FARGO, N.D. (AP) The new chair of the North Dakota Board of Higher Education hopes to mend fences after the resignation of his predecessor.
Retired public schools administrator Terry Hjelmstad is taking over for Kirsten Diederich. She resigned after some lawmakers threatened to block her confirmation for a second term.
Hjelmstad will be at the helm until June, when his term expires. The lifelong North Dakotan, who lives in Phoenix during the winter, brings a light-hearted style.
Hjelmstad and others believe Diederich took the fall for a board that has been at odds with legislators for a decade over rising tuition costs and administrative accountability.
In his last few months on the board, Hjelmstad hopes to get the system through two major issues: the higher education budget bill and finding a new chancellor.