From Dec. 18, 2006, through Feb. 7, 2007, 81 e-mails were received in response to Dean Wendy Wintersteen’s request for comments on the proposal to change the name of the College of Agriculture to "College of Agriculture and Life Sciences." Dean Wintersteen’s message was sent to faculty, staff, students and alumni. Of the 81 messages, 43 favored the proposal, 33 were against it and 5 provided other comments. The e-mails, edited by the Agriculture Communications office, are listed below. Wherever possible, efforts were made to identify or verify names, titles and alumni information, if they were not provided.

Comments favoring the proposal

Jim Almquist (B.S., Animal Science, 1954; M.S., Rural Sociology, 1962)
"Great idea to change the name. Go for it!"

Ken Gregersen (B.S., Agricultural Education, 1954)
"This change makes a lot of sense. There have already been many name changes in other colleges at the university to reflect the times, so go for it."

Dave Drennan (B.S., Agricultural Journalism, 1975)
"Just do it! Missouri has already done it. Others, too. About time. But I would like to see agricultural journalism reinstalled as a full major in the new College of Agriculture and Life Sciences."

Robin Pruisner (B.S., Entomology and Pest Management, 1994) and Mark Venner (B.S., Animal Science, 1994)
"We think the name change is long overdue. Go for it!"

John L. Creswell, retired ISU Extension Crops Field Specialist, New Braunfels, Texas (B.S., Agronomy, 1965; Ph.D., Agricultural Education and Studies, 1990)
"I support the name change to ‘College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.’ It's long overdue."

Dwayne A. Rohweder (B.S., Agronomy, 1948; M.S., Agronomy, 1956; Ph.D., Agronomy, 1963)
"I think it is a fine idea, as so much of the work in agriculture also is work in the life sciences. The UW-Madison has been this way for years."

Jim Frevert (B.S., Farm Operations, 1960)
"I strongly support the proposed name change to include life sciences. This is especially important when 60 percent of the ag undergraduates currently come from our cities and towns and not from our farms. The challenges we face in food, feed, fuel and fiber industries require views that extend beyond production agriculture. The leadership that President Geoffry is giving to ISU’s lead in biofuels is greatly appreciated. The name change will only help as we move forward in this very exciting time for agriculture."

Dixon L. "Dix" Harper (B.S., Agricultural Education, 1948)
"My father was an animal husbandry graduate in '21. I was a '48 grad in ag education. After many years in North Carolina, there is an endowed scholarship in my name at N.C. State. It is for a student of agribusiness in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). It has been awarded 13 times since I retired. I favor the name change at Iowa State."

Lee H. Kilmer, ISU Professor of Animal Science
"I applaud your proposal to modernize (yes, modernize, not just change) the name of the College. We need to give everyone, from those involved directly or indirectly in agriculture to consumers, the perception that the College involves much more than just the traditional areas related to food production, like agronomy and animal science. In addition, we need to promote and reinforce the concept that everything we do is ‘science’; that our teachings, both on campus and off, are all science-based, and that we do a tremendous amount of broad-based research that will ultimately improve the lives of all people. Finally, we need to dispel the concept that we are doing things the same way today that we did 150 years ago when the College was first founded. Everything around us in the world has evolved and changed during this interval, and we have as well. Let’s change our name to portray the fact that we have changed and are willing to change and adapt to the world we live in. This change should enable our efforts to reach out to and attract more of the brightest young minds out there, at the undergraduate, graduate and even faculty levels. After all, our future rests in their hands. Consequently, I say, 'Let's go for it!.'"

Mike Gumina, Vice President, Pioneer Supply Management (B.S., Agronomy, 1979)
"I support the name change. Anything that helps get young people interested in a career in agriculture is okay with me."

