A university must give a student a sufficient amount of knowledge to be able to perform the job in his or her field. Excellence is to display outstanding quality. Iowa State’s motto is “Becoming the Best,” suggesting that it is continually striving for better quality. In doing so, Iowa State is becoming a leader in excellence.

However, in wake of the budget cuts brought forth by Gov. Tom Vilsack, quality and excellence have been crippled. Enrollment is at an all-time high, yet Iowa State is increasing class sizes, dropping professors for teaching assistants and raising tuition by 18 percent.

This shows that Iowa State cares about one thing – money. It reveals that Iowa State does in fact operate on the numerical goal concept after all. Therefore, Iowa State University’s slogan, “Becoming the Best” is fast becoming inappropriate for this university.

Many 300-level classes are now in lecture halls, not classrooms. These are students’ core classes. This is where Iowa State gives its students their academic edge. Iowa State University is also replacing professors with teaching assistants. It’s inevitable that quality will decrease further because of this ill-advised move.

The one item that affects the quality of education least is tuition increases. There is much aid for students today through loans, grants and scholarships. Raising the cost of an education should not deter a student from pursuing that education.

For Iowa State to “Become the Best,” quality and academic excellence must be maintained. The university should not allow quality to slip away.

Zach Gunsolley

Senior

Civil engineering