MINOT, ND (KXNET) — The new state legislature will be supporting education soon, and funding for public colleges will be determined next month. During this time, Minot State University is looking to receive funding, as its recent biennium is coming to an end. In 2023 the state legislature approved $41 million in general funding for MSU in House Bill 1003. However, MSU will be working with the state legislature again soon, as a new biennium for the college begins in July. Dr. Steven Shirley, the president of Minot State University, states that he looks forward to working with both chambers of the legislature to lay out plans for MSU. "We work closely with the legislature during the legislative process," he explains. "Obviously, that's about to commence here in a couple of weeks when we get into January, and so we'll spend some time down in Bismarck. We'll kind of be laying out our plans, ideas, and thoughts on both the House and Senate side." Dr. Shirley says the model the state legislature uses for funding is based on a wide variety of things that play into each other. "That model is really based on successfully completed credit hours by students," he continues. "So the types of students you have, the types of programs they're taking, and what kind of academic disciplines those are in. There's a formula based on those completed credit hours that translate to dollars that come back to the university through the state appropriation process." He continues to say that funding of any kind — whether from the state or other sources — goes to helping grow programs that in turn address the needs of the workforce. Williston schools superintendent to resign "We've added programs in the last several years in several different fields that are responding to workforce challenges," he adds. "I see that as a big part. Whether that's in teacher education, nursing, computer science, finance, or whether it may be, we want to make sure we're preparing our students." However, Dr. Shirley also notes that as the college looks to grow its computer science and data science programs in the next fiscal year, a majority of the funding will be used to keep the college up to speed with modern times. "We have a listing of academic programs that made sense in 1985, 1995, and 2005 that may have made sense in that time frame, but do we have the right programs that make sense in 2025," he concludes. The 2025 North Dakota Legislative session is set to convene on January 7th. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Today's Top Stories SIGN UP NOW