Peter L. Hong, President and CEO, Positech, Laurens, Iowa (and member, College of Agriculture Advisory Council)
"I am glad to see we are moving forward with action to better define the depth and breadth of the College’s offerings. As one of the members on the [Advisory Council] who is not directly ag science-related, I think this is a strong move to attract more students into a field which is changing rapidly. My personal experience as a former John Deere employee, as a supplier of custom-engineered material handling equipment to industries throughout North America located in a rural Iowa community, a former member of the ISU Extension advisory committee and as chair of the Advanced Manufacturing Coalition for the state of Iowa, provides me with a wider view of the College of Agriculture from a business perspective. I see the bio-science industry as one of the keys to Iowa’s future. If this is the drawing card for students to become engaged in this industry, then let the marketing begin. The three Battelle reports on Bio-science, Advanced Manufacturing and Information Technology recognize worker shortages as one of the obstacles to Iowa’s future growth, and welcome any changes that will attract and grow the technical base of Iowa to support the commercialization of the research and scientific developments of our Regents universities and the maintain our current businesses."

Robert L. (Bob) Crom (B.S., Animal Husbandry, 1950)
"I would certainly agree this is a good move for all the reasons cited. I am pleased to see the consensus of support."

Richard W. Arnold, Fairfax, Va. (B.S., Farm Operations, 1952; Ph.D., Agronomy, 1963)
"I wholeheartedly agree with the reasons and the rationale for changing the name to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. It’s certainly in keeping with the changing times. Even we alums who are quiet and far away in the background still have wonderful memories and continuing interest in the affairs of the College and the University. Thank you for keeping us in the loop."

Jerry Kolschowsky (B.S., Agricultural Business, 1962)
"Good idea. Hat's off to the Dean."

Brett Kramer (Ph.D., Agricultural Education, 2004)
"I am in full support of changing the name to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Unfortunately, for most of the population, agriculture is too narrowly defined and operationalized. Most citizens and businesses fail to understand the breadth of knowledge represented by most of the College's curriculum. I believe that changing the name will more adequately communicate the breadth of knowledge graduates possess in a wide array of disciplines."

Dennis Keeney, Senior Fellow, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, and ISU Emeritus Professor of Agronomy and former Director, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture (B.S., Agronomy, 1959; Ph.D., Agronomy, 1965)
"I strongly support the change to College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, even though this is the college name at UW-Madison. I have always thought that CALS fit the mission of the college at UW well (I was on faculty for 22 years) and it will work well for ISU."

Ron Powers, Columbia, Mo. (B.S., Agricultural Journalism, 1957)
"As an alumnus and past faculty and administrator of the College of Agriculture, I wholeheartedly support the proposed change in name to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. This is consistent with the current and future mission of the college."

Jim Dinsmore, ISU Emeritus Professor, Animal Ecology (Natural Resource Ecology and Management) (B.S., Fish and Wildlife Biology, 1964)
"As both an alum and a long-time faculty member, I am writing to add my support for the proposed name change. Such a change is long overdue and will provide much better identification for what the College does through its teaching, research and outreach programs. It also will provide a better name for the many programs, students and faculty members who really don't fit well under the existing name. I am pleased to see that there is support for this proposal and hope that others will see the strong logic for this proposal and will embrace it as well. My best wishes as this idea moves to what I hope will be a new name and identification for the college."

Byron Brehm-Stecher, ISU Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition "I fully support the update of the College's name to ‘College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ (CALS)
. It is important to recognize that several peer and competitor institutions have already made this change. In order to enhance recruitment and retention of students and faculty at ISU and to better reflect the current and future work of the College, it is essential to not be the only institution left still using an outdated name/self-definition."

Mark Batchelder (B.S., Liberal Studies, 1995)
"The proposed name change is an excellent notion. While still consistent with the land-grant mission, broadening the name to include ‘life sciences’ speaks well to the many different degree programs available today within the College. For one thing, with fewer students from farm backgrounds, the proposed name change should help with student recruitment. Just as the ‘model farm’ has changed over the past 150 years, so have the needs of agri-industry and a strong stable of graduates from diverse degree programs is very important."

John Taylor (B.S., Agricultural Journalism, 1958)
"I agree it's time for a change. With the advent of the pursuit of energy from renewable agricultural resources, and Iowa State's leadership role in the area of bioscience and technology, the name ‘College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ hits the mark. Count me as one grad that favors the name change."

