Scholarly publishing remains an essential measure of the authentic research university

The 2005-06 Faculty Lecture Series opened with a presentation on “The Casino Compromise:  The Law and Politics of Indian Gaming and Tribal Sovereignty” in the North Dakota Museum of Art on the UND campus.  Speaking were Steven Light, associate professor of political science and public administration, and Kathryn Rand, associate professor of law and associate dean for academic affairs for the School of Law.  The annual series features five lectures from a variety of disciplines. The vigor and richness of the collegiate environment grows out of the desire of faculty and researchers to share their scholarly and creative achievements with their peers and the general community.  Beyond their classroom responsibilities, UND faculty are involved in conducting research, creating artistic works, writing books and articles, reviewing the work of their peers across the nation and the globe, making presentations at professional meetings, giving performances and exhibitions, providing expert opinions, and more.

Faculty and others engaged in research and creative activity at the University of North Dakota are expected to share their work with the world, most often through books and in peer-reviewed scholarly journals. 

Even in the new era of universities protecting the “intellectual property” developed on their campuses, a faculty member’s career is still measured in larger part upon his or her publication record.  And, says Vice President for Research Peter Alfonso, an institution’s track record in publishing its results is even more important than charting the dollar value of new grants in making the case that it is an authentic research university.

So it’s not surprising that the scholarly writings published by UND personnel total in the hundreds, says Director of Libraries Wilbur Stolt.  The library creates an annual bibliography of such work.  The 2003-2004 edition contained 978 entries (see http://www.library.und.edu/ for the full list).

Actually, the list likely underreports the publications of UND faculty, observes Steve Axtman, the Chester Fritz Library staff member who is hard at work on the bibliography for the fiscal year that ended July 1.  It will go online in December.

Axtman’s source data takes time to assemble, he said, since much of it is kept in the paper-based files of UND’s 60-plus academic departments. 

The challenge of documenting published research in all its forms is not an uncommon one, observes Alfonso.  He notes that some of America’s leading universities have thrown up their hands and turned to outside vendors to scan academic journals on their behalf.

At this stage in its evolution as a research university, UND does not yet need to go that far.  But he and Stolt are discussing ways in which UND might better collect and maintain this data, perhaps by using technology to create an institutional repository.  

UND Authors of Books in 2003-2004

• Anderegg, Michael (English):  Cinematic Shakespeare
• Bares, Joan (Harley French Library of the Health Sciences):  Montana Foundation Directory
• Berg, Frances (School of Medicine and Health Sciences):  Underage and Overweight:  America’s Childhood Obesity Epidemic—What Every Parent Needs to Know
• Carmichael, Tami S. (Humanities and Integrated Studies):  Integrated Studies:  Reinventing Undergraduate Education
• Geer, Galen (English):  Last Supper in Paradise
• Grabe, Mark (Psychology) and Grabe, Cindy (Teaching and Learning):  Integrating the Internet for Meaningful Learning
• La Pierre, Yvette (Integrated Studies):  Ghana in Pictures
• Meek, Jay (English):  Trains in Winter
• Mochoruk, James (History):  Formidable Heritage:  Manitoba’s Northern Resources and the Cost of Development
• Porter, Kimberly (History):  North Dakota (co-author)
• Young, William (International Programs):  International Politics and Warfare in the Age of Louis XIV and Peter the Great:  A Guide to the Historical Literature 

Editors of books or journals in 2003-2004

• Anderson, Karen (School of Medicine and Health Sciences):  Techtips and More (column in The Good Stuff) 
• Burd, Larry (School of Medicine and Health Sciences):  The Four State Fetal Alcohol Consortium:  Clinical and Epidemiologic Findings
• Coleman, Joyce (English):  Malory Aloud, Then and Now (co-editor)
• deZwaan, Martina (School of Medicine and Health Sciences):  AED Review of Eating Disorders (co-editor)
• Ebadi, Manuchair (School of Medicine and Health Sciences):  Parkinson’s Disease (co-editor)
• Erickson, Joan (Chester Fritz Library):  The Good Stuff (co-editor)
• Hanson, Curt (Chester Fritz Library):  Lux et Lex (co-editor)
• Johnson, Stephen (Space Studies):  Quest:  The History of Spaceflight Quarterly
• Lane, Jason (Educational Leadership):  Studying Diverse Students and Institutions:  Challenges and Considerations
• Lewis, Robert W. (English):  North Dakota Quarterly (editor)
• Lukaski, Henry (Human Nutrition Research Center):  Nutrition and Sports
• Meek, Jay (English):  North Dakota Quarterly (co-editor)
• Mitchell, James (Neuroscience):  AED Review of Eating Disorders (co-editor)
• Moretti, Charles (Civil Engineering):  Development of a Systematic Mix Design Procedure for Construction of Durable Concrete Pavement Using Dense-Graded Aggregates; Effects of Water Reducer Admixtures on Concrete Strength and Durability; Performance Evaluation of Low Permeable Concrete Bridge Deck
• Paulsen, Brian (Art):  North Dakota Quarterly (co-editor)
• Reza, Hassan (Computer Science):  Proceedings of the International Conference on Software Engineering Research and Practice Volumes I & II
• Slater, Sandy (Chester Fritz Library):  Lux et Lex (co-editor)
• Wakefield, Mary (Center for Rural Health):  Pursuing Health Care Quality and Safety in the Rural Environment
• Wonderlich, Stephen (Neuroscience):  AED Review of Eating Disorders