Former North Dakota Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford will serve as interim chancellor of the North Dakota University System.
The State Board of Higher Education appointed Sanford on Monday during a special board meeting. He will succeed Mark Hagerott, who announced Friday he was accelerating his retirement to April 29.
Sanford, who served as lieutenant governor under Gov. Doug Burgum for six years, has been serving as interim Bismarck State College president since January. Sanford will begin his role as chancellor on April 30.
“I appreciate the opportunity to serve in a leadership role that includes all of the state’s higher education campuses,” Sanford said in a statement. “I am ready for this challenge. I look forward to leading collaboration of campuses on systemwide efforts and responding at speed and scale to workforce challenges.”
Sanford is former mayor of Watford City and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of North Dakota. Most recently, he was working for the BSC Office of Workforce and Economic Development.
Hagerott originally planned to retire at the end of 2025 but announced his earlier retirement date last week. A search for a permanent chancellor is expected to begin in late 2025 or early 2026.
The board also appointed Dan Leingang to be interim president at BSC. Leingang is vice president of academic affairs and briefly served as acting president before Sanford took over. The board approved a separation agreement with former BSC President Doug Jensen on Dec. 20.
