1.0.0 Mission and Integrity
Strengths
Challenges and Future Directions
The mission of Iowa State University is to “create, share, and apply knowledge to make Iowa and the world a better place.” Informed by its land grant heritage and consistent with its charter from the State of Iowa, this mission guides all planning decisions.
Iowa State University is a Carnegie Doctoral/Research Extensive University governed by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa. The University is committed to open and consultative decision−making processes and shared governance. Its affairs are conducted with the highest integrity.
The University has made great strides in engaging the University community in decision making and planning processes. The University’s web site, newsletters, forums, e−mail, and special advisory committees to the president have been used effectively to involve the University community in decisions regarding the University’s budget and academic calendar as well as provide valuable insight and input into campus diversity and climate issues, the development of a new strategic plan, the development of this accreditation self-study, and work underway to develop a new budget model for the University.
The University’s promotion and tenure document has been rewritten since the last accreditation review. The new document is strong, forward looking, and provides improved definitions of faculty scholarship, faculty responsibilities, and the criteria for promotion and tenure.
The University recently completed its strategic plan for 2005−2010, which also includes a new mission statement. The new plan was developed through extensive university dialogue and is much shorter and more focused than previous plans.
The University’s commitment to diversity has been clearly expressed by its continued and successful efforts to increase the diversity of its faculty and student body, by the appointment of a President’s Advisory Committee on Diversity, and a recent campus climate survey the results of which are framing improvement plans.
The new Policy Library is a long−term project to bring together all of the university’s policies in one web site to improve access, compliance, clarity, and ensure currency.
Significant administrative changes that have been made to improve efficiency and effectiveness include eliminating the Office of the Vice President for External Affairs, reorganizing the Office of the Provost to direct a wide array of resources toward advancing learning and discovery, creating a new College of Human Sciences that brings together the former College of Family and Consumer Sciences with the College of Education, and creating the position of Chief Information Officer bringing together and integrating several divisions devoted to information technology.
Challenges and Future Directions
The University is currently developing a new budget model that will improve the linkage between the resources each major division receives with its responsibilities and success at advancing university priorities. Improving the climate for diversity is an ongoing process. The President’s Advisory Committee on Diversity aided by a recent campus climate survey is developing a series of action plans. The Chief Information Officer is a year into a process of better integrating information technologies, improving network security, and improving services to the university community. The newly created Policy Library is also one part of a long−term project to improve policy quality, clarity, and compliance.
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