Rand, Light named Chester Fritz Distinguished Professors Wednesday, April 19, 2023
UND Today
When Kathryn Rand and Steven Light were asked to meet President Andy Armacost in his office last Friday, they happily obliged — no questions asked.
“We had no idea,” Rand said about the meeting’s purpose. “But we certainly know enough that when you get a calendar invite from the president’s office, you simply say yes. So, we responded yes, and that was it. That was the whole story.”
The UND professors figured they’d put on their Sunday best — Rand in a dress and no winter boots (a first for the year, she joked) and Light in a suit, tie and signature sneakers with neon-yellow laces — and trek to Twamley Hall. Once there, they’d chat with Armacost about the latest in American Indian gaming law.
As co-founders and co-directors of UND’s Institute for the Study of Tribal Gaming Law & Policy, the pair are considered the nation’s premier experts on the subject, so nothing seemed out of the ordinary. That is until the president ushered them to a nearby conference room populated by Provost Eric Link, their respective deans, a number of their colleagues and a media team armed with cameras.