Communications

January 20, 2026

Dear Iowa State Community, 

Iowa State University is entering an exciting new era: On March 1, David Cook will begin his tenure as the 17th President of Iowa State University. Both President Cook and his wife, Katie, were born in Ames and earned undergraduate degrees from Iowa State. We are delighted to welcome President Cook and Dr. Cook back home to the Cyclone family. 

Until President Cook’s arrival, I am honored to serve as interim president. For those who don’t know me, I previously served as the Raisbeck Endowed Dean of the Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business from 2013 until my retirement from that position in June 2025. Since 2018, I have also served as the vice president for Economic Development and Industry Relations and will return to that role following my interim appointment.

My goals over the next six weeks are to continue Iowa State’s strong momentum across its missions of teaching, research, extension and outreach and student success, and facilitate a smooth transition for President Cook. With the legislative session underway, I will also be engaging with our elected officials to demonstrate the impact and value of Iowa State, answer their questions, and advocate for the university’s requests for additional state funding.

Iowa State provides tremendous value to our students and to all Iowans – made possible by the exceptional efforts of our faculty and staff. Here are just a few examples of recent accomplishments from across the university:

• In December, 1,747 Iowa State degrees were awarded during fall commencement.
• The average time it takes for our students to graduate has decreased to a historic low of 4.11 years, which means Iowa State graduates are entering the workforce faster than ever before.
• Iowa State’s agricultural and biosystems engineering undergraduate program is #1 in the nation in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings.
• Iowa State cracked the Top 10 (#9) in the nation for undergraduate entrepreneurship programs out of 300 public and private universities by the Princeton Review, indicating the strength of our Innovate at Iowa State culture.
• The Iowa State Research Park received the Distinguished Community of Innovation of the Year award, which recognizes ecosystems that are making an impact by helping move research to market. Iowa companies licensing Iowa State technologies generated $15.3 million in revenues in FY25.
• Patrick Schnable, Distinguished Professor and Iowa Corn Endowed Chair in Genetics, was elected to the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), which is the highest professional distinction awarded to academic inventors. Iowa State now has 12 Fellows in the NAI.

These well-earned achievements are a testament to your hard work, commitment, innovation and creativity – thank you! I am pleased to have this opportunity to work with you to keep our excellent university moving forward during this transition. Good luck this semester and Go Cyclones!

Sincerely,

David Spalding, Interim President

January 12, 2026