When you started at Iowa State, did you picture yourself being here 38 years later?

No, I did not. When I started at Iowa State, I was 21 years old, and I had the great opportunity to go out and work in the state with farmers on integrated pest management. So, no, I never dreamed that I’d find myself as a president-select at Iowa State University.

And what made you want to take that step from dean to president?

In the end, as I considered the opportunity, it really was my love for the university, how I care about Iowa State. I thought that I brought a special set of ability at this time. I understand Iowa State University. I think I know the culture of the university. I understand Iowa. I have great working relationships with so many other administrators and faculty across the university that I thought it was time to have somebody who cared deeply, and on your resume, you really can’t show how much you care about the university where you work, but I think it makes a difference, and when you look at businesses that hire their presidents or CEOs, they almost always look at the internal candidates first who understands the organization, who understands that culture. So I thought I brought a special set of attributes and it was such an honor though, to participate in the process and I learned a lot through the process.

And looking at your time as dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, what do you think some of your best accomplishments were? 

Well, first of all, I had a great team. So, when you can build a great team to work with you, my associate deans, our department chairs, our center directors. When you have a great team, you can do almost anything. I think though the year we were ranked in the top ten for colleges of agriculture globally. That was just a huge deal. What a recognition of the work of our faculty, staff and students. That was a special moment. Other specific successes that we’ve had in how the college has changed during my tenure as dean really would be what we’ve been able to do with entrepreneurship. I think entrepreneurship is so important, and we’ve now had an entrepreneurship program in the college for almost 13 years, and now we have students who start businesses while they’re here, and they leave and graduate and take a business with them. We actually have a student who sold a business and is now at the Research Park starting a new business. So to me I think, how is that possible. I never would’ve thought of doing that as a student myself. Another great success is not only being ranked globally in the top ten, but building our program, so that we are truly a global university, so that we’re preparing students to work anywhere in the world, and I think, I think that we’re seeing great recognition about the students that come out of our global resource systems major and all of our majors, but they start to build a cultural competency, so they can be successful whether they are working in Iowa or western Kansas or China or Africa, so I think, those are some of the special accomplishments that come to my mind, but there’s so many, but it’s really about the team that we built.

Can you touch on some of the tougher decisions you’ve had to make while in that position?

You know there have been so many tough decisions and so you think about my tenure as dean, we went through some pretty severe budget reductions during that time period. From 2000 to 2006, the research arm of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences lost 25 percent of its budget and that was really a significant impact. So we were doing very extreme actions because we needed to prioritize. When you’re losing 25 percent of your budget. You really can no longer simply apply the same percent cut to everyone, so by having our leaders in the college, our department chairs, our center directors, come together, we could actually have conversations about how do we go through our prioritization process, how do we engage with our faculty, staff and students on that discussion. So I think dealing with those severe budget cuts probably brought about the most difficult decisions I had to make as dean.

And you were involved in the AgriBusiness Association of Iowa, which some viewed to have funded efforts that are anti-sustainable when it comes to water quality. What responses do you have to those critics?

Well, as Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and as previous deans, I serve as ex-officio on a number of boards that are engaged in leadership for agriculture in Iowa. So whether it’s the Agribusiness Association of Iowa or the Iowa Corn Growers’ Association, I sit on those boards and represent the college in those discussions. There was an additional organization that the Agribusiness Association set up and that organization in itself took some actions relative to the lawsuit that the Des Moines Water Works filed. While I was an ex-officio, I’m on that board as well. I never attended any of their meetings and was never a part of any discussion relative to that lawsuit.

Staying on the topic of sustainability, one of the largest things that happened last year was funding cuts to the Leopold Center. In letters sent to the Daily, people expressed that they didn’t feel you did enough either find alternative funding or fight against that cut in funding. What’s your response to those critics?

Certainly. Well that was a devastating impact on the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to lose the funding for the Leopold Center. Most of that money really stayed at Iowa State with faculty and staff in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. We lost about $1.73 million dollars in funding for research and extension programs. So it was a devastating blow. Of course some of the funding from the Leopold Center also went out into the state to support other activities with other groups, but we would’ve received the majority of those dollars in any given year. So it was a terrible loss.

