NDSU leadership program preparing future business leaders

Students in NDSU’s College of Business are stepping into real-world leadership experiences that open doors across the business landscape. Through the Building Up Bison Emerging Leader Development Program, students sharpen critical leadership skills, build professional confidence and gain meaningful exposure that helps turn classroom learning into career momentum.

Open to students from all majors, the program is offered as a semester-long, three-credit management seminar that takes students beyond the classroom to develop as leaders.

“The goal of creating the program was to create wins for everyone involved. It’s a win for students to gain more experiential learning opportunities, a win for organizations who are looking for motivated and skilled talent to join their teams and a win for our community to show students all the opportunities that exist here. It’s a great opportunity for learning deeper than we can in a traditional classroom experience,” said Katherine Tulibaski, the coordinator of the program and an assistant professor of practice in management and marketing.

The program is possible because of funding from the NDSU Impact Grant. This semester marks the second-year students have been able to participate.

Topics covered throughout the semester include learning about personal strengths and how to lead others, as well as building professional skills.

“The Emerging Leader Development Program was hands down one of the best experiences of my entire college career,” said NDSU marketing alum Samantha Hendrickson, who participated in the program during the spring 2025 semester. “It gave me a deeper understanding of leadership, self-awareness and the kind of professional I want to be.”

For many past participants, the program provided a chance to develop confidence and learn more about their personal work styles.

“I was able to gain a plethora of skills, most importantly I witnessed my confidence increase. While being an introvert, I was placed in different situations and environments in which I first felt uncomfortable, but throughout the semester was able to watch myself move away from my comfort zone to engage with my peers and professionals who I did not previously know,” said Philip Job, a business administration and finance double major from Freeport, Minnesota.

Kierston Wheat also gained confidence from her participation and learned valuable skills she’ll utilize both personally and professionally in the future.

“One of the most comforting things I learned was that I’m in the same stage of life as many of the professional speakers we heard from, and that made leadership feel more attainable rather than intimidating,” said Wheat, a business administration major from Rice, Minnesota.

Haven Fitterer, a senior majoring in management, said she chose to participate in the program this semester because she’s hoping to grow professionally to set herself apart from others in her future career field.

“This class may guide me to discover what my career path may look like, or any industry that fits me the best. It will also help build my professional network early, which may lead to future internships, mentorships, or job opportunities,” Said Fitterer, who is from Bismarck, North Dakota.

Students learn firsthand from business leaders in the community by visiting companies including Amazon, Microsoft, Dacotah Bank, John Deere, NDeavor Barry D. Batchellor Tech Park, Bell Bank, Border States, Hope Blooms, YouFlourish, 2MinuteLeader.org and many more.

“Getting to meet real leaders in the Fargo area and hear their stories firsthand was something that really stuck with me. Each visit gave me a glimpse into different leadership styles and company cultures, and I left every tour feeling more inspired and motivated,” Hendrickson said. “It was also during this time that I started to see how my own strengths could be applied in real-world settings, which helped me feel more confident heading into my career.”

Students recently had the chance to visit Fargo’s Amazon warehouse on Jan. 23 to explore careers opportunities and learn from Amazon leadership.

Those interested in learning more and participating in the Building Up Bison Emerging Leader Development Program can reach out to Tulibaski at katherine.tulibaski@ndsu.edu.