UND news
The University of North Dakota announces spring 2026 graduates
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (July 14, 2026) – More than 1,800 students graduated from the University of North Dakota (UND) at ceremonies held in May.
UND President Andrew Armacost presided over the spring 2026 general commencement on May 16, appropriately setting the stage for the big day.
HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME, DEGREE, MAJOR, HONORS (if listed)
Bagley, Miriam C Ricke, Bachelor of Music, Music Performance, Magna Cum Laude
Gonvick, Katie R Alto, Master of Science, Speech-Language Pathology
Goodridge, Amanda J Mutnansky, Master of Science, Reading Education
Winger, Katelyn J Vesledahl, Bachelor of Business Administration, Information Systems, Cum Laude
The University of North Dakota announces spring 2026 President's Roll of Honor
Nearly 1,700 University of North Dakota (UND) students have been recognized for outstanding academic achievement by being named to the 2026 spring semester President's Roll of Honor. To qualify for the UND President's Roll of Honor, a student must have an overall cumulative grade point average of 3.80 or higher. The student must also have earned a minimum of 30 semester hours and have completed a minimum of 12 hours at the close of the semester, eight of which must be for traditional letter grades.
HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME
Clearbrook, Elijah J Mcquown
Winger, Kimberly Hitchen
The University of North Dakota announces spring 2026 Doctor of Medicine graduates
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (July 14, 2026) – The University of North Dakota’s (UND) School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS) conferred the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree on nearly 70 graduating medical students on May 2 at UND’s Chester Fritz Performing Arts Center.
Receiving the degree was Bailey P. Engesether of Bagley
Along with UND President Andrew Armacost, Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, vice president for Health Affairs and dean of the SMHS, presided over this 51st Doctor of Medicine graduation event.
Providing the ceremony’s keynote speech was North Dakota Lt. Gov. Michelle Strinden, a UND graduate whose late husband, Tom Strinden, M.D., was a clinical faculty member of the school who helped introduce UND medical students to the highly specialized practice of ophthalmology (the diagnosis and treatment of eye disease).
“Tom’s life’s work was never just restoring sight – it was helping people feel truly seen. He understood that vision meant more than eyesight. It meant independence, dignity, and hope,” said Strinden as she invited UND’s newest physicians to help North Dakota become the healthiest state in the United States. “Our state indeed faces real challenges, provider shortages, mental health needs, aging populations, and communities that depend on a single clinic or hospital to survive. Remember this: your work strengthens not only individual lives, but the very fabric of our communities. Healthy communities are safer, more resilient, more prosperous. And more hopeful. And you are now the stewards of that hope.”
Students in the graduating Class of 2026 have completed four years of medical education to earn their M.D. degree. This training begins with twenty months of instruction on the UND campus in Grand Forks followed by more than two years of training with practicing physicians who serve as teachers in hospitals and clinics throughout North Dakota. Following graduation, members of the M.D. Class of 2026 will begin a post-graduate residency, a three- to seven-year period of advanced intensive training in their chosen medical specialty, before beginning independent practice.
The University of North Dakota announces spring 2026 Dean’s List
Nearly 1,800 University of North Dakota (UND) students have been recognized for outstanding academic achievement by being named to the 2026 spring semester Dean's List. The UND Dean’s List comprises students whose grade point average are in the top 15 percent of the enrollment in each of the University's degree granting Colleges and Schools. A student must have completed no fewer than 12 semester hours of academic work for the semester, of which eight or more hours must be graded work rather than "satisfactory/unsatisfactory."
HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME
Clearbrook, Elijah J Mcquown
Plummer, Sydney R Fougner
Red Lake Falls, Nyssa Renner