Marshall Stewart Inaugurated as NDSU's 16th President

North Dakota State University formally inaugurated Marshall Stewart as its 16th president on Oct. 1, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the university, offering students a clearer look at the priorities that will shape his presidency.

The inauguration took place in Festival Concert Hall during NDSU's Homecoming week, bringing together students, faculty, staff, alumni, university leaders and community members. Although Stewart began serving as president in May, the ceremony formally invested him with the authority and responsibilities of the office.

Stewart used his inaugural address, which also served as the annual State of the University address, to emphasize several themes he has introduced since arriving at NDSU: student success, collaboration, the university's land-grant mission and his vision of NDSU as “The People's University.”

“Today is not ultimately about one individual,” Stewart said. “It is about a university. A university with a remarkable history, an important mission and an extraordinary future.”

Stewart became NDSU's president May 26 after being selected by the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education in March. He succeeded interim President Rick Berg and brought more than three decades of experience at public, land-grant and research universities. Before coming to NDSU, Stewart served as executive vice president for external engagement and chief of staff at Kansas State University.

During the inauguration, Stewart looked back at NDSU's history before outlining where he believes the university should go next.

Founded in 1890 as North Dakota's land-grant institution, NDSU was created with a mission connecting education and research to the needs of the state. Stewart highlighted early university leaders, including Horace Stockbridge, Clare Waldron, Edwin Ladd and Henry Bolley, while connecting their work to the university's present responsibilities.

Central to Stewart's vision is his description of NDSU as “The People's University.”

“The People's University is not a slogan,” Stewart said. “It is a responsibility and an obligation.”

That responsibility, according to Stewart, includes serving people throughout North Dakota through education, research, extension and partnerships while providing students with opportunities that prepare them for life after graduation.

Stewart also highlighted what he calls “distinctive excellence,” building on areas where NDSU has established strengths, including agriculture, engineering, architecture, health sciences, research, athletics and student success.

“NDSU is an institution capable of leading,” Stewart said. “And our best days are still ahead.”

His emphasis on student experiences predates his inauguration. During his March visit to campus as a presidential candidate, Stewart outlined three experiences he believed could help distinguish NDSU: student involvement, internships and international experiences.

NDSU Student Body President Kaley Quam, who served on the presidential search committee, returned to those priorities during the inauguration.

“One thing that stood out to me about President Stewart, he talked often about students and the experiences that help shape successful futures,” Quam said.

She said Stewart's vision included providing students with opportunities to become involved, gain hands-on experience through internships and broaden their perspectives through international experiences.

“Those ideas resonate with students because they reflect what many of us value most at NDSU,” Quam said. “Learning that extends beyond the classroom and prepares us for life after graduation.”

Quam also emphasized the role students play in university decision-making.

“At NDSU, student leaders have a seat at the table,” Quam said. “We have a voice in university decisions, representation in shared governance and a place on the president's cabinet.”

For students, she said, the university experience extends beyond earning a degree.

“Students aren't simply invited to be part of the university,” Quam said. “We're encouraged to help shape it.”

That collaborative approach was also central to Stewart's address.

Stewart introduced “One NDSU” as another component of his vision, calling for students, faculty, staff, alumni and university partners to work across departments and disciplines rather than viewing the university as separate groups.

“One NDSU means students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners working together,” Stewart said. “The future of this university will not be built by one office, one division or one individual. It will be built together.”

Representatives from across the university offered similar messages during the ceremony.

Staff Senate President Shiloh Susag highlighted the range of work performed by NDSU staff, from supporting students and researchers to maintaining facilities, managing technology and coordinating university programs.

“What connects us is a shared belief in our students and in the land-grant mission of this institution,” Susag said.

Susag said Stewart's history of engagement and relationship-building has resonated with staff.

“We appreciate your understanding that great universities are built by people working together toward a common goal,” Susag said.

Faculty Senate President Jeffrey Johnson emphasized teaching, research and service as interconnected responsibilities at a land-grant university.

“Teaching inspires discovery. Discovery creates opportunities, and both are strengthened when they remain grounded in service to people and to communities,” Johnson said.

Johnson said faculty members value university leaders who listen to ideas and recognize the importance of teaching, research and academic freedom.

The ceremony also connected Stewart's leadership to the broader Fargo and North Dakota communities.

