Leadership Appointments

Dr. David Cook has been appointed as the new President at Iowa State University. Dr. Cook has led North Dakota State University since 2022. His accomplishments include the launch of a data-driven strategic plan that reversed 10 years of declining enrollment and revenues and invested in student advising and mentoring programs that increased retention of first-year students by 3% and graduation rates by 12%. During his tenure, NDSU’s research funding and expenditures increased to historic levels and Dr. Cook helped launch fundraising efforts for initiatives to build leaders in artificial intelligence and drive solutions for modern agriculture. Prior to North Dakota State, Dr. Cook served as vice chancellor for public affairs and economic development at the University of Kansas. He also held several leadership roles at the University of Kansas Medical Center. As a faculty researcher, Dr. Cook was a principal or co-principal investigator on grants totaling nearly $11 million in external funding. He has published nearly 70 articles, book chapters, and abstracts, and has taught more than 25 courses in subjects including: health policy and management; diffusion, adoption and implementation of innovation; business and organizational communication; and strategic marketing. Dr. Cook earned a bachelor's degree in political science and speech communication from Iowa State University. He earned his master’s and doctoral degrees, both in organizational communication, from the University of Kansas. Read more.

Dr. Betsy Becker has been appointed as the new Dean of Health Sciences at the University of South Dakota. Since 2020, Dr. Becker has served as the chair of the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences in the College of Allied Health Professions at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). In addition, she practiced physical therapy for 14 years across Nebraska and Arizona, with a specialized interest in women’s health. Dr. Becker will begin her duties with USD in July 2026. Dr. Becker holds a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of South Dakota and recevied her Ph.D.and Master's degree in Physical Therapy from UNMC. Read more.
 

John Paul “Jay” Dowd III, Ph.D., has been appointed as the new president at Wofford College. His tenure begins July 1, 2026. Dr. Dowd currently serves as president and chief executive officer of The Citadel Foundation, a position he’s held since 2013. Previously, Dr. Dowd served as vice president for development and executive director at the Francis Marion University Education Foundation, where he was a member of the senior staff and the college’s chief fundraiser. He also has served as vice president for advancement at Columbia College, assistant vice chancellor for university advancement at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and vice president for institutional advancement at Methodist College. In each community, he was a leader and collaborator, discovering a passion for service and building and sustaining relationships based on transparency, communication and respect. He is a graduate of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, where he earned a B.A. in history. He holds an M.Ed., with a focus on student personnel services, and a Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of South Carolina. He has more than 30 years of experience in higher education strategy, fundraising, institutional advancement and executive leadership. Read more.

Dr. Regina Lawrence has been appointed as the new Edwin L. Artzt Dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon. Dr. Lawrence has been serving as interim dean since August 2025, and most recently held the roles of Associate Dean of SOJC Portland and Director of the Agora Journalism Center. Since joining the SOJC in 2015, she has been a member of the SOJC executive leadership team, served as co-chair of the SOJC Graduate Affairs Committee, and has been an active leader on the UO Portland campus, including chairing the campus-wide Academic Collaborative. Dr. Lawrence is a nationally recognized expert on political communication, gender and politics, local news ecosystems, community-centered journalism, and the role of media in democracy. She currently serves as Editor in Chief of the journal Political Communication and as Co-editor of the Communication, Society & Politics book series at Cambridge University Press. Her scholarship includes numerous books, peer-reviewed studies, and public-facing reports. In 2024, Dr. Lawrence received the Public Engagement Award from the Journalism Studies Division of the International Communication Association, which recognizes a scholar who has successfully engaged with publics and organizations outside of academia in ways that meaningfully impact both scholarship and journalistic practice. In 2025, she received the Murray Edelman Lifetime Distinguished Career Award from the American Political Science Association, recognizing a lifetime contribution to the study of political communication. Dr. Lawrence received her Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Metropolitan State College in Denver, her Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Colorado at Denver, and her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Washington. Read more.