Nistler College Strategic Plan

2024 - 2029 Strategic Plan

The Nistler College of Business and Public Administration’s (NCoBPA) Strategic Plan, Fall 2024-Spring 2029 provides focus and direction to our planning and decision-making processes, while supporting the goals of the University of North Dakota’s UND LEADS Strategic Plan. 

In 2019, the College of Business & Public Administration (CoBPA) was renamed the Nistler College of Business and Public Administration. The Nistler College is composed of two schools (Herr School of Accountancy and Middleton School of Entrepreneurship & Management) and three departments (Economics & Finance, Marketing, and Political Science & Public Administration). In addition to the academic units, the College encompasses strategic partners in the North Dakota Small Business Development Center (SBDC), North Dakota APEX Accelerator, Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC), and the Institute of Policy & Business Analytics (IPBA).

Collaboration with key stakeholder groups throughout the creation of the College’s strategic plan ensures full stewardship of our prioritized goals. These stakeholder groups are among the following:

• Faculty and staff who we must attract, retain, and engage;
• Students who wish to gain a strong foundation for successful lives and careers;
• Employers and members of the business, government, and non-profit communities who seek to hire our students and partner with us;
• Alumni who are passionate to support our initiatives;
• Foundation and alumni association staff who assist the College.

While our current strategic plan encompasses a five-year period, it is critical that the planning process remains dynamic and ongoing.

Vision

To be a premier educational destination which develops leaders in both business and public service through transformational opportunities, substantive research, and meaningful connections.

Mission

To serve society by emphasizing discovery scholarship, impactful learning, and valuable engagement opportunities for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the broader communities we impact.

Core Values

Learn with Passion

• Inspire critical thinking
• Recognize multiple perspectives

Discover with Purpose

• Promote inquiry
• Encourage innovation

Create Lasting Value

• Instill dedication to continuous learning
• Contribute to the well-being of our community, state, and world

Transform Lives

• Foster meaningful and enduring relationships
• Support pursuit of impactful and fulfilling careers

Behave Ethically

• Expect integrity and civility
• Treat others with respect and dignity

Proactive Inclusion

• Embrace diverse contributions
• Cultivate a sense of belonging for all

Strategic History

2016-2024

In 2016, a strategic task force created a strategic plan which was implemented. In Spring 2019, a revised task force consisting of CoBPA leadership, faculty, staff, undergraduate and graduate students, and an Alumni Foundation representative met to reassess the College mission, vision and core values and closely align them with the goals of the College as well as the One UND Strategic Plan that had recently been finalized. In addition, this task force created five strategic initiatives to provide focus points for priority setting and resource allocation. All changes and additions were approved in Spring, 2019. In 2024, a strategic planning task force was created to ensure the Nistler College was in alignment with the newly released UND LEADS strategic plan and because the College had recently completed some of the previous initiatives and goals related to the new Nistler Hall. The new strategic plan includes five initiatives and 19 goals. The new strategic plan was approved in June 2024 and will be in effect from Fall 2024-Spring 2029.

Strategic Initiatives and Goals

The strategic initiatives and goals are used to prioritize activities and guide decision making.

Initiative 1

Prepare students to be skilled and ethical business, public and non-profit leaders by engaging students and faculty in active and relevant learning that will inspire curiosity, generate ideas and create opportunities in the larger world.

• Goal 1 Offer rigorous and relevant curriculum and flexible learning environments.
• Goal 2 Enhance career readiness and preparation.
• Goal 3 Promote teaching excellence.
• Goal 4 Optimize the use of the varied learning spaces in Nistler Hall.

Initiative 2

Maximize inclusive meaningful and equitable access to opportunities for growth among all stakeholders.

• Goal 1 Promote and encourage the expression of diverse ideas and perspectives.
• Goal 2 Support student success with access to Nistler resources and reduction of barriers.
• Goal 3 Increase international collaborations and programs.
• Goal 4 Improve the diversity of student, faculty, and staff populations.

Initiative 3

Foster loyalty, trust and a strong sense of belonging throughout our administration, faculty, staff, students, alumni and community to create meaningful and enduring connections.

• Goal 1 Utilize Nistler Hall to nurture a sense of community and connection to the college.
• Goal 2 Communicate and celebrate the accomplishments of Nistler stakeholders.
• Goal 3 Create connections to alumni that provide greater opportunities for engagement.
• Goal 4 Strengthen student, staff, and faculty recruitment and retention efforts.

Initiative 4

Value the breadth and diversity of our scholarly work and remain committed to advancing quality research and scholarship.

• Goal 1 Increase overall research productivity and cultivate a vibrant research community.
• Goal 2 Involve students in research to increase their spirit of inquiry.
• Goal 3 Support efforts to obtain external funding for research.
• Goal 4 Communicate the impact of our scholarship.

Initiative 5

Commit to being good citizens of our communities by addressing the varying and evolving needs of our multiple stakeholders.

• Goal 1 Provide opportunities for our students, staff, faculty, and alumni to serve the community.
• Goal 2 Encourage and support faculty and staff efforts to serve their professions.
• Goal 3 Create a skilled and relevant workforce for the state of North Dakota and the communities we serve.