Regents select David Cook as 
Iowa State's next president

Today the Iowa Board of Regents selected David Cook to be the 17th president of Iowa State University. Cook, who has served for three years as president of North Dakota State University, will start at Iowa State on March 1, 2026.

The regents will introduce Cook later this afternoon at an event in the Memorial Union Campanile Room that will be livestreamed.

Cook's appointment completes a four-month national search. Earlier today in a closed session, the regents interviewed two finalists for the presidency. They also received input from the co-chairs of a 12-member presidential search committee about the finalists, including their visits to campus last week.

Watch for coverage of Cook's introduction on the news release website and in Thursday's Inside Update email.