Iowa State University
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Iowa State University (ISU) is a public land-grant and space-grant university located in Ames, Iowa. Official name: Iowa State University of Science and Technology. It was previously Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, a school created through the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act.
The Iowa General Assembly in 1858, prior to the passage of the Morrill Act of 1862, enacted legislation to establish an agriculture college and model farm. This college was named the State Agricultural College & Model Farm. The location of Story County was chosen on June 21, 1859 after the state selection board received proposals from Johnson, Kossuth, Marshall, Polk, and Story counties. The University is one of 60 elected members of the prestigious Association of American Universities.
- 1 History
- 2 Landmarks
- 3 Academics
- 3.1 College of Agriculture
- 3.2 College of Business
- 3.3 College of Art & Design
- 3.4 College of Education
- 3.5 College of Engineering
- 3.6 College of Family & Consumer Sciences
- 3.7 College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
- 3.8 College of Veterinary Medicine
- 3.9 Graduate College
- 4 Athletics
- 5 VEISHEA celebration
- 6 Iowa State University presidents
- 7 Alumni or faculty members
- 8 Iowa State chronology
- 9 See also
- 10 External links
History
The institution was coeducational from the earliest year (1858). The Iowa Experiment Station was one of its prominent features. Practical courses of instruction were taught, including one designed to give a general training for the career of a farmer. Courses in mechanical, civil, electrical, and mining engineering were taught.The domain occupied about 1175 acres (476 hectares), of which 120 acres (49 hectares) formed the campus. In 1914, tuition was free to residents of Iowa. Students from other States paid an annual fee of $50. There were 217 members on the faculty in 1914 when 3,458 students attended the school. In 1923, 7,766 students were taught by a faculty which numbered 567 members. In the period from 1914 to 1923, the following buildings were erected: four women's dormitories, plant propagation building and greenhouse, science building, hospital, armory, animal husbandry laboratory, agricultural engineering building, poultry laboratory, dairy judging pavilion, and sheep, horse, hog, and dairy barns. A library of 250,000 volumes' capacity, a home economics building, and a dormitory for women were under construction in 1924. The president was Raymond Allen Pearson.
Landmarks
Nearing its sesquicentennial in 2008, ISU now has a number of landmarks on campus. Please visit the ISU notables page for many of the beautiful landmarks.Academics
ISU is best known for its degree programs in science, engineering and agriculture. ISU is also home of the world's first electronic digital computing device, the Atanasoff-Berry Computer.
It consists of the following colleges:
- Agriculture
- Business
- Design
- Engineering
- Human Sciences
- Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Veterinary Medicine
Athletics
The sports teams are nicknamed the Cyclones, a name which dates back to 1895. All through that summer and fall, Iowa suffered an unusually high number of devastating cyclones (as tornados were called at the time). That year, the Iowa State football team went to Northwestern University and defeated its highly-regarded team by a score of 36-0. The next day, the Chicago Tribune's headline read "Struck By A Cyclone- Iowa Cyclone Devastates Evanstontown." The article reported that "Northwestern might as well have tried to play football with an Iowa cyclone as with the Iowa team it met yesterday." The nickname stuck and the Iowa State team had made a name for itself, literally.
The school colors are cardinal and gold, with occasional navy blue trim. The mascot is Cy the Cardinal, who was introduced in 1954. This is likely a reference to the school's original nickname, the Cardinals. The Iowa State Cyclones play in the NCAA's Division I-A as part of the Big 12 Conference.
VEISHEA celebration
Iowa State is also noted for VEISHEA, an education and entertainment festival held on campus every spring. The name is an acronym of the original colleges of the institution when VEISHEA was established in 1922: Veterinary Medicine, Engineering, Industrial Science, Home Economics, and Agriculture. Its organizers claim it to be among the largest student-organized cultural festivals in the world.
In recent years the festival has been marred by problems. Unruly students created a disturbance ("rioted") on Welch Avenue in 1988 and 1992, prompting school officials to take away the traditional Thursday afternoon and Friday holidays before the celebration. Problems continued. In 1997, an underage non-student was fatally stabbed by another non-student outside a fraternity party. In response, alcohol was banned during VEISHEA.
In 2004, a riot took place during VEISHEA when police confronted people during an off-campus party. Because of the riot, officials announced that there would be no VEISHEA festival during 2005 and a task force would consider the future of the celebration. But in 2005 President Geoffroy announced that the event would return it 2006, with events being moved from riot-prone Welch Avenue to central campus. In April 2005, the student group Leaders INspiring Connections (LINC) organized several events on what would have been VEISHEA weekend, including Operation Playground, a community service project involving 700 students building three playgrounds in the community. "This Is Your April," was another opportunity for students to enjoy their campus atmosphere sponsored by the student government and numerous student groups.