State Board of Higher Education Chair Kevin Black presided over the formal investiture. Black said the board selected Stewart following a national search because of his leadership experience, commitment to the land-grant mission and vision for higher education.

“Throughout his career, President Stewart has demonstrated a deep belief in the power of education to transform lives, strengthen communities and create opportunity,” Black said.

The presidential medallion, academic hood and university mace were presented during the ceremony as symbols of the authority and responsibilities entrusted to the president.

Black then formally invested Stewart as NDSU's 16th president.

“President Stewart, the board has every confidence in your ability to lead this remarkable institution,” Black said. “We are grateful for your willingness to accept this responsibility, and we look forward to working alongside you in the years ahead.”

Stewart's leadership style was also described by people who worked with him before his arrival in Fargo.

Kansas State University President Richard Linton delivered a recorded message reflecting on his years working with Stewart. The two previously worked together at North Carolina State University before later working together at Kansas State.

“He understood strategy, but he also understood people,” Linton said. “And even more importantly, he knew how to connect these two things together to make things happen.”

Linton recalled asking Stewart to join his leadership team while Linton was dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at NC State. He said their work included traveling throughout North Carolina to meet with farmers, business leaders, Extension employees, alumni and lawmakers.

“One of the greatest lessons I learned from Marshall was simple,” Linton said. “If you're going to lead a land-grant university, you have to get out and meet the people where they are.”

Linton described Stewart as a leader who listens before acting and involves others in university decisions.

“He brings people into the conversation, he listens carefully, and he has a genuine respect for faculty, staff, students, alumni, industry partners and communities that make up a land-grant university,” Linton said.

His advice to NDSU was equally straightforward.

“Spend time with Marshall. Share your ideas. Don't be afraid to think big, and then work together to make those ideas a reality,” Linton said.

Stewart's arrival comes as NDSU continues to build its identity as both a land-grant institution and a research university. NDSU reached Research 1 status through the Carnegie Classification in 2021, the classification's highest research designation.

Stewart has repeatedly emphasized that the two identities do not need to compete with each other. Instead, his vision connects research and education with service to the state.

His professional background reflects that focus. Before Kansas State, Stewart served as chief engagement officer for the University of Missouri System and vice chancellor for Extension and engagement at the University of Missouri. Earlier in his career, he held several leadership positions at NC State, including roles in Cooperative Extension, agricultural education and 4-H youth development. He earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from NC State.

Keith Peltier, chair of the NDSU Foundation Executive Governing Board and a 1975 NDSU graduate, spoke during the ceremony about the relationship between the university and generations of alumni.

“For generations, my family has believed in this institution because we have seen firsthand the opportunities it creates and the lives it transforms,” Peltier said.

He said that relationship extends beyond his own family to more than 100,000 NDSU alumni whose careers and communities have been shaped by the university.

“Supporting NDSU means supporting opportunity,” Peltier said.

Stewart's inauguration was not only about continuing that history. Much of the ceremony focused on what NDSU's next chapter could look like.

In his address, Stewart called on colleges, departments and other parts of the university to collaborate in addressing challenges facing North Dakota. His vision places student opportunities alongside research, workforce development and service to communities across the state.

Near the conclusion of his remarks, Stewart reflected on a recent visit to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. An interactive exhibit identified the bison as his symbol, leading Stewart to connect the animal's protective role with NDSU's responsibility to serve others.

He tied the experience back to the land-grant mission and his idea of “The People's University.”

For Stewart, the inauguration formally placed the symbols of NDSU's presidency on one person, but his address repeatedly shifted attention away from himself and toward the university community.

“This moment is not about me. It is about we,” Stewart said. “Together, we will strengthen The People's University. Together, we will advance our distinctive excellence. And together, we will move forward as One NDSU.”

The ceremony concluded with the singing of NDSU's alma mater, “The Yellow and the Green,” followed by a community and campus lunch on Administration Avenue.

For students, Stewart's inauguration provided the clearest picture yet of the principles he plans to carry through his presidency: involvement beyond the classroom, collaboration across campus and a university that sees its responsibility extending throughout North Dakota.

As Quam told Stewart on behalf of the student body, students will also be watching the example set by the university's newest president.

“Students look to the leaders of this university, not only for direction, but as examples of what leadership looks like,” Quam said. “President Stewart, we are excited to learn from your experiences, your commitment to service and your belief in the power of higher education to create opportunity.”