UND hosts groundbreaking ceremony for $163 million facility

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (KVRR) — The University of North Dakota celebrated with faculty and alumni in the groundbreaking ceremony of a new facility, the STEM Complex.

“It marks that shared commitment, a shared commitment. To the future of UND, the future of North Dakota, and to the future of STEM education. It’s truly a powerful reminder of what we can accomplish when we all come together as one community,” said DeAnna Carlson Zink, CEO of UND Alumni Association & Foundation.

The STEM Complex, once completed, will serve more than forty percent of the students on campus. The facility will feature advanced laboratories, spaces for lectures, projects, events, eSports tournaments, and a makerspace for competitive building and robotics teams. It will serve as a space for Mechanical Engineering and bring Civil Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and Physics together.

“There is an increased interest and an increased knowledge of excellent higher ed system we do have here in North Dakota. So there’s a willingness to step up and support this with the kind of facilities that are needed to do that properly,” said Rep. Mark Sanford, Grand Forks.

The school has raised over $80 million, out of $163 million, for Phase 1 of the project.

“We know that there’s a need for engineers and scientists, and we’re so proud that our fastest-growing college on the campus is our College of Engineering and Minds. But we’re so proud of our ability to do engineering education and science education in a way that complements all the other work happening across the state and across the region,” said Andrew Armacost, President of UND.

The facility is estimated to be completed by the fall of 2027.