Steven Leath
Steven Leath (born 1957) is an American academic administrator. He was president of Iowa State University from 2012 to 2017, when he became president of Auburn University. He resigned from his position at Auburn in 2019.
Steven Leath | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 19th President of Auburn University | |
| In office June 19, 2017 – June 21, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Jay Gogue |
| Succeeded by | Jay Gogue (interim) |
| 15th President of Iowa State University | |
| In office January 16, 2012 – March 20, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Gregory L. Geoffroy |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin J. Allen (acting) Wendy Wintersteen |
| Vice President of Research at the University of North Carolina system | |
| In office 2007–2012 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 8, 1957 Providence, Rhode Island |
| Spouse(s) | Janet Leath (m. 1981) |
| Children | Eric and Scott |
| Alma mater | Penn State University University of Delaware University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign[1][2] |
| Occupation | University President |
Early life and education
Leath was born in Providence, Rhode Island, moving to St. Paul, Minnesota at the age of two. Leath later moved again to central Pennsylvania, where he took up a number of sports, including hunting and fishing.
He obtained his bachelor's degree from Penn State University in 1979, studying plant science. Two years later he received his M.S. in plant pathology from the University of Delaware, and a Ph.D. in plant pathology and phytopathology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1984.
Career
Prior to his position at Iowa State, Leath was vice president for research for the 16-campus University of North Carolina system.
A notable event that occurred during Leath's tenure at Iowa State was his decision to permanently end Veishea after 2014. This was due to continued problems with violence that occurred during the festival, especially a series of violent disturbances that led to his suspending Veishea halfway through the festival in 2014.[3]
After five years at Iowa State, Leath was named the president of Auburn University in 2017. While he was praised for record enrollment and investment in campus infrastructure, he was also criticized for personal use of a university aircraft.[4]
In June 2019, he resigned from Auburn, which paid him a $4.5 million severance.[5][6]
Personal life
Leath and his wife have two sons, Eric and Scott.
An Instrument-rated pilot, Leath damaged a Cirrus SR-22 owned by Iowa State while landing in gusty conditions in Bloomington, IL.[7] The ensuing controversy about the use of school property for personal travel, and the fact that the school paid for the damage, led to Leath publicly declaring that he would no longer fly state-owned aircraft.[8]
References
- "About President Leath". Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University. 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
- "Leading Iowa State". Newark, Delaware: University of Delaware. 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- "Veishea ends at Iowa State; new traditions will begin with 'thoughtful approach'". Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University. 2014. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
- "Steve Leath leaving ISU for Auburn presidency". Des Moines Register. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- Webster, Jake (June 22, 2019). "Steven Leath leaves Auburn University presidency". Iowa State Daily. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- Miller, Vanessa (July 15, 2019). "Auburn paying former ISU President Steve Leath $4.5M to leave". Ames Tribune. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- Foley, Ryan (September 23, 2016). "Iowa State President Damaged School Plane". ABC News. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
- News Service, ISU. "Statement from President Steven Leath about his use of Iowa State University-owned aircraft". Iowa State University. Retrieved October 1, 2016.