David Cook will succeed Dean Bresciani as North Dakota State University president in July. Cook is the currently the vice chancellor for the Office of Public Affairs & Economic Development at the University of Kansas. Cook was the only finalist of three who did not make it to North Dakota for the final interview on Wednesday, due to the blizzard conditions, but joined virtually. NDSU’s Vice President for Agricultural Affairs Greg Lardy co-chaired the search committee. Lardy says they were looking for someone with good leadership skills, strong relationship-building skills and the ability to lead a complex organization with ambition. Land-grants the size of NDSU can get complex. “When you look at his track record, he’s obviously not at a land-grant right now, but Cook comes with experience in building significant research programs and creating economic development opportunities. Those qualities and traits will help him during his tenure at NDSU, specifically, the work he’ll do with our divisions in extension and ag research.”
