Building Community, Inspiring Innovation – Asper School of Business launches strategic plan

Message from the Dean

The Asper School of Business stands at a pivotal moment: building on our historic strengths while rising to meet the demands of a rapidly changing global landscape.

In the past five years, we have made tremendous progress in experiential learning, Indigenous business leadership, research excellence, and community engagement. As we look forward, our strategic plan is both a reflection of who we are and a blueprint for what we aspire to become.

The Asper School of Business is deeply rooted in the local community, with strong ties to industry, business, and government.

This faculty was built by Manitoba’s business community, innovators who saw the value in investing in talent trained in the heart of Canada. Today, we embrace this mindset, investing in research, teaching, and engagement that contributes to prosperity, economic growth, and regeneration.

We are a bridge between industry and academia, serving Manitoba’s current business leaders at the James W. Burns Executive Education Centre and training Manitoba’s future business leaders across six rigorous and dynamic academic programs.

We are Manitoba’s only research-intensive business school, home to world-class centres for research and innovation: the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship, the James W. Burns Leadership Institute, the Behavioural Management Centre, and the Chiu Centre for Business Serving Community.

We strive to lead change and advance Reconciliation through community engagement, building reciprocal and authentic relationships, and working with Indigenous communities to drive economic growth, develop deeper knowledge, and support self-determination.

Building Community, Inspiring Innovation guides our efforts, identifying ambitious and impactful outcomes while articulating how the Asper School of Business stands out.

The Asper School of Business is a community first, and it is our mission to keep that community mindset in business. Because at Asper, connections are our biggest assets and service to our community fuels innovation.

This plan, organized by three strategic pillars—empowering learners, advancing research excellence, and expanding meaningful engagement—is a framework that moves us forward while driving prosperity, positive societal impact, and economic well-being in Manitoba, Canada, and around the world.

It is a plan informed by our community, brought to life by continuous engagement and improvement.

We are not humble in our ambitions because we know that local excellence, a sense of place, and the accountability of community are what lead to transformative ideas and global impact.