Inside Iowa State

September 24, 2004

Another look at a name and mission for proposed combined college

by Karen Bolluyt

Nearly 50 faculty, staff, students, alums and retirees attended a Sept. 13 meeting to voice their views on four names suggested for the college that may be created by combining the colleges of Education and Family and Consumer Sciences.

Two names were new and two had been carried over from a meeting in August that was attended by about 200 faculty and staff members from the two colleges.

Last winter, President Gregory Geoffroy asked the two colleges to consider the combination, with a view to implementing the change July 1, 2005. (See http://www.inside.iastate.edu/2004/0827/colleges.shtml)

"Human Sciences," generated the most discussion at the September meeting, receiving high points for its brevity, breadth and potential to unify, but causing concerns about lost identity for the two founding colleges.

"Education and Family and Consumer Sciences" was too long for some people but nicely rhythmic for others. Some liked its connection to the history of the two colleges; others thought it might reflect or suggest an unwillingness to unify.

According to the name and mission work group, the name most commonly used for similar colleges at U.S. research universities is "Education and Human Sciences." Participants at the September open forum mostly spoke of concerns that this name would not portray program emphases accurately. The last name proposed at the forum was "Human, Developmental and Consumer Sciences."

Some participants expressed concern that three of the proposed choices did not include the word "family."

The planning committee on the combined colleges used the Web to seek additional comments on the most recent list of four names. The deadline for comments was Sept. 14.

Also during the Sept. 13 meeting, the mission and name committee presented a single mission statement for discussion. The statement was developed based on discussion of four proposed mission statements presented at the August meeting.

The statement was: "The College provides an integrative approach to improving the quality of life for individuals, families and communities by: linking discovery, science, creativity and practice; applying the knowledge of learning in all endeavors; and developing leaders for roles in research, education, business and industry, and health and human services."

Comments on the new statement focused on its success in capturing a meaningful and accurate direction for the future and on how well it achieved standards of clarity, breadth and brevity.

Up-to-date information on the progress of the planning committee and work groups is maintained online by the provost's office at http://www.provost.iastate.edu/educfcs/. Associate provost Susan Carlson is the planning committee's facilitator.

At a second forum of the semester, participants assessed four name options and a revised mission statement for the college that would be formed if Family and Consumer Sciences and Education are combined