About the College

Strategic Plan: 2006-2010

Note: This strategic plan is a working document that will be revised in response to new ideas, opportunities and developments.

"Let's dare to be ourselves, for we do that better than anyone else can."

-Shirley Briggs

BACKGROUND
The College of Human Sciences (CHS) was founded on July 1, 2005, representing a combination of the colleges formerly known as Family and Consumer Sciences (CFCS) and Education (COE). The CFCS emerged in 1871 as the first unit of home economics (domestic economy) at a land-grant university in the United States. Over the years, it established a national and international reputation in family and consumer sciences education, early childhood development and schooling, textiles and clothing, food service management, food science and nutrition. The COE also has a proud history. ISU was the first university to establish a chair in pedagogy and the first to grant a four-year degree in education in 1872. The College of Education began, in part, out of the College of Home Economics in 1968. The idea of a collegiate combination was examined at length within the ISU community from fall 2004-spring 2005. The decision to combine the colleges was based on needs to streamline administration and better meet key programmatic priorities through reallocation of resources to new faculty lines.

The college combination reinvigorates the principles of a land-grant university as originally laid out in 1862. It opens new possibilities to: create greater synergy in teaching, research and practice, enhance connections across a variety of inter-related disciplines, renew academic programs through interdisciplinary collaboration, expand student career development resources, and enhance the environment for teaching innovations and experimentation. The CHS shall also honor and advance multiple perspectives, diversity, and multiculturalism. Changes in families, schools and education go hand-in-hand, and this new college is well positioned to study and influence these changes as well as to prepare professionals to deal with them. Students have the opportunity to learn about people across their lifespan and to understand those lives along with the policies, programs and services that best fit humankind's needs and interests. The spirit of entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity is refreshed, hopes are raised, and the passion for learning and excellence is renewed in this college. The College of Human Sciences will be a leading 21st century college, contributing to the life of Iowans and the global citizenry. Given that college combinations have become a national trend, the CHS is poised to become a national leader.

PROCESS
The process used to build the CHS strategic plan for 2006-10 was highly participatory. From September to November of 2005, input was gathered from a variety of our constituency groups and stakeholders. A total of 36 separate sessions were conducted to solicit input and feedback about dreams, vision, mission, critical issues, and objectives for the new college. College faculty, administrators, staff, students, retired faculty, graduates from the two former colleges, advisory boards, ISU center directors, and selected members from the business and education communities all participated. See Strategic Planning Meetings for a list of the strategic planning meetings. A benchmarking exercise of similar colleges also was completed by the Dean's Office.

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