North Dakota State University’s new President is officially on campus for his first day on the job.
Dr. David Cook was previously Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs and Economic Development for the University of Kansas. He was chosen by the State Board of Higher Education to succeed previous President, Dr. Dean Bresciani.
Cook says he’s spending a lot of time listening to people to see what everyone wants for NDSU – from students, faculty, citizens and alumni.
"I think a big part of what I'm trying to do is get a sense of what people want to see in this institution, where we need to go, how well we are aligned with the economic needs of the state, the workforce needs of the state. This is a really important institution for the entire state, for the Fargo-Moorhead area, and I think a lot of that starts with continuing to listen to them to see what we can do for them."
Cook says some of these discussions involve how to address declining enrollment, how to heighten the potential of NDSU’s research capacity, and even what it might look like to advance NDSU athletics into a higher tier of Division 1 competition.