Student Announcements

November 2017

President Wintersteen on her approach, plans and favorite vacation spot

On her second Monday on the job, President Wendy Wintersteen talks about what she plans to do, how she plans to do it and a few other topics.

What to call Wintersteen's husband? The president's spouse

A university president's spouse typically has a role in ceremonies and fundraising, and Robert Waggoner will be no exception.

The Knoll is readied for Iowa State's next first family

Sometime next month, President Wintersteen anticipates moving into the Knoll. A few maintenance and update projects will be completed first, but Wintersteen substantially reduced the proposed projects list.

Proposal for top floor of newest campus building goes to regents

The fifth floor of the Advanced Teaching and Research Building would be finished for the Nanovaccine Institute in a proposal going to the state Board of Regents next week.

New office will coordinate race and ethnicity programs, training

Its responsibilities will include coordinating the Thomas L. Hill Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity and Iowa State's participation in the annual National Conference on Race and Ethnicity.

Search opens for School of Education director

Applications are being accepted in the search for the School of Education's next director, with a targeted closing date on Feb. 2, 2018. Atlanta-based Parker Executive Search is assisting with the national search. Finalists are expected to be on campus in March, with a new director in place in July. Current director Marlene Strathe will retire when the successful candidate is on board.

Parks Library helps students prepare for finals

In a continued effort to help students prepare for finals, Parks Library will be open 24/7 Dec. 3-15 to allow students a quiet place to study. For those who need extra stress relief, the ever-popular Barks@Parks will take place in the library's upper rotunda (follow the paw prints) on Dec. 4, 6 and 8 (1-5 p.m.); Dec. 5 (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) and Dec. 7 (10 a.m.-noon). In addition, Student Wellness is sponsoring other stress-relief activities, such as color pages, games and chair massages. 

Study spaces opened for Dead Week

Ten classrooms will be set aside as evening study spaces during Dead Week. The spaces, which seat about 30 each, will be available to students on a drop-in basis Dec. 4-8 (5:10-11 p.m. daily). Room locations are:

  • Black Engineering: 1028
  • Carver Hall: 0160, 0282
  • Pearson Hall: 3131, 3137, 3149
  • Ross Hall: 0026, 0028, 0029
  • Town Engineering: 0230

Forums scheduled for learning communities director finalists

Open forums are planned for three finalists identified in the search for a learning communities director. The position provides leadership and administration for all learning communities initiatives. Candidate résumés and evaluation forms are available on the student affairs website. 

Each open forum will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Memorial Union's Soults Family Visitor Center on the following dates:

  • Nov. 29, Shanna Fountain, Des Moines Area Community College, Des Moines
  • Nov. 30, Julie Yankey, Drake University, Des Moines
  • Dec. 1, Jennifer Leptien, Iowa State

Training for youth program leaders is Dec. 5

The offices of Risk Management, Extension and Outreach, and Conference Planning and Management will offer training on Dec. 5 (2-4 p.m., Administrative Services Building, conference room 1155) that provides youth program leaders, administrators and student organization officers information regarding youth-related policies, procedures and forms for successfully conducting youth programs at ISU. The training is for anyone responsible for planning and supervising youth programs or providing administrative support for one. Preregistration is required; send an email to orm@iastate.edu by Dec. 3.

Fall Honors poster presentation is Dec. 6

The University Honors Program invites the campus community to its fall 2017 poster presentation on Wednesday, Dec. 6 (3-5 p.m., MU Great Hall). The event will feature the projects of fall Honors graduates and other Honors students, who will speak about their projects and answer questions. 

Cain to lead university services and finance divisions

Pam Elliott Cain, associate vice president for finance, has been named interim senior vice president for university services, effective Nov. 17, and interim chief financial officer as of Dec. 15. The appointments fill vacancies left by the resignations of Kate Gregory and Miles Lackey, respectively. Lackey will continue serving as chief of staff through Dec. 31. Cain's appointments are pending state Board of Regents approval.

Momentum, ambitions grow for Iowa State startups

In hopes of becoming a company-creation hotbed, Iowa State has expanded its entrepreneurial ecosystem to give faculty, staff, graduates and students more help to build startups.

Thank you, President Allen

Ben Allen's service as university interim president comes to a close this weekend. It's been a great run.

Student directory info to be scaled back

Student contact information no longer will be publicly available via ISU's online directory. Users with a campus IP address or logged on with their Net-IDs still will be able to access available information.

Break hours at the library begin Nov. 17

Parks Library will close at 5 p.m. beginning Friday, Nov. 17, during the fall break. The library will be closed Nov. 18-19 and 23-25. Regular library hours resume Sunday, Nov. 26.

Nov. 30 campus conversation to focus on suicide

The next campus conversation, "Break the Silence," will be held Thursday, Nov. 30 (3:30-5:30 p.m., 198 Parks Library). Students, staff and faculty are welcome for a joint presentation on suicide awareness and prevention from staff members in ISU police, student counseling and student wellness, followed by small group discussions.

