FARGO (KFGO) – North Dakota State University President Dr. David Cook is thanking the community and laying out transition plans as he prepares to leave NDSU. Last week, Cook was chosen as the new President of Iowa State University.
By the last day of his tenure, which comes in February, Cook will have served about three and a half years at NDSU.
“It’s hard because this has been an amazing experience, people have been really good to us professionally and personally for all that we’ve been through.”
Cook says he loves NDSU and the Fargo-Moorhead area, but the Iowa State position felt like a calling home.
“My wife and I grew up in Ames, we went to Ames High, we crossed town to go to Iowa State University, my parents are there, my mother-in-law is there. So it’s this one very unique experience opportunity for us to go home,” Cook said.
Cook says he’s proud to have been a part of NDSU’s transitional period. He came to the job as the school faced institutional-wide budget cuts.
“Proud of the hard work that we’ve done here and that work will continue, we’ll finish strong over the next couple of months.”
He says that work will continue to be built upon when the new President begins.
“As an institution you have to do what’s called a higher learning commission or HLC strategic plan. That should be implemented next fall so the timing of all this layering works quite nice and we have a team that’s leading that and it will be a campus-wide effort,” Cook explains.
Cook says he has thoroughly enjoyed the role, especially being involved with students, attending sporting and arts-related events.
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