We learned about the action of the legislature — one day I got an email, it was about 10:30 at night, it was from the director of the center, asking what’s happening with the budget for the Leopold Center. The next day, I contacted Iowa State’s government relations officer. And she said, in fact that a conversation was going on in the Senate to close the Leopold Center to move the funding away. So we immediately began a set of action to reach out to our stakeholders to ask them to call their legislators. We have a group called Grow Iowa Agriculture — about 350 individuals — they made those calls. We interacted directly with legislators ourselves. The government relations officer did that. The university stepped in with the ISU Alliance that goes to 185,000 people, asking them to call their legislators. We ended up with about seven or eight, maybe nine, days to have an impact on that issue and we worked hard in that time period. In the end though, the vote in the House though was lost by a small margin and we didn’t win that issue. After that happened, I called up the founders of the Leopold Center — Paul Johnson, Ralph Rosenberg, David Osterberg — and I said to them, ‘What do we do? What’s the next step that we should take to support the center?’ And after a great conversation, we all agreed that we needed to save the Center’s name, that it would be a terrible thing for Iowa State’s reputation for sustainability if we lost the Center. So we worked then through the president’s office and through our government relations office to petition the governor to keep the Leopold Center in place at Iowa State University. And we were again working with the ISU Alliance, the other stakeholder groups to contact the governor’s office and make that request. And I’m so pleased that we were successful. It wasn’t just Iowa State making that request, but clearly stakeholders across Iowa. So I think we did everything we could. It was a shocking development. It was a terrible loss. And now we’re working hard to vision what’s the future for the Leopold Center, how do we move forward, how do we address the need and great opportunity in that area.

As you’re transitioning from dean to president, how do you plan to take your experience overseeing a college and transfer that to overseeing an entire university?

So it’s really an increase in magnitude and complexity. But the work that I’ve done in a very complex college — that has many facilities across Iowa, that has many external stakeholders with many different issues, strong undergraduate program — is really a matter of scaling that up and going across the many different disciplines. I have great confidence in the partnerships I’ve had with the deans across the colleges, the work that I’ve had with the senior vice presidents that we will be able to have a great team to be able to move Iowa State University forward. We have a strong foundation. And there are so many opportunities where we can improve our operation, be more efficient and really improve the excellence of our programs if we all work together, if we all are on the same team to serve Iowa State University, to serve our students and to serve our state.

What are some of your goals as president?

Well, my most immediate goal is to go out and listen. I think it’s just so important to begin a process of working with the various official groups on campus and hear what they have to say, what would they like to say about their challenges and what they see as the opportunities. So I think listening is the only way you can learn. And I want to make sure everyone realizes that I’m going to be in every corner of the university, hearing what everyone has to say about how we move forward together. And I want to have those same types of listening sessions and conversations out in the state. How can we ensure that every citizen of Iowa understands that we highly value the support they provide us through their tax dollars?  How can I make sure they know the great accomplishments that happen here every day — whether it’s with a student’s success or with a new development in research or new educational program? So, I want to go out in the state and listen and share so that every Iowan can be proud of what we do at Iowa State University. I think if we can have that great exchange, we can have that strong social compact that land grant universities are historically known for. That’s how we were established. That’s really an important path to the future as well.

Many of your predecessors have Many of your predecessors have traditionally let decisions be made at the college level rather than the university level. Will you continue running a decentralized campus, or would you like decisions to be at the university level?

Well I’m a college dean right now so I’m going to support this great system of our colleges having really the responsibility of our core mission. So it’s out of the colleges that are teaching research and extension programs are developed, and then we have a great set of senior vice presidents that oversee the work that supports those core missions that are just squarely, squarely in the colleges. So I’m going to believe in that decentralized model and support it, and again I think it’s made Iowa State strong because we stay close to the people that really know what needs to be done, and that’s just how we should continue.

Former-President Leath was sometimes criticized by the public for lacking transparency at times. How will you address transparency as president?

Again, I think being very open to conversations, sharing, having the opportunity for these listening sessions is one part of that transparency. In the end though, it’s great communication. You all at the Daily do communication every day. And I think very strong communications early, about everything that we’re involved in, that that really builds trust and it creates transperancy. If you’re not involved in an excellent effort to communicate, then I don’t think you can have transparency and trust.

