ISU's academic rankings decline continues

[Cypow]

Interesting excerpt from WSJ rankings. Example of how one ranking explicitly takes funding into account.

ISU is ranked 264 in the US. WSJ/THE's ranking includes LACs, regional universities, etc., hence the lower ranking (US News separates larger universities from regional universities and LACs).

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[CyNitrous]

I graduated with both a BS and MS after college I moved to the coast. My experience is that Iowa State is considered a good to excellent to engineering and applied sciences school. So this is clearly a strength that needs to be played up and encouraged.

Also I was lucky enough to be able to do undergraduate research I can't emphasize how useful this has been (and needs to played up as much as possible) the fact that I got co-author/contributor on several articles has been great in interviews even ~10 years out now.

I would also say that I"m shocked how little effort ISU seems to put toward having a national lab. This is something very few universities can claim and potentially a huge advantage. Why the university doesn't make a bigger deal out of this is beyond me. It completely boggles my mind. MIT Lincoln Lab, Argonne, Lawrence Berkley are all big deals in the STEM fields. They also get lots of research dollars which can be leveraged to help the university.

It's probably worth noting that college is very much a what you get out of it what you put into it on professional, academic and social fronts.

 

[jdcyclone19]

I graduated with both a BS and MS after college I moved to the coast. My experience is that Iowa State is considered a good to excellent to engineering and applied sciences school. So this is clearly a strength that needs to be played up and encouraged.

Also I was lucky enough to be able to do undergraduate research I can't emphasize how useful this has been (and needs to played up as much as possible) the fact that I got co-author/contributor on several articles has been great in interviews even ~10 years out now.

I would also say that I"m shocked how little effort ISU seems to put toward having a national lab. This is something very few universities can claim and potentially a huge advantage. Why the university doesn't make a bigger deal out of this is beyond me. It completely boggles my mind. MIT Lincoln Lab, Argonne, Lawrence Berkley are all big deals in the STEM fields. They also get lots of research dollars which can be leveraged to help the university.

It's probably worth noting that college is very much a what you get out of it what you put into it on professional, academic and social fronts.

Is the DOE Ames Laboratory, not a national lab? https://www.ameslab.gov/
The new Nano vaccine institute is pretty interesting as well. https://www.nanovaccine.iastate.edu/

 

[CyNitrous]

It is but they don't seem to make a big deal of it; at least they didn't when I was in school. That was my complaint.

 

[jdcyclone19]

It is but they don't seem to make a big deal of it; at least they didn't when I was in school. That was my complaint.

Gotchya, I did not get that from this statement" I would also say that I"m shocked how little effort ISU seems to put toward having a national lab."

 

[CyNitrous]

Gotchya, I did not get that from this statement" I would also say that I"m shocked how little effort ISU seems to put toward having a national lab."

Sorry haven't had enough coffee this morning yet, clearly.

 

[Cypow]

I graduated with both a BS and MS after college I moved to the coast. My experience is that Iowa State is considered a good to excellent to engineering and applied sciences school. So this is clearly a strength that needs to be played up and encouraged.

Also I was lucky enough to be able to do undergraduate research I can't emphasize how useful this has been (and needs to played up as much as possible) the fact that I got co-author/contributor on several articles has been great in interviews even ~10 years out now.

I would also say that I"m shocked how little effort ISU seems to put toward having a national lab. This is something very few universities can claim and potentially a huge advantage. Why the university doesn't make a bigger deal out of this is beyond me. It completely boggles my mind. MIT Lincoln Lab, Argonne, Lawrence Berkley are all big deals in the STEM fields. They also get lots of research dollars which can be leveraged to help the university.

It's probably worth noting that college is very much a what you get out of it what you put into it on professional, academic and social fronts.

It's funny you mention that; I've been thinking about this as well recently.

