News Releases for November 2001
November 9, 2001
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Hoeven Launches “Excellence In Education Tour”
BISMARCK, N.D. - Governor Hoeven will launch his “Excellence in Education Tour” Tuesday, November 13, at Dickinson State University, followed by visits during the week to campuses and K-12 schools in Minot and Grand Forks. The tour kicks off a round of visits the Governor will make over the next few months to all 11 state institutions of higher education and many elementary and secondary schools throughout North Dakota. The first week of the tour coincides with American Education Week.
The “Excellence in Education Tour” will provide North Dakota schools -- kindergarten through college -- an opportunity to showcase their finest programs, projects and partnerships, according to Hoeven. Over the course of the events, the Governor will visit classrooms as a guest speaker; engage in roundtable dialogues with students and teachers; and tour some of North Dakota’s nationally and internationally recognized educational programs and research facilities.
“Our outstanding education system and our powerful North Dakota work ethic add up to a world-class work force,” Hoeven said. “I’m proud of our remarkable students, teachers and schools, and I’m delighted that this tour will put education at center stage.”
Hoeven has worked on a number of fronts to enhance the state’s education system, from kindergarten through postsecondary. During the last legislative session, Hoeven pushed to increase spending for North Dakota elementary and secondary schools by $54 million, making possible a $3,000 salary increase for North Dakota teachers; he increased tuition apportionment by $13 million; and provided technology funding of $9 million to expand the statewide high-speed data network to reach every North Dakota high school.
The Governor’s vision for education spans the academic levels. Last session he pressed for a new law giving state colleges spending flexibility and greater control over their own destiny. He has promoted a greater role for the North Dakota University System in the state’s economic development initiatives. Hoeven worked to double funding for the Increased Experimental Programs To Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) from $2 million to $4 million, and helped to establish a scholarship program that encourages technology students to stay in North Dakota after graduation.
“Education and technological advancement are key to fostering economic growth and maintaining our outstanding quality of life in North Dakota,” Hoeven said. “An investment in our schools and teachers is an investment in our children, ourselves and our state.”
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