Another thing that former President Leath was known for, he was the president to end VEISHEA. Do you have any plans to replace it with a new Iowa State tradition?

You know, when I think about the loss of VEISHEA, I think about what the leaders of the university have done to set up a whole new set of new traditions already. Jeff Johnson in our alumni association, has done a great job of that. We had our homecoming parade a couple of weekends ago now, so I think that we continue to develop those, work to hear from our students and faculty about what other new traditions we could have, but it’s again a community conversation and one that needs to involve that grassroots and have some of those good conversations to know really what should be in place to allow students those opportunities again that they really lost when we had to stop having VEISHEA.

Dr. Leath also did a lot of work through the Forever True campaign. How do you plan to continue those efforts?

Well what we do through the ISU Foundation and the Forever True campaign is critically important. It’s important to every student and to our faculty and staff, it’s important to how this university functions. I will be working very closely with the Foundation, and I will make sure that it’s a team effort again, involving our deans, involving our faculty and staff so that whatever the opportunity is to bring in scholarships, to bring in support for faculty, that we have the best team working on that strategy to ensure that success. When I see the wonderful gift that came to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, I think it came in around $145 million, this is going to change the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. And as I listen to Dean Beate Schmittmann talk about that gift, she talks about the importance of scholarships that will be able to be provided as a result of that gift. Obviously other activities will be funded, but how important that is. Can you even imagine $147 million? It’s just a wonderful, fabulous gift. And just like the newly named Ivy College of Business. Opportunities for our students, faculty and staff, it’s really how the university can achieve that next level of excellence.

During your open forum and during your acceptance address, you brought up creating a welcoming and inclusive campus. Can you go more in depth on your plans to achieve this?

Certainly the university is working hard to provide that welcoming and inclusive environment. What I’ve learned as dean, by working with our students is that you really have to be willing to sit down and listen to students and hear their stories. And over the past year and a half and just on Wednesday night, we had another listening session with our multicultural students or underrepresented students. And it’s an opportunity to hear the student’s story. We at Iowa State University have to be willing to stop and listen to the story. We have to respect the student’s experience. What has been their experience? And occasionally, and sometimes more frequently than we’d like to admit, there has to be some type of intervention that occurs. If a student has a story to share with us that shows the appropriate environment is not occurring in a classroom, is not occurring in a different situation, then we need to understand that and follow up and take the appropriate actions to correct the situation.But if we’re not listening to the students’ stories then we don’t know what needs to be done to improve the environment. We can certainly do some things, make our own judgements and that is done. But it’s really hearing from the students. And I would say that would be my goal as president, to listen to our students’ experience, to respect and value their story and then to respond, after careful consideration, on what can be done to improve whatever the situation is.

After posters were found on campus, depicting white supremacist values, a debate followed over free speech versus hate speech. How do you plan to find a balance between free expression and creating a welcoming environment?

I think interim-president Ben Allen has done a very good job during his time with us in finding that balance. I think that I would follow on the foundation that he has laid I that area. And that really is that free speech is just part of the university, that is the free exchange of ideas, the opportunity to discuss issues. But what we can’t allow is situations where an environment exists where a student may be harmed because of how that situation is developing. I think that’s where interim-president Ben Allen drew the line. And so I would work with my team to understand each unique situation and we would decide how we would go forward to address those unique situations. But I really supported his actions and would say that would be the right way forward.

What is the biggest thing the university needs to do to prevent sexual assault?

I was very pleased when the Green Dot program was announced here this fall semester as one action that can go forward. I think that is helpful on very many different levels. So, we’ll be able to see if that is successful, if it can make a difference. At the same time, we have to all be talking about how that simply is something that can’t be allowed. So, we have to have our principles of community play into that conversations just as it does in other conversations. As a dean, I sat with a student who has been sexually assaulted and listen to her story and the actions that she took to follow up and work through the procedures at the university. And so, I think all of our faculty, our staff have to be prepared to help a student that has found themselves in a terrible situation. So again, it’s about being transparent in what’s happening it’s about having training, it’s about having standards for all students that should be upheld.

