From a faculty standpoint, Sturm said Leath led Iowa State with an ideology of shared governance and transparency.

“A university has a very large number of faculty on it, and what they want and need is an administrator who personally believes in the mission of shared governance, involving faculty in decision-making and keeping the flow of information open between administration and faculty,” Sturm said. “I really felt that President Leath was very good at that.”

In the last year, Leath has faced controversy on multiple issues, including personal use of Iowa State’s aircraft and the hiring of a former Republican senator without advertising the position or interviewing other candidates.

“I personally view that as a gross violation of equal opportunity procedures; it was the ol’ boy’s network operating in full force,” Quirmbach said.

Despite the pressure and pushback, Leath remained transparent with the faculty senate, Sturm said.