UND LEADS Strategic Plan: Inspiring connection, momentum, community

Three years into UND LEADS, campuswide connections and action are turning strategic priorities into progress — and helping shape what comes next

Three years ago, we wrote an article celebrating the launch of the UND LEADS Strategic Plan and looking ahead to the first year of its implementation. The plan had been developed through an inclusive and highly participatory process, and so we entered that year — which we dubbed The Year of Connection — hopeful that connections established as part of the plan’s development would persist and that new ones would form through implementation work.

What we’ve witnessed in the past three years has exceeded all expectations. There has been a sustained effort to convert the momentum from the plan’s development into action that transforms what we do. We’ve started initiatives. Created action plans. Written proposals. All told, we have seen hundreds of individuals across hundreds of distinct activities connected to LEADS. The hopes expressed three years ago have been realized in many ways and by many across campus.

We have also collected your feedback and information on the implementation process, using it to develop a sense of where the institution is and where it should go. This information has seen its way into UND Today articles, has been showcased at campus events and has found a home on the UND website. Importantly, it helps identify the possible connections and collaborations occurring through LEADS implementation work, building community around the work of UND LEADS.

As one example, these efforts led directly to UND earning the Innovation & Economic Prosperity designation from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. The work to achieve this designation rested significantly on the vision articulated through LEADS. Also pivotal to achieving the IEP designation were the connections noted above. The associations between our work and the LEADS priorities made it possible to demonstrate a commitment-through-action to serving our community and the state. The IEP designation signifies excellent work that has already occurred and the promise of more to come.

This is one example, with many more present across campus, that we highlight in the LEADS Activity Inventory. This collection consists of all known campus initiatives related to LEADS, tying actions to strategy and answering questions about the “what and how” of LEADS. Through it a picture of great diversity and incredible breadth is apparent.

Advancing the Strategic Plan From ‘What?’ to ‘What Else?’

Among other things the inventory has provided a strong basis for advancing implementation planning discussions from “what?” to “what else?” This form of loop-closing – examining the present state to identify areas of future action – is a milestone that was hard to imagine when LEADS implementation was just getting underway. It is helping to refine our sense of what comes next as part of the LEADS implementation process.

And what’s next will certainly include a continued commitment to the core values and strategic priorities articulated within the plan. There will be more innovative ideas and more examples from across campus demonstrating how to turn the LEADS priorities from concept into reality. We should expect additional discussions concerning how we can do even more to achieve the vision of UND LEADS.

Perhaps the coming year will be the right time to take stock of the specific elements of the plan itself, asking ourselves whether changes in our environment warrant adjustments to the LEADS priorities. Indeed, many things have changed, including the advent of AI and its impact on education. LEADS was designed to be a living plan – are there plan elements that need to grow to accommodate these changed circumstances?

What will not change, however, is the fundamental commitment present within UND LEADS from the outset – to inspire a sense of wonder, a love of discovery, and a commitment to serve, both in our students and in ourselves. This vision will remain constant, providing a clear point of reference for the work we do in the months and years ahead.

About the authors:

Andy Armacost is the president of UND. Ryan Zerr is associate vice president for Strategy & Implementation and professor of Mathematics at UND.