David Cook named vice chancellor for Edwards Campus

LAWRENCE – David Cook, associate vice chancellor for community engagement at the University of Kansas Medical Center, has been named the new vice chancellor for the KU Edwards Campus.

Cook will assume his new role on Monday, April 15. Mary Ryan has served as interim vice chancellor since Jan. 1, when Bob Clark stepped down after 15 years of service.

“David will bring vision and excitement to the Edwards Campus,” Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Jeff Vitter said in announcing the appointment. “Thanks to the strong support of the Johnson County community, the Edwards Campus is poised to become the leader in higher education in the Kansas City area. David has the experience needed to propel the campus into a new era.”

Since 2008, Cook has served as a vice chancellor and as an associate professor at KU Medical Center. He is also the associate director of the Institute for Community and Public Health. From 2008 to 2011, he was executive director of the Midwest Cancer Alliance, and from 2005 to 2008 served as assistant vice chancellor for public affairs at KU Medical Center.

Cook holds a master’s and doctorate in organizational communication from KU and a bachelor’s from Iowa State University. During the 2011-12 academic year, he spent time in the Office of the Provost at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as an American Council on Education Fellow.

“During my time at KU Medical Center, I have witnessed firsthand how the university and the medical center have engaged the Kansas City community to achieve monumental milestones, including obtaining National Cancer Institute designation,” Cook said. “I am honored to have the opportunity to work toward similar milestones at the Edwards Campus. I look forward to working with the talented people on campus and our partners in Johnson County and across the Kansas City community.”