Presidential candidate Marshall Stewart visits NDSU
NDSU presidential candidate Marshall Stewart outlined three fundamental leadership styles he plans to bring to the NDSU president role, if selected, which include to serve, lead and grow in everything he does.
Stewart, the executive vice president for external engagement and chief of staff at Kansas State University, presented at an open forum in the Memorial Union on March 23. He is the first of three candidates to visit campus for interviews and meetings.
During his presentation, Stewart outlined his three-step plan to distinguish NDSU nationally as a student-centered public research institution. That plan includes student involvement, internships and international experience.
“Higher education has grown so fast and has looked so similar in so many places. We have to differentiate. We have to be unique,” Stewart told the crowd made up of students, staff, faculty and community members.
Stewart plans to increase student involvement by highly encouraging students to sign up for clubs and organizations to stay engaged throughout their time at NDSU. He also wants to have students more engaged with industry partners.
“One of the things that I really believe is we've got to tie ourselves to workforce and economic development. If we can create a situation where every single student has a legitimate internship, where they have to go work outside of their comfort zone and understand something they don't understand, to learn what they want to do, but also what they don't want to do. I think it's really important.”
Another component of the student experience Stewart wants to elevate is the international experience, such as encouraging students to study abroad in order to broaden their education outside of the classroom.
“When a student comes out of NDSU and they have been heavily involved, they've got a strong resume, international experience and then you put the strong academics and research we already do on top of that, you have set that student apart. You put them in a position to win,” he said.
In addition to the three I’s of his student-focused distinction plan, Stewart plans to expand engagement with the state.
“I want us to engage in this state so deeply that we win the state, therefore we win Bismarck. We win the state, we win D.C,” he said. “It's about serving people and being there, planting a flag, making sure 53 counties, 800,000-plus people know that North Dakota State is with them in the work.”
Stewart plans to achieve engagement through building a culture of trust.
Stewart’s plans for his first year are to be present frequently across campus to listen and learn so he can lead effectively. He also plans to meet people throughout the community, learn about NDSU’s athletics programs, as well as meet alumni and people across the state.
In his current role at K-State, Stewart serves as the president’s principal liaison for university, government and community leadership. He facilitates strategic initiatives and partnerships at the local, state, national and international levels, driving university engagement efforts that elevate the institution and its reputation, enhance economic impact and fulfill the promise of being a next-generation land-grant university. Located in Manhattan, Kansas, K-State is a public land-grant research university with an enrollment of around 21,213 students.
Prior to K-State, Stewart served as the chief engagement officer for the University of Missouri System and vice chancellor for extension and engagement at the University of Missouri-Columbia. At Mizzou, he served on the president's cabinet and worked with executive leaders across the system’s four campuses, advancing extension and engagement, and developing a framework that leveraged expertise across UM System universities to maximize their benefits for Missourians.
Prior to the University of Missouri, Stewart held leadership roles at North Carolina State University, serving in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, leading strategic planning, serving as an associate director with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service and heading the Department of 4-H Youth Development and Family and Consumer Sciences. Stewart began his career at NC State as the state agricultural education coordinator and state FFA advisor.
Stewart earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Other candidates also are slated to hold open forums, which are scheduled for 2 p.m. in Memorial Union’s Anishinaabe Theater. Bernie Savarese, vice president for academic affairs, research and student success at the University of Tennessee, is scheduled to give his presentation on Tuesday, March 24. Alan Smith, Emma Eccles Jones endowed dean and tenured professor of kinesiology and health science and former interim president at Utah State University, is set for Wednesday, March 25.
Following the on-campus visits, the NDSU Presidential Search Committee will officially recommend candidates to the State Board of Higher Education during a final committee meeting on Friday, March 27. The board will conduct final interviews on the NDSU campus on Monday, March 30, with the selection of the next NDSU president announced that same day. The new NDSU president is anticipated to assume office by early June.
For more information or to watch video of any of the candidate presentations, visit the Presidential Search web page.