Academic Initiatives

Core Component 2a

ISU realistically prepares for a future shaped by multiple societal and economic trends.

| Sitemap | Feedback |

Connected;
ISU promotes healthy internal communications:

The faculty senate conducts an annual faculty conference that brings together faculty to discuss critical topics.

The Future > Faculty & Staff > Academic Initiatives

2.2.3 Academic Initiatives

President Geoffroy in 2001 used reallocated funds to establish the Presidential Academic Initiatives Program. A competitive process was used to select the following initiatives for funding: Bioeconomy, the Center for Integrated Animal Genomics Human Computer Interaction, Information Infrastructure Institute, Institute for Combinatorial Discovery, and the Institute for Food Safety and Security.

These initiatives were chosen for their collaborative and interdisciplinary opportunities. In addition, they build on Iowa State’s strengths and fit the University’s land−grant mission. They also generate significant amounts of external financial support as they progress. Finally, each initiative holds the promise of creating a world−class research program, strengthening or creating graduate academic programs, and contributing to Iowa State’s technology transfer efforts as well as the state of Iowa’s economic development efforts.

As of July 2005, 13 new faculty members have been hired to work on the initiatives. Each new hire is a member of an academic department and, in some cases, part of his/her salary was contributed by the respective department and/or college as well as start−up support. Substantial start−up support and core support has also been provided by the office of the Vice Provost for Research.

These initiatives represent one example of Iowa State’s response to future challenges and opportunities; additional information on institutional change can be found in a different section of this self-study.

Next Section: 2.3.0 Financial and Capital Resources >>