In the statistical program of Iowa State College there are five principal branches of activity. These are: The The Department of Statistics. The Section of the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station. Cooperation with industrial and commercial concerns. Cooperation with governmental agencies. These activities are separated in theory more than in practice. Actually, they are closely integrated. The same person, for example, fills the positions of director of the Laboratory, head of the Department, and head of the Section of the Agricultural Experiment Station. Around the College all phases of statistical work are generally regarded as part of the Statistical Laboratory. This is not strictly true in the sense of organizational framework, but it is a convenient attitude which tends to emphasize coordination. A brief glance at the history of statistical activities in the College indicates the growing emphasis on the subject. methods had been used before in both research and teaching, but it was not until 1915 that the first formal course in statistics was offered. In 1924 a group of faculty research workers from various departments held weekly meetings to study the relatively new concept of multiple regression. These meetings were led by Henry A. Wallace, an Iowa State graduate who was keenly interested in scientific research, Dr. Charles F. Sarle, then stationed in Des Moines with the Department of Agriculture, and Professor George W. Snedecor, then of the College's mathematics staff. Interest in statistics was much increased on the campus as a result. The demand for statistical help grew rapidly, and in 1927 the Mathematics Service was set up under the direction of Professor Snedecor, who has been interested in statistics since he joined the staff in 1913. The Laboratory, also headed by Professor Snedecor, was organized in 1933. Its purpose' was to conduct research and provide consulting and computing services to other departments of the College. Dr. A. E. Brandt and Professor Gertrude Cox (now director of the Institute of Statistics of the University of North Carolina) were other members of the staff. An important factor in the Laboratory's growth was the 1938 agreement with the Bureau of Agricultural Economics for cooperative research in statistical problems of mutual interest. The staff was about doubled to carryon this additional research. In later years the Bureau of the Census and the Weather Bureau have also arranged cooperative projects with the From 1915 until 1947 most of the teaching of statistics was carried on in the Department of Mathematics. A few other departments, such as Economics and Vocational Education, offered courses with statistical emphasis in their fields. Master's and doctor's degrees with majors in mathematical statistics were offered by the Department of Mathematics. I~ 1947 the College established the Department of Statistics, in which were grouped virtually all of the statistics courses formerly offered by o'ther departments plus a number of additional courses. Establishment of the department was recognition by the College of the need of improved facilities for training statisticians. For several years a shortage of qualified statisticians had been evident-a shortage which was emphasized in the recent report of the Committee on Applied Mathematical Statistics of the National Research Council. Iowa State has been offering statistical education for many years, but not on a scale to meet the demand for workers. Under the new setup the educational facilities have been substantially expanded. The operation and functions of the various branches are described below.