Ulrich, who is currently the superintendent for the Fort Dodge Community School District, will start at Iowa Central on July 1. He will be paid $245,000 plus benefits and a monthly car allowance.

The board announced it selected Ulrich as the college’s next president on April 1.

The board had received 37 applications, 27 of which were forwarded to the search committee and cabinet to review and rank. Ulrich was chosen out of the narrowed pool of five finalists.

“This is a dream come true, honestly,” Ulrich said to the board. “When I walk across campus, this doesn’t look anything like it did 20 years ago … a lot of things have changed, but I appreciate the opportunity.”

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
A member of the Iowa Central community greets FDCSD Superintendent Jesse Ulrich on Monday evening. Ulrich was selected by the Iowa Central Board of Directors to be the next college president.

Surrounded by his family, Ulrich signed his contract for Iowa Central after Monday night’s board meeting.

Following the meeting, Ulrich met with students, faculty and other Iowa Central community members in the atrium of the Greehey Family Student Success Center.

During the meeting, the board also approved a 2.03% salary increase for support staff and administrative staff for the 2021-2022 school year.

A $40 per semester increase to the college’s room and board rates for 2021-2022 was also approved by the board.

“We’re trying to keep those costs down for our students,” explained Tom Beneke, vice president of enrollment management.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Jesse Ulrich, current FDCSD superintendent, is greeted by members of the Iowa Central community following the board meeting where Ulrich's contract to be the next Iowa Central president was approved.

The board also received program review updates on the dental hygiene, criminal justice and early childhood education programs.

Mary Ludwig, executive director of development and alumni, gave the board an update on the spring 2021 commencement ceremony. The virtual commencement will be April 22 and the college is still finalizing details on the online streaming for the ceremony.

To celebrate the graduates, the college will be serving a barbecue over the lunch hour on Thursday in the courtyard area on campus, Ludwig said.

Vice President of Instruction Stacy Mentzer also gave an update on the college’s recent accreditation visit.

“I am beyond ecstatic about how our accreditation went,” she said. “For the first time in 30 years, we have no followup reporting we have to do.”

Mentzer said the accreditation report will be released to the public when it is finalized.

The next Iowa Central Board of Directors meeting will be at 5 p.m. on May 11.