Iowa State University (ISU)

Iowa State is a large university with a small feel. Forge lifelong friendships and earn a degree that will take you anywhere. Iowa State University is a very special place, full of history. But what truly makes Iowa State unique is a rare combinat t truly makes Iowa State unique is a rare combination of campus beauty, the opportunity to be a part of the land-grant experiment, and the progressive and inventive spirit of the Cyclone experience. The Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm was established on March 22, 1858. In 1862, the Iowa legislature accepted the provision of the Morrill Act, which was awarded to the agricultural college in 1864. When it opened its doors in 1869, Iowa State was among the first of a new generation of distinctly American colleges built on three revolutionary ideas: College should be open to everyone, regardless of pocketbook or gender; practical subjects like agriculture, science, and engineering should be taught along with the traditional classical education; and knowledge should be shared beyond the borders of campus. The first class (24 men and 2 women) graduated in 1872. Iowa State established the nation's first state veterinary medicine school in 1879. In 1959, the college was officially renamed Iowa State University of Science and Technology. The focus on technology has led directly to many research patents and inventions including the first binary computer, Maytag blue cheese, the round hay baler, and more. Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the nation's first designated land-grant institutions when the Iowa Legislature accepted the provisions of the 1862 Morrill Act on September 11, 1862.[7][8] On July 4, 1959, the college was officially renamed Iowa State University of Science and Technology.[9] Iowa State is the second largest university in Iowa by total enrollment. The university's academic offerings are administered through eight colleges, including the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Veterinary Medicine, the College of Engineering, the Graduate College, the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the College of Design, Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business, and the College of Human Sciences. They offer over 100 bachelor's degree programs,[10] 120 master's degree programs, and 80 doctoral degree programs, plus a professional degree program in Veterinary Medicine.[11] Iowa State is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity."[12] The university is affiliated with the Ames National Laboratory, the Biorenewables Research Laboratory, the Plant Sciences Institute, and various other research institutes. Iowa State University's athletic teams, the Cyclones, compete in Division I of the NCAA and are a founding member of the Big 12. Thirty-seven women joined 136 men in Iowa State's inaugural class. Former slave George Washington Carver came to Iowa State in 1891 and earned a bachelor's degree in 1894. Because of his excellence in botany and horticulture, he was appointed to the Iowa State faculty, becoming the university's first African American faculty member. Today, Iowa State enrolls students from every state in the nation and 120-plus countries. Adonijah Welch, Iowa State's first president, set the tone in 1870 when he held three-day farmer institutes throughout Iowa. In the early 1900s, agronomist Perry Holden, with the help of the railroads, literally put his classroom on wheels. In his "Seed Corn Gospel Train," he traveled the state, teaching farmers how to select and test corn to get the best seed. The novel teaching technique caught on and soon educational trains, offering expertise on all kinds of agricultural topics, were rolling throughout the nation. These early forays beyond the campus borders blossomed into the modern day extension and outreach specialists, who transfer university expertise to all 99 Iowa counties. ...view more