SCHMID: LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST - MARCH 21, 2016
OUCH! The UND Presidential Search Committee narrowed the field to three candidates. The finalists included the president of Minot State University, a former Minnesota congressman and the dean of engineering at a Ohio university. The process was awkward for the candidates because evaluations for each are public record. For example, one finalist was described as “not genuine” and someone who might politicize the position of president.
MARK KENNEDY will be the new UND President. The Director of the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, he is also the candidate who drew the critical comments mentioned above. Before the final selection, columnist Mike Jacobs appraised the three finalists and used the words "arrogance" and "egoism" in connection with Kennedy. Nagi Naganathan, the Ohio dean, was Jacobs favorite (a calming influence). Jacobs felt Minot State president Steve Shirley was not quite ready and would be a serious loss to Minot State.
THE BEST? "I do believe this (UND) is already the best school in a 300-mile radius and my focus is brightening that star even more." -- A comment by Kennedy during his interviews. He may not have intended the comment to be taken literally, but I did anyway. I drew a map circle around GF with a 300-mile radius -- Minot, Bismarck, Fargo, Duluth and Winnipeg fell in the circle. The Twin Cities did not.
MARTIN SABO (78), who died Sunday, was a distinguished former member of the Minnesota Legislature and the U.S. Congress. Sabo is a ND native from Crosby and his wife Sylvia is from Carrington. News articles, editorial tributes and obituaries can be found on the websites of the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press.
SHEILA SCHAFER (90) died in Bismarck. She is the widow of Harold Schafer, founder of Gold Seal Co., and the step-mother of former governor and now interim UND president Ed Schafer. The senior Schafers founded the Medora Musical and helped revitalize the town of Medora. An interesting detail from her life -- her father was the owner of Fargo’s famous Crystal Ballroom.
MARK KENNEDY will be the new UND President. The Director of the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, he is also the candidate who drew the critical comments mentioned above. Before the final selection, columnist Mike Jacobs appraised the three finalists and used the words "arrogance" and "egoism" in connection with Kennedy. Nagi Naganathan, the Ohio dean, was Jacobs favorite (a calming influence). Jacobs felt Minot State president Steve Shirley was not quite ready and would be a serious loss to Minot State.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS Obviously, Kennedy also drew many favorable comments for his broad experience in business (MBA, CPA and CFO), politics (3-term U.S. Representative from Minnesota) and academia. Kennedy’s family has ND background, but he also brings Washington D.C. and global perspective. He is a fan of Theodore Roosevelt and would like to bring that spirit to UND.
THE BEST? "I do believe this (UND) is already the best school in a 300-mile radius and my focus is brightening that star even more." -- A comment by Kennedy during his interviews. He may not have intended the comment to be taken literally, but I did anyway. I drew a map circle around GF with a 300-mile radius -- Minot, Bismarck, Fargo, Duluth and Winnipeg fell in the circle. The Twin Cities did not.
MARTIN SABO (78), who died Sunday, was a distinguished former member of the Minnesota Legislature and the U.S. Congress. Sabo is a ND native from Crosby and his wife Sylvia is from Carrington. News articles, editorial tributes and obituaries can be found on the websites of the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press.
SHEILA SCHAFER (90) died in Bismarck. She is the widow of Harold Schafer, founder of Gold Seal Co., and the step-mother of former governor and now interim UND president Ed Schafer. The senior Schafers founded the Medora Musical and helped revitalize the town of Medora. An interesting detail from her life -- her father was the owner of Fargo’s famous Crystal Ballroom.
GRAND FORKS housing values have risen 25 percent in the last five years. Median household income has not risen nearly as fast creating a significant affordability issue. Business leaders say housing issues make it difficult to attract employees to the area. An average home in GF costs over $200,000.
A COUNTY HEALTH RANKING indicated ND's five healthiest counties were Trail, Sargent, Foster, Dickey and Stark. Four of the five counties with the poorest health included parts of Indian reservations.
WILLISTON apartments and hotels are badly overbuilt for the current level of activity in the oil fields. The city commission is attempting to help the owners by banning man camp housing. Columnist Rob Port says the action is shameful and indicates the commission is in the pockets of apartment/hotel owners. Port says the commission is banning competition and he believes the market should be allowed to resolve the oversupply condition.
GOT OFF EASY Ashley Lauren Birkle (19) pleaded guilty to causing an accident on I-94 near Jamestown that killed a Minnesota man. She was traveling from Killdeer to return to classes at NDSU in Fargo when she fell asleep and crossed the median. Birkle pleaded guilty to negligent homicide and possession of alcohol by a minor. She was sentenced to two days in the Stutsman County Correctional Center.
MINNEAPOLIS is one of three U.S. cities chosen for a pilot federal project to fight the recruiting of young Americans for terrorism in Africa and the Middle East. About two dozen young men left the Twin Cities to fight in Somalia and ten others have been charged with plotting to fight in Syria. The program has a mixed reception from the Minnesota Somali community. As part of the program, $300,000 of federal grants have been distributed to nonprofits serving the Somali community.
ST. PAUL “No student should ever see a teacher being beaten and wonder if they might be next. No teachers should be driven from their profession because they fear for their physical safety. If teachers are not safe, students are not safe.” -- Minneapolis StarTribune editorial about student violence in the St. Paul public schools. The editorial called the response of the school system “weak.” The background issue is the reluctance of the schools to suspend black male students.
SCHOOL POLICY? “Current philosophy . . . is that disruptive, violent, and emotionally disturbed students should be kept in the classroom at all costs.” “Students learn quickly that they are calling the shots, not anyone in authority.” -- Typical excerpts from over 100 reader responses to the StarTrib editorial.
MINNESOTA GOV. MARK DAYTON proposes spending $100 million “promoting racial economic equality.” Minnesota blacks have some of the worst racial disparities in the nation. It will be interesting to see how benefits can be legally targeted to a narrow racial group and not made available to others in similar economic circumstances.
GMO “Major scientific societies around the world agree that GMO foods are safe.” -- Phyllis Johnson, former UND VP for research and development. “After more than 20 years since the first GM foods were introduced into the marketplace, there is no evidence of health risks.”
DAKTOIDS: A round of heroin overdose deaths in Fargo are alleged to be caused by three men and a woman from the Twin Cities now in custody . . . The Forum awarded Prairie Roses “To the many Fargo leaders, residents and others who have turned the dark movie ‘Fargo’ into a long-term public relations asset for the city of Fargo” . . . Revenues for the state of ND continue to fall below forecasts -- further budget cuts may be necessary.
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