(Radio Iowa) – The current president of North Dakota State University is being named as the only other finalist in the search for the next president of Iowa State University. David Cook has been president of NDSU since 2022, and while he got his master’s and doctorate degrees at the University of Kansas, Cook earned his B-A at Iowa State in 1992. Much of his previous work experience was at Kansas, most recently as vice chancellor. Cook will visit the Ames campus on Thursday to meet with faculty, staff, students and community members, as well as to take part in a public forum. The other finalist is Benjamin Houlton, dean of the College of Agriculture at Cornell University. The state Board of Regents will meet in closed session next Tuesday to hear from the search committee co-chairs, interview the finalists, and pick a new president to replace the retiring Wendy Wintersteen.