ISU President's Address - CIRAS AI Summit

GENERAL

1:00 PM – 1:15 PM

Room 220-230-240

SPEAKER

David Cook

President, Iowa State University

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## Session: ISU President’s Address
**Track:** General | **Time:** 1:00 PM–1:15 PM | **Room:** 220-230-240 | **Type:** Expert Talk
**Conference:** CIRAS AI Summit for Iowa — May 6, 2026, Scheman Building, Iowa State University, Ames IA

### Speaker(s)

**David Cook** — President, Iowa State University (Ames, IA)
Dr. David Cook, an Ames native and Iowa State alumnus, began his tenure as the 17th president of Iowa State University on March 1, 2026.

Iowa State University is a student-centric, leading research and land-grant university that enrolls more than 31,000 students, secures nearly $550 million in annual external funding, including competitive research grants and contracts, serves more than 1 million Iowans annually through extension and outreach programs in all 99 Iowa counties and contributes more than $6 billion each year to Iowa’s economy.

With more than 25 years of leadership experience at research-intensive universities, President Cook has built a strong record in strategic planning, student success, research growth, fundraising, government relations, extension, financial stewardship, shared governance and athletics.

President Cook is passionate about innovation and preparing students to thrive in a rapidly changing world through rigorous academic programs, experiential learning, industry partnerships and entrepreneurial opportunities. Iowa State University is ranked No. 9 in the nation for undergraduate entrepreneurship programs out of 300 public and private universities by the Princeton Review.

From May 2022 to Feb.2026, Dr. Cook served as president of North Dakota State University, leading the institution to stabilize enrollment after years of decline, improve retention rates, and increase the number of graduates. The university also broke records for research expenditures and strengthened its position as an R1 institution.

Prior to NDSU, Dr. Cook held executive leadership roles at the University of Kansas, including vice chancellor for Public Affairs and Economic Development and vice chancellor of the KU Edwards Campus, serving as a top senior advisor to Chancellor Douglas Girod. He also spent 14 years at the University of Kansas Medical Center, where he earned tenure in the School of Medicine. He conducted his dissertation research at an engineering firm in Shanghai and completed an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

President Cook serves on the boards of the Big 12 Conference, America’s Cultivation Corridor, Bankers Trust and the World Food Prize Foundation. He holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and speech communication from Iowa State University and a master’s and Ph.D. in organizational communication from the University of Kansas.

### Session Description

ISU President to address the Summit Attendees.

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## Session: ISU President&#8217;s Address
**Track:** General | **Time:** 1:00 PM–1:15 PM | **Room:** 220-230-240 | **Type:** Expert Talk
**Conference:** CIRAS AI Summit for Iowa — May 6, 2026, Scheman Building, Iowa State University, Ames IA

### Speaker(s)

**David Cook** — President, Iowa State University (Ames, IA)
Dr. David Cook, an Ames native and Iowa State alumnus, began his tenure as the 17th president of Iowa State University on March 1, 2026.

### Session Description

ISU President to address the Summit Attendees.

### Suggested prompts for this session

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TRACK General

FORMAT Expert Talk

ROOM 220-230-240

ISU President to address the Summit Attendees.

Transcript will be available after the summit on May 6, 2026.

ISU President’s Address

ISU President’s Address

CIRAS AI Summit

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