Iowa State University has an interim president. The Board of Regents Monday approved former Northern Iowa President Benjamin Allen, effective May 9th--the day after current president Steven Leath leaves campus. Allen will serve as a senior policy adviser at Iowa State from April 17th to May 8th. Allen's no stranger to ISU--he joined the faculty in 1979 and worked his way up through the university's administration, ultimately serving as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. Allen left Ames in 2006 for the UNI presidency. The Regents also authorized Executive Director Bob Donley to hire a search firm, establish a search committee, and determine a process and timetable to identify Leath’s successor. Leath submitted his resignation from ISU last week. He'll become Auburn University's next president.