(Iowa Capital Dispatch) In his first month at Iowa State University as its leader, David Cook said he’s been everywhere from the top of the Campanile to dining hall tables with his wife, surrounded by students, all eating together.
Cook, former president of North Dakota State University, was selected to lead ISU in November 2025, with then-president Wendy Wintersteen’s retirement going into effect at the start of 2026. It’s been exactly 40 days since Cook came to campus permanently, and in that time, the Ames native and ISU alum said he’s been meeting with as many people as he can — both on campus and across the state — to listen and learn.
“I try to be everywhere all the time, which is a lot of fun,” Cook said in an interview.
One of his stops was to the Legislature to introduce himself to lawmakers. Cook said he spent two days at the Capitol, with more to follow, building relationships and getting to know people. This summer will be more of the same, but Cook said he plans to build relationships with lawmakers and others in their communities rather than at the Statehouse.
“It’ll be a fun summer, but I’m going to tell you that kind of engagement will continue next fall, next spring, next summer,” Cook said. “It’s not just because it’s my first summer, that will always be a high priority for me.”
ISU to eliminate low-enrollment programs
Cook joined the university in the middle of reviews of all academic programs that started with a workforce alignment review mandate from the Iowa Board of Regents more than a year ago.
ISU has identified 10 programs for closure and 13 more for mergers or consolidation, the university announced online Thursday, the latest move from a state university to follow Iowa Board of Regents directives to evaluate low-enrollment programs.
While the “program vitality review” set by the board of regents began before Cook’s start at ISU, the new president said the reviews and subsequent program changes are “exactly the kind of things higher ed institutions” like Iowa State and others should be doing, and looking at programs in this way should be ongoing work.
“They’re pushing us to make sure we’re aligned with the workforce of the state. I think that’s absolutely critical, especially for a land grant institution,” Cook said. “Our priorities are providing access to education and making sure that the academic programs that we have align with the workforce needs of the state, and so the program vitality review and the report that we just put out are exactly that.”
Cook sees ISU in strong position
During his finalist forum for the university presidency, Cook fielded questions from students concerned about him coming in and eliminating programs and positions like was done at North Dakota State University to manage a $7 million budget deficit and a decade of enrollment declines.
Cook reiterated his comments during the forum, that the situation at ISU right now and what it was at North Dakota State are vastly different.
“When I look at the strategic plan and the metrics, we’re doing so well with enrollment, with retention, we’re doing a great job getting students graduating sooner than they’ve ever done before, our research dollars are fantastic,” Cook said. “So all these trends are moving in the right direction.”
On the national scale, Cook said the higher education landscape is evolving “in all kinds of different ways.” It’s been a challenge to push back against the emerging national narrative surrounding the value of a degree and trust in universities, he said, but there are opportunities in aligning academic offerings with workforce needs and in the federal landscape for research dollars.
Research priorities for the university include food security, agriculture and national defense, he said.
“It’s critical as a leader that you have to be adaptable, you have to be flexible, you have to rise to the occasion with what all those are,” Cook said.
ISU’s new leader still has 60 days to go before he solidifies his vision for the university and his priorities to make that vision a reality, with Cook saying he’s using his first 100 days as president to learn all he can and make connections with all kinds of stakeholders.
Cook said he’s meeting with student groups and organizations on campus as well as shared governance mechanisms, and he plans to be in the thick of graduation celebrations in May. He’ll also plan to connect with rural communities and industries across the state, from agriculture to manufacturing and others.
“The priority, really, is to make sure that I get out as the new leader and really hear their voice, hear their opinion, hear their advice, as I shape my vision after my first 100 days,” Cook said.
Iowa State University President David Cook eats dinner with students at Seasons Marketplace on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University)
