Interview with North Dakota State University President David Cook with Scott Hennen
FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State University President David Cook shares enrollment for the fall semester was the same as the previous fall, but doesn’t rule out future cuts.
Two years ago, Cook announced reducing the university’s seven academic colleges to five, cutting 34 full-time positions and eliminating 24 degree programs. NDSU outlined cuts to deal with $7.6 million in funding reductions for the 2023 to 2025 budget.
“Just like in the business world, we’ve got to keep transforming, we have to keep evolving, we can’t get comfortable. I expect that we’re going to keep grinding away and trying to be the very best we can and the world’s changing around us and we need to change as well. I expect that there’s going to be little bit of evolution constantly and that’s how we keep getting better and strive for excellence,” Cook explained.
Cook says NDSU is working to fill workforce needs in North Dakota with industry-based education. That includes focusing on engineering, ag, agtech, pharmacy and nursing. That includes the Bison to the Bakken program which connects students in agriculture, business and engineering with employers in North Dakota’s energy industry. Registration begins February 19.
