Name, Biography of First UNI Presidential Candidate Released

William N. Ruud, president of Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, is the first of three candidates vying to be the next University of Northern Iowa president.

Ruud's name, biography and curriculum vitae were released Wednesday ahead of his upcoming campus visit. The names of the other two candidates will be released in coming days.

Ruud will visit campus Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 28 and 29. His public forum will be at 3 p.m., Monday, Jan. 28, in the Maucker Union Old Central Ballroom.

Ruud became president of Shippensburg University in 2007. Among his accomplishments there, according to his biography, is a positive increase in enrollment, with a double- digit increase in applications, including an increase in applications from minority students. Increasing enrollment is an important issue for UNI, which has seen enrollment drop recently and which is seeking to recruit more students from out-of-state.

Ruud earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration and Hospital Administration from the University of North Dakota, and both master's and doctoral degrees in Organizational Behavior, Management and Strategy, and Organizational Communication from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

After Ruud and the two other candidates visit campus, the Presidential Search Committee will forward its recommendation to the Board of Regents, which will have the final vote.

The second candidate will interview Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 30 and 31. The public forum will be from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Jan. 30, in the UNI Commons, Slife Ballroom.

The third and final candidate’s visit is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 4 and 5. The information about the public forum will be released when the itinerary is finalized.

Current President Ben Allen announced he will retire by July this year.

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Campus Visit Schedule for UNI Presidential Candidate William Ruud