Equity in action: Creating opportunities for success

October 27, 2026

Published in: Equity

From digital accessibility to flexible learning, UND initiatives are expanding educational opportunities while advancing statewide priorities

Students seated around conference tables with laptops participate in a hybrid learning session as a woman stands at the front of the room and remote participants appear on a large video screen. — Students participate in a hybrid learning environment at UND, connecting with remote participants through video conferencing while collaborating in person. Photo by Mike Hess/UND Today.

The UND LEADS core value of Equity, with its tagline “Opportunities for Success,” is reflected in initiatives across the University. Among them are efforts to reduce barriers to higher education, expand access through online learning and provide flexible educational options for students.

These priorities are critical components of UND’s strategic plan and position the University to play an important role in the new strategic framework developed by the North Dakota University System.

The new NDUS strategic playbook calls for, among other things, attracting and retaining more out-of-state students and helping more North Dakota adults complete and advance their education. Online learning opportunities will play an important role in both priority areas.

However, online learning presents its own challenges. Establishing a sense of community in virtual classrooms can be difficult, and providing academic and co-curricular support may require nontraditional approaches. The role of artificial intelligence in learning environments also can differ substantially when students are learning at a distance.

Through work aligned with the UND LEADS Strategic Plan, the University is addressing these challenges in several ways.

Reducing barriers through digital accessibility

UND’s Office of Civil Rights and Disability Resources has led efforts to improve digital accessibility through its Digital Accessibility Committee.

According to the committee’s website, its purpose is to “lead and coordinate efforts across the institution in making digital resources, platforms and technologies accessible to individuals with disabilities.”

The office’s Digital Accessibility Remediation by Graduate Students initiative further supports efforts to reduce barriers and ensure access to online learning environments.

Together, these efforts demonstrate UND LEADS in action by making digital educational resources more accessible to students across North Dakota and beyond.

Connecting students beyond the classroom

Ensuring that distance students can participate in the broader UND experience is the focus of Distance Student Event Programs offered by Student Involvement and Parent Programs.

Coordinated by Student Activities Specialist Maren Dewar, the programs include newsletters highlighting upcoming events, online coffee talks, drawings and opportunities to attend UND athletic events when teams compete in students’ home cities.

Dewar says the goal is to ensure distance students “feel as integrated and involved as possible” in the activities of the UND community.

These activities help extend the campus experience to students who may never regularly attend classes in Grand Forks.

Expanding educational pathways across North Dakota

Academic programs also play an important role in advancing Equity through flexible learning opportunities.

According to Shelbie Witte, dean of the College of Education & Human Development, the College’s efforts to expand flexible and online graduate education are grounded in a simple principle: Access to opportunity should not depend on geography.

“In a state like North Dakota, where many of the professionals we serve are already working in schools, communities and organizations across rural and underserved areas, flexible graduate pathways allow them to pursue advanced degrees without stepping away from their careers or the communities that need them,” Witte said.

The College is expanding online and hybrid options, exploring cohort models and creating new educational pathways to help grow North Dakota’s workforce in areas such as education, counseling and educational leadership.

For the College, flexibility is not simply about how courses are delivered. It’s about who can participate, persist and ultimately have the opportunity to succeed.

Advancing UND and statewide priorities

These initiatives represent just a few of the more than 100 examples in the current UND LEADS Activity Inventory that demonstrate how Equity and its focus on opportunities for success are reflected in work across the University.

By reducing barriers, strengthening connections and expanding educational pathways, UND is advancing its own strategic priorities while supporting the NDUS goals of attracting out-of-state students and helping more North Dakota adults complete or advance their education.