The 2006 VEISHEA celebration was held from April 17th though the 23rd. Because of the changes made in the aftermath of the 2004 riots, VEISHEA 2006 passed without incident. It was deemed a huge success by ISU President Gregory Geoffroy and the student body alike. The 2007 VEISHEA celebration will begin Iowa State's year-long sesquicentennial celebration, ending with VEISHEA 2008.
Iowa State University presidents
| # | President | Start of term | End of term |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adonijah Welch | 1868 | 1883 |
| 2 | Seaman A. Knapp | 1883 | 1884 |
| 3 | Leigh S.J. Hunt | 1885 | 1886 |
| 4 | William I. Chamberlain | 1886 | 1890 |
| 5 | William M. Beardshear | 1891 | 1902 |
| 6 | Albert B. Storms | 1903 | 1910 |
| 7 | Raymond A. Pearson | 1912 | 1926 |
| 8 | Raymond M. Hughes | 1927 | 1936 |
| 9 | Charles E. Friley | 1936 | 1953 |
| 10 | James H. Hilton | 1953 | 1965 |
| 11 | W. Robert Parks | 1965 | 1986 |
| 12 | Gordon P. Eaton | 1986 | 1990 |
| 13 | Martin C. Jischke | June 1, 1991 | August 14, 2000 |
| 14 | Gregory L. Geoffroy | July 1, 2001 | present |
Alumni or faculty members
See ISU notables for a complete list.
- Roberta Green Ahmanson, author and philanthropist
- John Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford E. Berry (see also Atanasoff-Berry Computer), developers of the first digital computer
- Bennett Bean, studio potter
- Georgina Jinkinson Bonesteel, author and television show host
- Griffith Buck, alumnus and professor of horticulture; developed nearly 100 new varieties of roses
- George Washington Carver, first African-American student and faculty member; musician, artist, orator, athletic trainer and student leader
- Carrie Chapman Catt, women's rights activist
- Clarence Chamberlin, aviation pioneer
- Chris Cunha, Management Information Systems pioneer
- Vine Deloria, Jr., Native American activist and author
- Lawrence D. Downing, President of the Sierra Club
- Michael J. Dubes, President of Conseco Insurance Group
- Eugene B. Ely, pioneering aviator who made the first take-off and landing of an aircraft from a ship.
- John Garang, former commander of SPLA and former vice president of Sudan
- James Lorraine Geddes, American Civil War general; Acting University President in 1875-77.
- Henry Gilman, the "Father of Organometallic Chemistry"
- Tom Harkin, U.S. Senator, Democrat, Iowa
- Steve 'Flash' Juon, OHHLA Webmaster
- Jerry Junkins, CEO of Texas Instruments
- Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner
- Robert Krasa, former Vice-President of Dow Corning, former President and CEO of Haworth, Inc.
- Tom Latham, U.S. Representative, Republican, Iowa
- Jay L. Lush, pioneer of modern animal breeding
- Norma "Duffy" Lyon, sculptor and butter artist
- Sally Pederson, Lt. Governor of Iowa
- Christian Petersen, sculptor, whose works appear around campus.
- Hugh Sidey, journalist for Life and Time magazines covering Presidents Eisenhower through Clinton and Washington insider
- Jane Smiley, winner of the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for fiction
- George W. Snedecor, statistician
- Mallory Snyder, Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, actress, MTV's The Real World.
- Stephen R. Walker, television show host
- Henry Agard Wallace, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, United States Secretary of Commerce, Vice President of the United States, and founder of Pioneer Hi-Bred
- James Wilson, professor who later became U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
- Deland Myers professor of Food Science
- Lee Teng-hui former President of Republic of China (Taiwan)
Athletics
- Mike Born, former basketball player and IBA player and coach
- John Cooper, football captain and MVP and later coach at Ohio State
- Tim Floyd, former men's basketball coach with 81-49 record and only coach with three consecutive 20-win seasons.
- Dan Gable, two-time NCAA wrestling champion and 1972 Olympic gold medalist who later became wrestling coach at the University of Iowa
- Weylan Harding, Arena Football League head coach and former player
- Keith "Lefty" Moore, CBA coach and former player
- Johnny Orr, the most successful coach in Iowa State and Michigan men's basketball history
- Darryl Peterson, NCAA all American and former professional wrestler
- Cael Sanderson, four-time undefeated NCAA wrestling champion who won a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Cael is now the University's Head Coach of Wrestling.
