Mission

Integral to the rich and vibrant Iowa State University experience, the Division of Student Affairs challenges and empowers students to succeed as productive citizens and leaders.

Values

Student Success, Development, and Engagement

We are leaders on campus who understand that learning happens everywhere. This includes infusing learning into employment and engagement opportunities so students can develop and enhance skills to take with them into the workforce. By recognizing the uniqueness of each student, we meet them where they are in their own development and create rich and unique sets of opportunities for students to connect anywhere on campus. We actively work to build a co-curriculum that fosters academic, social, and personal success among students to realize their potential and make a difference in their community and society.

Principles of Community

We embrace Iowa State University's Principles of Community: Respect, Purpose, Cooperation, Richness of Diversity, Freedom from Discrimination, Honest and Respectful Expression of Ideas. These principles serve as a critical foundation to our programs, services, resources, and spaces so Cyclones can feel comfortable exploring and creating community wherever life may lead.

Holistic Wellbeing

Our programs and services support all dimensions of wellbeing: physical, emotional, intellectual, financial, environmental, occupational, social, and spiritual. We are accessible and responsive to student and employee needs, minimize barriers that inhibit effective learning, and work to be a Health Promoting Campus.

Efficiency and Innovation

We are committed to providing efficient and effective operational and financial strategies that enhance the student and employee experience at Iowa State University. We create innovative programs and services that provide value and growth for each unit, the division, and the institution. We share successes and outcomes with the community, encourage transparency, and invite discussion about where we can enhance our work. 

Objective A: Support the social, emotional, and personal needs of students to enhance their wellbeing and persistence to graduation.

Action 1: Create resources and services tailored to the unique needs of commuter and off-campus students, adult learners, and other non-traditional programs.

Action 2: Design and deliver new programs that encourage and empower students to build a community within on-campus living and dining spaces. 

Action 3: Work collaboratively with campus and community partners to provide access and resources to support student's basic needs to enhance learning and success.

Key Progress Indicators

Increase in:

  • Student wellbeing scores
  • Retention rate
  • Sense of belonging
  • Graduation rate

Objective B: Support students' progression toward academic and career goals.

Action 1: Develop enhanced programs and services to support first-generation and low-income students, preparing them to change the world.

Action 2: Expand and promote funding opportunities in the form of scholarships and grants, opening new doors for students to invent and explore.

Key Progress Indicators

Increase in:

  • Funds raised/expended
  • Total number of first-generation/low-income students served
  • Student flourishing
  • Sense of belonging
  • Retention rate
  • Graduation rate

Decrease in:

  • Student loan debt

Objective C: Expand and enhance community-building and collaboration skill development for students outside the classroom.

Action 1: Identify new and promote existing funding opportunities for student organizations as they continue to inspire and bring great minds together.

Action 2: Expand student participation in high-impact programs (HIP), services and leadership opportunities such as National Student Exchange, Alternative Breaks, and student employment.

Key Progress Indicators

Increase in:

  • Number of students participating in division HIPs
  • Funds raised and expended
  • Graduation rate
  • Retention rate

Objective A: Continue to enhance a culture that supports staff engagement, wellbeing, and belonging division-wide.

Action 1: Implement a process for evaluation of staff satisfaction across the division.

Action 2: Create departmental action plans to address identified challenges in the work environment.

Action 3: Create intentional opportunities for merit staff to participate in division and university events and initiatives.

Key Progress Indicators

Increase in:

  • Staff engagement and satisfaction
  • Staff perceptions of work culture
  • Number of merit staff attending events and trainings
  • Staff retention

Objective B: Identify and reduce barriers to hiring and retaining student employees, supporting real-world experiences and development.

Action 1: Evaluate current hiring processes and promotion for division student employees and create opportunities for promotion and skill development.

Action 2: Evaluate current retention strategies for student employees within the division.

Action 3: Partner with the graduate college to enhance the experience of graduate assistants within the division.

Key Progress Indicators

Increase in:

  • Percentage of open student positions filled
  • Percentage of eligible student employees retained

Objective C: Infuse wellbeing into culture and expectations for staff and faculty supporting student holistic success.

Action 1: Partner with faculty and staff to implement training, programming, and spaces to support student wellbeing.

Action 2: Implement a campus-wide framework to enhance and support mental health for students.

Action 3: Identify and implement processes to capture referrals to student wellbeing resources.

Key Progress Indicators

Increase in:

  • Student flourishing
  • Student belonging
  • Number of trainings completed by staff and faculty
  • Student wellbeing space

Objective A: Prioritize impactful and intentional professional development opportunities for staff.

Action 1: Identify and utilize university trainings and develop a list of core trainings for each division staff role.

Action 2: Develop and implement a coordinated and cohesive division staff onboarding process.

Action 3: Develop and implement professional development opportunities for staff at all levels within the division.

