New Employee Onboarding
Iowa State University is an international university with a friendly, welcoming personality. Students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries come to Ames, Iowa to choose from 100 majors, study with world-class scholars, and develop leadership skills through more than 800 student organizations. Iowa State offers an environment where you can reach your potential and discover your passions.
The College of Design is committed to educating students to become successful designers, planners, artists, and scholars who improve quality of life, enhance human experience, and advance environmental sustainability. We serve as a resource for Iowa and beyond through research, creative endeavors, extension, and outreach. Our values include innovation, curiosity, collaboration, open exchange of ideas, diverse perspectives, and environmental and social responsibility. Our vision is to be the leading comprehensive college of design in the world, recognized for interdisciplinary collaboration and informed, innovative responses to challenges and opportunities.
The College of Design is home to seven departments: Architecture, Art and Visual Culture, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning and Development. We have more than 160 faculty members, 40 staff members, and nearly 2,100 students. We are a small college within a large university, offering the best of both worlds.
Most undergraduate students begin in the Core Design Program, a first-year foundation curriculum that prepares them to apply to any of our undergraduate majors. Graduate students can choose from a variety of master’s programs in design disciplines and related fields.
Welcome to our community. We are excited to have you join us as we work together to shape the future of design!
Starting Your Employment
The following steps are suggested to help you get started as a new employee at Iowa State University. Some steps may vary depending on your role or department.
- Sign up for payroll through University Human Resources; this step is required before continuing and will also start your benefits package.
- Get your ISU ID card from the Card Office.
- Sign up for a Net-ID through Account Services Online; your Net-ID will serve as your login name for most campus applications, including email, and will automatically set up your Workday and email accounts.
- Inform Melissa Barnes (mbarnes1@iastate.edu) or Amy Bannister (amyb@iastate.edu) in 146 Design of your University ID number (found on your ISU ID card) and your email address; they will begin the process for building access and office or studio keys.
- Meet with your departmental partner in the Administrative Services Office to review any department-specific information.
- Purchase a parking permit through ISU Parking Services if needed, as parking is not included as an employee benefit.
- Navigate to Microsoft My Apps and sign in using your ISU Net-ID and password; customize your dashboard by creating sections and adding apps you need.
- Log in to Workday using your ISU ID and update your personal information, paying special attention to Emergency Contact Information and ISU Alert settings.
- Open the Workday portal from Microsoft My Apps to access your Welcome Page; use the menu button in the upper left corner to navigate tasks, and click the red Iowa State University logo to return to the Welcome Page.
College of Design Resources
The college sends an e-newsletter to all faculty and staff called “This Week in the College of Design.” This email is sent every Monday morning during the academic year (mid-August to mid-May, except some university breaks). This is the primary source of information sent from the college. It includes current activities and events as well as important information from the university, college and departments, in addition to faculty, staff and student recognitions. We recommend you read “This Week” regularly as it may contain important information applicable to you.
Submit a communication request to be included in the weekly e-newsletter.
For use by College of Design faculty, staff, and approved student organizations. All marketing and design requests must support and align with the College of Design’s strategic goals. This form helps ensure that projects are coordinated, appropriately prioritized, and consistent with the college’s brand and communication standards.
Submit a marketing request to be shared with the Marketing Enrollment Strategy team to review and follow up.
The College of Design maintains a comprehensive website at design.iastate.edu. The site is recruitment-oriented to appeal to prospective students.
Resources that includes quick links to D-TRAK, online room reservations (Skedda), CyBox, university directory, schedule of classes, etc., as well as forms and guides (travel authorization request form, field trip participation agreement, design P&T information), governance documents, marketing and communication requests, etc. can be found on the Inside the College of Design internal site.
Submit a website update request for either the college or internal website.
The college maintains an electronic directory of faculty and staff. The directory is populated from information mostly provided by you. This information is entered using the college intranet (D-TRAK). Login using your Net-ID and password. The category “Update Your Info” provides links to update your information (education, current research, etc.), add faculty activities (grants, publications, exhibitions, classes, etc.), upload a vita, etc.
You are required to maintain your faculty/staff info. In addition to providing current info on you, it can also be used as part of your annual reporting process for performance reviews.
College of Design how‑to guides provide instructions for completing routine tasks and accessing commonly used resources across the college.