18:83 Speaker Series: Bob Boyd says ‘everybody matters’
UND vice president emeritus says effective leadership starts with treating people with dignity, respect and genuine attention
Years ago, Bob Boyd sat in a packed auditorium in Salt Lake City, notebook and pen in hand, waiting to hear management author Tom Peters speak about leadership.
Peters stepped to the podium and quieted the crowd.
“Listen up! I’m going to tell you how to be a successful leader,” Boyd recalled him saying.
Peter’s message to the audience was simple: “Treat your people well.”
For Boyd, UND vice president emeritus for Student and Outreach Services, this message changed the way he viewed leadership.
During his recent 18:83 Speaker Series talk, Boyd shared stories from his career to illustrate a principle that has guided his approach to leadership: Everybody matters.
“I, very early on in my life, discovered that everybody matters,” Boyd said. “Everyone is certainly due dignity and respect, and in an organization everybody matters.”
The 18:83 Speaker Series gives people from UND and the surrounding community about 18 minutes and 83 seconds to share lessons in leadership, a nod to UND’s founding year.
‘Everybody matters’
Boyd traced that philosophy back to childhood, when a barber showed him the inner workings of a grandfather clock.
Boyd pointed to a large brass gear and guessed that it must be the clock’s most important piece. Instead, the barber picked up one of its smallest parts.
“He said, ‘Bob, it won’t operate without this. Every part is important,’” Boyd recalled.
The same is true of organizations, Boyd said. Showing people they matter means helping them understand how their work contributes to the larger mission.
During his time as a UND vice president, Boyd sometimes stopped members of the grounds crew to thank them and explain that prospective students and their families frequently commented on the beauty of campus.
“What you are really doing is you’re helping us recruit students,” Boyd recalled telling one employee.
“I’m hoping they sat just a little straighter, saying, ‘I’m doing more than mowing. I’m recruiting students for the University of North Dakota.’”
But titles and job descriptions aren’t what determine a person’s influence, Boyd said.
For example, he remembered asking UND Presidential Scholars at a dinner to name someone at the University who had made an impact on them. Several immediately gave the same answer: Mary.
They meant Mary Nygard, who worked for UND Dining. One student told Boyd that Nygard greeted him by name each morning, asked about his tests and sleep and reminded him to make good choices about what he ate.
“I leave every morning feeling like I am somebody,” Boyd recalled the student saying. “Someone cares about me.”
For Boyd, the story showed that leadership can begin simply by noticing someone and giving them genuine attention.
He closed his talk by asking the audience to stand up and repeat a phrase after him: “I am somebody.”
“I hope you believe that,” Boyd said.
Healthy UND Champion Award
Following Boyd’s talk, UND presented the 2026 Dr. Robert H. Boyd Healthy UND Champion Award to the GRO.UND Learning Garden, under the leadership of Joshua Hunter, associate professor of education, health and behavior and Cheryl Hunter, professor of education, health and behavior.
The award recognizes individuals, departments or groups whose work improves the health, wellness and well-being of UND students, faculty and staff.
GRO.UND was recognized for creating opportunities for the UND and Grand Forks communities to connect with health and well-being through nature-based education and experiential learning.
Over the past four years, the program also has partnered with UND’s Food for Thought Food Pantry, donating between 800 and 1,000 pounds of fresh produce each year.
