New UNI president impresses on and off campus

CEDAR FALLS - The University of Northern Iowa's next president, Mark Nook, calls himself 'just a kid from Holstein.”

In many ways, the community he so impressed during his interview process views him the same way. In Nook, they see someone with Iowa values and an Iowa work ethic.

News that Nook will head UNI was met with approval from the community he will begin to work with starting Feb. 1. He began to assemble his transition team last week and met with lawmakers and others.

Nook, 58, chancellor of Montana State University-Billings, was unanimously selected Tuesday by the Iowa Board of Regents to become the 11th president of UNI. He succeeds Bill Ruud, who left in July to lead Marietta College in Ohio.

'I spent a lot of the last two years working on economic development in Billings as part of my role trying to convince Montanans that had left Montana to come back to Montana and grow Montana. I'm sitting there thinking, ‘I'm a kid from Iowa convincing Montanans to build Montana. I need to go help Iowa if I can,'” he said Tuesday.

Growing Iowa

Mook often repeated the phrase 'educating Iowans for Iowa” to describe UNI. He talked about how the university develops future leaders and business professionals who stay in Iowa.

Current community leaders and business professionals noticed.

'He really sang our song about talent recruitment and retention,” said Steve Dust, chief executive of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance and Chamber. 'He began his discussion with us, from the community standpoint, the importance of the connection between the university and the economy, the university and its connection to our civic life.”

Dust said Nook was 'extremely impressive,” and the only finalist to talk about the importance of being in Iowa and surrounded by his family here.

Cedar Falls Mayor Jim Brown echoed Dust's sentiments.

'He seemed pretty intent and purposeful in working with the city, which was very encouraging,” Brown said. 'It seemed like he had a great vision for the university, which being an alumni, is very good.”

Student support

UNI students also liked what they heard.

'I think the students really liked how his values and focus on students aligned with where this university wants to go,” said Hunter Flesch, student body president and search committee member. 'He has extensive experience in executive roles, and he also brings tangible experiences centered around student success and diversity, two focuses of UNI and where we want to go.”

Nook praised UNI for increasing diversity on campus, but stressed there is work to do.

'What I really love about UNI is right now in their strategic plan, it's goal one, to improve diversity and make sure it's inclusive,” Nook said. 'Everybody has to be engaged, and that means from the bottom to the top and from the top to the bottom.”

State Rep. Bob Kressig, D-Cedar Falls, who represents the district that includes UNI, also heard in Nook someone who values student input.

'I thought, to me, here's somebody that's listening to what students have to say, which I think is an important job, and responsibility, for the president of the university,” Kressig said.

Growing UNI

Regents will ask for a 2 percent increase in state aid for next fiscal year, plus an additional $2.5 million for UNI, which traditionally has been underfunded.

Lawmakers said Nook has a good grasp of the budget picture.

'I think he brings some unique leadership in the area of just understanding the overall aspect of what a school like UNI has to do, its unique position here in the state,” said Rep. Walt Rogers, R-Cedar Falls. 'The way I see him is somebody who is very relational, and very good with people, and understands that, and also has a wise demeanor he brings to the position. And I think those combinations will be really good for UNI.”

Lawmakers agreed there is a good chance, particularly with Nook at the helm, the Legislature will approve the UNI funding request.

Nook makes the case for that funding as well. The mathematics professor in Nook came out as he explained the value of a UNI education.

'A student that comes to UNI, over a student that doesn't go to college, will on average earn $1 million more, and if you just figure out, $1 million, 7 percent of that is $70,000, and the state has about $20,000 into their education. That's a pretty significant return on investment, and nobody else will deliver the same return. So, it really is a tremendous advantage you have, and I think the people of Iowa just need to understand that little piece of calculus.”

Nook also knows increasing enrollment will be an uphill fight. Flat high school graduation rates mean 'increasing those numbers will be difficult, but that's a challenge, not an excuse, right?”

Process praised

There also was praise for the selection process.

'I have never been more satisfied with a decision the Board of Regents has made relative to UNI in a long time,” said Sen. Jeff Danielson, D-Waterloo. 'They listened; they used a professional approach; the search committee, the Panther family, were all engaged in the process, and that led to a credible, professional decision on who would be the next president.”

Joe Gorton, president of UNI's United Faculty, had a similar response.

United Faculty noted in a release Tuesday it had 'substantial concerns” about the search process at the outset due to the regents hiring of Bruce Harreld to lead University of Iowa last year. The hiring process caused the American Association of University Professors to sanction the university.

But Gorton said the UNI hire could be grounds for removing that sanction.

'After all, the sanction was primarily intended for the board as a way to encourage them to work in accordance with AAUP principles,” Gorton said. 'The search process and the outcome achieved seem to demonstrate that we have achieved that goal.”

Many community leaders said they were impressed by all three finalists for the job. There were Jim Wohlpart, UNI provost and interim president, and Neil Theobald, former Temple University president.