In 1898, the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm was renamed the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. With the name change, the college was divided into its first four divisional groupings: agriculture, engineering, veterinary science, and science and philosophy.

Those original groupings eventually became colleges when the name was changed to Iowa State University of Science and Technology in 1959. Today, there are seven colleges.

College of Agriculture

Creation: 1898, formally organized in 1902

Students (spring 2007): 3,040

Male/Female: 1,789/1,251

Faculty: 1,193

Departments: 15

Majors: 25 undergraduate, 33 graduate

2006-2007 budget: $18,130,205

What is the College of Agriculture’s strongpoint?

College of Agriculture Dean Wendy Wintersteen: “It’s preparing students to be leaders in their chosen fields and to make the world a better place. Our faculty does that by being in the forefront of scientific and technological frontiers, emphasizing interdisciplinary initiatives involving agricultural, food and life sciences, environmental sciences and social sciences.”

Historical fact: The Agriculture Carnival, first held in 1912, was an annual event put on by the Division of Agriculture to represent a county fair. Events included a parade, vaudeville show, baseball game, carnival and movie. The event was absorbed in 1922 as part of the Veishea celebration.

College of Business

Creation: 1984

Students (spring 2007): 3,374

Male/Female: 2,200/1,174

Faculty: 171

Departments: 5

Majors: 9 undergraduate, 6 graduate

2006-2007 budget: $12,626,803

What is the College of Business’ strongpoint?

College of Business Dean Labh Hira: “We work very hard to link theory to practice. We go to great lengths to create opportunities for our students that will allow them to apply their classroom teachings to real-world situations – like internships, co-ops, service-learning and study-abroad opportunities.”

Historical fact: In 1955, the Department of Industrial Administration was created and offered courses in business. However, it was part of the Division of Science, which caused confusion among faculty, students and business firms alike.

College of Design

Creation: 1978, when four departments in other colleges were brought together.

Students (spring 2007): 1,783

Male/Female: 861/922

Faculty: 222

Departments: 4

Majors: 7 undergraduate, 7 graduate

2006-2007 budget: $10,191,334

What is the College of Design’s strongpoint?

College of Design Dean Mark Engelbrecht: “The college is proud to have three of its undergraduate programs – architecture, landscape architecture and interior design – regularly ranked within the top 15 percent of similar offerings across the country, and we also score well with our graduate degrees in these departments.”

Historical fact: In June 1981, Thomas Morton Watts, of Syracuse, N.Y., walked into the office of Michael Brooks, dean of the College of Design, and pulled out a Winchester Magnum Rifle and took one shot at the dean. Brooks was able to push the gun away and get Watts to sit down. When police arrived, he was charged with assault with intent to commit murder.

College of Engineering

Creation: 1898, formally organized in 1904

Students (spring 2007): 4,796

Male/Female: 4,077/719

Faculty: 727

Departments: 8

Majors: 11 undergraduate, 12 graduate

2006-2007 budget: $37,938,733

What is the College of Engineering’s strongpoint?

College of Engineering Dean Mark Kushner: “We pride ourselves on the principle of discovery with purpose. Our faculty, staff and students develop cutting-edge technologies that have an impact on improving lives in Iowa and around the world. We embrace interdisciplinary and systems approaches to our research and education in recognition of the globalization of engineering and commerce. As the pace of discovery quickens, the impact of what we do is measured not only by the technologies we invent and the science we investigate, but also by the leaders we produce.”

Historical fact: When Iowa State opened, the engineering instruction was a small department comprised of two professors, a workshop and fewer than 20 students.

College of Human Sciences

Creation: July 2005, upon combining two colleges

Students (spring 2007): 3,239

Male/Female ratio: 725/2,514

Faculty: 502

Departments: 6

Majors: 12 undergraduate, 10 graduate

2006-2007 budget: $19,586,309

What is the College of Human Sciences’ strongpoint?

College of Human Sciences Dean Cheryl L. Achterberg: “We develop a deep understanding of people and study how they grow physically, mentally, emotionally and socially. We devise ways to help people learn more, feel better and thrive as individuals as well as in families, schools and communities. Human Sciences is the fourth-largest college at Iowa State and offers three of the university’s top-10 departments in terms of undergraduate enrollment – curriculum and instruction; apparel, educational studies and hospitality management; health and human performance. With several programs nationally ranked among the top 20 in their fields, the College of Human Sciences is expanding human potential and improving people’s lives everyday.”

Historical fact: The College of Family and Consumer Sciences and the College of Education were combined on July 1, 2005, to create the College of Human Sciences. The Division (later college) of Home Economics was established in 1913; it was later renamed Family and Consumer Sciences. The College of Education was established in 1968.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Creation: 1898, as the Division of Science and Philosophy

Students (spring 2007): 6,274

Male/Female: 3,150/3,124

Faculty: 1,595

Departments: 17

Majors: 43 undergraduate, 21 graduate

2006-2007 budget: $69,711,867

What is the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ strongpoint?

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Michael B. Whiteford: “We are the heart of the university. This is the college that makes the institution a university. We provide a liberal arts and sciences education. We have some incredibly strong departments: Chemistry and statistics are among the best in the nation. The counseling psychology (graduate program) in very highly ranked. I could provide more but those are some special ones.”

Historical fact: When psychology was first taught in 1872, it was to a senior class instructed by ISU President Adonijah Welch, and even after his resignation in 1883, he continued teaching. Upon Welch’s death in 1889, President William Chamberlain taught the course for the next two years followed by President William Beardshear for 12 years.

College of Veterinary Medicine

Creation: 1879

Students (Spring 2007): 521

Male/Female: 150/371

Faculty: 447

Departments: 5

2006-2007 Budget: $22,652,340

What is the College of Veterinary Medicine’s strongpoint?

College of Veterinary Medicine Dean John Thomson: “One: a heritage of innovation in the areas of veterinary medical education and animal health as the first public college of veterinary medicine in the U.S. Two: recognition as a leader in education, research and service that attracts outstanding faculty, staff and students. Three: pre-eminence in the areas of food supply veterinary medicine and infectious disease research.”

Historical fact: When the Veterinary School was created in 1879, it the first state veterinary college in the United States, and it was a two-year course that lead to a diploma. It wasn’t until 1903 that it became a four-year program.