North Dakota State University is an institution in transformation. I have challenged every campus unit to think about what it is they do, and how they can do it better. In less than three years, the results have been astounding.

• When our enrollment hit a record 10,000 students, we set a goal of 12,000 students. This fall, ahead of our projections, 10,500 students chose NDSU, many at graduate levels. In turn, we have added faculty and staff to accommodate our growth.
• We are making it easier for students to attend NDSU, doubling the amount of undergraduate scholarship funding and adding more than $300-thousand in graduate fellowships in three years.
• We set a goal of reaching $50 million in research expenditures. This year we will exceed $70 million.
• We set a goal of increasing the number of doctoral programs we offer. We had fifteen, now we have 24. There are another dozen in the works.
• We set a goal of increasing faculty and staff salaries to the mid-point of our peers. We have made progress, and will make more in July when we add significantly to the salary pool beyond our appropriation.

All across campus, exciting things are happening as colleagues define their future. In one campus unit, the discussion of "what's next?" has attracted particular interest. The unit is, of course, Bison Athletics.

Just about every day, someone asks me for the "inside information" on D-1. The truth is, I don't know whether Bison Athletics should go D-1 or not. There are a lot of good questions that need answers before a decision can be made. We need be wary of simple solutions to complex questions. Some of those answers will come from the Carr Sports Associates report. But not all.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that what we will do is what academically-minded people do when confronted by a puzzle. We study the matter, gather data and ultimately we will base our decision on the best information available. Today, we take another step in that process.