January 30, 2003

NDSU Collegiate Farm Bureau to Hold Panel Discussion

North Dakota Farm Bureau’s newest affiliate organization, NDSU Collegiate Farm Bureau, is bringing together a group of community and NDSU leaders to discuss a proposed NDSU tuition hike and other topics. The event is open to the public and scheduled for Monday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. in the Beckwith Recital Hall, located in the Music Education Building.

According to Collegiate Farm Bureau President Jon Anderson, Havana, N.D., the purpose of the panel discussion is to sort through the issues facing NDSU students, and hopefully come to a unified solution.

"NDSU Collegiate Farm Bureau members don’t believe that any one person has all the answers. But we do believe in sitting down and trying to sort out the issues, and come up with solutions that take several points of view into consideration," he said. "That’s what we will try to accomplish with the panel discussion."

Panelists will discuss consideration of Division I status, the proposed 14 percent NDSU tuition hike, North Dakota’s declining population and the future of higher education in the state. Panelists for the event will be KFGO-AM radio personality Ed Schultz; Bev Clayburgh of the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education; Keith Bjerke, NDSU Vice President for University Relations; and NDSU Student Body President James Burgum. Merrill Piepkorn of North Dakota Public Radio and Anderson will serve as moderators for the discussion.

"We think we have a pretty solid list of topics and panelists," Anderson said. "We hope to see some serious solutions come out of this discussion."

NDSU Collegiate Farm Bureau was authorized by North Dakota Farm Bureau’s voting delegates at the state annual meeting last November. The group has voting status in Farm Bureau’s policy development and implementation process.

NDSU Professors Cheryl Wachenheim and Eric Devuyst serve the group in an advisory capacity and NDFB Leadership Development Director Jeff Missling will serve them in a field staff capacity.

The Collegiate Farm Bureau Board includes: vice president Jon Anderson of Havana; president Nic Beneda of Langdon; secretary Steve Finsaas of Fargo; treasurer Adam Johnson of Stanley; policy chair Chad Weckerly of Hurdsfield; membership chair Darren Wilcox of Fargo; NDFB State Public Finance and Education Committee representative Todd Christiansen of Thief River Falls; and NDFB state Agriculture and Energy Committee representative Nathan Fegley of Berthold.

###

Contacts: Jon Anderson, 701-371-8440, and Jeff Missling 701-298-2200
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu