Public feedback showed more support, enthusiasm for ISU president finalist not chosen

AMES — The hundreds of faculty, staff, students and community members who offered feedback on the two finalists for Iowa State University president gave higher marks to and more positive comments for the candidate not chosen — Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean Benjamin Houlton.

“Ohhhh, please please please select Ben Houlton for the next president,” one person wrote in the anonymous comments portion of the online feedback forms provided to the Board of Regents about the finalists, all of which were obtained by The Gazette through a public-records request. “He's the inspiration and energy we are craving!”

Echoing the sentiment of many who gave their opinion on the finalists, another respondent said Houlton “would move the university in exciting new directions and offer ideas and perspectives desperately needed at Iowa State University.

“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.”

The Board of Regents chose North Dakota State University President David Cook over Houlton to succeed outgoing ISU President Wendy Wintersteen, who is retiring at the end of this calendar year.

Although both Houlton and Cook received positive and negative responses under the open-ended feedback option for “additional comments,” Houlton received more than 120 speaking glowingly about his candidacy, as opposed to 30 in the negative.

Cook got about 70 for and 70 against his selection as president.

Houlton also received higher scores on all nine questions that respondents were asked to consider using a 1-to-5 scale — with 1 meaning they “strongly disagree” and 5 meaning they “strongly agree.”

Where Houlton scored an average 4.54 on his ability to “nurture and grow our research portfolio,” for example, Cook scored an average 3.77 on that question.

In fact, Houlton’s average scores for all of the nine questions were above Cook’s highest score of 4.09 for his “understanding of the importance of athletics to the overall success of the university.”

Houlton scored his lowest average of 4.12 for his perceived “ability to communicate and advocate effectively with regents, legislature, and key constituencies” — although that was still higher that Cook’s average score on that question of 4.05.

Houlton’s total average of the nine scores was 4.28 where Cook’s average was 3.98.

A majority of the respondents for both candidates were ISU faculty and staff — with more total people providing feedback on Houlton than on Cook, at 226 compared to 193, according to the feedback materials provided to The Gazette.

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Cook feedback

A general theme among those praising Cook, 55 — who was born and raised in Ames and earned his bachelor’s at Iowa State before ascending through the ranks at the University of Kansas and landing the NDSU presidency in 2022 — was his local roots.

“Cook clearly loves Iowa State University and would continue the excellent foundation that our current president Wendy Wintersteen has built,” one person wrote.

“Cook felt more like Iowa State,” another person wrote. “He was confident, sure of his promises, and has a historical link to Iowa State that makes me feel good to have him be a leader here. I cannot wait to see what he will do, if he wins.”

Those same rooted attributes presented as cons to other members of the ISU community.

“While I appreciate his familiarity with ISU and his dedication to the institution, he does not bring the bold leadership and innovation that we need right now,” one respondent wrote.

“I think David Cook would just maintain the status quo,” another person wrote. “And we don't need the status quo. We need growth, innovation and ideas to keep Iowa State relevant and moving forward into the future.”

Similarly, several respondents characterized Cook as “the safe choice.”

“And that's probably enough for this version of the Board of Regents,” according to one commenter. “I believe the other candidate will take us places we've never been, or even thought to go. But that can be scary and this institution, indeed the entire state, doesn't like getting out of their comfort zone.”

Much of the negative feedback about Cook took issue with his public forum and some of the comments he made — including not being from the “wrong side of the tracks.”

“I'm a first generation college student,” Cook said during the forum, noting, “I wasn't born on the wrong side of the tracks or anything, by any means, but I struggled.”

“I was not impressed by several things that Dr. Cook said, such as his early comment clarifying that he was a first generation student but not from the ‘wrong side of the tracks’,” one respondent said. “As a person who is both a first-generation student and from the ‘wrong side of the tracks,’ that comment fell very flat.”

Another person called that comment “offensive” and also took issue with a statement Cook made about meeting NDSU fraternity boys who could date his youngest daughter.

“I found his ‘joke’ about fraternity members who could ‘date his daughter’ to be off putting and inappropriate for the venue,” someone wrote.

Cook also made a joke about Iowa State having a “university airplane,” referencing controversy around former ISU President Steven Leath’s use of ISU planes.

And, related to the substance of his talk, many reported feeling unclear on his vision and concerned with some of his answers.

“He deflected most questions in the public forum,” one person wrote, “and I was told interactions with students were very similar.”

“I felt like this candidate went into a lot less detail about his vision for the university and his experience, which I did not like,” someone said. “I feel like most of the areas he addressed were at a surface level.”

Houlton feedback

The responses to Houlton’s public forum were mostly positive — praising his energy, his preparation, the vision he presented, and his answers to audience questions.

“Benjamin Houlton provided clear examples of how he would lead Iowa State and take the university to the next level, especially amid the changes in the higher education landscape,” one person wrote. “He proved to be innovative, collegial, future thinking as well as a sound and calm leader who could navigate challenges.”

“I felt motivated and proud to be working at ISU when watching Dr. Houlton's open forum presentation,” an employee wrote. “As an initial address to the Iowa State community, I was very impressed with the respect shown to the history and progress of our university and mirror his excitement about tackling the next big opportunities and challenges for campus and Iowa communities.”

One respondent identified as a student leader and cited campus meetings outside the forum.

“From what I have heard from other student leaders (who I will not identify here), Houlton took the time to listen to concerns and questions about the university's direction, whereas Cook dismissed these concerns and left the meeting early,” the person wrote. “From what I have seen directly, Houlton's answers had a clear direction and were relatively concise.”

Another student in their response referenced a discussion about the finalists “in my engineering senior design class.”

“It was evident in the discussion that Dr. Houlton was the favorite candidate of the class, and they requested that I submit this feedback form on behalf of the group at large (over a dozen senior engineering students),” the student wrote. “The class was impressed with Dr. Houlton's research portfolio, his commitment to the open discussion of complex ideas, and his steadfast advocacy for academic freedom.”

Houlton is serving as dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University, where he holds rank as an ecology and evolutionary biology professor. At the private Ivy League Ithaca, N.Y.-based Cornell, Houlton serves as co-chair of “The 2030 Project: A Cornell Climate Initiative”— which is focused on “mobilizing practical climate change solutions for a more resilient society through collaborative work across disciplines universitywide.”

His research interests include “global ecosystem processes, climate change solutions and agricultural sustainability.”

And it’s those details that had some respondents concerned about his candidacy.

“My gut tells me that, although Houlton is really successful and articulate and charismatic, he may struggle in a red state,” one person wrote. “I think Cook fits the ISU culture much better, and that is important.”

Another person noted Houlton might view this job as a “stepping stone.”

“I am concerned about his loyalty and long-term commitment to the university. It seems like he may view this presidency as a short-term, steppingstone opportunity.”

Houlton and Cook were among an original group of four finalists chosen for the position — although two dropped out before the public forums, meaning their names weren’t released.

Some of the candidate feedback focused on that as a concern.

“It is very disturbing that there are only two candidates left in this search. Either the search committee or the firm did not vet candidates very well,” wrote one person, who identified himself as a retired professor who has studied higher ed leadership. “If this were my search, I would pull it, get a different firm, different committee and start over.

“This search is a red flag.”

Cook — who’s making $532,701 at North Dakota State, according to media reports, and will be making $700,000 at Iowa State — is scheduled to begin March 1, 2026. With Wintersteen still planning to resign at the end of this year, retired College of Business Dean David Spalding will serve as interim ISU president beginning in January.

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com