Administrative Leadership

The President provides overall leadership for the University. He is assisted by three vice presidents: Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Vice President for Business and Finance, and Vice President for Student Affairs.

The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost is the chief academic officer and second in command to the President. In general, academic programs are organized into seven colleges: Agriculture, Business, Design, Engineering, Human Sciences, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine. An academic dean heads each college; deans head the Graduate College and Library, as well. Deans work closely with their department chairs and the faculty to advance the academic mission of the University.

Colleges are allowed significant autonomy to pursue the institutional mission with special attention to the unique qualities of their disciplines and professions. This level of autonomy facilitates academic freedom and intellectual creativity, thus enhancing productivity and helping to maintain high faculty morale.

Several senior management professionals report directly to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, including the Vice Provost for Research, Vice Provost for Extension and Outreach, Chief Information Officer, Associate Provost for Faculty Advancement and Diversity, Associate Provost for Academic Programs and Dean of the Graduate College, and the Assistant Provost responsible for budget and facilities. This organizational structure ensures that the wide array of intellectual and technical resources represented by these units is appropriately directed toward advancing learning and discovery at the University.

In addition to overseeing the business affairs of the University, the Vice President for Business and Finance has responsibility for environmental health and safety, human resources, facilities planning and management, public safety, and risk management, as well as the Iowa State Center, University Museums, and WOI AM/FM Radio. The Vice President for Student Affairs manages admissions and enrollment services, registrar, financial aid, residence halls, student counseling services, student health services, recreation services, minority student affairs, and the Memorial Union. Collaboration among the vice presidents takes place on multiple levels and through various committees including the President's Cabinet, the Capital Projects Council, and the Budget Cabinet. This ensures that University priorities are coherently pursued.

Reductions in state funding have led to significant modifications to the administrative structure since the last self-study. The office of the Vice President for External Affairs was eliminated, which necessitated considerable restructuring within various divisions. Some of the responsibilities assigned to the Vice President for External Affairs were shifted to the Vice President for Business and Finance including oversight of the Iowa State Center, University Museums, and WOI AM/FM Radio. The Alumni Association, Intercollegiate Athletics, University Relations, and University Marketing were brought into the Office of the President. The Iowa State University Foundation, previously administered by the Vice President for External Affairs, became an independent operation with its own governing board. However, it continues to work closely with University leadership to generate private support for advancing the University's mission.

Within the academic affairs division several departments were merged and the Colleges of Education and Family and Consumer Sciences were combined. The Office of Associate Provost for Academic Programs and Dean of the Graduate College was formed in 2004. Finally, Chief Information Officer was created with a direct reporting line to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost.

It should be noted that, with recent changes in Board of Regents leadership, certain functions at all three Regent Universities have been merged including motor vehicle fleet, auditing functions, risk management, and public radio.

Although the aforementioned changes were fiscally motivated, every effort was made to ensure they did not adversely affect the primary mission of the University. Consultation with relevant constituencies allowed for a relatively smooth transition in each case where changes were made.

Despite the effective manner in which changes was managed, their full impact must not be overlooked:

Using the number of cabinet-level executives as a measurement, Iowa State University now has the leanest administration among its peer institutions. The ramifications of these changes must be evaluated both to determine their full impact and ensure that the work of the University continues to be of the highest quality.