Presidential History

Adonijah Welch, Iowa State University's first president, was installed on March 17, 1869 -- the same day of the official opening of what was then called Iowa State Agricultural College. 

The event drew an estimated 1,200-plus people, including politicians, leaders in education, and other prominent Iowans. Featured speakers included Lt. Gov. John Scott, Agricultural College's Board of Trustees president Benjamin F. Gue, and Iowa Gov. Samuel Merrill.

New approach: Learning and labor ... and women

In his inaugural address, Welch spoke about a new approach to education at Iowa Agricultural College, leaving behind classical education to combine "learning and labor" and focus on the "branches of natural science which underlie the industries of this beautiful State."

Welch also commented on the progressive nature of the new institution of learning, which admitted women "on equal terms with young men, to all the privileges and honors which the institution can bestow." Professor H.W. Parker of Iowa College in Grinnell closed the event with his poem about the scientifically educated farmer and spouse, "The Ideal Farmer and His Wife."

At the request of the Board of Trustees, Welch resigned as president in 1883. However, he remained on the faculty at Iowa State until his death on March 13, 1889. 

Knapp was appointed to head the agriculture program at Iowa State Agricultural College (Iowa State University) in 1879. He later served a one-year term as Iowa State's second president (1883-1884) before moving to Louisiana and having a distinguished career in southern agriculture.

While at Iowa State, Knapp was the first Chair of Agriculture. He was responsible for developing the agricultural curriculum and conducting early experiments in animal husbandry, dairy industry, and farm crops. Knapp also helped draft the 1883 Experiment Station Bill that was presented to the United States House of Representatives. After leaving Iowa in 1885 he continued to pursue his agricultural interests and is credited for starting the first agricultural demonstration farm at Terrell, Texas.

Hunt became the third president of Iowa State Agricultural College (Iowa State University) in 1885. His lack of experience and aggressive style of leadership led to conflicts with the students and faculty and he resigned in 1886 after only one year.

When William I. Chamberlain became president in July 1886, the second term of the Iowa State school year had just begun. The campus community held a reception for the new president shortly thereafter, but Chamberlain asked that his inauguration be postponed until year's end. As a result, he was installed in a simple ceremony Nov. 9, the night before commencement.

The official installation ceremony included an address from the trustees, presentation of the seal and keys of the college to President Chamberlain and a response by Adonijah Welch, the first president of the college.

In his address, Chamberlain called for college growth to accommodate students and faculty. On his list of needs were a women's hall and dormitory to allow for increased enrollment of females, new houses for professors and an armory/gymnasium for military and physical training in the winter months.

President Chamberlain resigned in 1890 and moved back to his Ohio farm, where he continued to conduct agricultural experiments as well as write and lecture on ag issues. He died in 1920. 

In 1891, Beardshear was appointed President of Iowa State, and during his tenure, ISC truly came of age.  Beardshear developed new agricultural programs and was instrumental in hiring premier faculty members such Anson Marston, Louis B. Spinney, J.B. Weems, Perry G. Holden, and Maria Roberts.  He also expanded the university administration, and the following buildings were added to the campus:  Morrill Hall (1891); the Campanile (1899); Old Botany (now Catt Hall) (1892); and Margaret Hall (1895).

While Beardshear was President, the following events also occurred at Iowa State:  the school colors of cardinal and gold were named, Iowa State became known as the Cyclones (1895), and the first Bomb (the university yearbook) was published in 1893. He died in 1902 of complications following a heart attack.  In his honor, Iowa State named its central administrative building (Central Building) after Beardshear in 1938.

Albert Boynton Storms was installed as the sixth president of Iowa State College on June 6, 1904. Formal invitations were issued for the event, but no program remains to reveal details of the ceremony.

Storms' installation address was titled ''The Outlook." In his speech, he linked liberty, the creative energy of ideas, the power of personality and intellectual initiative, industrial efficiency, emancipation of human life from drudgery and  science. 

Storms' opposition to the newly created state board of education led to his resignation from Iowa State in 191 O. In 1918, he became president of Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. He died July 1, 1933.

