Candidate for Iowa State President A. Dale Whittaker presented in an open forum at the Memorial Union on Wednesday. The event started at 4 p.m. and ended at 5 p.m. He is the third candidate announced of the four finalists for the position.

The major points of his presentation included a plan for Iowa State to lead the nation in world hunger and renewable energy, the importance of diversity and inclusion on our campus, and dedicating more to strengthening faculty.

Whittaker said Iowa State is among the best universities to address this global hunger. Interdisciplinary collaboration, partnerships, reputation and impact were all highlighted as tools he saw necessary to achieve this.

For his second point, Whittaker said that strengthening faculty would be an important focus, and he shared his belief that hiring more faculty will create a stronger learning environment.

He also addressed Iowa State’s status in the AAU saying hard work leads to impact, which leads to a positive reputation, which will lead to higher rankings.

For the last highlight of his speech, he explained his belief that diversity is key to a successful university, saying people from varied backgrounds and walks of life have different ideas, and when different ideas come together that’s what creates innovation.

“Diversity is very strategic. We make better decisions as a group when we have multiple lived perceptions at the table, better perception of risk, and Innovation,” Whittaker said.

Whittaker drew on his experience as provost and executive vice president at the University of Central Florida during his speech multiple times, like his plans for breaking the 90 percentile for retention rates, as he has achieved in his current position.

During the question and answer portion, he was asked multiple questions about his feelings on diversity and inclusion.

“Everybody should know where the leadership of the university stands [towards diversity], everybody can learn, everybody is welcome, everybody has a place.”

After this question, he was posed with the question of his plans for students with disabilities or mental disabilities. His response was quick and short.

“Exactly the same thing.”