In seven months on the job, president Steven Leath has traveled to the four corners of the state and made rounds on campus, from dormitory to department. He led the Veishea parade, promoted Iowa's economic potential, met with state lawmakers and testified before a U.S. Senate committee. About the only presidential thing he hasn't done is receive his formal welcome to Iowa State.
He'll check that off the list on Sept. 14 at the presidential installation ceremony. Installations have been a tradition at Iowa State from its very beginning. Adonijah Welch, the first president, was installed in 1869 in a ceremony coinciding with the inauguration of the university.
Leath's installation as Iowa State's 15th president will be marked by a colorful procession of several hundred robed academics, brief remarks by state and university officials, and performances by Simon Estes and Iowa State musical groups.
Leath to share vision
After Craig Lang, president of the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, formally installs the ISU president, Leath will share his vision for the university.
Send a greeting
To send an electronic welcome to President Leath, use the form on the installation site.
The installation begins at 10 a.m. in Stephens Auditorium and will be followed at 11:30 a.m. with a reception in Stephen's Celebrity Café.
"We hope many members of the university community and Iowa State friends will join us at the ceremony and become a part of this special moment in Iowa State history," said Olivia Madison, dean of the library and chair of the installation planning committee. She added that those unable to attend the ceremony may view it live or later on the presidential installation website.
Installation eve: Student celebration, keynote talk
Other installation events, set for Sept. 13, are a midday student celebration on central campus and an evening opening keynote speech by national fiscal reform expert Erskine Bowles in the Memorial Union.
Students, joined by Cy, the pep band and cheerleaders, will welcome Leath and his wife Janet to the university on the eve of the installation. The celebration will occur on central campus, near the campanile (11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.). President Leath will give brief remarks at 12:20 p.m., and a picnic lunch will be served.
A veteran of government and business, Bowles is at the center of the national dialogue on America's deficit crisis. He will give a public address, "Conversation on the National Debt," Sept. 13 (8 p.m., Memorial Union Great Hall) and introduce Leath during the Sept. 14 installation.
Leath served as vice president for research and sponsored programs for the multi-campus University of North Carolina during Bowles' tenure as its president. Bowles was appointed by President Barack Obama to co-chair with former Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson a bipartisan national debt reduction commission. He also served as President Bill Clinton's chief of staff.
