Welcome to the Iowa State University faculty

The Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost (also known as the Provost's office) sponsors activities designed to support your various backgrounds, needs, and goals so that you may begin laying the groundwork for your faculty appointment at Iowa State.

Important dates:

  • January 15, 2025: Graduate college orientation, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., room tba
  • January 15, 2025: New faculty orientation, noon to 4:45 p.m., Memorial Union, Campanile Room
  • January 21, 2025: Graduate college orientation, 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., room tba
  • January 22, 2025: Research faculty orientation, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Memorial Union, Great Hall
  • August 19, 2025: CELT Teaching Symposium, 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., room tba
  • August 20, 2025: New faculty orientation, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Reiman Gardens, Garden Room
  • August 20, 2025: Graduate college orientation, 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., Reiman Gardens
  • August 26, 2025: Graduate college orientation, 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., room tba

Scroll down and review the detailed information to learn about the orientation activities and goals.

New faculty orientation course

New faculty (term and tenure-eligible) are strongly encouraged to orient themselves to Iowa State University prior to their official hire dates, using the New Faculty Orientation course. Through this course and other onboarding and orientation activities, we seek to:

  • cultivate a shared understanding of institutional mission and culture
  • introduce you to important policies, programs, and information designed to advance your success
  • provide you with information about how to successfully perform your position responsibilities
  • encourage you to network with other new faculty and cultivate a greater sense of community and belonging

These resources are offered to provide support and information and facilitate a smooth transition to your faculty appointment. New faculty will retain access and use of the New Faculty Orientation course after their appointments formally begin.

Virtual welcome session

In addition to the New Faculty Orientation course, Tera Jordan, assistant provost for faculty success, and Katharine Hensley, faculty success coordinator, moderate a real-time, virtual conversation to allow new faculty an opportunity to receive important information about Iowa State, build community, and ask questions early in the onboarding process. Information about this virtual session is forthcoming for the 2025-2026 academic year.

New faculty orientation

New faculty orientation, an in-person meeting, will be on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, noon to 4:45 p.m., in the Memorial Union, Campanile Room. All new faculty (term and tenure-eligible) who have joined Iowa State since September 2024 are invited to attend. If newly appointed faculty are not available to attend the January orientation, the next orientation meeting will be held on August 20, 2025, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at Reiman Gardens in the Garden Room.

Attendance is strongly recommended. Registration is encouraged.

Goals of orientation:

  • Introduce new faculty to important policies, programs, and information 
  • Connect faculty with the Faculty Success Team, faculty panelists, deans, and College Peer Mentors
  • Provide resources to assist new faculty as they transition to their new roles at Iowa State
  • Nurture networking and build a sense of community among new faculty

Faculty orientation activities

The Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost, the Center for Excellence in Learning  and Teaching (CELT), the Graduate College, Extension and Outreach, and the Office of the Vice President for Research sponsor a series of programs and events to introduce all newly-appointed faculty to promote a smooth transition to life at Iowa State and central Iowa. For more information about these orientation meetings, scroll to the bottom of this page and select the menus that reflect your position responsibilities (e.g., teaching, research, graduate faculty, extension and outreach).

New faculty seminar series (PDF)

Fall 2025 CELT Teaching Symposium

The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) hosts the CELT Teaching Symposium to discuss effective teaching practices and student support resources available at Iowa State University. All new faculty and staff with a teaching role are encouraged to attend on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., as they prepare for a successful first semester.

Symposium Goals:

  • Identify the practices and resources for effective teaching and learning
  • Explore student support resources and services available
  • Discuss the CELT services, support, and development opportunities for educators

Whether you arrived on the Iowa State University campus this year or in the past couple of years, we truly value your contributions in helping achieve our aspiration to be the university that cultivates a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment where students, faculty, and staff flourish.

The Office of the Vice President for Research is delighted to host a Research Faculty Orientation information exchange – featuring a made-to-order (by the VPR!) omelet station – on the morning of Wednesday, January 22, 2025. Our program will focus on the life cycle of a research project from ideation through award management. We’ll start serving omelets at 8:00 a.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall. Our information session will follow and our VPR team will be available to answer your questions through 11:00 a.m.

Registration is required - and to become better acquainted with your colleagues expertise – we ask you to come prepared to share a quick overview of your research interests and expertise using this simple template. Upload your slide with your registration prior to January 22. 

The Graduate College will hold two graduate faculty orientation sessions for newly appointed tenure/tenure-track and associate graduate faculty this spring so that they can be added as instructors on courses and serve on POS committees. The orientations will be held on 

  • Wednesday, January 15, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., room tba
  • Tuesday, January 21, 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., room tba

New tenure/tenure-track faculty MUST attend one of these sessions before they will be eligible to serve on program of study committees. We recommend that all new associate graduate faculty attend one of the sessions as well. Both sessions will be identical, so sign up for only one. 

If you have been a graduate faculty member for many years and/or have already attended an orientation, you are not required to attend. All graduate faculty are welcome to attend these orientations to get a refresher. 

Registration link coming soon

Contact Natalie Robinson, Assistant Director of Student and Faculty Services, nbr@iastate.edu, (515) 294-5020, for more information.

  • College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Veterinary Medicine faculty contact, Jay Harmon, Associate Dean for Extension and Outreach, for more information.
  • College of Design faculty, contact Erin Olson-Douglas, Associate Dean for Extension and Outreach, for more information. 
  • College of Human Sciences faculty, contact Deb Sellers, Interim Associate Dean for Extension, for more information.



 

For questions and more information, contact: