Iowa’s Board of Regents has made it official. Former UNI President Benjamin Allen will serve as interim president of Iowa State after Steven Leath leaves Ames for Auburn University in May.
Allen is a familiar figure at Iowa State. He’s been a professor, department chair, dean, vice president of academic affairs and provost at the school. He’ll become interim president May 9th, the day after Leath leaves office. Board of Regents President Bruce Rastetter says Allen will begin work three weeks before then.
“In order to facilitate a seamless transition, Dr. Allen will be granted an initial appointment as a senior policy adviser effective April 17through May 8,” Rastetter says.
Rastetter says Allen will be paid $525,000 as adviser and then interim president. He says the search for Leath’s permanent replacement will begin with the naming of a campus search committee representative of diverse aspects of university life.
“The first part of the process will be confidential, where the committee will interview candidates, select 10 or 12 candidates, that will be the committee’s decision, and then bring the finalists to campus,” Rastetter says.
The Regents will hear an update on the presidential search at their late April meeting.