Kevin Drury, Hedlin Ag Enterprises, Ankeny (B.S., Agricultural Business, 1983)
"Excellent move! The proposed name change is spot on! The term ‘agriculture’ has a long and rich tradition/linkage with production agriculture. This moves us pass this. To take this one step further, is it possible or does it make sense to have some kind of tag line and/or college logo to go with the new name? I know that this is a blatant marketing ploy, but we’ve got to keep enrollment up and sell the college to our stakeholders. Ag is now about food, feed and fuel, and I’m probably missing something beyond that."

Mike Laughery, Vice President, Producer and Industry Relations, Pork Checkoff (B.S., Agricultural Business, 1991)
"I fully support where you are headed with the name change."

Jim Blome, Vice President, Coastal Division, Agriliance LLC, Memphis, Tenn. (B.S., Agronomy and Pest Management, 1985)
"I support the name change. We need to broaden the net and capture more students. It is becoming difficult to find and recruit agronomy and ag business graduates simply because there are fewer graduates."

Charles Schwab, ISU Professor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and Extension Safety Specialist
"It is my hope that our College is known for what we accomplish rather than what we call ourselves. That being said, the new name seems like a timely adjustment to our College enhancing our future. It appears that an informed and talented group have given much thought to this process and I am supportive of their proposed change."

Joel Coats, ISU Professor of Entomology & Toxicology
"I think it's a very important step forward to change the name of our College to Agriculture and Life Sciences. It will help us continue our goal of defining a broad view of agriculture."

Russ Sanders, Pioneer, a DuPont Company (B.S., Farm Operations, 1975)
"As an agriculture graduate of Iowa State, and as someone engaged in agri-business, I strongly support the proposed name change idea. The rationale points presented by Dean Wintersteen are right on target. There is no doubt that the challenges and opportunities we face in the food, feed, fuel and fiber industries require a view that extends beyond the basic production agriculture perspective. Iowa State's work with the Bioeconomy Initiative is a great example of what's needed — integration of diverse science into a complete value chain system. It will be important to back up the name change with aggressive, ongoing action."

Craig Hertel, Greene County Extension Education Director, ISU Extension, Jefferson, Iowa
"Smart move. I like the name change."

Jo Anne Powell-Coffman, ISU Associate Professor, Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology
"I am in favor of the proposed name change. I think that it reflects the breadth of research and expertise in the College."

Rupert Solis (B.S., Farm Operations, 1985)
"I believe that you have accurately defined the proposed name change for the College of Agriculture. Agriculture cannot continue to be defined [only] as a way of life, but truly is part of the foundation of life itself. I support you in your efforts."

David J. Smith (M.S., Agronomy, 1985)
"Congratulations to Dean Wendy for being on the cutting edge. I favor a name change, but to the College of Life and Agricultural Sciences. Good luck. It is a needed change to reflect the field of both work and study."

Andrew W. Hug, Program Coordinator, ISU Office of the Wallace Chair for Sustainable Agriculture
"Good idea. Be sure the abbreviation becomes CALS rather than COALS. Don’t want to bring up images of that old-source energy when we are pursuing new-source energy."

Jim Andersen (B.S., Agonomy, 1961)
"I strongly support the change of the name to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Biotechnology involves more than growing crops and raising livestock."

Manjit Misra, Director, Seed Science Center, Institute for Food Safety and Security, and Biosafety Institute for Genetically Modified Agricultural Products, and ISU Professor, Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
"This is an idea whose time has come. I support it fully and am glad to assist in any way possible."

Luke Longlet, Manager, Pioneer Renwick Production Plant
"The name change to ‘College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ makes a lot of sense. The change is timely as the agricultural industry is moving through phenomenal technology advances with far-reaching implications."

Mike Snyder (B.S., Dairy Science, 1971)
"As a dairy science graduate, I am for the changing of the name."

Dietmar Flock (Ph.D., Animal Science, 1964)
"I think it's a great idea, and closer to what the majority of (educated?) consumers of agricultural production understands. Hopefully, it will be helpful in getting more support for research and job opportunities for graduates."

