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NEWS RELEASE

01-22-03

Contacts:
Peter Rabideau, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, (515) 294-3220
Dave Gieseke, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, (515) 294-7742
Kevin Brown, News Service, (515) 294-8986

IOWA STATE'S COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES CREATES NEW ACADEMIC DIVISIONAL STRUCTURE

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) has created a new divisional structure for its 20 academic departments. Implementation will be July 1.

The restructuring will establish three divisions -- humanities, science and mathematics, and social sciences.

Peter Rabideau, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said the restructuring will allow the college to more effectively manage planning, budgeting, prioritization and achievement criteria.

"These issues are difficult to implement with the same criteria across our widely varied programs," he said. "The divisions will provide greater visibility for each of these units, as well as a vehicle for advocacy to more effectively move our programs forward."

The divisions will replace the five disciplinary areas formerly used -- biological sciences, humanities, mathematical disciplines, physical sciences and social sciences.

The academic departments in the new divisions include:

Division of Humanities -- English, foreign languages and literatures, history, Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, music, philosophy and religious studies.

Division of Science and Mathematics -- biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology, botany, chemistry, computer science, geological and atmospheric sciences, mathematics, physics and astronomy, statistics, zoology and genetics.

Division of Social Sciences -- anthropology, economics, political science, psychology and sociology.

The LAS Representative Assembly unanimously approved the reorganization in December 2002. LAS department chairs also unanimously approved the plan. Current LAS department chairs will continue to serve.

The officer-education academic departments of Air Force aerospace studies, military science and naval science are also administered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and are not affected by the academic reorganization.

LAS cross-disciplinary programs also will not be affected by the reorganization. These programs include African American studies, American Indian studies, Asian American studies, U.S. Latino/a studies, women's studies, international studies, classical studies, linguistics, speech communication, environmental science, criminal justice studies, environmental studies, technology and social change, biological/premedical illustration (BPMI), interdisciplinary studies, liberal studies, honors, pre-law, pre-professional health and teacher education.

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