So far I like Steven Leath, our new

president of Iowa State. Leath is establishing his presence on

campus. He seems more than willing to meet with the press, given

the coverage by the Des Moines Register and the Cedar Rapids

Gazette. Last week, on Feb. 8, he met with the Government of the

Student Body. There he outlined some of his plans for the

university. There, Leath said he wanted to keep tuition affordable,

increase enrollment, petition the state for increased funding and

have the university present a good public image.

Finally, Leath has done something

former President Gregory Geoffroy never did: He asked me how I was

doing.

I’ve encountered Geoffroy a handful

of times over the years. Each time I greeted him, he would usually

avoid eye contact and walk the other way. But I met Leath in

passing in the Memorial Union at the beginning of the semester. I

could tell he was in a hurry, he still asked me how I doing. Even

though our exchange was brief, he was cordial.

But now Leath should ask how Iowa

State is doing. Geoffroy’s legacy is with us. Tuition has more than

doubled in the last ten years. Student loan debt remains one of the

highest in the country. The 20-odd building projects that happened

under Geoffroy certainly altered ISU’s landscape, but the cost of

maintaining them will haunt Iowa State for years.

Furthermore, he should question

means to be the president of a land-grant university. Is Iowa State

fulfilling its role as a broad-based institution as described by

the Morrill Act?

A great way to answer these

questions would be to undertake no major initiatives in the first

year. On Jan. 15, the Des Moines Register described Leath as an

entrepreneur, the CEO of Iowa State. In keeping with this image,

Leath should take stock of Iowa State’s current status and its

future prospects; he should take Iowa State’s pulse. He should not

let himself be led around by groups such as the Alumni Association

or the ISU Foundation.

Instead, if he hasn’t already, he

should take a tour of campus, visit all of the departments and ask

people how things are doing, if only briefly. Obviously, this would

probably take about year, which is why he would not undertake any

major initiatives. Instead, he would be building the foundation for

Iowa State’s future by consulting those who are on frontlines of

higher education: the professors and the department heads. He would

also be building his own legacy, different than

Geoffroy’s.

Also at the GSB session, Leath spoke

about the need for Iowa State to be “a little less humble” and how

it must raise “awareness about how good Iowa State is.”

If so, then Iowa State’s “Choose

Your Adventure” marketing program needs to change. It advertises to

prospective students that through dumb luck and happenstance they

can find their calling in life at Iowa State. One commercial

advertises the around-the-world career of Kara Kranzusch. It says

little about the hard work that earned her a place at NASA. In

another commercial, a student says, “I want my four years to last

forever,” after wanting to know what a quesadilla is. The

whispering professors at the end are kind of annoying too. Also,

the marketing slogan itself hints at the “Choose Your Own Adventure

Books” written for children and pre-teens. Are these things really

what Iowa State wants to broadcast to the public? Certainly,

opportunities in life and in college can present themselves through

happenstance. But how can one take advantage these opportunities

that appear out of blue if he or she is not prepared?

I say Iowa State’s new marketing

slogan should be: Victoria amat praeparatio — victory loves

preparation. (Some of you might recall this comes from a recent

Jason Statham movie. But the Latin on his gun reads “Victoria amat

curam,” which really means: Victory loves care — thank you, Latin

101 and 102.) Unlike “Choose your adventure” or “Challenging

Students to Become their Best” which preceded it, “Victory Loves

Preparation” is a commandment, a call to greatness. Just as every

great athlete knows that he or she must prepare for the game, a

master in any field of education understands that preparation is

needed to achieve desired results. Talent alone is not

enough.

Under Leath, Iowa State should build

the foundations for success by preparing its students for success.

This means adhering to the Morrill Act by empowering students with

a broad-based education, not solely focused on engineering and the

sciences, but also augmented by the humanities. Every alumnus

should be a walking example of how Iowa State helped that person

prepare to be victorious in the world. Not only would this improve

Iowa State’s public image, but also the state would see the value

in funding Iowa State, thus tuition would remain affordable, and

enrollment would increase. In turn, Leath would be well on his way

of establish his own positive legacy at Iowa State.

Victoria amat praeparatio.

Leath would be well on his way of establish his

own positive legacy at Iowa State.

Victoria amat

praepatario.