Action 4: Develop and implement consistent performance evaluations across the division.

Key Progress Indicators

Increase in:

  • Staff retention
  • Staff engagement
  • Staff satisfaction
  • Staff performance
  • Percentage of assigned trainings completed by staff
  • Number of credentials earned by staff

Objective B: Support new student recruitment and drive the next generation of talent to Iowa State University.

Action 1: Advance engagement with Admissions and other Enrollment Management departments on key recruitment efforts to fuel new ideas.

Action 2: Expand online support resources such as academic coaching and student wellbeing programs for students, to meet them where they are in their academic journey.

Action 3: Develop and implement specific programs to intentionally recruit students to division support programs and resources.

Key Progress Indicators

Increase in:

  • Number of students enrolled from target populations
  • Number of students retained from target populations
  • Use of and satisfaction with online resources

Objective C: Create and support real-world employment experiences to enhance career readiness for students.

Action 1: Integrate Student Learning Framework into all division student employee and graduate assistant job descriptions, hiring processes, and performance reflections/evaluations to further prepare students to face the world's challenges head on.

Action 2: Create and implement leveled microcredentials (short, focused opportunities designed for in-demand skills and knowledge) for student employees and interested students.

Key Progress Indicators

Increase in:

  • Number of microcredentials created
  • Number of microcredentials earned
  • Student employee employee satisfaction
  • Students' perception of own career readiness

Objective A: Use student-need data insights to continuously improve division policies, practices, procedures, and programs.

Action 1: Enhance comprehensive tracking of student participation with division programs and services.

Action 2: Identify student service barriers and develop action plans to improve outreach and engagement.

Action 3: Design and administer scorecards by department and use findings to demonstrate and reinforce the impact of the Division of Student Affairs.

Key Progress Indicators

Increase in:

  • Strategic program changes based on assessment data
  • Strategic allocation of resources to programs with demonstrated impact on student success

Objective B: Implement Health Promoting University strategies.

Action 1: In partnership with University Human Resources, develop a university-wide wellbeing plan that encompasses students and employees.

Action 2: Use tactics aligned with best practices of Health Promoting Universities to embed wellbeing into all aspects of campus culture.

Key Progress Indicators

Increase in:

  • Student and employee wellbeing scores
  • Sense of belonging
  • Retention rate
  • Graduation rate

Objective C: Infuse innovation into key areas of student learning inside and outside the classroom.

Action 1: Foster and unveil an inventive curriculum for student life skills (e.g., laundry, cooking, study skills, financial planning, salary negotiations) empowering students to face the world head-on after graduation.

Action 2: Identify and promote new divisional internship or mentorship opportunities for students to get hands-on experiences and collaborate with others from all backgrounds.

Key Progress Indicators

Increase in:

  • Student satisfaction
  • Student engagement
  • Number of internship opportunities identified
  • Percentage of identified opportunities filled
  • Students' positive perception of own career readiness

Objective D: Pursue innovative technology solutions and embed into division practices.

Action 1: Continuously assess and refine current and prospective technology platforms to support students, families, and employees.

Action 2: Utilize technology to improve coordination of student services and explore opportunities for shared platforms

Key Progress Indicators

Increase in:

  • Number of students engaging with division technology solutions
  • Number of efficiencies created

Objective A: Increase efficiencies in administrative operations to support the Division of Student Affairs mission.

Action 1: Prioritize and coordinate facility planning to align with the University Strategic facilities plan.

Action 2: Coordinate and streamline processes for communication, assessment, finances, and technology services within the division.

Action 3: Fuel continuous improvement through the evaluation and financial efficacy of programs and services.

Key Progress Indicators

Increase in:

  • Operational savings on administrative costs
  • Reallocation of resources based on efficacy

Objective B: Initiate new fundraising and sponsorship collaborations to broaden and deepen the division's support of students.

Action 1: Pursue strategic partnerships between the division and community sponsors to support the student experience and opportunities to realize their potential.

Action 2: Create and implement a division-wide fundraising plan in partnership with the ISU Foundation to expand services and support to students.

Key Progress Indicators

Increase in: 

  • Sponsorship dollars
  • Fundraising dollars

Objective C: Serve as collaborative and strategic partners across the university and Ames community.

Action 1: Partnership with University Human Resources to provide market salary data and perspectives to support competitive salary and benefits packages for all employees.

Action 2: Expand collaboration with the greater community by developing a partnership plan with the City of Ames that will enhance town-gown relationships.

Action 3: Connect and partner with faculty subject matter experts to advance innovative programs and services and expand new ideas.

Action 4: Partner with the campus safety partners to develop safety and emergency operations plans.

Key Progress Indicators

Increase in:

  • Number of overall partnerships
  • Number of emergency plans developed
  • Students' positive perception of own career readiness