Iowa Board of Regents announced Steven Leath as the next Iowa State president, but not before the selection had been leaked by a tweet from the Des Moines Register. The decision was made by a unanimous vote by the Regents.

“I am truly honored to be elected as the president of Iowa State University,” Leath said in his acceptance speech. “I am honored and excited that [my wife] Jan and I will be joining the Iowa State family.”

The transition will be enacted soon, and Leath will be in place by Feb. 1, 2012.

“What we looked for was for a vision for the entire state of Iowa and how Iowa State University fits” from that perspective, said regents president Craig Lang. “Dr. Leath answered the questions in a way that the Iowa Board of Regents was happy with.”

Leath’s first priority is to get to know faculty, students, the state of Iowa and ISU alumni. He also looks forward to being a part of the shared governance of Iowa State, and is proud to be a Cyclone.

“We have many talented Iowans who want to go to Iowa State,” Leath said.

He wants to make sure that students have access to the university and sees accessibility to a good education to be the most important challenge for the next president.

Jared Knight, vice president of the Government of the Student Body, was feeling “excitement” after hearing the announcement, and he is looking forward to working with Leath and having been a part of the selection process.

“It’s not a process a lot of students get to experience,” Knight said. “I don’t envy the regents for having to make that decision.”

Overall, Leath plans to make sure that he works closely with current president Gregory Geoffroy and Elizabeth Hoffman, executive vice president and provost, on campus.

“If you’ve got a good example, it would be prudent to follow it,” Leath said. “I think initially this will be really be a roll-up-your-sleeves deal.”