David Cook was named the 15th president of North Dakota State University in February 2022.

Prior to joining NDSU, he was vice chancellor for the Office of Public Affairs and Economic Development at the University of Kansas. His primary responsibilities were to shape KU’s strategic priorities, advance the institution’s reputation and brand, and advise and represent the chancellor at meetings with stakeholders, including the Kansas Board of Regents, state and federal legislators, donors, alumni, athletics, faculty, staff and students. Cook’s economic development role focused on entrepreneurship, collaborating with industry, commercialization, providing student experiential learning opportunities and aligning educational offerings with the region’s workforce needs.

Cook previously was vice chancellor of the KU Edwards Campus in Overland Park, Kansas. Under his leadership, the Edwards Campus enrollment grew by more than 40% in six years. He also led the university’s professional and continuing education operation, providing a broad range of non-degree education and executive training to 50,000 participants annually.

Cook also spent 14 years at the University of Kansas Medical Center – the final seven years as a member of the leadership cabinet. KUMC includes schools of medicine, nursing and health professions, with 2,100 faculty; 4,000 staff; 3,300 students; and a $100 million research budget. He earned tenure in KU’s School of Medicine and was later promoted to the rank of professor in KU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

He was an American Council on Education Fellow at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Cook earned his bachelor’s degree at Iowa State University, and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Kansas. He and his wife, Katie, have three children – Gage, Ella, and Peyton, and two dogs.