Visitor

The community of learners at Iowa State University is challenged, energized, and enlightened by the thousands of people who annually visit the campus. Representing many different backgrounds, these visitors enrich the campus with their diverse ideas, experiences, and outlooks. On any given day an Iowa State student could conceivably meet a 13-year old attending a summer science enrichment program and a cabinet-level minister from a developing country. The following are examples of the programs Iowa State uses to attract diverse visitors to its campus.

The ISU Lectures Program, funded by the Government of the Student Body, is committed to the philosophy that the function of the University is to provide “a marketplace of ideas.” To that end, the Committee schedules a broad spectrum of lectures and cultural and artistic events. For a listing of upcoming lectures please see: http://www.lectures.iastate.edu/

Several campus units also bring to Iowa State musicians and a variety of performing artists. The Iowa State Center hosts a full schedule of music, drama, ballet, comedy and other performances. The Department of Music hosts performances involving students, faculty and off campus performers.

University Museums offers a rich selection of exhibits to the many people who annually visit the Brunnier Art Museum and the Farm House Museum, as well as those who take advantage of the Art on Campus Program.

Attracting young people to campus is vital to Iowa State’s recruitment efforts and also energizes its faculty and staff. Junior and senior high school students r egularly visit the University for enrichment programs, sport camps, Experience Iowa State Days, FFA contests and conventions, Boy Scout gatherings, and summer research programs. One exciting development in the University’s efforts to attract the best and the brightest worldwide is its sponsorship of the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in 2003, 2006, and 2009.

Another successful summer event that brings thousands of Iowans to Ames and the ISU campus is the annual Iowa Games. The Iowa Games is a multi-sport festival of Olympic-style competition for Iowa's amateur athletes of all ages, abilities and gender.

Attracting young people to campus is vital to our recruitment efforts and energizing for our faculty and staff. Junior and Senior High School students regularly visit the university for enrichment programs, sport camps, Experience Iowa State Days, Future Farmers of America conventions, Boy Scout gatherings, and summer research programs. One exciting development in our efforts to attract the best and the brightest from around the world is that Iowa State will host the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in 2003, 2006 and 2009.

Another major event that brings thousands of people to our campus is VEISHA (named for the separate divisions in existence in 1922— Veterinary Medicine, Engineering, Industrial Science, Home Economics, and Agriculture). This event is the largest student organized festival in the nation and serves as a major exposition for the University. (See: http://www.isualum.org/traditions/veishea.html and http://www.veishea.org/ )

Each college also hosts celebrations focused on their academic programs. For example, College of Engineering students organize an annual “Engineers Week“ that feature events that attract alumni as well as industry and academic leaders from across the country, and provide an opportunity for students to interact with key individuals. The centerpiece of Engineers Week is the Engineering Career Fair, the largest, indoor student-run Career Fair in the nation. Other colleges also host career fairs.

Iowa State’s central location, exceptional facilities, and the well-trained staff of University Conference Services makes he University an attractive destination for a wide variety of groups that host local, national, and international meetings on the Iowa State campus. Departmental seminars, discipline-based conferences, and university-wide symposia draw visiting scientists, educators, and performers from around the world. Following are examples of conferences/events held at Iowa State:

• Throughout the year, Iowa State hosts multiple nonprofit management academy workshops for Iowa communities. Topics include working effectively with volunteer boards, measurement of outcomes, collaborations for community change, program evaluation, communications and marketing, and leadership and governance.

• Iowa State also hosted a BioBased Industry Outlook Conference to provide information for individuals and groups interested in business opportunities in the areas of renewable energy and biobased products.

• The campus hosted a Biodiesel Technology Workshop in October, 2005.

• The 9th International Pollination Symposium will be hosted at Iowa State in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service.

• The 29th Annual Big XII Conference on Black Student Government will be hosted at Iowa State (when).

• The National Collegiate Facilities Management Technology Conference, hosted this year at Iowa State, provides a structure for the exchange of ideas and information regarding the use of technology in managing the physical facilities of higher education institutions.

Iowa State does an outstanding job of bringing visitors to campus. A range of support offices and financial resources make it easy to make external visitors a regular part of campus life. The institution strives to understand the challenges and accommodate the needs of international visitors and others new to Iowa and the Midwest, and believes that the visitors’ program is one way to demonstrate a commitment to exposing the University community to a wide selection of ideas, cultures, artistic expression, and other gifts that visitors bring with them.