Enrollment at Iowa State University continued to increase in 2009. Enrollment in the Department of Animal Science and the University were at all time highs. Increases in times of tuition hikes and a tight economy underscore student‟s understanding of the value of an ISU education.

Though 2009 brought economic challenges and U.S. unemployment of over 10 percent, placement remained excellent for Animal and Dairy Science graduates, even as graduation numbers increased. The department has not been below 95% placement in the past decade.

The academic year brought many changes in personnel as faculty and staff took advantage of an ISU „retirement incentive option‟. Even with the tough economy, the department was able to fill several critical positions related to teaching. Concurrent with the addition of new faculty was the announcement of a fund-raising program to take the long awaited multi-purpose animal pavilion from planning stages to building. Addition of the arena to the ISU landscape will have significant impact on recruiting, course offerings, and hosting agricultural events for the department and college.