UND Becomes First University to Join Space Force Program

The University of North Dakota has become the first university in the country to partner with the U.S. Space Force as part of an effort to recruit and retain a highly skilled STEM workforce in the space sector.

“The Space Force faces some of the toughest challenges in engineering, science and technology,” Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond, chief of space operations, said Monday from the university in Grand Fork, North Dakota.

“Space is hard. We need our nation’s brightest minds working to help us tackle these problems. That is why we have established the University Partnership Program (UPP) to harness innovation at universities across our country.” The department was formed in 2019 under the Trump administration as a branch of the armed forces and is the world’s first and only independent space force. It operates separately from NASA, which is a civilian agency.

In making the announcement Monday, Space Force officials said there are also secondary benefits of the partnership.

“Students who participate in the research or development opportunities created through the UPP do not need to become military or civilian Guardians [the official service title for those in Space Force],” Raymond said. “Our nation is depending on the next generations of scientists and engineers to help us solve the most challenging problems across a variety of industries. Any knowledge gained from the Space Force partnership is ultimately for the benefit of our society.”

UND’s president Andy Armacost also celebrated the news Monday.

“We are excited for this incredible opportunity to partner with the Space Force in developing students and Guardians into high-tech problem-solvers,” he said. “Students and faculty will apply their expertise to projects vital to the Space Force mission to deliver impactful solutions for increasing efficiency, resiliency and sustainability for space capabilities.”

Robert Kraus, dean of the university’s John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, said, “This agreement is the next step to furthering our relationship with the U.S. Space Force, and we look forward to working with them to solve the problems of tomorrow and to educate and train the workforce of the future.”

UND is one of the largest aviation universities in the U.S. with nearly 2,000 students in aviation-related programs. The agreement with Space Force extends beyond its College of Aerospace to other departments, including the College of Engineering and Mines, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Air Force ROTC.

Later this year, 10 other organizations are expected to join the program:

Universities were selected based on four criteria:

Space Force says as part of its next steps, it will work with UND to outline specific implementation milestones to meet the program’s four main goals: