Fargo man pitches merger of UND, NDSU

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — A Fargo financial planner is calling for discussion on whether the University of North Dakota and North Dakota State University would be better off as one institution.

Bill Kiefer told the Grand Forks Herald that he believes creating one flagship university would benefit the state because it would be stronger and more efficient than the current setup.

The 60-year-old Kiefer played football for NDSU in Fargo from 1968-71. He has formed a group to discuss the issue around the state.

The group will consider a petition to put a proposal on the ballot or whether to ask legislators to consider the issue.

Kiefer says one idea is to build a bullet train between Fargo and Grand Forks to provide transportation between the two campuses.

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