- Jack Trice, football player and pioneer for minorities in sports, died of injuries sustained in a football game
- Jim Walewander, former Major League Baseball player
- MMA Fighters: Mike Van Arsdale, Justin Eilers
- NBA Players: Zaid Abdul-Aziz (born Donald A. Smith), Victor Alexander, Bill Cain, Kelvin Cato, Marcus Fizer, Jeff Grayer, Fred Hoiberg, Jeff Hornacek, Paul Shirley, Barry Stevens, Jamaal Tinsley, Jackson Vroman, and Dedric Willoughby
- NFL Players: Richard Barker, Jordan Carstens, Ellis Hobbs, Keith Krepfle, J.J. Moses, James Reed, Sage Rosenfels, Reggie Hayward, Seneca Wallace, and Tom Watkins
Iowa State chronology
Events occurring in the same year did not necessarily happen in the order presented here.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1858 | Iowa General Assembly enacted legislation for creation of the State Agricultural College & Model Farm |
| 1859 | Story County was the chosen county for the State Agricultural College & Model Farm |
| 1860 | Construction starts on Farm House |
| 1862 | Morrill Act of 1862 was passed; college to be named Iowa State Agricultural College |
| 1884 | Construction of English Office Building finished |
| 1891 | Construction of Morrill Hall finished |
| 1891 | First run of Dinkey on July 4 |
| 1892 | Addition made to the English Office Building |
| 1892 | Construction of The Hub |
| 1895 | Football team nicknamed Cyclones for their performance against Northwestern University |
| 1895 | Severe water shortage; classes cancelled; spurred construction of the Marston Water Tower |
| 1897 | Construction for the Campanile was started on Central Campus |
| 1897 | Construction of the Marston Water Tower |
| 1898 | Renamed the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts |
| 1903 | Construction of Marston Hall finished |
| 1904 | Construction first started on what would be the Alumni Hall |
| 1897 | End of operation of Dinkey; start of operation of an electric streetcar |
| 1908 | Construction of Central Building finished |
| 1908 | President's, Vice-president's, & Treasurer's offices moved from Office Building to Beardshear Hall |
| 1920 | Edgar W. Stanton dies and 26 bells are added to the carillon in the Campanile (36 bells total) |
| 1922 | VEISHEA was established |
| 1928 | The marching band competes in a band contest held in conjunction with the Drake Relays in Des Moines |
| 1929 | Construction of the Memorial Union finished |
| 1938 | Central Building renamed to Beardshear Hall |
| 1939 | The Atanasoff-Berry Computer is first demonstrated |
| 1940 | English department moves into Office Building and is renamed to English Office Building |
| 1941 | The Fountain of Four Seasons is sculpted by Christian Petersen. |
| 1954 | 13 more bells were added to the carillon in the Campanile (49 bells total) |
| 1959 | Renamed the Iowa State University of Science and Technology |
| 1967 | Bessey Hall opens for use |
| 1967 | 1 more bell was added to the carillon in the Campanile (50 bells total) |
| 1969 | Construction of Stephens Auditorium finished |
| 1973 | English and speech departments relocate from English Office Building to Ross Hall & Pearson Hall, respectively. |
| 1978 | Alumni Hall placed on the National Register of Historic Places |
| 1978 | The Marston Water Tower is disconnected from use. |
| 1982 | The Marston Water Tower is added to the National Register of Historic Places |
| 1983 | Marston Hall placed on the National Register of Historic Places |
| 1984 | Library named the W. Robert and Ellen Sorge Parks Library |
| 1988 | First VEISHEA riot |
| 1992 | Second VEISHEA riot |
| 1996 | Morrill Hall determined unsafe for occupancy |
| 1997 | Restoration of the Marston Water Tower |
| 1999 | Central Campus is listed as a "medallion site" by the American Society of Landscape Architects |
| 2003 | Control of the Memorial Union was transferred to ISU |
| 2004 | VEISHEA riot; resulted in VEISHEA for 2005 being cancelled for the first time in ISU's history |
| 2004 | English Office Building demolished. The Gerdin Business Building, a new high-tech 111,000 square foot (10,000 m²) building equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technology, opens to replace the old business building in Carver Hall. |
| 2005 | Two of the Towers residence halls, Knapp and Storms, demolished by implosion |
| 2006 | VEISHEA returns after being cancelled for 2005; is deemed a huge success |
| 2008 | Sesquicentennial of Iowa State |
See also
- Atanasoff-Berry Computer
- Buildings of Iowa State University
- ISU notables
- ISUCF"V"MB
- Land-grant university
- Reiman Gardens
External links
- [Official site]
- [Athletics site]
- [Government of the Student Body site]
- [Iowa State University admissions video on CollegeFair.tv]
- [Iowa State Daily] (student newspaper)
- [Iowa State Information] (Unofficial)
- [Iowa State University Costs]
- [Information from RateMyProfessors.com]
- [Student-run wiki for Iowa State University] (Unofficial)
- [The History of VEISHEA]
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