The story behind the numbers, by Andy Armacost

September 25, 2025

Published in: Affinity, Alumni Association & Foundation, Armacost, Strategic Plan

The president reflects on the tough decisions, hard work and extraordinary partnerships that have built the UND of today

UND Class of 2029 group photo on the UND Quad — On Sunday, Aug. 24, UND’s Class of 2029 gathered on the UND Quad, just south of the Chester Fritz Library, for the annual freshman-class photo. UND set first-day records this week with both overall and new freshmen enrollment. Photo by Mike Hess/UND Today.

By Andy Armacost

To the entire UND community: I am proud of what we have accomplished together over the last few years. Students have flocked to UND in record numbers, and this should give us cause to celebrate.

If so, you’d be celebrating the wrong thing. Instead, we should be celebrating the opportunities that UND offers and the proven value we bring to our students’ lives. Our impressive enrollment numbers are a mere byproduct of the hard work and commitment we have shown to our students.

Getting to this point has been a long road. After peaking in the fall of 2012, enrollment dipped by 11% as we headed into the pandemic. Coming out of COVID, we increased steadily, and, for the last two years, we have seen unprecedented growth.

Our first-year class is the largest on record, having grown at an annual clip of 25% from 2023 through 2024 and another 15% heading into 2025. UND now attracts more undergraduate students from North Dakota than any university in the state.

Andrew Armacost speaking — UND President Andrew Armacost walks among attendees at the 2024 State of the University event. UND archival photo

This edition of UND Today talks about the important steps we took over the last decade to strengthen our campus and to lay a foundation for success. When the state enacted dramatic budget reductions in 2015 and 2016, UND made tough choices about expenditures, staffing and programs. We had no alternative than to make the tough calls, but it laid a foundation for the great success that would follow.

We made important decisions about our physical spaces, taking down aging facilities that had aged out, stabilizing funding for maintenance and modernizing the campus through donor and legislative support. And we did so at a bargain to the taxpayers.

We also grew our research funding during this decade from $65 million annually to just under $200 million annually, a direct result of the tremendous commitment of our scholars. Colleagues conducting cutting edge research found new ways to contribute to research efforts that pushed new frontiers in science and knowledge.

Many of you have lived this history and have been central to our campus’s current success. For that, I say thank you, and let’s keep it going. But please spend a few moments reading this great collection of stories to reflect upon where we have been and the journey to where we are.

The Road to Record Recovery package …

>> The story behind the numbers: UND President Andy Armacost reflects on the tough decisions, hard work and extraordinary partnerships that have built the University of today.

>> UND sets all-time enrollment record in fall 2025: The No. 1 destination of choice for North Dakota residents now counts 15,844 students, up 825 students over last year.

>> Record enrollment is just part of the story: Ten years ago at UND, budget cuts and program closures — not enrollment records — were top of mind. Here’s how that changed.

>> From layoffs to Leaders in Action: With strategic budget cuts and a farsighted master plan, UND modernized its campus and built a new brand.

>> Look at UND — then and now: Before- and after-shots show the amazing transformations that have taken place on the UND campus.

>> Community leaders reflect on UND’s momentum: Leaders express pride in partnerships, community, smart master planning, extraordinary philanthropy and an energized, beautiful campus.