W. Robert Kennedy, Parent Soybean and Wheat Manager, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.
"I would like to voice my support for the idea of changing the name. As society deals more and more with genetic solutions to issues such as crop protection, medicines and feeding a world population, the term ‘life sciences’ becomes highly appropriate and appealing to a wider segment of potential students, and will likely draw faculty not previously interested in basic agriculture."

Ramesh Kanwar, professor and chair, ISU Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (Ph.D., Agricultural Engineering, 1981)
"I will fully support this proposal. College of Agriculture faculty are already collaborating with many other faculty in biological/life sciences and together are developing strong partnerships in building future teaching, research and extension programs. Also, the College would have many more future opportunities in the 21st century combining agricultural (plant and animal) and life sciences; therefore, the new name will correctly reflect what the College is about."

Jeri Neal, Ecological Systems Research Program Leader, ISU Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
"This sounds like an appropriate and well-reasoned change."

Ron Donohue (B.S., Farm Operations and Animal Science, 1981)
"I agree with the proposed change. It is appropriate with the changes in agriculture today."

Paul Christensen, Seed Technology and Business Curriculum, ISU Seed Science Center
"I think it is great that you have taken on the name change. It could be symbolic of keeping things moving forward toward useful new roles and projects for the College."

John Beghin, Marlin Cole Professor, ISU Department of Economics
"I support the name change. NCSU and other leading ag schools around the nation have adopted the CALS name."

Comments against the proposal

David Ridgway (B.S., Ag Mechanization, 1985)
"Leave the name the same. Life sciences is included in agriculture."

Heather Honkomp, Single Family Housing Specialist, USDA Rural Development, Des Moines (B.S., Agricultural Studies, 1994)
"I disagree with the name change. Life sciences? The base is still agriculture."

George Ivory (B.S., Forestry, 1979)
"Implicit in agriculture is life science. Your institution was founded as an agriculture college, a land-grant institution. Be proud of your heritage."

Matthew Miller (B.S., Agriculture Education and Agricultural Business, 2000)
"Any dictionary definition of agriculture includes 'life sciences' in their definition, so this makes the name redundant and longer. People that do not know that the word 'agriculture' refers to applying life sciences in the area of production of food, feed, fuel and fiber and how the environment is affected by our production systems probably are not qualified to be admitted to the College of Agriculture."

Warren E. Clark, CEO, CCI Marketing, Park Ridge, Ill. (B.S., Agricultural Business, 1980)
"Agriculture includes 'life sciences.' They are not separate and never will be. Another reason for not changing the name is that it starts to sound like a corporation. Many 'life sciences' companies are major contributors to Iowa State University. While I believe consumers benefit from these contributions, I believe there are a lot of people who consider ISU to beholden to 'life sciences' companies already. Including 'life sciences' in the name of the College just reinforces the negative perception."

Kim Heckert, Dow AgroSciences (B.S., Public Service and Administration in Agriculture, 1975)
"It seems to me that 'College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' is redundant. There is nothing more 'life sciences' than 'agriculture' and 'life sciences' would include all 'agriculture.' I encourage you to make the tough choice and either stick with the 'College of Agriculture' or completely switch to the 'College of Life Sciences' if today's students do not understand what agriculture includes."

Ben Albright (B.S., Agricultural Studies, 2004)
"I'm not sure what 'life sciences' has to do with agriculture. Personally, I am proud to have graduated from one of the few remaining colleges of agriculture. I think ISU is known for its strong College of Agriculture and to change it to anything else would be a mistake."

Bruce Bandstra, Director, Biostatistics & Data Management, Cell Therapeutics, Inc., Seattle (B.S., Animal Science, 1978; M.S., Animal Breeding, 1984)
"Agriculture does involve science and business and many other areas of study. To select one of these areas only compromises the discipline [of] agriculture ... I learned many things from Dr. Richard Willham during my stay at Iowa State, the most important of which is that science is art and art is in science. Do not lose sight of that while chasing the hot new catch phrases to attract short-sighted students."

Al Schafbuch, Dysart, Iowa
"The name change does not make any sense to the average person. Life sciences does not imply the research in biotechnology that you are talking about. That may mean something to the professors, but to me it implies how we live our lives. I think that something like College of Agriculture and Biotechnology will be a better choice."

