Iowa official register

431 

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 

 

Report magazine.  Two of the honored specialties — otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (ear, 

nose and throat) and ophthalmology and visual sciences (eyes), and orthopedic surgery and reha-

bilitation (bones and joints) — ranked among the nation’s top ten programs. 

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is one of the largest university-owned teaching hospi-

tals in the nation. Its staff of more than 1,400 physicians and dentists is complemented by the 

most advanced medical technologies available in providing health care to more than 800,000 

admitted patients and ambulatory clinic visits annually, including those at outreach and family 

care clinic sites located throughout the state. Iowans comprise the vast majority of the patients at 

UI Hospitals and Clinics, although patients from across the nation and several foreign nations are 

referred to the hospital by their physicians for highly specialized health care.  Emergency patient 

transportation is provided by two AirCare helicopters and mobile care units. 

Some 150 university hospital and clinic physicians — over half the total listed for the entire 

state — are included in the Best Doctors database.  As Iowa’s major teaching hospital, UI Hospi-

tals and Clinics is the clinical training base for over 40 UI health education programs that replen-

ish the supply of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other health professionals for Iowa commu-

nities.  

Through a partnership called University of Iowa Health Care, UI Hospitals and Clinics collabo-

rates with the UI Carver College of Medicine and UI physicians in meeting the state’s patient 

care, biomedical research, and graduate medical education needs.  

On Earth Day, 2008, sustainability became a formal part of the university’s mission. The uni-

versity has established an Office of Sustainability to facilitate and promote sustainability efforts 

on the campus. For several years, Iowa has been burning oat hulls to replace some of the coal in 

its power plant and recycled much of its waste stream, including food waste from residence halls, 

among many other efforts.  Now, students from any discipline will be able to enroll in a new cer-

tificate program focusing on sustainability.  

The UI is a statewide cultural resource, offering arts programming to tens of thousands of Io-

wans annually. For decades it has brought internationally recognized performers to the 2,500-seat 

Hancher Auditorium, acclaimed by The New York Times as a creative center for its commissions 

and premieres of new works.  Sadly, the UI Arts campus was severely damaged in the floods of 

2008, and the future of the buildings there — including Hancher — is undecided at this writing. 

Hancher’s signature arts programming continues, using alternate venues in the Iowa City area. 

Many classes and activities in the School of Art and Art History have also been relocated  around 

the campus and city. The Art Museum is closed but parts of its collection are being displayed 

around the state. The Museum of Natural History; the Iowa Hall exhibits on Iowa’s geology and 

archaeology; and Old Capitol, Iowa’s first state capitol building and the symbol of the university, 

continue to attract thousands of tourists and visitors each year.   

The UI is a leader in information technology, having developed one of the most progressive 

computing centers in the nation. Each day thousands of World Wide Web users visit such innova-

tive UI offerings as the UI Libraries’ Gateway to the Internet.  The UI is also a pioneer in putting 

technology in its curriculum through its technology-packed Information Arcade and Information 

Commons, which put powerful learning tools in the hands of teachers and students alike.  UI open 

stack libraries, ranking among the nation’s largest, house more than three million volumes and a 

wealth of special collections, including papers and letters of U.S. presidents and leading Iowa 

figures, the Iowa Women’s Archives, and manuscripts and first editions of many Iowa authors. 

Iowa residents across the state may borrow UI books on interlibrary loan through their local li-

braries. 

By ensuring admission for all prepared Iowa students, and by offering public services in health 

care, economic forecasting, small business consulting, economic development, assistance to local 

schools and teachers, testing programs, arts outreach, off-campus and correspondence study, and 

special summer programs in arts, sciences, and athletics, the UI strives constantly to make its 

resources available to all Iowans.  Through innovative programs such as those coordinated by the 

Center for Diversity and Enrichment, the university fosters a culturally diverse learning environ-

ment that promotes wider understanding throughout the state and nation. 

