Benjamin Houlton, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, lost the race for Iowa State University’s next president on Nov. 11. However, he received more positive feedback in a survey of the ISU community than the winner, according to reporting in The Gazette.
Despite Houlton receiving higher scores on all survey questions and a higher number of positive open-ended reviews across over 400 responses from ISU community members, the Iowa Board of Regents ultimately chose David Cook, an ISU alumnus and the current president of North Dakota State University, to be the next president — according to The Gazette.
Josh Lehman, senior communications director of The Iowa Board of Regents, explained the Board’s decision in a written statement to The Sun.
“The Iowa Board of Regents conducted interviews with both finalists in closed session, and after lengthy deliberation including consideration of the survey feedback, was unanimous in their decision to hire David Cook to be the next president of Iowa State University,” wrote Lehman.
Houlton received a higher average score across nine questions evaluating the two finalists on a scale of one to five, with an average of 4.28 compared to Cook’s 3.98. He also scored higher than Cook’s highest score of 4.09 on every question, The Gazette reported.
Additionally, Houlton received more positive open-ended feedback, with 120 positive and 30 negative responses, compared to approximately 70 positive and 70 negative responses for Cook, according to The Gazette.
Some respondents believed that Houlton would enact wider change and worried that Cook, who one labelled “the safe choice,” would “just maintain the status quo,” according to The Gazette.
“We should not be afraid of change, and I believe that Dr. Houlton offers the most promise for exciting and positive change among the two finalists,” one respondent wrote.
Houlton spoke during the open forum about moving ISU to the international stage, expanding AI offerings, investing in athletics and more.
The decision followed both finalists’ visits to campus on Nov. 5 and 6, in which each participated in an open forum and underwent a series of interviews with the Board.
Cook is slated to replace ISU president Wendy Wintersteen after she retires in January 2026.
Kate Turk is a member of the Class of 2027 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is an assistant news editor for the 143rd Editorial Board. She can be reached at kturk@cornellsun.com.