Thuston J. Brewer, Head Groundskeeper, Burlington Bees (B.S., Horticulture, 2004)
"In one of the biggest agricultural states, I don't like the idea of changing the name of the college! I am proud of the distinction of coming out of one of the best agricultural schools in the world...Adding more to the name would, in my eyes, diminish the importance of the agricultural part of the College."

Bryce Richard, Shadow Wood Country Club - Golf Maintenance, Bonita Springs, Fla. (B.S., Horticulture, 1997)
"This new proposed name is rather redundant. I don't know all these other colleges that changed their name, but I am familiar with the Ohio State University and changing their name from College of Agriculture to College of Food, Ag and Environmental Sciences. I know many alumni [who] all dislike the new name to say it nicely."

W.C. Smith, Carlisle, Penn. (B.S., Animal Science, 1956; M.S., Animal Science, 1962)
"College of Agriculture says it all! College of Agriculture is neat, clean, manageable and appropriately succinct and duly all inclusive. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! What is 'College of Agriculture and Life Science,' some sort of pandering to political correctness."

Rosie Branaman (B.S., Animal Science, 1985)
"Leave it. I'm proud to be a graduate of the College of Agriculture. Keep it simple."

Patrick Sage, DVM, Batavia, Ill. (B.S., Animal Science, 1996; DVM, 2000)
"The name change would downplay the role agriculture has served in the development of our proud university [and] the state of Iowa. The College has respect and name recognition around the country. Life sciences suggests courses that are taught in high school, such as consumer math or to use an politically incorrect term even 'home economics.' We should not be ashamed of agriculture or our agrarian roots, but I challenge [the College] to show prospective students how many disciplines relate to agriculture. This would provide a true and lifelong education to the students that are blessed with a degree from ISU."

DeAnn Ricks Presley (B.S., Agronomy, 1999)
"I think that Iowa State should be the LAST university to make this change."

Joe Karwal (B.S., Agricultural Business, 1962)
"It sounds like there may be some embarrassment with administering something as understandable (mundane?) as 'agriculture'."

Stephen Sapp, ISU Professor of Sociology
"I am not strongly opposed to the name change, but simply do not see the need for it. Most departments and programs in the College already are life sciences. Therefore, the addition of 'life sciences' is mostly redundant. Adding the term 'life sciences' diminishes the importance to the College of the social sciences. I disagree that adding 'life sciences' to the name will help enhance recruitment and retention of faculty and students who are interested in agricultural economics or rural sociology. Rather, the increased emphasis on life sciences is likely to make new students and faculty, and perhaps existing ones, feel less welcome. The emphasis on life sciences makes me feel like a 'helper bee' rather than someone who is integral to the mission of the College. If the idea is to move away from thinking of the College as solely focused on production agriculture, then it is unlikely that the proposed name change will help much with altering that myth. After all, the life sciences mostly are focused on increasing production."

Dan Eklund, Agronomist, Kruger Seed Company (B.S., Agronomy, 1981)
"The message isn't in the name of the college. The message is in the results of the college. What is the true value of changing the name? Is ag outdated? Does the word agriculture conjure negative connotations toward the university? Will there be another more politically correct name for the College of Ag in the near future? By renaming the esteemed College of Agriculture, you only change the letterhead and business cards. Seems to me that your mission is greater that the name."

Daniel K. Dorney (B.S., Agronomy, 1966)
"Life sciences means nothing and makes Iowa State just another liberal-arts West Coast want-a-be college. What life sciences means is more courses telling students what to think, including more environmental biology and less agricultural science with a goal to increase production. The reality is an agricultural industry desperate for college graduates trained in agriculture, not another sheep taught what to think by dozens of politically correct life sciences departments. So why not return the emphasis on agriculture at Iowa State instead of 'dumbing down' to make it politically correct, just as we have dumbed down our whole education system to make it politically correct."

