Dalrymple Celebrates Completion of New UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences Building

Press Release

Gov. Jack Dalrymple today joined other state, local and university officials in celebrating the grand opening of the new University of North Dakota (UND) School of Medicine and Health Sciences building in Grand Forks. The new facility will help meet the state's needs for educating more physicians and health care professionals, enhancing health care delivery systems and advancing medical research.

"As we continue to grow our economy and state, we remain committed to ensuring that an accessible, quality health care system is available for all North Dakotans and that we are ready to meet the state's future health care needs," said Dalrymple. "The new School of Medicine and Health Sciences building will play a key role in our efforts to expand the state's health care workforce, ensure access to quality health care, especially in our rural communities, and enhance the health of our citizens for generations to come."

In both his 2013-2015 and 2015-2017 budgets, Dalrymple recommended funding for the project, with the 2013 and 2015 Legislatures passing legislation that provided more than $122 million in General Fund dollars to fund the new building.

The 325,000-square-foot building will, for the first time, incorporate all of the school's departments within one facility. Currently, some of the departments are housed in separate locations on the UND campus due to lack of space in the existing building. The new building will also make it possible for the school to fully implement its Health Care Workforce Initiative, a comprehensive plan designed to address North Dakota's health care workforce needs now and in the future.

The school has approximately 1,200 students and features eight degree programs: athletic training, biomedical sciences, medicine, medical laboratory science, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies and public health.

According to Dalrymple, the new building will provide a dynamic learning environment, utilize cutting-edge technology and encourage inter-professional education. It will also benefit future generations of North Dakotans by ensuring a workforce of skilled and caring health care providers for their local hospitals and clinics.

Ground was broken on the project in June 2014. Faculty and staff began moving into the new building over the summer to prepare for students this fall.

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