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432 

IOWA OFFICIAL REGISTER 

 

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY 

Gregory L. Geoffroy, Ph.D., president; Ames 50010; [phone]; 

www.iastate.edu 

Iowa State University is committed to becoming the best university in the nation in advancing 

the land grant ideals and putting science and technology to work in service to the people of Iowa.  

Its priorities are to:  (1) provide the highest-quality educational programs to enhance the success 

of students who attend Iowa State; (2) elevate more of its academic programs to national and 

international prominence by building on the university’s traditional strengths and by engaging in 

new interdisciplinary initiatives; (3) translate discoveries into viable technologies, products, and 

services to strengthen the economies of Iowa and the nation; (4) elevate Iowa’s appeal as a place 

to live, learn, work, and play; and (5) ensure that the university is a great place to learn and work. 

At the center of its aspiration is academic excellence.  Iowa State offers a high-quality, stu-

dent-centered education to approximately 27,000 students, including 21,600 undergraduate stu-

dents. Its students come from all 50 states and 105 other nations.  Iowa State’s undergraduate 

Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Business, Design, Engineering, Human Sciences, and 

Liberal Arts and Sciences offer nearly 100 programs leading to the baccalaureate degree, and the 

Graduate College offers more than 200 programs leading to graduate and professional degrees.  

In addition, the College of Veterinary Medicine offers the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.  

Many of Iowa State’s programs are ranked among the best in the nation. 

Iowa State also provides a high-quality learning environment for its students.  Leading na-

tional and international scholars, experts, and political figures frequent the campus as guest lec-

turers. Stephens Auditorium and Hilton Coliseum play host to the world’s top performing artists 

and stage productions.  The Brunnier Art Museum holds one of the nation’s finest collections of 

glass and ceramic art objects, and hosts numerous traveling exhibitions.  The Christian Petersen 

Art Museum, located in the newly remodeled and renovated historic Morrill Hall on central cam-

pus, is named for the nation’s first permanent campus artist-in-residence, who sculpted at Iowa 

State from 1934 through 1955.  Students get support for learning and achievement from an 

award-winning academic advising staff and through an environment that places a priority on 

cooperative learning.  Approximately 55 percent of Iowa State’s freshmen enroll in learning 

communities, which groups students by academic major or other common interest so that they 

more quickly feel a part of the larger university.  Iowa State’s learning community program is 

consistently ranked among the nation’s top programs by U.S. News & World Report.  It offers a 

large and comprehensive computing system and network encompassing all academic buildings 

and residence halls.  Iowa State’s modern recreational facilities and extensive intramural program 

are primary factors in the university’s third-place ranking in “America’s fittest colleges” by Mus-

cle and Fitness. 

Renovation of older buildings and construction of new buildings is ongoing, as Iowa State 

addresses today’s standards for state-of-the-art academic and research facilities, along with hous-

ing and recreational centers that meet the needs of students.  In recent years, Iowa State has 

added new buildings for the Colleges of Business and Engineering, the Plant Sciences Institute, 

Dairy and Animal Science, Extension, Athletics, Reiman Gardens, and the Hixson-Lied Student 

Success Center.  A major expansion and renovation of the College of Veterinary Medicine was 

completed in 2008 with the dedication of the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center, and major addi-

tions for Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Seed Science Center, a new Alumni Cen-

ter, and a major expansion and renovation of the Memorial Union also were completed in 2008. 

An important measure of Iowa State’s academic programs is placement of students after 

graduation.  More than 96 percent of Iowa State graduates are placed in jobs in their field or are 

continuing their education within six months of graduation.  Kaplan’s Guide to Colleges recently 

included Iowa State’s placement program among the 35 best in the nation.  Iowa State hosts 

some of the largest and most successful career fairs in the nation in agriculture, business, design, 

and engineering. 

At the heart of the university is the Iowa State Library, with more than 2.5 million volumes, 

34,000 periodicals, and 4.5 million other materials.  It provides the latest in computerized catalog   

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