Iowa State President Steven Leath in a letter of resignation to the Iowa Board of Regents announced that his last day at Iowa State will be between May 8 and June 2. 

Leath announced Monday that he will be leaving Iowa State for Auburn University after its board of trustees unanimously approved Leath as its 19th president. 

“As promised, I am turning over the university to the next president better than I inherited it with records in enrollment, retention rates, graduation rates, job placement numbers, as well as records in research funding, private fundraising and numerous other metrics,” Leath said in the letter to the regents.

Leath said he does not wish to invoke his tenure rights as Iowa State president, but instead choose to leave the university to pursue another opportunity. 

Like Iowa State, Auburn University is a land-grant institution. Auburn University currently serves more than 28,000 students, according to its website, and the Montgomery campus serves about 5,000 students. 

The outgoing Auburn University president, Jay Gogue, announced his plans to leave in September 2016 and asked that the board of trustees find a replacement. 

Leath was hired in 2012 as the 15th president of Iowa State, and was selected by a unanimous vote – similar to his hiring at Auburn. 

He previously served as the vice president of research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. When coming to Iowa State, Leath’s salary rang in at $440,000. At the time of his departure, Leath’s salary increased to $525,000.

“My time here at Iowa State has been exciting and rewarding,” Leath said. “Janet and I have made lifelong friends here in Iowa and have had many great experiences. We will always consider ourselves Cyclones and have great affection for this university and its beautiful campus; it is a very special place.”

With Leath’s resignation, the Iowa Board of Regents president released a statement thanking Leath for his service to Iowa State.

“ISU has made great strides during his tenure, including achieving record enrollment. We wish President Leath and his wife, Janet, the best at Auburn University,” he said.

The Board of Regents will hold a special meeting soon to discuss the transition between presidents at Iowa State. 

In a letter to the Iowa State community, Leath said he has been working closely with the Iowa Board of Regents to identify an interim president and to start a search for a permanent president. 

“Our appreciation for the Cyclone family is beyond words, and we found this extended family of students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends to be the greatest joy of our time at Iowa State,” Leath said in his resignation.

Although Leath signed a new five-year contract at Iowa State in 2014, resignation follows that of former University of Northern Iowa President William Ruud in May 2016 – who left for a much smaller, private liberal arts college in Ohio. 

While Ruud’s came as a surprise to many, as well, the hiring process of Leath to Auburn University was kept very private up until Saturday when The Opeilka-Auburn News reported Saturday that Leath was on the “short list” to fill the position, noting that he would be an admirable hire because of his land-grant experience. 

Leath’s leaving also comes at a time when other major Iowa figureheads will be leaving their positions, such as Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, who is slated to become the U.S. ambassador to China, and Rastetter, who announced earlier this year he will not be running for re-election.