Third candidate for NDSU president speaks to campus community

FARGO, N.D. – A candidate for North Dakota State University president said today that if hired, he would act first as a politician and second as a statesman.

Bill Ruud, a Grand Forks native and the third presidential candidate to visit the NDSU campus, said as president his first job would be to talk about the strengths of the university and fight for its needs.

Ruud, addressing about 215 faculty, staff, students and community members during an open forum, said as a statesman, he would emphasize collaborative competition.

“We need to work and play well with others, but at the same time we need to compete for grants, for contracts, for students, for opportunities, whatever it is,” he said.

Ruud, a 1974 University of North Dakota graduate, said he’s excited about the possibility of moving home to North Dakota.

The final candidate, John Gardner, will give his open forum on Friday.

The search committee meets May 13 to select three names to forward to the state Board of Higher Education.

The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead is owned by Forum Communications Co.

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