Whatever I Can

By Milo Smith

Photography by Sam Melquist

Many people strive to live life with an inspirational quote as a guide, and Werner Nistler, ’68, has made a quote from George Bernard Shaw a central part of his philosophy of life and philanthropy.

“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community,” wrote the Irish dramatist in his essay “A Splendid Torch,” “and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.”

Werner and his wife, Colleen, are doing plenty for students at the University of North Dakota; they are the lead donors for a new College of Business & Public Administration (CoBPA) building planned for the corner of University Avenue and Centennial Drive. In honor of their generosity, the State Board of Higher Education voted in late September to rename the College the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration. It’s the first College at the University of North Dakota named for a donor.

“Colleen and I want to provide great opportunities for students,” said Werner Nistler. “We think by giving back to the University in this way, we are paying it forward from where we were as students to now achieve a level of success where we can give this to students. We want to be part of this wave of excellence that’s occurring at the University.”

“Werner and Colleen are a remarkable example to our students for their business success and philanthropic spirit,” said Amy Henley, dean of the Nistler CoBPA. “Our students are going to take great pride in having the College named for such an outstanding alumnus.”

Werner grew up on a farm near Golva, North Dakota, and lived in nearby Beach, North Dakota, during his high school years. He and six of his nine siblings attended UND.

After arriving in Grand Forks, Werner went to work as a dishwasher in the Smith Hall cafeteria in order to pay for college. He worked his way up to cook and eventually became the student manager of the cafeteria. He held that job—essentially a full-time position—during his last three years on campus. Between the job, classes, and his commitment to ROTC, Werner said he learned at UND how to be “a better person.”

Werner would start an accounting career after receiving a master’s degree from Arizona State University and spending two years in the Army. It was during a time when he served as the secretary-treasurer for a chain of nursing homes/retirement communities that he had the idea for a new kind of offering, one offering continuing services.

As he traveled to company properties, he was saddened to see couples separated as one needed more care than the other. He had the vision to create retirement communities where couples could stay together by providing a continuum of services. Touchmark was born in 1980 from that vision.

Today, Touchmark, based in Beaverton, Oregon, operates 14 full-service retirement communities in 10 states and one Canadian province, including the latest one in development in Texas. This includes Touchmark communities in Bismarck, Fargo, and Sioux Falls. The Nistlers have also owned medical records processing companies along with several other businesses. They also formed the Touchmark Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing the well-being of senior citizens by providing nursing scholarships to aspiring students, distributing food boxes to seniors and families in need, and funding university-based research.

Werner credits Colleen with guiding their philanthropy to the University of North Dakota. Colleen says they are blessed that Touchmark has done well, and donating to the University of North Dakota was a logical choice given their philanthropic focus on education.

“Werner is just so proud of being from North Dakota,” said Colleen. “It was always in my mind that we would do something for the University of North Dakota. So, the timing was awesome that this building project came to our attention.”

The building project is a long-sought new home for the CoBPA as a replacement for an aging Gamble Hall. Werner and Colleen met several times with representatives from the College and the Alumni Association & Foundation as they considered being the lead donors for a new building.

Early in 2019, they were ready to step up with the lead gift, but the Nistlers really wanted to partner with the state to build the $70 million project. DeAnna Carlson Zink, CEO of the UNDAAF, went before state legislators in March. She told them she had an anonymous donor willing to make a significant gift to the project if the state would consider the creation of a $20 million matching fund. State lawmakers agreed.

“The Nistlers are so very deserving of having the building and College named after them,” said Carlson Zink. “Their lead gift has launched this project into high gear. By convincing state lawmakers to offer the $20 million matching fund, we are well on our way to securing funding for this building by our goal of June 2020.”

“Our hope was to inspire others to join this effort,” said Werner. “We wanted people to think ‘Wait, if someone from outside the state can come forth with dollars like that as a tribute to the education they received at UND, we can step up too.’”

Two celebrations of the new Nistler College of Business & Public Administration were held during Homecoming 2019 in early October. At a ceremony outside Gamble Hall, Werner urged students to take advantage of their educations. “You’ve come to a great University,” he said. “Take this education and run with it. Believe me, people want to hire graduates of this University. It’s been a wonderful path forward for me, and I appreciate everything UND has done for me.”

Later in the day at a community celebration, Werner gave credit to the team, including Colleen, his brothers Steve, ’78 and Charley, ’79, Tom Biel, ’80 and Tom Moe, ’81, of Crosby, Marcus Breuer, CEO, and all the Touchmark team members that helped make Touchmark successful. “If you want to go fast, do it yourself. If you want to go far, do it as a team.”

He ended with an emotional thank you to his deceased parents and all of his family members and talked about his faith in God. Then, he encouraged those in attendance to seize the opportunities that come forth and live life to the fullest.

“My hope for all of you is that you live a life full of fun and reach out to others to help them along. As they say, we walk this way but once, and I want to walk the very best way I possibly can. I hope you take what is here and pay it forward; do what you can to help society. When we use our talents and work with others, we can make a significant difference in the world.”

Speaking with the media after the ceremonies, Colleen said the day had solidified their decision to give so generously to UND. “Being here with all the excitement from the students and the faculty is just amazing.”

Werner remembered a time from his college days when he reflected on the motivations of one of the University’s most generous benefactors. Werner stood outside the Chester Fritz Library and pondered the gift the precious metals trader made to fund the building that bore his name. How had this man been able to do something like this? Werner wondered if he too someday might be able to do the same; to share his good fortune with students.

Now that day has come.

There is a second part to the quote from George Bernard Shaw. Shaw concludes his pledge to do whatever he can for his community by saying:

“Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It is a sort of splendid torch, which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”

“I really quite like that,” said Werner. ///

Contact Kim Woods, ’82 Associate VP, Senior Director of Development 701.777.4106 | kimw@UNDfoundation.org