A fleet of four food trucks have set up shop across campus this summer, making a quick lunch a bit easier. Photo by Bob Elbert.
The students are back, and you're probably getting reacquainted with your work routine. As you settle in, take a minute to read about some of the summer's top news stories from around campus.
Faculty and administrative changes
- David Spalding became the Raisbeck Endowed Dean of the College of Business on Aug. 1.
- Martino Harmon was named associate vice president for student affairs in May. His start date is early September.
- Michael Crum, holder of the Ruan Chair in Supply Chain Management, became senior policy adviser on economic development to President Steven Leath on Aug. 1.
- John Schuh, ISU Distinguished Professor emeritus of educational leadership and policy studies, became director of the School of Education for up to two years on July 1.
- Deb Sellers, Kansas State University, became associate dean in the College of Human Sciences and director of Human Sciences Extension and Outreach on July 22.
- Arun Somani, an Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in the electrical and computer engineering department, became associate dean for research in the College of Engineering on July 1.
- Cathy Kling, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture and Life Sciences, professor of economics and interim director of the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, was named director of the center on July 2.
- Shirley Knipfel (PDF), assistant to the president, became transparency officer for Iowa State on Aug. 12.
Construction update
- Troxel Hall -- The 400-seat general university classroom is finished and welcomed students on the first day of fall semester, Aug. 26. The building's official dedication is Aug. 30.
- Harl Commons -- The new student-centered space in Curtiss Hall is slated to open Sept. 3. It features two locations for student meetings, a public computer bank, lounge seating, study tables, restrooms and The Global Café. Staff offices for the Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are located on the mezzanine level.
- Jeff and Deb Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center -- The $7.3 million facility, featuring a 1,000-seat arena, classrooms and a conference room, should be completed by the end of fall semester. It is located on Mortensen Road, south of the Towers residence halls.
- Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Building -- Work continues on this large project, which will add office and laboratory wings to the site adjacent to the Biorenewables Laboratory and connect the three buildings with an atrium. The new buildings should be enclosed this fall. Move in will begin next summer, with occupancy expected in fall 2014.
Campus happenings
- New telephones -- You've probably noticed that you have a new telephone on your desk. Over the summer, crews installed about 8,000 new telephones in offices and units across campus. The new phones, which employ cloud computing, are less costly than the previous ones and offer a plethora of new features.
- Large class continuous improvement plan requirement -- Iowa law mandates that courses at the three state Board of Regents universities with more than 300 students must implement a continuous improvement plan. This impacts 167 courses at Iowa State this fall.
- Humanities salaries get a boost -- President Steven Leath, provost Jonathan Wickert and Liberal Arts and Sciences dean Beate Schmittmann allocated $450,000, collectively, toward FY14 salaries and benefits for faculty in six departments. The allocations, which are permanent, are intended to bring the average salaries of tenured and tenure-track Iowa State humanities faculty closer to peer salaries at other institutions.
- Summer enrollment sets a record -- A record 11,233 students enrolled in summer session at Iowa State this year. That's a 4 percent increase over last summer's enrollment.
- Campus prepares for record fall enrollment -- For many Iowa State departments, summer is among the busiest times of the year. Add to that a record incoming freshman class and an estimated overall enrollment of approximately 32,000, and it's been all hands on deck to prepare for fall.
For your convenience
- Food trucks offer more lunch options -- Iowa State's food truck pilot over the summer was so successful that three more trucks have been added to the fleet. Vendors and locations are Finley's Curbside Beastro, intersection of Stange Road and Osborn Drive; Smokin' G's BBQ, southeast side of Bessey Hall; Battle's BBQ, Carver Hall courtyard; and Indian Delights, west of Marston Hall.
- Water-filling stations -- Touchless water stations, devices that sense your water bottle under the spigot and deliver fast fill-ups, were introduced in four campus locations over the summer. Stations are in State Gym, Lied Center, Bergstrom Indoor Training Facility and Friley Hall.
- Self-service bike station -- Campus bikers can air their tires and make repairs at a free bike station strategically placed near the bike rack on the Memorial Union's west side. The stainless steel station includes a mount that lifts bikes up for easy access, and provides eight bicycle tools and a tire pump.