Raymond A. Pearson took office as Iowa State University's seventh president on Sept. 23, 1912. The following day, a reception was held to introduce Pearson to Iowa State·s faculty, and the day after that, he was introduced to the student body in convocation.

That introduction came from Edgar Stanton, a member of Iowa State·s first graduating class of 1872 and a beloved, longtime faculty member who had served as interim president prior to Pearson.  

In his speech, Pearson pleased students when he expressed a desire to become acquainted with them, not only as a group, but individually.

President Pearson resigned to become president of the University of Maryland. He died in 1939. 

Raymond M. Hughes was installed as the eighth president of Iowa State College Sept. 23, 1927. In his installation address, Hughes said Iowa State should hire and retain the highest caliber of educators -- people who were excellent teachers and researcher with high moral character. 

Open door policy

Hughes also promised to set aside two hours each day to conference with staff and faculty, and one hour each day to talk to any students who wished to meet with the president.

Following the installation, Hughes held a meeting to discuss problems at Iowa State and address students. The meeting was met with enthusiasm and was expected to continue each quarter.

President Hughes retired from the presidency in 1936, and remained at Iowa State until his death in 1958. 

Charles E. Friley was appointed president of Iowa State College in March of 1936 and was officially installed seven months later (Oct. 7) in a grand affair, attended by more than 3,000 people. In the audience were some 340 officials from colleges and universities across the country. 

Outdoor procession 

In a colorful outdoor procession, college officials, delegates and faculty in full academic regalia wound their way from Beardshear Hall to State Gym, where the ceremony began. The program included a special address by William Bennett Bizzell, University of Oklahoma president and an old friend of Dr. Friley's.

George Titus Baker, president of the Iowa State Board of Education, administered the charge, calling upon Friley for "the faithful performance of all the duties, obligations, and responsibilities .. in accordance with the approved standards, the best traditions, and the highest ideals of the College." 

Friley's own address was titled "The Place of the Technological College in Higher Education."

Following the ceremony, 570 guests headed to the Memorial Union for lunch, speeches by the presidents of several colleges, and a performance by Frederick Fuller on the newly installed organ. Afterwards, the Frileys entertained out-of­town guests at their home, the Knoll.

After 17 years as president, Charles E. Friley retired in 1953. He died in 1958.

James Hilton became president of Iowa State College on July 1, 1953, and was to be installed in February or March the following year. However, Hilton lobbied the state board of education to cancel the installation, arguing that Iowa State should focus energy and funding elsewhere.

It wasn't an easy battle. Large celebratory installations were a tradition and several members of the board of education balked at Hilton's suggestion. 

"I don't think we have enough ceremonies," said one board member, Mrs. Willard Archie. "I am in favor of making it quite  an occasion."

Hilton successfully countered, saying he preferred to direct energy into Iowa State's 100th anniversary in 1958 and installation funding, which could be as much as $7,000 to $8,000, to other purposes.

President Hilton retired in 1965 and died in 1982. 

The installation of William Robert Parks took place on March 22, 1966. The installation coincided with Iowa State University's Founders' Day, and the ceremony, luncheon, and reception were part of both celebrations. 

Snow didn't keep many people from attending the festivities. Eight hundred people showed up to hear the student band and singers perform in a pre-installation concert the day before the event. Approximately 3,000 people attended the installation ceremony, which was held at the Armory.

Faculty, students, alumni, and Iowa Gov. Harold E. Hughes greeted the new president during the ceremony. President Parks' address was titled "The Role of Iowa State University in the Scientific Age: Toward a New Humanism" and stressed the role of creativity and imagination in the academic pursuits.

A post-ceremony luncheon in the Memorial Union drew 900 people. In a public reception following the luncheon, official greetings and congratulations from many other universities and colleges were on display.

President Parks retired in 1986 and died July 13, 2003. 

Gordon P. Eaton was installed as president of Iowa State University on a cold, blustery day, March 29, 1987. The previous day, a large snowstorm had dropped five inches of snow on Ames and up to 12 inches in other parts of Iowa. Treacherous travel to the pre-installation luncheon prevent about half the invitees from attending.