The Ames Lab should be a HUGE point of pride, not to mention a great selling point for prospective students in the sciences. Obviously, PhDs will know all about the departments they are entering, but a national lab could (and should) be a major selling point for undergraduates as well. I don't think I was ever told ISU had a national lab when I toured campus as a potential engineering student - which is insane, when you think about it. Having the opportunity to get involved in that high caliber of research should be among the first things you mention to prospective STEM students.

ISU seems to be very "Midwestern" - by that I mean humble, and not in a good way - in their (very limited) marketing, advertising, and PR. It seems as though the university leaves a lot unsaid, and assumes the general population is already aware of the uni's academic excellence. They are not.

 

[jdcyclone19]

It's funny you mention that; I've been thinking about this as well recently.

The Ames Lab should be a HUGE point of pride, not to mention a great selling point for prospective students in the sciences. Obviously, PhDs will know all about the departments they are entering, but a national lab could (and should) be a major selling point for undergraduates as well. I don't think I was ever told ISU had a national lab when I toured campus as a potential engineering student - which is insane, when you think about it. Having the opportunity to get involved in that high caliber of research should be among the first things you mention to prospective STEM students.

ISU seems to be very "Midwestern" - by that I mean humble, and not in a good way - in their (very limited) marketing, advertising, and PR. It seems as though the university leaves a lot unsaid, and assumes the general population is already aware of the uni's academic excellence. They are not.

As slimey and President Leath was, he was an excellent salesman for ISU and was able to get a lot of external funding.

 

[CyNitrous]

Another thing I would say is we need to be appealing to out of state people more. I'm orginally from Missouri and looked out of state because there is only one remotely good engineering school in Missouri. (ended up at ISU specifically because of the combination of undergrad research and scholarships) at the time it was less than a $2,000 per year price difference tahn staying in state. I also recall several friends from Illinois where ISU was actually less than UIUC (their premeire university and a highly ranked engineering school).

I don't know how good schools are in the Dakotas, but I feel like appealing there and trying to peel off their top students would be wise.

 

[Sigmapolis]

Another thing I would say is we need to be appealing to out of state people more. I'm orginally from Missouri and looked out of state because there is only one remotely good engineering school in Missouri. (ended up at ISU specifically because of the combination of undergrad research and scholarships) at the time it was less than a $2,000 per year price difference tahn staying in state. I also recall several friends from Illinois where ISU was actually less than UIUC (their premeire university and a highly ranked engineering school).

I don't know how good schools are in the Dakotas, but I feel like appealing there and trying to peel off their top students would be wise.

ND has a population of 762k.

SD has a population of 885k.

The two together are roughly half Iowa, and they of course have their own state schools and other regional out-of-state options in Colorado, Nebraska, and Minnesota to go along with what we might offer.

There just aren't a lot of potential bodies out there.

 

[Cypow]

ND has a population of 762k.

SD has a population of 885k.

The two together are roughly half Iowa, and they of course have their own state schools and other regional out-of-state options in Colorado, Nebraska, and Minnesota to go along with what we might offer.

There just aren't a lot of potential bodies out there.

And those universities in the Dakotas seem to do quite well with keeping kids in state. Though I do agree with the importance of focusing on OOS students.

I still think that making Iowa State University synonymous with the Des Moines metro is the best thing the university can do for itself long-term. If DSM's growth holds, that relationship will pay dividends in the coming decades. And the relationship would be mutually beneficial - Des Moines lacks a large research university, and Drake is too small to have much influence. Investing heavily in the Des Moines-Ames corridor and doing more to connect the cities seems like a win-win. I know there's been a focus on that in the past decade but it still feels like much more could be done.

 

[brett108]

ND has a population of 762k.

SD has a population of 885k.

The two together are roughly half Iowa, and they of course have their own state schools and other regional out-of-state options in Colorado, Nebraska, and Minnesota to go along with what we might offer.

There just aren't a lot of potential bodies out there.

I know plenty of Minnesota kids who came to ISU because UMinn was a horrible undergrad experience. It is always one of the top 3 ChE schools in the land yet half my class was from the Twin Cities. Needless to say taking a ChE class with 300 undergrads wasn’t as good an experience as taking one with 30. And Minnesota actually cost more than ISU even if you were paying full out of state tuition.

