Board of Regents names Mark Nook as 11th president of UNI

December 6, 2016

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Mark Nook, chancellor at Montana State University Billings, will become the 11th president of the University of Northern Iowa.

Nook will assume his duties as president of the University of Northern Iowa on February 1, 2017. He will receive a three-year contract and will be paid an annual salary of $357,110.

The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, announced the unanimous selection of Nook to replace Bill Ruud, who accepted the presidency of Marietta College on July 3, 2016 after three years at UNI. The Board of Regents convened a 21-member search and screen committee to work in cooperation with professional search consultant AGB Search.

Prior to serving as the chancellor at Montana State University Billings from 2014-2016, Nook was the senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs at the University of Wisconsin System from 2011-2014. He also served as provost (2007-09, 2010-11) and interim chancellor (2009-10) at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and in a variety of roles at St. Cloud State University. He graduated from Southwest Minnesota State University with a bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics in 1980, before obtaining a master’s degree in astrophysics from Iowa State University in 1983. Nook received his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1990.

Jim Wohlpart, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, has been serving as interim president and will continue to do so until Nook takes office.

With nearly 12,000 students, the University of Northern Iowa is one of the top public regional universities in the Midwest, consistently recognized in the Princeton Review Best 351 College Rankings guide and by U.S News & World Report. UNI offers more than 90 majors across four undergraduate colleges, and is known nationally for its teacher education and accounting programs.

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