After the first semester, faculty applied for and were awarded a major three-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The University of North Dakota has financially supported the program since the expiration of the grant period. In addition, many faculty from a wide variety of University departments have supported the program's efforts. Faculty from several departments on campus join the program each semester. Many departments have participated over the years including English, chemistry, geology, anthropology, sociology, biology, nursing, physics, humanities, philosophy, and history.
Faculty usually teach one semester in the program and then return to their respective departments.
While they are teaching in Integrated Studies, they generally participate in all aspects of the program, becoming learners as well as educators. Planning for each semester begins with participating faculty meeting as a group to decide how to relate their special field of knowledge to other fields, and to the semester theme, around which the semester's courses and curriculum are organized. Most of the class meeting time, however, is spent in small group student-directed discussions. These meetings of approximately 20 students and 1 faculty person are the heart and soul of the program. Students may be discussing a common work they have all read, working on close reading of a text, reporting on various topics related to the week's or semester's work, working in peer editing groups to revise writing assignments, or collaborating on science experiments.