Staff test a contender for greatest burger…and talk about graduate education

Last week, a contingent from UND attended the Western Association of Graduate Schools Annual Conference. The conference was held in beautiful Coeur d’Alene, Idaho – certainly a picturesque location and a great venue for focused discussions about issues concerning the current state and the future of graduate education both in the western states and the nation, more broadly.

Our own school was well represented in the presentations. The opening session discussed the organization of online education – the pros and cons of funding models and the need to be aware of expectations on faculty and students. The Graduate School Dean, Joseph Benoit moderated this session which included UND’s Associate Provost Victoria Beard, Dean of the Graduate School at New Mexico State University, Linda Lacey, and Chair of the Social Work Department at UND, Thomasine Heitkamp.

Graduate recruitment specialist Evan Nelson presented in the next session: “Delivering Graduate Programs in Rural Areas: Innovations, Challenges and Solutions”, and discussed our online-and-on-the-ground recruitment strategy for reaching out to rural and distance students. To best demonstrate the online component, Evan cleverly invited all of the conference attendees to sign up for My GradSpace to experience the system first hand.

Director of Admissions & Assistance, Linda Baeza-Porter lead a round-table discussion on Software and Processes: Friend or Foe? It is certainly recognized that while technology is essential, our various systems do not always talk to one another in a seamless way.

The two and half days of meetings gave us an opportunity to share common issues and find solutions, ask questions and to learn from those with unique perspectives and experiences. Debra Stewart, President of the Council of Graduate Schools offered the fascinating plenary lecture on the Future of Graduate Education: a Focus on Western Universities and Demographics. We are all eagerly awaiting the forthcoming reports.

Finally, you may remember last Fall, we posed the Great Burger Challenge after recruiter Matt Anderson gave a plug for a delicious burger at McCormick Cafe in Billings, MT. Our Dean soon followed with his review of Hudsons in Coeur d’Alene, so we felt that since we were in the area, we should at least judge for ourselves. Hudsons is tiny. And it’s one of the busiest fast food establishments I’ve seen in a long time. The menu is simple, every stool has a view of the grill, and orders coming from walk-ins, phone calls and take outs. I estimate in the short time that we sat, ordered, and ate approximately 50 burgers were made – and they are good! I think it is safe to say that our staff gave Hudsons the “thumbs-up”!

Hudson's in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Matt returns from California and samples In-N-Out

Hello to all of our faithful readers of The Graduate School blog. I recently returned from sunny California where I had the opportunity to participate in Whittier College’s Graduate and Professional Fair and host an information table at California State Polytechnic University. Both of these schools are located in southern California near Los Angeles. I know that might seem like a long way from home but, as soon as I set up my table, student’s started coming over, and they were taking serious interest in The Graduate School at the University of North Dakota.

While I was at Whittier College I talked to several students who were interested in our doctoral History program, as well as our Psychology and Forensic Psychology programs. I talked at length with two students who were very curious about our Art Department and the MFA degree, something I can identify with. The next day at Cal Poly Tech I was very fortunate to have a table outside, in the main student common area. It wasn’t hard to be out in the sun, talking to students, answering questions, and getting to know people. There were a lot of information requests for our programs in Chemical Engineering, Social Work, and Applied Economics. Of all the students and faculty who I talked with, they all made me feel very welcome.

Thank you, Whittier College and California State Polytechnic University, for having me on campus and allowing me to visit with you. I hope to be back soon.

On the Side…

Some of you might have read my brief burger review in my earlier post about my visit to Montana. Well, that has initiated a quest/challenge to find The Greatest Burger Ever, a mission I’m glad to be a part of. Before I left for California I was told by several people that I absolutely had to eat at an In-N-Out Burger, supposedly, they have “the Best” fast food burgers in LA.  I called up a friend of mine at Cal Poly, Mr. Noam Hart, and he took me to the nearest In-N-Out Burger. Well, it’s a very honest fast food experience; the bun is a bun, the meat is meat, the vegetables are the appropriate color, and the fries are fried.  I can’t say it’s the best burger I’ve ever had but it wasn’t the worst either. So the quest continues, maybe I’ll find the Greatest Burger Ever in Milwaukee, WI next week.

If anyone is traveling around the Ontario, CA region and needs a taxi, ask for James with Yellow Cab, he’s the best driver ever. This is not a challenge to find the best driver ever, just a testament to reliable service. (Matt Anderson)

The Great Burger Challenge Is On

Recently, our own Matt Anderson laid down the gauntlet with a review of  the McCormick Café in Billings, MT in which he claimed to have had “the best hamburger and fries ever.”   I have decided to issue a challenge to The Graduate School to see if someone can top Matt’s claim of finding the “best hamburger ever”.

Last weekend, while attending a meeting of the Western Association of Graduate Schools in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, I visited Hudson’s Hamburgers.   Founded in 1907, this is the ultimate in griddle-cooked burgers and by definition is a “Hamburger Restaurant.”  The menu: hamburger, cheeseburger, pie.  Pickles and onions are optional and condiments consist of ketchup, spicy ketchup and mustard.   Too bad if you like fries, they don’t sell them.   Odd for Idaho, but they also don’t accept credit cards.   The burgers are pressed and cooked to order and in my opinion are among the best.   Highly recommended!

Where is your favorite burger?

Even Montana snow won’t slow our recruitment – but burgers make it better

I was honored to visit The University of Montana in Missoula last week for The Graduate School. It was such an inspirational experience to be on a beautiful campus nestled cozily under the protection of the surrounding mountains. The fair I attended was on a cool Wednesday morning in the Student Center, which could also double as a glorious arboretum. The student turnout was excellent; there was a lot of interest in Physicians Assistant, Occupational Therapy, and Psychology programs. I was especially impressed by the interest of freshmen and sophomore students; they had a serious sense of their future goals and aspirations.

On Thursday I had the opportunity to host an information table in the Student Center at Montana State University in Billings. Yet again, I was impressed with so much interest in a graduate education from the younger students; they seemed to be especially interested in our Nursing and Engineering programs. I want to give a special thank you to the faculty members who stopped by the table to welcome me to campus and to chat about our programs, UND, and Grand Forks in general.

Overall, I want to say thank you to both universities for allowing me to visit their campuses. I had an adrenaline pumping adventure driving through some snowy mountain passes and was humbled several times by the glorious valley vistas that opened before me. On a side note, I had the best hamburger and fries I have ever had at McCormick Café in Billings, I am still thinking about it. (Matt Anderson)

Beautiful snowy mountains of Montana