Dick Hanson announced Monday he will be a candidate for North Dakota State University president.
The interim president said he has applied for the permanent job because it's a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"My enthusiasm for the people and the mission of North Dakota State University is beyond measure. NDSU is a fabulous institution, poised to engage the future in an exciting and excellent way," Hanson said in a news release.
Hanson, who has led NDSU since Dec. 1, said in an interview Monday his candidacy will not change how he operates as interim president.
"We'll keep moving forward with the things we need to do," Hanson said. "I don't think it will change any dynamics."
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He said being interim president may make his candidacy more difficult because he's dealing with challenges such as budget reallocations, the collapse of Minard Hall and an audit of the president house project that is expected soon.
James Carlson, cofounder of PRACS Institute, and D.C. Coston, NDSU vice president for agriculture and university extension, previously said they'll compete for the job.
The search committee has not received applications from either one.
Steve Swiontek, chairman of the search committee, said Monday the committee has received application materials from three candidates.
They are:
- David Bejou, dean of the School of Business and Economics at the Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina.
- Anil Kumar, professor and chairman of the Division of Pharmacology, University of Missouri, Kansas City.
- Chris Sliwa, who most recently worked as associate professor of Spanish for Fayetteville (N.C.) State University.
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The timeline for filling the post calls for a search committee to screen applications after March 1 and select three finalists in mid-May.
The goal is to hire the next president to start July 1.
Hanson, a former Bison football player who worked for NDSU for 15 years, is serving a seven-month appointment as interim president.
Hanson, 59, previously worked as president for Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa, a private four-year college with an enrollment of about 550.
He also worked as vice president for academic affairs and dean of Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The state Board of Higher Education appointed Hanson interim president after the resignation of Joseph Chapman.
Dalrymple writes for Forum Communications Co., which owns the Herald.
