Ed Schafer will serve as interim president from January to July. Photo courtesy of wikipedia.org

Last Tuesday, Ed Schafer was appointed as the new interim UND president last week by the Board of Higher Education. Schafer told the Grand Forks Herald he does not intend to apply for the presidential position when election time comes. Schafer will begin serving as interim Jan. 15.

After eight years, UND President Robert Kelley’s retirement is fast approaching.

The North Dakota University System hopes to fill the empty position this coming summer. The formal search began Nov. 13. In the meantime, Schafer would serve from Jan. 14 until an new president is chosen.

North Dakota University System Chancellor Mark Hagerott said in an NDUS blog post, “Schafer is respected for his leadership, and with his extensive background, he will be able to fulfill the duties as we continue our search for a permanent president.”

Schafer has a number of qualifications especially in the business field, including being the former governor of North Dakota and the former US Secretary of agriculture. During his time as secretary of Agriculture, Shafer oversaw a budget of $95 million and kept track of more than 107,000 employees. Schafer is an experienced business man and has led several entrepreneur startup companies.

He currently serves on multiple public and private corporate boards of directors and holds leadership positions in foundations and trade associations. Schafer also is an active member of civic and service organizations.

A claim to fame is an appearance on the Discovery Channel TV show “Junkyard Wars,” starring as the captain of the “High Flyers.” Schafer was on during the fifth season of the show and won second place when his team lost to the “Jet Doctors” in the season five finale.

Schafer is a UND alumnus and belonged to the Sigma Nu fraternity. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in business, he went on to complete his MBA from University of Denver. He now holds two honorary doctorates.

He holds United States government top secret clearance, rescue diver certification and is CPR trained.

Journey Gontjes is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected]