Dr. Andrew Armacost has been hired as UND’s new president.
He was chosen by the state Board of Higher Education.
Armacost is the dean of faculty at the Air Force Academy. The Air Force brigadier general served more than 30 years on active duty and spent 20 years as a professor and administrator at the Air Force Academy.
Armacost said he has spent a considerable amount of time on the campus, talking to students, faculty and staff – and he saids he finds there’s a lot of love for North Dakota and for UND.
Armacost told reporters he’s honored to take the helm, and to propel it in a direction that will -- as he put it -- "take the University far."
"Growth in research, growth in educational programs, growth in a sense of community -- these are all factors that we will focus on immediately, when I step on campus," Armacost said.
The 52-year-old Wisconsin native said he has often been asked how long he plans to stay in the job.
"I can't pick a number of years," Armacost said. "But know that my commitment is a long term commitment. I do not view this as a stepping stone, but I will live in the moment of leading this great institution."
The previous president, former Minnesota Congressman Mark Kennedy, spent nearly three years as UND president before being hired last spring as president of the University of Colorado System.
Dr. Joshua Wynne has been serving as UND’s interim president.
Armacost said he plans to be on the job on or before June 1, 2020.
