FARGO, N.D. (AP) -- Interim North Dakota State University President Richard Hanson says the biggest challenge he faced in his 6 1/2 months was the fallout from a state audit of university building projects.
The audit found law violations and prompted two high-profile resignations.
"It affected so many things," Hanson said. "It affected some people's employment. It affected our credibility in the state."
Monday was Hanson's last day at the helm of NDSU. New president Dean Bresciani was taking over Tuesday. Hanson on July 12 will become the next president of Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College in Minnesota.
Former NDSU President Joseph Chapman resigned last December after criticism of his spending. Hanson led the school through that and other challenges, including a budget shortfall and the partial collapse of a campus building.
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Hanson stepped down as the president of Waldorf College, a Lutheran school in north-central Iowa, to become NDSU's interim president, and unsuccessfully sought the position on a permanent basis. He said NDSU can be one of the premier institutions in the region.
"This is an important time for Dr. Bresciani," he said. "I really see this as a swing period where things get back on track. A lot of people talk about losing momentum after Joe left. That may be true, although momentum is a hard thing to understand. In a way we paused, we didn't stop anything, and now we're going to pick it back up. And I'll be cheering."
