Flanigan named new NDSCS president

The State Board of Higher Education has decided on a new president for the North Dakota State College of Science.

At a meeting in Wahpeton today (Thu), the board approved the hiring of Dr. Rod Flanigan, currently in his fourth year as Dean of Business and Technology at Cochise College, a two-year school in Arizona.

Previously, Flanigan spent seven years as a professor at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.

Flanigan is expected to assume office by July.

Other finalists were Dr. Jeanine Gangeness, associate VP at Winona State University, and Dr. Carmen Simone, former president of Western Nebraska Community College.

All three finalists interviewed with the board today.

John Richman retired as N-D-S-C-S president last December. Dr. Harvey Link has been serving as interim president.

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ND University System release:

The State Board of Higher Education (SBHE) has selected Dr. Rod Flanigan as the 10th president of the North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS). The Board interviewed three finalists at their meeting Thursday, March 31, on the NDSCS campus.

During his interview, Flanigan talked about the importance of community and the institution’s students “I know this is where I want to be. There are great things happening at this community college. I feel strongly about the community college mission. We help students achieve their dreams; this is what we do for people.”

SBHE Chair Casey Ryan said, “The co-chairs of the Presidential Search Committee and all the members who volunteered time did an excellent job of bringing forward strong leaders today. We owe the committee gratitude for the hundreds of hours that were dedicated to the process. I am looking forward to continuing to see NDSCS flourish under the extensive leadership of Dr. Flanigan.”

The Search Committee was co-chaired by SBHE member Jeffry Volk and Terry Marohl, NDSCS associate professor and transportation department chair.

“Dr. Flanigan offers unique leadership skills and partnership abilities, which will serve NDSCS well into the future,” Volk said. “I am proud of the work our committee accomplished and those efforts will now be applied through the efforts of the newly selected president of the institution. We found the right leader at the right time.”

“Dr. Flanigan understands what makes NDSCS and the community of Wahpeton truly unique and has committed to full-heartedly embracing the future of our institution. I, along with everyone at NDSCS, am very excited to be part of the journey ahead,” Marohl said.

The Presidential Search Committee was charged by the State Board of Higher Education (SBHE) to evaluate candidates for the NDSCS presidency. Twenty-one candidates were initially reviewed after meeting qualifications. Next, a round of in-person interviews took place and following those interviews, the search committee narrowed the pool to four candidates that were invited to campus.

The campus visits consisted of a thorough interview process that included students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends, and campus and community leaders, providing the search committee with feedback on each candidate. It is anticipated that the new NDSCS president will assume office no later than July 1, 2022.