June 14 video from President Armacost

Summer greetings

President Armacost offers summer greetings, and hopes the peace of summer has settled in as the campus takes a breather and prepares for the fall semester.

He notes that today, Tuesday, June 14, is Primary Day in North Dakota and hopes everyone has expressed their voice at the ballot box.

He offers a warm UND welcome to new Law Dean Brian Pappas, who  begins his duties in July, and thanks Dean Mike McGinniss, who has contributed so much to the campus, the School of Law, and the State of North Dakota.

Armacost says farewell to Vice President for Finance & Operations Jed Shivers, who is leaving next month to take a similar position at Stony Book University on Long Island. He thanks Shivers and his wife for their impact, professionalism, and friendship. He also says goodbye to Dean of Libraries Stephanie Walker, who will move to the University of Massachusetts Boston, noting that she has given so much to campus with her energy, her vision, and willingness to create a library that supports learning and discovery.

We recently lost a North Dakota legend, retired North Dakota Supreme Court Justice and UND alum Beryl Levine, who passed away at age 86. She attended UND Law School as a mother of five children and graduated as a top law student.

June 14 is also Flag Day, and as a person who served in uniform for 30 years, Armacost says the flag represents the ideal of a democratic nation founded on the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and he remembers the great sacrifice so many have made. He looks to the flag as a binding force for the nation, and says the work we do at UND will continue to fulfill that aspiration.

He thanks everyone for what they do, for what they bring to one another, and for coming together to support one another.