Prior to his position at Iowa State, Leath was vice president for research for the 16-campus University of North Carolina system.

This program commits Iowa State to pay the college tuition of disadvantaged students from local elementary schools.

[3][4][5][6] A notable event that occurred during Leath's tenure at Iowa State was his decision to permanently end Veishea after 2014.

While he was praised for record enrollment and investment in campus infrastructure, he was also criticized for personal use of a university aircraft.

An Instrument-rated pilot, Leath damaged a Cirrus SR-22 in 2016 owned by Iowa State while landing in what he claimed were gusty conditions in Bloomington, IL.