Higher Learning Commission Report-Strategic Plan

View 2007 Report on Strategic Plan Progress

The College of Design strategic plan for the years 2005 to 2010 is rooted in many of the basic themes that have preoccupied the collegiate community since its founding in 1978. These original principles focused on interdisciplinary education and scholarship based upon strong disciplinal offerings, service to the university community and the people of the state of Iowa, and a special allegiance to the welfare of its students, staff and faculty. They continue to resonate in all of the plans drafted by the college, including the iteration included herein.

Of course, the emphasis of these various plans has changed over the years, frequently amended by unforeseen events, program reviews and accreditations and, obviously, the accomplishment of goals set by the preceding planning cycles. This plan is no different, and the aspirations that form its preface, although extruded from the original mission of the college, announce some of the foci that are unique to the ambition of the collegiate community for the half-decade ahead.

Significant among these emerging themes are:

A refreshed dedication to graduate education and advanced study within the college.
Increased support for faculty.
A commitment to diversity as a defining characteristic of the collegiate community.
A continued preoccupation with the development of interlocking centers of interest within its pedagogy and intellectual pursuits.

Additionally, the commitment for the construction of a contiguous fabric to house the college remains, coupled always with the development of global venues for the extension of our academic community.

Finally, the plan presented here is based upon an execution openly partnered among the faculty, students, staff and administrative offices of the college, one of many recommendations of the recently completed all-college program review that inform this document throughout.

The plan is also notable for its direct relation to the content and structure of the 2005-10 Iowa State University Plan, entitled "Forward Thinking." The mission, vision, priorities and goals of this university plan form a proper and necessary armature for the accompanying collegiate strategies for growth and development in the immediate years ahead.

Therefore, in support of the larger university mission and vision, and in furtherance of its own founding charter, the College of Design has adopted the following aspirations:

To secure national distinction as a strongly identifiable, unified academic community built upon the collegial interchange among the diverse strengths of its people and their professional design and art disciplines.
To create distinguished scholarship by promoting discovery and innovation within its disciplines, selected cross-disciplinary concentrations, and advanced study.
To share its liberal and professional educational programs to enhance the learning opportunities for the university community, professional constituencies, alumni and consumers of design everywhere.
To apply its knowledge and talent with its many constituents, enriching the intellectual environment of the university community, and improving the visual and experiential environment of state, national and global communities by addressing the interwoven issues of social and economic development, environmental stewardship, community design, preservation and growth.