Bill Ruud (UNI photo)
The president of the University of Northern Iowa is leaving for a job at a private school in Ohio.
Bill Ruud has been president of UNI for three years. In July, he’ll become the 19th president of Marietta College in Ohio. About 1200 students are enrolled at the private institution, compared to the student body of more than 12,000 in Cedar Falls.
Ruud, who is 63, issued a written statement, saying his time at UNI had been “a blessing.” He called the institution the “University of Nothing Impossible” and said the only constant in life is change. Ruud worked at nine other universities before landing at UNI. He’s also an Army veteran and he did a three-year stint as on the staff for Idaho’s governor. Ruud also spent a dozen years at another Ohio institution, the University of Toledo.
The board that governs UNI will name an interim president for the university in June. Board of Regents president Bruce Rastetter released a written statement congratulating Ruud on the new job and thanking him for “extraordinary service” at UNI.
Marietta College was founded in 1797. U.S. News & World Report recently ranked Marietta 5th best college in the Midwest. Tuition and fees for the 2014/2015 academic year were $33,490.