Dean of the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration

• $290,000+ annual

The University of North Dakota is seeking candidates for the position of Dean of the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration. Located on an active 516-acre campus in Grand Forks, ND, a vibrant college town of 60,000 residents, UND has a student enrollment of over 15,000 and offers more than 225 fields of study across nine colleges. UND is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and is classified Carnegie R1 (Very High Research Activity) with annual research expenditures approaching $200 million.

Reporting directly to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean is the leader of a distinctive and thriving academic college. The Nistler College of Business & Public Administration features a number of key departments, schools, and signature programs, including the Middleton School of Entrepreneurship and Management, the Herr School of Accountancy, Fransen Department of Real Estate, Economics & Finance, as well as the Department of Marketing, and the Department of Political Science & Public Administration.  These academic units are all located in one of the newest buildings on campus, Nistler Hall, which is located in the heart of the campus, and is one of the signature buildings on a dynamic and growing campus.

The Dean will provide leadership and facilitate an environment for accomplishing strategic goals, as well as aligning the functioning of the College with UND’s broader strategic plan, UND LEADS. The Dean is responsible, in cooperation with the Provost, for academic and administrative planning; budgeting; administration and implementation of College and university policies; and fundraising and external and government relations. The Dean, in partnership with the faculty, is responsible for academic program development and review; faculty and staff recruitment, development, and evaluation; and student relations.

• →Promoting high-quality academic programs and supporting high-quality teaching.
• →Fostering collaborative academic planning and innovative curricular development.
• →Promoting student success and retention.
• →Advancing research, scholarship, and creative activities.
• →Creating a collaborative and welcoming campus climate.
• →Attracting support for the University and the College through active engagement of alumni, community, industry, and other external constituents, and effectively participating in fundraising activities/alumni relations.
• →Maintaining accreditation standards.
• →Managing the budget in accordance with the University’s Model for Incentive Resource Allocation, including the preparation, submission, disbursement of, and working within the budget of the College.
• →In collaboration with others, creating and supporting a plan that results in the recruitment and retention of highly qualified staff and faculty.
• →Leading the coordination of college governance.
• →Maintaining and strengthening partnerships within and outside of the University.
• →Building relationships that engender trust through open communication across the campus and within the faculty, staff, students, and administration.

• Have excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to communicate complex or technical information clearly to a range of audiences.
• Be an effective and engaging public speaker with the ability to engage all audiences on a regular basis.
• Be able to work effectively with small groups and to communicate one-on-one with a variety of constituencies.
• Be an active listener with responsive and timely follow-up and follow-through skills.
• Be a visible, servant leader who leads by example.
• Demonstrate humility, authenticity, flexibility, and skillful delegation.
• Be able to make well-informed decisions.
• Be an effective agent of positive change with the ability to motivate and inspire others to support and engage in proactive and visionary change.
• Have an appreciation for and proactively involve others in the shared governance process that exists within the College.
• Have a commitment to fostering community, belonging, and consensus building in faculty, staff, and student populations.
• Have interpersonal skills that lead to respectful and effective interactions both inside and outside the University. 
• Have a deep commitment to student learning, a positive student experience, and inspiring lifelong learning.
• Be a strategic, critical thinker who leads with candor, decisiveness, curiosity, sound judgment, empathy, and transparency.
• Demonstrates high integrity and emotional intelligence, as well as a commitment to high professional standards and ethics.
• Have active and meaningful connections to the business community, and current knowledge of key trends impacting industry and its future talent needs.

• Earned doctorate in an academic field related to the disciplines within the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration 
• At least five years of progressive leadership and administrative experience within a higher education, or closely related, setting
• Successful completion of a Criminal History Background Check

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the US and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. 

• Having a record of substantial and meaningful leadership and administrative experience that would position the candidate for success as the next Dean of Nistler College.
• A record of accomplishments in higher education teaching, service and research that would enable the candidate to hold the position of full professor with tenure in a department at the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration, or an equivalent level of significant executive-level leadership and professional achievements in business or industry demonstrating strategic vision, organizational impact, and business acumen equivalent to those qualifications.
• Experience working closely and collaboratively with senior leadership and establishing strong working relationships with key external stakeholders, such as alumni, donors, the business and non-profit communities, legislative governing bodies, and advisory groups.
• Experience overseeing recruitment, hiring, retention, supervision, and mentorship of high-quality faculty and staff or equivalent experience recruiting, retaining, and supervising employees.
• Experience with fundraising and identification of innovative and strategic revenue streams, securing external support, and building and stewarding donor relationships.
• A vision for building a sense of community for and relationships with students to create an environment focused on their learning, success, and professional growth through mentoring, advising, and/or program development.
• A record of sound budgetary management with strong financial acumen.
• Experience with, or knowledge of, the AACSB accreditation process.

Applications should include a letter of interest (not more than three pages) specifically addressing the applicant’s background in relationship to the qualifications described, a current curriculum vitae, and a list of five professional references with full contact information and a note indicating the nature of the working relationships with each. No references will be contacted without the explicit permission of the candidate.

Position profile: https://www.academicsearch.org/open-searches-public/entry/24055/?search=24055

Applications, nominations, and expressions of interest can be submitted electronically, and in confidence, to: UNDDeanNistler@academicsearch.org Applications received by Monday, August 10, 2026, are assured consideration.

The UND Dean of the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration Search Committee is being assisted by Academic Search.

Confidential discussions about this opportunity may be arranged by contacting consultants Ann Hasselmo at Ann.Hasselmo@academicsearch.org and Chris Butler at Chris.Butler@academicsearch.org. Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in this application process should contact Academic Search at 202.332.4049

Back to search results Apply now Refer a friend