Strategic Plan
2026–2031

At a Glance

Our Aspiration

The Living Laboratory for Business — the convergence point where rigorous research, industry, and real-time learning meet to build business leaders for the new economy.

Why Now — A New Mandate for Business Education

The AI & Data Shift

AI and analytics now sit at the center of strategy, deployed with judgment, ethics, and speed.

Interconnected Global Networks

Supply chains, capital, talent, and information move as one high-speed, real-time ecosystem.

The Talent–Skills Imperative

Learning and working are merging; employers want a continuous loop of graduates, upskilling, and applied research.

The Walton Advantage

Structural assets no peer can replicate: Walmart, Tyson Foods, J.B. Hunt and 300+ Fortune 500 supplier offices are in our backyard. Every part of the college operates in continuous, two-way exchange with the business ecosystem around us.

#1 Undergraduate Supply Chain, N. America (Gartner)
#2 Graduate Supply Chain, N. America (Gartner)
#20 Graduate Entrepreneurship (Princeton Review)
#22 MBA, Public Business Schools (U.S. News)

Three Big Bets

Where we concentrate effort between 2026 and 2031.

Big Bet 01

Scale Applied & Experiential Learning

Goal Make applied, partner-connected learning the default Walton experience — every graduate day-one ready with a documented portfolio of practice-connected experiences.

Strategies

  • Partner-Connected Portfolio Learning — proximity becomes proof.
  • Work-Integrated Learning — internships and co-ops woven through the degree.
  • Modern Infrastructure — spaces and AI-era tools for a living business lab.
  • Faculty & Staff Development — equipped to deliver applied learning at scale.

Year One Wins

Portfolio Map CompletedA live map of partner-connected projects across programs.
Work-Integrated Learning Tracked% of students in work-based learning, captured before graduation.
Faculty Champions IdentifiedA growing pool of industry-connected champions.
Big Bet 02

Accelerate Applied & Translational Research

Goal Rigorous scholarship that influences, changes, or benefits the economy, society, public policy, services, health, or quality of life beyond academia.

Strategies

  • Faculty-Centered Research Infrastructure — seed grants, project funds, an on-ramp.
  • Signature Research Platforms — three nationally visible platforms.
  • High-Value External Partnerships — corporate, defense, government, nonprofit.
  • Visibility & Use of Research — practitioner briefs, media, and testimony.

Year One Wins

Impact Framework AdoptedApproved definitions of quality and impact; baselines set.
Three Funded Focus AreasExternal funding target per platform on the path to $15M by 2031.
Fellows & Rapid-Response FundFirst competitive seed grants awarded; impact stories published.
Big Bet 03

Embed Entrepreneurial Mindset

Goal Become known for graduating students with an entrepreneurial mindset — measurable competencies across five skills, validated by employers.

Strategies

  • Build the Entrepreneurial Culture — recruitment, storytelling, recognition.
  • Install the Skillset & Mindset — sequenced Human-Centered Design (HCD) experiences across the curriculum.
  • Discover & Build Your Way Forward — student app, portfolio tracking, flipped career fair.

Year One Wins

HCD Live in Freshman Business ConnectionsGrowth in entrepreneurial-mindset self-assessment, pre/post.
Faculty Mindset Council LaunchedDiscipline-specific mindset integrations delivered.
Innovation Recognition ProgramStudents and faculty recognized; sense-of-permission survey.

How We Measure Success

Three signals of a plan that worked

01

The day-one readiness of our graduates.

02

The commercial and societal impact of our research.

03

An entrepreneurial mindset revered by employers.