The final candidate being considered for president of North Dakota State University is Mary Holz-Clause with the University of Minnesota in Morris and Crookston. Holz-Clause says NDSU does many things well from an agricultural perspective. “NDSU is there to hear from farmers about what their needs are and respond to those needs. There’s lots of research being done. We also want to ask if we’re meeting the work force needs. What do employers want us to provide for education?” Holz-Clause says the University of Minnesota is hosting listening sessions to learn more. “One of the workforce needs is to provide more students. Every year in the agricultural field, we’re between 30,000 to 40,000 jobs short for the needs in the industry. We may need to bring non-agricultural students into agriculture. We also need students with technical skills, but also soft skills.” Once interviews wrap up, the search committee will make recommendations to the State Board of Higher Education. The Board of Education is expected to make a decision on NDSU’s next president by the end of the month.
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