Building the Future

With a lead gift, an anonymous donor kickstarts a campaign to build a new College of Business & Public Administration building.

By Milo Smith

DeAnna Carlson Zink, ’86, CEO of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation, was about to reveal a secret.

It was March 11, 2019, and Carlson Zink was preparing to go before the North Dakota House Appropriations Committee to ask lawmakers to create a $20 million matching fund to help her organization fundraise for a new College of Business & Public Administration building on the UND campus. If approved, the state would provide $20 million and alumni and friends of the University would donate $50 million.

The secret she revealed to lawmakers during her testimony that day was that an anonymous alumnus was prepared to donate the lead gift to the building if lawmakers would approve the matching fund to help secure more donations to the project.

“It was a bit nerve-wracking,” said Carlson Zink. “We were making our request midsession because of the fast-moving nature of the fundraising process. We had a donor willing to make this incredible gift to UND, but they felt strongly that the building should be a public-private partnership, so that’s the request I made to committee members that day.”

A rendering of what the CoBPA building might look like.

Renderings by JLG Architects

Carlson Zink wasn’t done talking to lawmakers about the project; a week later she provided testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee. This time the news was out about the generous anonymous donor, but Carlson Zink had a new surprise to share with lawmakers: 21 alumni signed a letter pledging that they were “willing and committed to be donors on this capital project, but feel strongly there should be a partnership with the state to elevate our flagship institution into the future.”

In the waning days of the 2019 Legislative session, lawmakers approved the $20 million match for the project.

“We made a very strong case for this publicprivate partnership, but there are so many variables involved in dealing with the legislative process,” said Carlson Zink. “I’m very thankful to state lawmakers for seeing the value of partnering with our alumni and friends to make the project happen.”

A New Start

Gamble Hall, current home of the College of Business & Public Administration (CoBPA), was built in 1968. At the time, there were a thousand students taking business classes all over campus. The new building brought them, and 45 faculty and staff members, together under one roof.

Over the intervening 50 years, enrollment in the state’s first accredited business school has ballooned to more than 2,000 students and there are now more than 75 members of the faculty and staff.

“Gamble Hall has been an exceptional home for our students, staff and faculty, and I know our alumni have many fond memories of the building,” said Amy Henley, dean of the CoPBA. “But it is now 50 years old and we have simply outgrown it. We have a hard time servicing all our students in the current space.”

Teaching methods have changed in recent years as well and Gamble Hall is not set up to handle the technological and physical-space needs of the modern classroom model.

“Lecture hall classrooms no longer work for the way professors are teaching,” said Lauren Vetter, who graduated with a degree in Public Administration in the spring of 2018. “Flexible seating and workspaces are so important for effective group work and class participation.”

“New technology can improve standard lecture practices to free up time and resources,” said Dr. Chih Ming Tan, professor and Page Endowed Chair in Applied Economics. “Educators can then devote that time to small-group, one-on-one discussions aimed at making sure the material in those recorded lectures is understood.”

The new building is slated to be built on the corner of the quad between the Chester Fritz Library and Merrifield (skywalks would connect the three buildings). It would include a state-of-the-art mix of small, medium and large spaces that would be configurable for business competitions, career fairs, symposiums, simulations and conferences.

The building will empower the next generation of business leaders by giving them a place for hands-on learning where they can hone their creativity, emotional intelligence, leadership, and cognitive flexibility. It will also be the most technologically advanced building on campus. Online education is just one student experience that will benefit from the high-tech classrooms and meeting spaces.

Renderings by JLG Architects

Quick Decisions

The new building will also match perception with reality for prospective students.

It’s been said that a high schooler on a campus tour makes a decision within seven minutes whether they want to attend the school. Administrators, faculty and current students say there is a disconnect between the current facility and the quality of the programs housed within Gamble Hall.

“The perception that a potential student forms happens very quickly when they enter our building and I don't believe that our physical space is reflective of the exceptional education and opportunities that we will provide,” said Dean Amy Henley. "I'm very excited about the potential for a new building to help tell the story of who we are. A visitor will see a hub of student activity, student success services, conference, networking and engagement spaces; everything needed to help our students succeed.”

“Gamble Hall no longer represents the reputation of our business and public administration students,” said Carlson Zink. “My message to potential donors is that we need a facility that helps us educate students of 2070, not 1970.”

Carlson Zink says there is a sense of urgency to getting a new building for the CoBPA. “We are losing ground. We are losing students to other universities that have upgraded their facilities,” she said. “In addition, we are losing the tradition and legacy of our outstanding business school. The longer we wait, the more the gap grows.”

A Historic Gift

With the Legislature’s approval of a matching program, talks resumed with the lead gift donor. In June, the paperwork was signed on the lead gift for the building: the largest ever given to an academic building project at UND.

“It is so rewarding to work with a donor so passionate about the student experience at UND that they would give such a momentous gift to the college that gave them their start,” said Kim Woods, ’82, UNDAAF Associate Vice President/Senior Director of Development for the CoBPA.

Work Ahead

There is still a lot of fundraising ahead and a short timeline to secure commitments. “Our internal deadline to raise the $50 million in private donations is June 30 so that we can break ground by the fall," said Carlson Zink. "We know it will be challenging, but I’m confident that our alumni and friends have an intense desire to see the College and its students thrive.”

If you would like join us in building a new CoBPA building or would like more information on the project, please contact Kim Woods at 701.777.4106 or kimw@UNDfoundation.org.