The Environtology Council was appointed in 1970 by Iowa State University President William Robert Parks to serve as an advisory group on environmental issues to university administration, faculty, and students. The council's charge was to work with scientists and scholars from a variety of disciplines to establish environmental priorities and policies; to advise the university on the procurement and administration of funds; and to work with government agencies (including the National Science Foundation); to coordinate, advise, and facilitate interdisciplinary research and education on environmental problems and topics through existing administrative and academic entities and to assist with curriculum, extension service, and special programs. The Environtology Council also developed the university-wide proposal for the establishment of a National Environmental Laboratory (NEL) at ISU to support its larger objectives. At its inception the council consisted of 35 members.

Six subcouncils were established at the outset: research-diagnostic methodology and interpretation; ecology; animal wastes and sanitation; economic poisons and toxicology; industrial, agricultural, and metropolitan pollution; and social, legal, economic, and land use relationships. Subcouncils were chaired by members of the council's steering council.

In 1971 the council was reorganized from thirty-five to nine people to make communication between the council and the College Deans and university administration more efficient. The council was again reorganized in 1974 to separate the areas of policy making and program administration from each other. The goals of the council were changed to creating priorities for environmental programs along with development and direction of the interdisciplinary environmental studies program at ISU.

The name of the Environtology Council was changed in 1974 to the Council on Environmental Studies. The Environmental Studies Council appears to have been disbanded in the early 1980s.

Chairs of the Environtology Council:

• 1969-1970 William B. Buck
• 1971-1977 James J. O'Toole
• 1978-1980 Virginia Frye

This collection (1969-1977, n.d.) includes records describing the establishment of the council, council correspondence concerning its activities, meeting minutes, reports of the council and its sub-councils, programs for events sponsored by the council, newsletters, and membership lists.

The collection is listed alphabetically.