 

[knowlesjam]

It's funny you mention that; I've been thinking about this as well recently.

The Ames Lab should be a HUGE point of pride, not to mention a great selling point for prospective students in the sciences. Obviously, PhDs will know all about the departments they are entering, but a national lab could (and should) be a major selling point for undergraduates as well. I don't think I was ever told ISU had a national lab when I toured campus as a potential engineering student - which is insane, when you think about it. Having the opportunity to get involved in that high caliber of research should be among the first things you mention to prospective STEM students.

ISU seems to be very "Midwestern" - by that I mean humble, and not in a good way - in their (very limited) marketing, advertising, and PR. It seems as though the university leaves a lot unsaid, and assumes the general population is already aware of the uni's academic excellence. They are not.

And yet ISU is quick (and often) to brag about the first computer. Well great, definitely a landmark milestone in technology, but damn, that was decades ago. What have you done for us lately...touting the Ames Lab (and fiscally supporting) would be a start. Get the bio-engineering going, work in the ag connection, etc. ISU is a great university, student-wise...it just needs to jump start the academics.

 

[Cypow]

And yet ISU is quick (and often) to brag about the first computer. Well great, definitely a landmark milestone in technology, but damn, that was decades ago. What have you done for us lately...touting the Ames Lab (and fiscally supporting) would be a start. Get the bio-engineering going, work in the ag connection, etc. ISU is a great university, student-wise...it just needs to jump start the academics.

It's ridiculous that ISU hasn't made any real strides towards a biomedical engineering program/department. All that is offered is a minor, and it sounds like that is essentially just a few extra bio and chem courses. Not what you would expect from a university that wants to be seen as a top engineering school.

 

[GoFast]

Interesting excerpt from WSJ rankings. Example of how one ranking explicitly takes funding into account.

ISU is ranked 264 in the US. WSJ/THE's ranking includes LACs, regional universities, etc., hence the lower ranking (US News separates larger universities from regional universities and LACs).

View attachment 75665 .

Sounds like ISU needs an upgrade in professors and staff. Wendy has her work cut out for her to start improving the teaching abilities of her staff. Time for them to step up.

 

[jdcyclone19]

It's ridiculous that ISU hasn't made any real strides towards a biomedical engineering program/department. All that is offered is a minor, and it sounds like that is essentially just a few extra bio and chem courses. Not what you would expect from a university that wants to be seen as a top engineering school.

Actually, that degree is in the works. It’ll be a joint venture between Vet Med and College of Engineering. They are currently building program and hope to get it approved by the BOR next year.

 

[jdcyclone19]

Sounds like ISU needs an upgrade in professors and staff. Wendy has her work cut out for her to start improving the teaching abilities of her staff. Time for them to step up.

Aging facilities and high faculty to student ratios are the main problems. Not really “teaching abilities”.

 

[Cypow]

Actually, that degree is in the works. It’ll be a joint venture between Vet Med and College of Engineering. They are currently building program and hope to get it approved by the BOR next year.

That's excellent to hear.

 

[Sigmapolis]

Aging facilities and high faculty to student ratios are the main problems. Not really “teaching abilities”.

Those are problems you can fix with money.

Unfortunately, we don’t have very much.

 

[AuH2O]

And yet ISU is quick (and often) to brag about the first computer. Well great, definitely a landmark milestone in technology, but damn, that was decades ago. What have you done for us lately...touting the Ames Lab (and fiscally supporting) would be a start. Get the bio-engineering going, work in the ag connection, etc. ISU is a great university, student-wise...it just needs to jump start the academics.

No way should ISU be funding a DOE laboratory. The DOE used to have lots of competitive research that universities could apply for. That has been slashed to a much smaller portion, with a bulk of the money going directly to the national labs. It is “competitive” in theory, but most of it is dollars that the different DOE labs compete with each other for, and most of the companies and universities that get DOE funding have the DOE National labs on their teams.