Iowa State is making improvements in all directions, said ISU President Martin Jischke during his annual fall convocation Tuesday in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

“We are heading into the fall semester in extraordinary shape,” he said. “Iowa State is on a roll.”

Jischke outlined four initiatives that will be focused on this year: improving Iowa’s agricultural economy, recruiting and retaining students, creating a Des Moines learning center and enhancing information technology on campus.

The university’s highest priority in the coming year will be agriculture, because it “affects all segments of our state,” he said.

Jischke said the university will be working with state leaders to strengthen rural agricultural economy. One of the projects underway is the development of the Plant Science Initiative, which would help develop agriculture in Iowa through research.

“This idea has more legs than anything I’ve tried to run with,” Jischke said.

ISU is welcoming 5,700 new students this fall, and Jischke is hoping to continue focus on recruitment and retention of students in the coming school year.

Although Jischke said minority freshmen enrollment appears to be up 40 percent, he hopes to close the gap of retention rates between minority and majority students. “I believe we should try to learn from other success we’ve had and apply those lessons to increase minority recruitment,” he said. “It requires a community effort.”

The third major initiative involved creating a downtown Des Moines learning center, which would offer graduate and undergraduate programs to area residents.

Jischke also hopes to enhance academic computing facilities.

“I hope these four initiatives give evidence that we have a busy year ahead,” he said. “If the past years are any indication, we are in for another productive year for Iowa State.”

Jischke also said ISU had a record-breaking year in 1998-99.

ISU was one of three campuses to receive national recognition for beauty and design. Fund raising increased more than 20 percent from the previous year and private fund raising yielded $124 million.

More faculty, staff and students were involved internationally last year than ever before, he said. There were 852 students studying abroad.

“These are all remarkable accomplishments, and there are many others,” he said.

Jischke said the Veterinary Medicine Building will be dedicated on Sept. 2, and Howe Hall will be dedicated on Oct. 23.

Several other new projects will be getting underway, including renovations to Beardshear Hall, the first since its construction. The entire ground floor will be transformed into a larger and more extensive Student Answer Center.

“I hope we can turn Beardshear Hall from a place to avoid to a place to go for answers,” he said.

Jischke expressed the importance of keeping the momentum going after all of the positive work that was done last year.

“Our vision is to become the best,” he said, “and we aren’t there yet.”