Cultivating the College

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Help write history to commemorate Iowa State's 150th birthday.

Share your story from college days and tell us how things have changed, for inclusion in the rich history of Iowa State University and the College of Human Sciences.

Share your story.

Dean Cheryl Achterberg and members of the Human Sciences Capital Campaign Committee check progress on renovations in MacKay Hall. The Sally Rapp Beisser Student Services Center is scheduled to open in August. Mark you calendar the space will be dedicated at a celebration on October 18, at 4 p.m.

Dear Alumni and Friends,

The College of Human Sciences has completed a successful second year. As our newsletter stories indicate, it was full of excitement and accomplishment. It's clear this college has arrived, it's healthy, and it's going to be here a long time! Thoreau noted once that "corn grows in the night." In some sense, colleges do too. You wake up one morning and say, "My! Look how we have grown!"

We have hired many new faculty members, including a chair for the Department of Apparel, Educational Studies and Hospitality Management and we had a stellar review for our Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) program. Three programs are ranked in the top 20 nationally, two according to the U.S.News and World Report and another by the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Activity. The USDA's review of our Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition was outstanding. The glorious Textiles and Clothing Museum opened in Morrill Hall, and the Department of Health and Human Performance is changing its name to the Department of Kinesiology. We can all be proud of the College's outstanding VEISHEA presence.

Looking ahead, our curriculum committee is evaluating how we can better prepare students for the world that Thomas Friedman described as both "flat" and a "dream machine." Creating and implementing innovation is key. We are committed to expanding human potential. And we know education, broadly speaking, is the single best way to expand each individual's potential for success and happiness. We are determined to deliver the best possible education and to learn how we can improve that process for others.

In the same spirit, our Helen LeBaron Hilton Chair next year is Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class. You are invited to his major public lecture to highlight the role of creative ideas and diversity in the growing economy of the 21st century, on September 19. International and online education will get a new look next year; the new Sally Rapp Beisser Student Services Center in MacKay Hall will open up in mid-August; and a host of special activities are planned in association with Iowa State's 150th birthday. Most exciting, as of this date the College of Human Sciences is projected to have by far the largest increase in the percentage of entering freshmen in the entire university!

All these accomplishments underscore how far this college has come in a very short time. And taken together, these developments also forecast an exciting future. It's important to remember our larger role in society, both within Iowa and nationally. In our quest for new knowledge — and to prepare our students not only to make a living, but to become better people — we are also helping to ensure that our country is strong, free, and just. I hope you'll support us. Better yet, come join us. We're making a much needed difference in the world.

Sincerely,

Cheryl Achterberg, Dean