Eaton's installation coincided with several significant anniversaries for a land-grant university: 

• The 125th anniversary of the Morrill Land-Grant College Act
• The Centennial of the Hatch Act
• The Centennial of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, which is the oldest higher education association in the country

The installation, in Hilton Coliseum, began with a processional, featuring honored guests in their academic regalia.  Representatives of the faculty, students, alumni and the State Board of Regents and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad greeted  President Eaton. A special musical presentation, "Brave Dancing," composed by music professor Gary White, was  dedicated to the new president. 

President Eaton got a unique piece of hardware at his installation - the Presidential Medallion. The medallion representing Beardshear Hall was designed by installation committee to symbolized "the venerable tradition as well as a dramatic and dynamic new perspective of Iowa State University ... a doorway to academic adventure and opportunity." Five hundred additional commemorative medals were created to mark the event.

In his installation address, "The Challenges and Necessity of Change," Eaton talked about his plans to help the university  continue its tradition of research and education as well as serve the greater state and national communities.

A performance of The Bells of Iowa State by the ISU Symphony and the Iowa State Singers capped the ceremony.

President Eaton resigned in 1990 to become director of Columbia University's Lamont -Doherty Geological Observatory. In 1994, Eaton was appointed by President Clinton as director of the U.S. Geological Survey. He retired in 1997. 

The installation of Martin C. Jischke as the 13th president of Iowa State University was a simpler affair than that of his predecessor.

Held on Oct. 13, 1991, in Stephens Auditorium, Jischke's ceremony began with a concert by the ISU Wind Ensemble and the Iowa State Singers. Participants marched in to "Crown Imperial" played by the Wind Ensemble. Jischke was greeted by representatives of the faculty, staff, student body and alumni, and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad.

Jischke's installation remarks were titled "Celebrating the Land-Grant University: Pursuing Excellence for Iowa." In the speech, he lauded Iowa State University as "a great university seeking to be the best" and pledged to help the university become the best land-grant university in the best land-grant institution in the country.

President Jischke resigned in 2000 to become the president of Purdue University. He retired from Purdue in 2007.

The 14th president of Iowa State University, Gregory L. Geoffroy, was installed on Oct. 6, 2001. The installation ceremony was preceded by a dinner at The Knoll the day before the event.  Geoffrey's installation featured: 

• A specially commissioned piece of music written by Jonathan Saggau, an Ankeny native and graduate of Iowa State 
• A musical presentation of "Come dal ciel precipita" from Macbeth, performed by the world famous opera singer Simon Estes, also an Iowa native and artist-in-residence at Iowa State University
• The traditional greetings from the faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the state of Iowa 

In his installation remarks, Geoffroy promised to improve the quality of academics at Iowa State, and the graduation rate, and challenge students to become their best." As part of that goal, Geoffroy and his wife Kathy began a fund for a Faculty Fellowship in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

President Geoffroy stepped down in 2012. 

On Sept. 14, 2012, Steven Leath was installed as Iowa State University's 15th president. Leath announced a goal to raise $150 million in private gifts for student financial aid over the next five years. It was among several key priorities Leath outlined in his speech, "Educate. Innovate. Achieve!" 

More than 2,000 guests attended the presidential installation ceremony, held at Stephens Auditorium. Students who attended wore T-shirts with a likeness of the president's Cyclones license plate -- "XV," the Roman numeral for 15, his place in ISU's history of presidents.

President Leath resigned in 2017 to become the president of Auburn University.

On Sept. 21, 2018, Wendy Wintersteen was installed as Iowa State University's 16th president. She's the university's first female president, and the first internal candidate promoted to the position in more than 50 years. 

Wintersteen outlined several priorities in her remarks, "To Serve. To Lead. To Excel." Among them: infusing an Iowa State education with entrepreneurism, recognizing and rewarding excellent faculty and staff, innovating to become a more efficient  enterprise and improving the student experience in every college. Above all, she promised to work hard to make Iowa State a model of inclusivity among colleges and universities.

Wintersteen began her career at Iowa State as an extension field specialist in integrated pest management. After completing her doctorate in entomology, she rose through the ranks to become a professor and held several leadership roles. Prior to becoming president, Wintersteen served 11 years as the inaugural endowed dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. Wintersteen retired on Jan. 2, 2026, after 46 years of service to the university.