Quote Originally Posted by nodak651 View Post
I'm a UND grad but I'd say flagship in Bismark. Grand Forks wouldn't need a 4 year being so close to Fargo. I think geography is important, but the location also depends on your goals. Attendance would prob be higher in Fargo, but I think a more centrally located flagship would better serve the state, as there would be easier access (distance) in more areas of the state.
I get where you’re coming from and it does SEEM fairer, but efficiency and ease of access are more important. You’re basically selling a product/products to the tech, industry and commerce centers immediately east of ND, as well as using lots of resources from the same place, including students.

Since you’d run it from Bismarck, you just have to spin it the right way to make it fair. Plus Fargo is bigger and being closer to Mpls it would be easier to recruit. I personally find Bismarck to be a beautiful place/setting, but it is a bit isolated geographically.

If you think of ND higher ed as a business – as I think you should – then limiting it to just ND students doesn't make sense. Do you want ND to grow? Do you want regional kids, from say NW MN to come work in Fargo? To me that’s just common sense, but maybe people out west don't want growth.

Plus you know that if they had put UND in Fargo you'd be all over it ...