A recap of summer on campus

By Jeff Budlong
August 19, 2021

The fall semester begins Aug. 23 with the vast majority of students, faculty and staff returning to campus. Catch up on happenings on campus from the summer: 

Appointments  

Deans 

  • Monic Behnken, associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion, five-year term effective July 1  
  • Connie Hargrave, associate dean for equity and engagement in the College of Engineering, effective July 1
  • Carolyn Lawrence-Dill, associate dean for research and discovery in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, effective Aug. 16 
  • Ruth McDonald, associate dean for personnel and finance in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, effective July 1  
  • Hilary Seo, dean of library services, effective May 10   
  • Sri Srithanran, assistant dean for research in the College of Engineering, effective July 1  

Directors 

  • Joseph Ballard II, inaugural director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the campus life unit in the student affairs division, effective Nov. 9, 2020, but on campus as of July 1 
  • Adriana Gonzalez-Elliott, director of student accessibility services, dean of students office, effective May 14  
  • Patrick Klepcyk, director of the office of innovation commercialization and president of the ISU Research Foundation, effective June 28  
  • Kris Kilibarda, director of the Women in Science and Engineering progam, effective June 1  
  • Melea Reicks Licht, senior director of communications for the alumni association, effective June 28  
  • Arnold Woods, director of the multicultural student success in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, effective July 19  

Department chair  

  • Chris Cornelius, inaugural holder of the Dr. Thomas D. McGee and Dr. Ick-Jhin Rick Yoon Department Chair in Materials Science and Engineering   
  • Brad Dell, chair of music and theatre, effective July 1  
  • Stephen Dinsmore, chair of natural resource ecology and management, effective June 1  
  • Dr. Jodi McGill, the John G. Salsbury Endowed Chair in Veterinary Medicine  
  • Dr. Cathy Miller, chair of veterinary microbiology and preventive medicine  

Program leader  

  • Catherine DeLong, water quality program manager for ISU Extension and Outreach, effective June 14  

Interim leadership  

  • Lynn Clark, interim chair of ecology, evolution and organismal biology, effective June 16  
  • Stephen Dinsmore, interim director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, effective July 1  
  • Margo Foreman, interim vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, effective July 17   
  • Lorraine Lanningham-Foster, interim chair of the department of food science and human nutrition, effective July 1  

News  

  • Faculty, professional and scientific staff, postdocs and contract employees with satisfactory performance reviews received a 2.1% pay increase in July.  
  • The state Board of Regents unanimously approved a 3.5% tuition increase for the 2021-22 academic year for ISU's resident undergraduates and a 3.9% increase for all others.  
  • Iowa State's fiscal year 2022 operating budget includes $21.9 million in additional revenue over last year's budget.  
  • Unexpected enrollment and benefit changes help offset some projected budget losses.
  • Senior leaders encourage employees and students to get vaccinated and wear face masks indoors when around others regardless of vaccination status. 
  • An Aug. 5 update to the FAQ on Iowa's new law relating to racism and sexism training provides additional guidance from university counsel and the provost's office on how Iowa State training and teaching may be affected. 
  • A new policy establishes expectations for hosting visiting scholars at Iowa State, including an approval and registration process.  
  • Affordable child care options continue to grow on campus and in Ames.  
  • A new flexible work plan is still on track to be finalized in October.  
  • Faculty and staff who volunteer to donate blood have a new option to take paid time off during work hours.  
  • The pandemic prompted virtual graduation ceremonies in May and December 2020, but a special in-person ceremony is set for October to honor those graduates.  
  • Comments on a proposed digital accessibility policy are being accepted through Oct. 29.  
  • Work is underway to review the naming of Catt Hall.  
  • Central finance assignments were adjusted for greater synergy. 

Construction projects  

Helpful to know