Achievements & Strengths

One metric of faculty scholarship in the area of acquisition, discovery, and application of knowledge is the level of sponsored funding received. Iowa State University reported a record high of $287 million in FY05, of which $180 million was tied to research. Also in FY04, it was determined that 58% of the University’s 1,345 tenured and tenure track faculty served as either a principal investigator or a co-principal investigator on at least one award in one or more of the three previous years. Further information on sponsored funding and faculty participation can be found at the sponsored funding website.

Faculty scholarship can also be measured in other ways. According to an Iowa State Report of Faculty Activity and Workload submitted to the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, in May 2004, during calendar year 2003 faculty published nearly 120 books, 558 chapters in books, and more than 2,700 journal articles. They also produced nearly 70 pieces of software and 45 videotapes. Fifty-seven patents were awarded, demonstrating the applicability of faculty research. Important research and creative scholarship is also reflected in papers, panel, and poster presentations, where faculty can bring their latest work to the discipline quickly. Faculty participated in such key presentations over 3,600 times during the year. For their scholarly activity, faculty members were also recognized with national or regional awards on nearly 170 occasions.

In addition, faculty are recognized for their scholarship in the promotion and tenure process as well as in university-wide annual award competitions. These awards are discussed in detail in the next section of the self-study.

Graduate students are also recognized through annual competitions, such as the Research Excellence Awards Program, which honors them for outstanding contributions while serving as research assistants; the Zaffarano Prize for Graduate Student Research, which recognizes publishable research; and the Karas Award for Outstanding Dissertation in the Behavioral Sciences. In FY04, 228 doctoral degrees and 818 master's degrees were conferred.

Historically, Iowa State has played a major role in scientific and technological advances in agriculture, veterinary medicine, home economics, engineering, and many of the basic sciences underlying these fields. Today, the University is recognized both nationally and internationally for its strong programs in agriculture, engineering, and the basic sciences. In recent years, Iowa State has launched bold new research and technology transfer initiatives in such important areas as agricultural biotechnology, combinatorial science, plant and animal genomics, bioinformatics, materials science, agricultural product and market development, human nutrition, human computer interaction, biorenewables, food safety and security, programs dealing with rural America, nondestructive evaluation, agricultural economics and policy, animal diseases, and information sciences. Research strengths are highlighted on the website for the vice president of research.

Iowa State is a member of the Association of American Universities and is classified as a Doctoral/Research University—Extensive by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In the 1993 rankings of Research-Doctorate Programs by the National Research Council, 11 Iowa State programs were ranked in upper 50% of their peer group. In the November 2003 report from the Lombardi Program on Measuring University Performance, the University ranks in almost all categories in the upper third of its comparison group, land grant universities without medical school. Iowa State is preparing to participate in a new national ranking cycle and has an office and staff devoted to this effort.

Iowa State is nationally ranked in its technology transfer/economic development program. In the latest survey conducted by the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), the University ranked first among all universities without medical schools in licenses and options executed on its intellectual property and first in licenses and options yielding income. It is also ranked second in the number of licenses and options executed per $10M research expenditures when comparing data provided by AUTM. In addition, Iowa State is one of the top three U.S. universities in the development of patentable biotechnology. In FY03, University faculty received two more R&D 100 Awards for technologies developed here. This brings the total of these awards received since 1984 to 25, placing Iowa State second among all universities. In an effort to support technology transfer and economic development, Iowa State has developed an excellent Research Park. An overview of accomplishments in technology transfer and economic development activities is available.

There are many centers and institutes on campus that provide supportive environments for research. These organizations have facilitated considerable cross-disciplinary effort and have positioned the University to obtain significant amounts of sponsored funding for discovery, engagement, and learning activities. An example is the Center for Crops Utilization Research (CCUR). In FY04, faculty members from many different departments worked together through CCUR on 19 projects that brought in $1.9 million in sponsored funding. A complete listing of centers and institutes on campus and brief descriptions of each is available.

Iowa State is committed to expanding its excellence in research, scholarship, and creative activities. It is working hard at attracting faculty members with prestigious credentials and retaining its “rising stars.” This is done through start-up packages and retention packages that are assembled with the help of many campus partners. In FY04, the Office of the Vice Provost for Research contributed $1.3 million in 41 start-up packages, which were matched by respective departments, colleges, and other units on campus. It also assisted, in conjunction with the Provost’s Office, with several retention packages. The Vice Provost for Research also supported various equipment acquisitions on campus and oversees many University facilities that provide state-of-the-art equipment for use across campus; several related to biotechnology research.

In addition, a Grantsmanship Program was established in FY03 through reallocation of funds in the Vice Provost’s Office. This program offers an extensive support network for investigators seeking sponsored funding to enhance their research and scholarship. This program provides grant coordinators in all department and center level units on campus, grant editors to help write and assemble necessary documentation for proposal submissions, and grant consultants to work with faculty and groups of faculty on planning and coordination of large projects. Funding opportunities are also advertised through a website and through communications from the Vice Provost’s Office.

Support for scholarly activities comes from two other sources: the General Fund and the ISU Foundation. The ISU Foundation works with Iowa State administrators, deans, and unit leaders to determine fundraising priorities. These projects may include professorships, faculty support, student scholarships, facility improvements, new equipment, athletic support, program enhancements and new buildings, just to name a few. The ISU Foundation staff and volunteer leadership works in partnership with University officials to generate private support for the University. Since 1995, more than $325 million in private support has been directed to the University to support its faculty and students.

Enhanced efforts in the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration and in the Office of Research Assurances also ensure that high-quality research performance is achieved. As more and more federal regulations are put in place, more emphasis and oversight is necessary to maintain compliance.

To keep pace with other research universities, it is apparent that improved mechanisms are needed for higher faculty salaries and better infrastructure, including laboratory and office space and the necessary equipment and staff support to conduct research. Iowa State continues to fall behind in this area and, in order to continue its commitment to excellence, these challenges must be overcome. Furthermore, additional resources are necessary for start-up packages to be able to attract outstanding faculty members in future years.