Message from President Cook 02/18/2025
Message from President Cook
February 18, 2025
Dear NDSU Community,
Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague Letter providing guidance on issues associated with race, color, and national origin. The letter provides DOE’s interpretation of existing laws and policies and requires institutions to comply immediately to maintain their federal funding.
NDSU is closely monitoring this situation, and I continue working with senior leadership identified last week and now known as the Federal Coordination Group. Additionally, I have charged a Dear Colleague Letter Group listed below with conducting an in-depth assessment of the letter and providing recommendations to ensure our continued compliance. These recommendations will be brought to the Federal Coordination Group for review, information sharing, and decision-making.
We will provide further updates as more information becomes available. In the meantime, please know that we deeply value each member of our community, and that our land-grant mission of ensuring access, opportunity, and a welcoming environment for everyone remains unwavering as we navigate changes to federal guidance together. Your success and well-being are at the heart of everything we do.
If you have any questions or concerns, please use the Share Your Ideas form or reach out to any of the Dear Colleague Letters Group members listed below.
Sincerely,
David Cook
Dear Colleague Letter Group
Jace Beehler, Chief of Staff
Dilvin Habib, Senior Director of Access and Opportunity
Kay Hopkins, Staff Senate President or designee
Garrett Kuhn, Student Body President or designee
Seinquis Leinen, Senior Director for Strategic Enrollment Management
Lisa Montplaisir, President of Faculty Senate / SBHE Faculty Advisor / Professor of Biological Sciences and School of Education
Rian Nostrum, Director of Residence Life
Emily Frazier, Dean of Students
Carrie Anne Platt, Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs, Teaching and Retention
Chris Wilson, Chief Compliance Officer
Allyson Peterson, NDSU Foundation Senior Vice President of Finance and Operations
Mark Genkinger, Director of Human Resources
Federal Coordination Group
David Cook, President
David Bertolini, Provost
Seinquis Leinen, Senior Director for Strategic Enrollment Management
Laura Oster-Aaland, Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Institutional Equity
Lisa Montplaisir, President of Faculty Senate / SBHE Faculty Advisor / Professor of Biological Sciences and School of Education
Jace Beehler, Chief of Staff
Kay Hopkins, President of Staff Senate / Business Manager for College of Business
Kathryn Kloby, Vice President for Communications and Marketing
Brynn Rawlings, Director of Communication and Media Relations
Bruce Bollinger, Vice President for Finance and Administration
Allyson Peterson, NDSU Foundation Senior Vice President of Finance and Operations
Greg Lardy, Joe and Norma Peltier VP for Agriculture
Colleen Fitzgerald, Vice President for Research and Creative Activity
John Glover, NDSU Foundation President
Carrie Anne Platt, Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs, Teaching and Retention
Valrey Kettner, Associate VP for Sponsored Programs Administration
Matthew Sanchez, Director for Financial Aid and Scholarships
Garrett Kuhn, Student Body President
Karin Hegstad, Associate VP for Finance and Administration
Chris Wilson, Chief Compliance Officer
Matthew Hammer, Assistant Attorney General
Christopher Dick, Student Body Vice President
Kevin Dockter, Director of Grant and Contract Accounting
Dilvin Habib, Senior Director for Access and Opportunity
Emily Frazier, Dean of Students
Mark Genkinger, Director of Human Resources