UND President leaves ‘North Dakota’ Off Final Nickname List

In a press release this morning (8/28), retiring UND President Robert Kelley announced the final 5 nicknames to be voted on, and the list does not include "UND/North Dakota."

In deciding the final list of names to include in the final vote, I have reviewed the recommendations of the Nickname Committee, the additional input received from a recent student poll, and input from many other individual students (including student athletes), faculty, staff, alumni and community members who have contacted me. I have considered all this input carefully and, in determining the final voting list, have concluded that it is in the best long-term interest of the University not to use ‘North Dakota’ as the university’s official nickname.

The final list of nicknames to be voted on includes Sundogs, Nodaks, Roughriders, Fighting Hawks, and North Stars.

This comes as a surprise to most, as using the generic "UND/North Dakota" seemed to be the most popular choice going forward. A recent survey of the current student body showed it was favored almost 2-to-1 over any other nickname.

Voting on the final nickname for the school will take place over 1 week in mid-October, wth the exact date to be released later. UND students, faculty and staff, UND retirees, alumni and donors, and current season ticket holders for UND athletics will be eligible to vote on the new nickname once the window opens.

The voting process will go for 1 week. If one of the chosen names gains more than 50% of the total vote, it will automatically become the new school nickname. If no name gains more than 50% of the vote, there will be a 2nd run-off vote between the top 2 to decide the final nickname.

UND will be contacting eligible voters via email closer to the voting window with more details on how to cast your ballot

[h/t Grand Fork Herald]