The mission of the College of Design as approved by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, upon the college's establishment in October 1977 was derived from the historic evolution of the design disciplines and the visual arts at Iowa State University. The regents' action represented the consolidation of existing art and professional design programs previously housed in the Colleges of Agriculture, Engineering, and Home Economics (now Human Sciences) into one College of Design. The mission approved in 1977 remains applicable today:
- To provide an organization for direct interaction among students, faculty and professionals involved in all aspects of the visual arts, design and the planning of structures, communities and environments;
- To improve educational opportunities for the increasing number of young people entering programs in the design professions;
- To provide opportunities for all students in the university to undertake studies in art, design and the built environment;
- To foster creative thought, scholarship and research on an interdisciplinary basis as well as on an individual basis;
- To serve as a design resource for the university, the community and the state.
The college has since expanded the scope of this basic mission by acknowledging the importance of its leadership and distinction in programs and pedagogy, and as a design resource at national and international levels.
