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I am proud and honored to be a member of this community. I am well aware of the strong commitment to academic excellence that is part of the legacy of our College of Design at Iowa State University. It is my goal to further develop and enrich it so our institution becomes a necessary reference when addressing the most pressing challenges that our so ciety will face in the near and distant future. Most of those challenges are and will continue to be related to the fragile relationship between the natural and the artificial, between ecosystems and the demands of our culture, between those who have and those who need. I believe these are fundamentally design problems, because Design in all of its professional incarnations is essentially about mediating the interactions between humans and the environment. This is a great opportunity that makes this college central to the future of Iowa State University, and at the same time it is a tremendous responsibility, which I hope you will accept with me. The months ahead are full of new and exciting opportunities in advancing our academic programs, fostering research and finding new ways of having a positive impact in society through outreach. We will also face challenges, and we will face them together, especially the ones related to the current economic climate. I make a commitment to work with you in creating an environment that will be supportive of efforts directed to improve the quality of life in the state of Iowa, the nation and the world, while being respectful of the delicate natural cycles of the environment. In doing so, I would like to challenge our students to aim high and contribute to the enrichment of our academic environment today, and later to lead our professions so they effectively contribute to the improvement of society; I encourage our faculty to continue providing a stellar professional education and exploring innovative venues for research and creative inquiry; and finally, I would like to thank the staff of the college for providing the necessary support for all the activities, which although not always recognized, are essential to advance our goals for the future. I also would like to specially thank our alumni and all the donors and institutions that support the mission of the college. Your philanthropy consolidates the standards of excellence that we look for in our classrooms and studios, and in the future will be critical in creating the conditions that will allow us to contribute to society from the highest levels of academic distinction. The door of my office is always open. Don't hesitate to contact me with any concerns or suggestions, or to work together in developing ideas that will ultimately benefit everyone in the College of Design, the university, and the world. Sincerely, Luis Rico-Gutierrez Dean and Professor College of Design Iowa State University |
| Updated 10/30/09-08:42 PID:1667 |