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Houlton, a finalist for ISU presidency, focuses on A.I. impact
One of two finalists to be the next president of Iowa State University says artificial intelligence is “transforming society,” and Benjamin Houlton says if he’s hired, one of his goals would be to make ISU a global leader in A.I.
“China is making big bets – fast,” Houlton said yesterday. “We need to make the same kind of bets.”
Houlton has been dean of the College of Agriculture at Cornell University for the past five years. He’s overseeing 1200 staff, 600 faculty members, 500 facilities, and $300 million worth of annual research. “The United States is now 4th in (research and development) spending in agriculture. We’re behind China, we’re behind Brazil, we’re behind the EU,” Houlton said. “We need new investments.”
Houlton said as ISU’s president, he’d work to establish more public-private partnerships and recruit the best talent to join the ISU faculty. “There’s a lot of talent on the sidelines at institutions that are looking at a place like Iowa State, saying: ‘You know what? That’s a place that gets it. That’s a place I can be mission focused. That’s a place that would inspire me to do really great things.'”
Houlton spoke at an hour-long public forum held in the ISU Memorial Union late yesterday afternoon. He told the crowd there is “room for introspection and reform” in higher education, and it’s critical to regain the public’s trust and work to ensure the students of today can thrive in the environments of tomorrow.
“My vision is an institution that is afraid of no ideas. None,” Houlton said. “No idea should be too scary for us to address. No viewpoint should be too scary for us to evaluate. Our job is to be an honest broker for society, to be a convenor and to build bridges across disparate areas so that society can continue to power forward and we can best support America’s interests.”
Houlton jokingly described himself as a “cheesehead” — he was born and raised in Wisconsin — and Houlton geeked out about Olympic Gold Medalists Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson, who both wrestled in college for Iowa State. “I will say this, that I was an honorary coach for the Cornell wrestling team, and I still get on the mat and wrestle with the kids. Yes, at age 50, but it’s amazing. They’re nice to me,” Houlton said, “so the bottom line is I’m so excited to be here with you and to experience Cyclone Nation.”
The other finalist for the ISU presidency is North Dakota State President David Cook. He’s an Ames native, and he’ll be on the campus today for a series of events before a public forum late this afternoon. The two men will be interviewed by the Board of Regents next Tuesday.