Donald A. Timm (B.S., Farm Operations, 1970)
"Life sciences is a fuzzy category, not a clear referent. If you cannot define your focus with some sort of rigor, you really cannot focus. And this signals (whether intentionally or not) that ISU is somehow ashamed of its heritage as an 'Agriculture and Mechanic Arts' institution — a Morrill land-grant institution. In my opinion, this has always been one of its strengths. There is absolutely nothing wrong with tilling the soil and all that springs from it (which includes plant and animal genetics, nutrition and pathology; soils and their care including conservation and ecology; and even marketing of agricultural products). Perhaps a better solution would be to focus on getting more administrators in the College of Agriculture that are truly interested in — and proud of — their connection to agriculture."

Don Bunce (B.S., Agronomy, 1959)
"Show me the data that says a name change will enhance recruitment and retention of students [and faculty]. If you want these two things to occur, show potential ISU students they will receive a quality education through more qualified instructors and professors. Show them they will be more competitive in the job market. The term agriculture has gone far beyond production agriculture for many years. The perception in the real world is that ISU students who graduate from the Agriculture College are number-one performers and can do may things besides raising cattle and producing corn for ethanol. I think your proposal is a feel-good change and will not do one thing to attract more students or higher-quality staff."

Nathan Unsworth, ISU Senior in Animal Ecology
"I just do not see how a simple name change could promote such great increases in recruitment and retention. I know that nontraditional students are the best way to gain numbers. However, how many studies have actually shown a proposed name change could have that much influence on recruitment? We need to keep agriculture alive not by adding another name to it, but by showing people how they are connected with agriculture. If a name change is imminent, I would consider other options. I really don't feel 'life sciences' fit the efforts of our College. A more appropriate name would be the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences or College of Agricultural and Natural Sciences."

Nathan J. Freeze, Assistant Vice President, Citizens State Bank, Hopkinton, Iowa (B.S., Agricultural Business, 1999)
"There is something to be said for tradition and being proud of what you are. 'Modernizing' the name says to me the current leadership is embarrassed to be associated with a College of Agriculture and any connotation that brings with it. There is also something to be said for being unique, in regards to other schools renaming their college, especially in a state like Iowa where agriculture is so prevalent and the backbone of the state."

Cindy Ross (B.S., Agricultural Studies, 1997)
"I honestly don't know what 'life sciences' is intended to mean. I do, however, know what agriculture means and I know that it encompasses many majors. If prospective or current students don't know what all agriculture can mean or define, I'm not sure I would want them as fellow alumni. When students look to universities for their future, they don't look at the names of colleges; they look at majors, classes, future job opportunities, campus life and the community. Adding an additional name not only can cause confusion, but indicates that perhaps ISU, like other universities, is trying to distance themselves from a reputation of being an agricultural school. I was disappointed when my beloved FFA no longer represented Future Farmers of America; please don't follow suit."

Brenda Klein, KMR, Carroll, Iowa (B.S., Agricultural Systems Technology, 1996)
"While I understand the reasons to change the name, I want to provide four reasons why the name should not be changed: 1. As a prospective student deciding where to attend college, I wanted the program that was best known, provided the best education and most job opportunities in agriculture. Iowa State was obviously that choice. What will happen in 15 years if the name is the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and life sciences continues to have a greater emphasis? Students looking for the premier agriculture program will probably overlook ISU. The name and programs should not be watered down! 2. If other schools are changing their names, the few that are left have advantages of being the only ones. There is much prestige to be associated with being the only one or one of only a few. 3. As the owner of an agronomy research company that employs ISU graduates, I look for the top graduates with a broad understanding not only of the basics in agronomy and crop production, but also having a good understanding of the industry. Graduates who understand what a career in agronomy or agriculture involves are most beneficial to us. In other words, it is in our best interest for ISU to be able to attract top students and have industry actively involved in preparing students for a career in agriculture. 4. My husband (Kyle Klein, Agronomy, 1995) and I are proud of our degrees from Iowa State. We are proud that they were from one of the top agriculture colleges. Our greatest fear in changing the name is a continued watering down of the programs that ISU has long been known for. We understand the need for support and changing the name may open more doors; just make sure you do not close the doors that have made ISU what it is."