Colletti named to interim dean post

Joe Colletti, senior associate dean in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has been named the college's interim dean, effective Nov. 20. Dean Wendy Wintersteen becomes university president on that date.

Iconic campus photos are for sale

Through an online self-service process, members of the public may purchase professional images of numerous campus locations.

Campus town hall event is Nov. 9

A panel of senior ISU administrators will respond to questions from students during a campus town hall event Nov. 9 (5:30-7 p.m., MU Great Hall). Topics could include: campus climate and Principles of Community, tuition and fees, student health and safety, facilities and infrastructure, classrooms and residence halls. The event will be livestreamed.

Tailgate with University Library on Nov. 11

University Library is hosting a tailgate on Nov. 11, prior to the Cyclones football game against Oklahoma State (9 a.m., Tent 4, Iowa State Center parking lots). Enjoy food, drinks, giveaways and a pop-up exhibition of some important pieces of Iowa State and Cyclone sports memorabilia. 

Construction crane returns to west side of library

Work continues on the Parks Library roof. Beginning Nov. 10, workers will set up a crane along the west side of the building. The street will be blocked off and vehicle traffic will be prohibited beyond the Snedecor/Atanasoff parking lot. The sidewalk west of the building also will be closed. Library patrons should enter and exit the building through the front doors. More information is online. 

Volunteers welcome for Nov. 12 compost install

The Engineers for a Sustainable World student club welcomes volunteers to help them with a landscaping project Sunday, Nov. 12, outside Town Engineering (noon-5 p.m.). They'll spread compost from the Iowa State composting facility and add a layer of mulch. Volunteers should bring friends and a willingness to get dirty; tools, gloves, music and free Jimmy John's food will be provided. Questions may be directed to project leader Carissa Moyna; registration is requested.

Free comedy show at M-Shop Nov. 8

Comedian Anthony DeVito will perform at the Memorial Union's Maintenance Shop on Nov. 8 (9 p.m., doors open at 8:30 p.m.). Admission is free and open to the public. DeVito has appeared on several television shows, including CBS' "Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Comedy Central's "Adam Devine's House Party" and TV Land's "The Jim Gaffigan Show." 

Grad students compete in Three Minute Thesis competition Nov. 6

The second annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition for graduate students is Nov. 6 (preliminary heats are 3:15-4:15 p.m., Carver and Pearson; finals are 5 p.m., 2200 Marston). Students have three minutes to explain their research in language understood by a non-specialist audience with the use of only one PowerPoint slide. The events are open to the public, and the final round will be live streamed. Faculty and staff will judge the preliminary rounds. Judges for the final round are Nancy Boettger, state Board of Regents; Ann Campbell, Ames mayor; and Kathie Obradovich, political columnist for the Des Moines Register.

Cyclone football team concludes historic October

Four victories against Big 12 opponents and entry into several national polls were part of the fun.

Medallion honoring campus landscape goes missing

A little piece of Iowa State's beautiful central campus is missing -- a piece that honors it for being so beautiful.

Another tool for cybersecurity

Many web-based applications, such as online banking and Facebook, offer multifactor authentication logins to protect users' personal information.

"Cry for Help" campus screening is Nov. 7

"Cry for Help," a 2009 documentary exploring teenage mental illness and suicide, will screen on campus Tuesday, Nov. 7 (7 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m., MU Gallery). The film follows the efforts of two high schools to identify adolescents at risk -- one after losing four students in less than a year. Through a first-person account, "Cry for Help" also examines the sometimes difficult transition from high school to college. A panel discussion featuring ISU students and staff will follow the screening.

Don't throw your jack-o'-lantern in the trash, please

Through Nov. 10, the city of Ames will have a drop-off bin on the north side of its Resource Recovery Plant for decaying pumpkins, gourds and harvest vegetables. The plant converts garbage to fuel for the city's power plant, but garbage with high moisture -- such as pumpkins -- diminishes the quality of the fuel. The plant is located at 110 Center Ave., just off East Lincoln Way.

Daylight saving time ends this weekend

Just a reminder: Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 5. Turn your clocks back one hour before turning in Saturday night.

ISCORE proposals due Nov. 17

The annual Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity (ISCORE) will be held March 2, 2018, in the Memorial Union. A preconference for faculty and staff is Feb. 28 (11:45 a.m.-5 p.m.). Planners are accepting proposals for presentations on race and ethnicity through Friday, Nov. 17. Notices of acceptance will by sent by Friday, Dec. 15.

Last chance: Campus climate survey closes Tuesday night

Employees and students are asked to share their thoughts and experiences on the campus climate at Iowa State through an anonymous, online survey. All responses are confidential. Plan 20-30 minutes to complete the survey; it must be done in one sitting. The survey will be available through Tuesday, Nov. 7. Those who complete the survey may enter to win one of 10 $50 gift cards. Outcomes of the university's 2004 campus climate survey included a multicultural student center, university-level diversity committee, ombuds office and training on techniques for improving diversity in search processes.