gray, UND ’87, and Karen Schmidt-Gray, UND ’82, alumni donors who were honored with the Sioux Award for Distinguished Achievement & Leadership in 2025, introduces a special edition of UND Today devoted to the Service core value of the UND LEADS Strategic Plan. Head over to UND Today to read the full selection of stories.

Service is one of the defining ways the University of North Dakota fulfills its mission to the state, region and beyond. Faculty and staff prepare future leaders, expand opportunity and help solve challenges through teaching, research or civic engagement.

That work doesn’t happen by chance. It is made possible through investments in people — investments that give faculty the time, resources and support to pursue meaningful research, mentor students and strengthen communities. Endowed faculty positions are one example of how philanthropy fuels that mission, creating opportunities that reach far beyond the classroom and leave a lasting impact on generations of students.

We are three members of the UND community who are sharing our perspectives on the power of endowed faculty positions. We hope our stories, taken together, will show how investing in exceptional educators can create a ripple effect of service that benefits students and communities for years to come.

Service beyond the classroom

• From Katie Barta, faculty affairs specialist at UND

When conversations on campus turn to supporting faculty, teaching and research are often what get discussed first, with service being mentioned at the end. It is there, but it sometimes can be treated as an afterthought, rather than a priority.

But what if we take a step back and look at service through a broader lens?

Since joining UND, I’ve had the chance to learn about and support our Endowed Faculty, while seeing the impact these faculty members have across campus. The efforts endowed faculty make in their teaching and research contribute to something much larger: service to the whole campus.

With access to endowed position funding, endowed faculty members are able to concentrate their efforts in teaching and research, elevating themselves as experts in their fields, while also bringing their students along with them.

Our faculty pave the way for better access to health care across the state, serve underprivileged communities by improving access to legal services, and work to develop support systems for rural educators. These efforts all elevate the University of North Dakota and the strategic mission to serve the residents of this state.

Endowed faculty set a high bar, but it is one we all should strive to reach. Thank you for your service to our campus and our state!

More than a title

• From Chih Ming Tan, Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor, Page Endowed Professor in Applied Economics, and associate dean for research at UND’s Nistler College of Business & Public Administration

Every researcher has a story behind the questions they pursue. Mine began long before I became a professor, when early life experiences convinced me that opportunity can greatly shape a person’s future. That conviction keeps guiding my research today, and it has made me especially thankful for the opportunities the Page Endowed Chair has provided.

President Andrew Armacost has often spoken about maintaining UND’s momentum. I remember him once reminding us that momentum is simply mass multiplied by acceleration—a wonderfully “vintage Armacost” way of making the point. I think endowed faculty positions are an important part of that equation.

They help UND attract and retain accomplished scholars who are passionate about teaching, research and service. They also create an environment where excellence becomes contagious. When you are surrounded by colleagues who are asking better questions, pursuing bigger ideas and encouraging one another to reach the next level, you naturally want to do the same. That collective energy becomes far greater than the sum of our individual efforts.

This is what I believe endowed positions make possible. They strengthen the people who make UND what it is. They allow faculty to devote more of their energy to discovery, mentorship and service while giving students access to exceptional educators and researchers.

I am deeply grateful to Greg and Cindy Page for their generosity. Their support has allowed me to pursue research, mentor graduate and undergraduate students, bring distinguished scholars to campus and collaborate in ways that have strengthened our scholarly community. While my own work has benefited from these opportunities, more importantly, they’ve also provided opportunities for the students and colleagues who have shared in them. I’m reminded every day that an endowed position is much more than a title. It’s an investment in people and in the future of the University.

At the end of the day, universities succeed because of people. Endowed faculty positions help UND continue building a community of talented, dedicated people who inspire one another—and who, in turn, inspire the next generation of leaders, scholars and citizens.

Investing in those who inspire

• From John Gray, UND ’87, and Karen Schmidt-Gray, UND ’82

During our time at the University of North Dakota, what impacted us the most were the people we met. This includes fellow students who became lifelong friends, as well as faculty. We don’t just think of the many experiences that were so impactful in our overall education (dorm, sporting events, sorority), but also the classes.

Specifically, we still remember the professors who not only taught but truly engaged with us by challenging our thinking and opening our minds to new possibilities. A number of different professors we met and worked with at UND left permanent, positive marks on our lives to this day.

That firsthand experience is exactly why we are committed to funding two different endowed chairs at UND, one at the School of Medicine & Health Sciences and one at the College of Arts & Sciences. We deeply believe that the heart of a great university is its faculty. A higher education institution can only achieve true excellence and long-term success if it is built upon a foundation of top-notch, highly qualified and engaged educators.

Through our experience on the current Forever UND campaign, we know that UND is committed to securing and increasing endowed faculty positions. Our goal is to help this commitment by ensuring that future generations of UND students have access to that same transformative mentorship.

Great professors do more than deliver lectures; they spark curiosity, provide guidance, and create lifelong impacts on students long after graduation. Through our gift, we are honored to invest in the current and future educators who will help shape the leaders, thinkers, and innovators of tomorrow, keeping the spirit of UND strong for decades to come.