Ron Deiter, ISU Professor of Economics
"I personally think life sciences implies a fairly narrow set of disciplines, mostly focusing on the application of biology. Interestingly, when I asked students in my Co-ops class, 'What is the first thing you think of when you hear life sciences?', the first answer I got was 'biology.' I know a lot of schools have gone with this name (e.g., Cornell, FL, TX A&M, WI, NC St, AZ, etc.) ... however, I would prefer 'College of Agricultural and Applied Sciences,' or something similar. I think the term 'applied' is a better umbrella name for departments/majors such as ours in Ag Business who do not have a heavy emphasis on life science courses. The term 'applied' can include a number of science areas such as life, environmental, social, food, etc., and maybe even some sciences yet to be developed. Hence, the term 'applied' is one that can better accommodate growth and change in disciplines within our college."

George Hopkins (B.S., Distributed Studies, 1961)
"The proposed name is pretentious beyond belief."

Carl K. Crane (B.S., Forestry, 1951)
"Why do you want to change the name? Don't you think the public doesn't know what agriculture means? Sounds like eighth grade level thinking. Is this the level Iowa students operate at these days."

Tommy Shaw
"I would want to question the accuracy of the 'life sciences' part of this proposed change. What about human anatomy, psychology, sociology, veterinary sciences, etc.? Aren't these important, even essential, parts of life sciences? Are these all going to be within the College? I think a name change isn't a bad thing if it clarifies, but is that what this name actually says."

Vivian Lillie Errickson (B.S., Child Development, 1958; M.A., 1966; Ph.D., Education, 1974)
"If I had had an opportunity to comment about the name change for the Home Economics [College], I would have advised against it. Forget about being trendy and stick to the basic name — Agriculture."

Ann Whalen (B.S., Child Development, 1971; B.S., Elementary Education, 1975; M.S., Journalism, 1979)
"The College of Family and Consumer Sciences was changed to the College of Human Sciences. I am a graduate of that college [and] what does it convey to me — confusion and a silly attempt to be politically correct. Leave the College of Agriculture as it is."

Lisa Cronk (B.S., Human Development and Family Studies, 1989)
"Iowa State is rooted in tradition. Not everything needs to be 'modern' and, in fact, traditional is sometimes preferred. What is important is the quality of education that comes out of the College of Agriculture. The quality speaks for itself. Is enrollment down? Do you need a new marketing scheme in order to recruit students? I doubt it. Keep the name the same."

Annamarie E. Wagner (BBA, Transportation Logistics, 1987)
"Spend your time on the students learning, not on the name."

Other comments

Mahlon Hammetter (B.S., Forestry, 1967; Master of Forestry, 1969)
"Why not just do away with the college designations completely? That way, all fields of study could be represented, without leaving any discipline out. Perhaps the name change might more accurately reflect the disciplines now incorporated into the College."

Jonathan Sandor, ISU Professor of Agronomy
"I agree that the name addition for the College of Agriculture is good idea for the reasons stated. Discussions and efforts concerning the name change have been going on for many years, and it would be good to see this actually happen. However, I think it would be more appropriate for the name to be either 'Agriculture and Environmental Sciences' or 'Agriculture and Natural Resources' to be more encompassing, connecting to conservation and likely more attractive to students."

Brian J. Waldstein (B.S., Farm Operations, 1974)
"It doesn't make any difference to me, but I'd just as soon not get caught up in the latest fad of changing our name to better define our role in this changing world. We are, have been and always will be agriculture."

James R. Karr (B.S., Fisheries and Wildlife Biology, 1965; M.S., Zoology, 1967; Ph.D., Zoology, 1970)
"I agree that it is appropriate to illustrate the greater breadth in the College that is not currently captured under the ag rubric. I am concerned that the proposed name change implies that the College is the home to [all] life science programs on campus."

Antonio Mallarino, ISU Professor of Agronomy (M.S., Agronomy, 1981; Ph.D., Agronomy, 1988)
"I shared the proposed name with my daughter and five of her friends, all seniors at Ames High School. The unanimous response was 'What the heck does life sciences mean?' When I explained the meaning and that it could help with recruitment, they all looked at me with a weird/skeptical face. So then I said what about 'College of Agriculture and Natural Resources' or 'Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences'? The replies were, 'Oh, yeah, cool, that could work better.'"