After a decade of record-breaking enrollment, there was a strain put on colleges, I’m sure you saw as a dean, to keep up with resources. Where do you think the university is at as far as enrollment management?

So the opportunity for Iowa State University to welcome more students really has been an opportunity. When we saw our numbers increase at the university, we also saw the diversity of the student body change, and that has been a great value to all of our students. So, there’s been some very positive things that have occurred because of that student growth. The university has, I think, worked hard to meet the challenges posed by those additional student numbers, whether it’s in classrooms, new buildings that were planned, but we’ve always had a lag, we’ve never been in front of that curve. And so, I think we’ve done an okay job in responding, but it’s certainly something that we need to be talking about and working on all the time. The new on-boarding effort, as we bring students onboard, is one such response. Efforts to continue to enhance the community for our students so that they know where they are in this big university, what is their community and who are they interacting with, I think is another part of that. So, it’s a complex issues, there are many different things we need to be doing, and we just have to be vigilant every day, I believe, in discussing the issues, understanding what they are, and responding appropriately.

David Green asked through Twitter, What are the roles that the university has in keeping Campustown clean and litter free? Maybe a city-university agreement?

Well I would be in favor of having a very clean environment, and again, a good idea to put on my agenda for a conversation with the new mayor.

Jacob Nolte asked through Twitter, What are your thoughts on a university/city bike share program?

Wow, what an interesting idea. So anymore you can travel almost anywhere and see something like that. Another idea to consider, excellent.

Knapp Shack asked through Twitter, Will the athletic department have continued support from the president’s office?

We are ranked 15 in football, right? So I think athletics are an important part of what we do at Iowa State University. Students love the opportunity to be engaged in athletics, our student athletes have a special opportunity, alums love to come back and celebrate with us, it’s a way we can all come together around a very good time, so athletics are important part of Iowa State and I will continue as president to support them.

Sharon Miller asked on Twitter, What are your thoughts on excessive alcohol abuse in the Greek system and how to prevent hazing that happens but yet no one talks about. We can’t be [Penn State].

So excessive alcohol use is terrible. We need to continually be thinking about the practices that we put in place to help educate students about the harm that can come to themselves. Are those adequate? Do we need to be doing more there? I was talking to a student just the other night who told me that she’d gone through the online training and she couldn’t remember anything that she learned. And so that system may not be the best way forward. So we should think about that, evaluate it, maybe there’s a better approach. Maybe she had a unique experience, maybe it’s having a more impactful experience on other students. And then hazing is simply something that we cannot support in any way. And hazing just cannot be allowed and we have to be vigilant. And we have a wonderful senior VP for students, Martino Harmon, and I know he probably has that on the top of his list to be concerned about as well.

Chelsea Smith asked through Twitter, Can masters students procure the right to wear hoods for commencement?

I don’t believe so, but it’s a good question to take back and check on. Hoods have been historically reserved for our Ph.D candidates so we will take that back and have a conversation, talk to the deans, talk to the senior vice president and provost.

Nic Boersma asked through Twitter, How can we get more renewable energy on campus? The University of Iowa is striving to be coal-free by 2025.

And do you know that they’re working with one of our faculty, Dr. Emily Heaton, to do that? So we’re helping them do it, so they’re gonna be crediting Iowa State in that effort. So now another conversation that we should have and talk about, there certainly have been steps that have been taken in that direction, and so we’ll take that forward as another great question and another thing to consider.

From John Harlow, How did you ethically justify providing aid to Bruce Rastetter’s company AgriSol, that would forcibly displace 160,000 refugees in Tanzania?

So this was an interesting project and it came out of a project that we have in Uganda. So in Uganda we have the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods. This is funded by a private family, alum from Iowa State University who believe the university should be involved in addressing hunger and poverty in developing countries. We’ve been working on this project since 2004 and we have had such great success with our model. It’s a model that relies on education through the entire lifecycle of an individual, it looks at agriculture as the basis for rural community development and rural economic development. So we are very excited about our project and about our model. And when we were approached about we could perhaps having this model duplicated in Tanzania, we began a series of conversations. But in the end, as it turned out we withdrew from that project and said that was that was not the right project for us.  We were very enthusiastic because of our success in Uganda but we simply withdrew.