Announcements
July 2013
Chance the Rapper will perform on campus Aug. 29
Tickets are on sale online now for a Thursday, Aug. 29, performance by Chicago-based hip-hop artist Chance the Rapper (Chancelor Bennett). The performance will begin at 8 p.m. in the MU Great Hall. Tickets are $15 ($10 with ISU student ID). Online purchases are subject to a 3 percent MidwesTIX fee. In-person and phone ticket sales will begin Monday Aug. 26 (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) in the MU's Maintenance Shop box office, 4-8349.
Leath joins AAU, APLU colleagues in asking President, Congress to close 'innovation deficit'
President Steven Leath is among 165 university presidents who signed an open letter to President Obama and Congress, appearing in an advertisement in Politico today. The university leaders point to an "innovation deficit" resulting from eroding federal investments in research and higher education and additional sequestration cuts while other nations increase their investments in these areas. The university leaders ask elected officials to "reject unsound budget cuts and recommit to strong and sustained investments in research and education." Universities represented in the letter are members of the Association of American Universities or the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. Iowa State belongs to both.
University Community Childcare has fall openings
University Community Childcare, located on the north edge of campus (Stange Road at Bruner Drive) has openings for fall 2013 in its Toddler-2 years, preschool and before/after school programs. UCC is a private, nonprofit center providing childcare for infants through preschool, as well as school-aged children throughout the year. Care for mildly ill children is available in the Comfort Zone program Sept. 1-early May. More information about UCC programs, curriculum and enrollment is available online.
A few phone requests
Employees are reminded (if you haven't already) to clean out voicemails from the Avaya phone system. All voicemails in that system will be removed on July 31. Employees also are reminded to log in to the Aastra (Clearspan) web portal (http://phone.iastate.edu) to set your password. Even if you don't plan to program your phone through the web portal, setting up a unique password will prevent potential hackers who acquire the default password from accessing your phone number.
University Boulevard south of Sixth Street will reopen Friday
Concrete patching work that closed University Boulevard at Lincoln Way last week is on schedule to wrap up by end of day on Friday, July 26, and the four lanes will reopen to Sixth Street. Alternate routes onto campus during this closure include Beach Road, N. Hazel Road to Sixth Street, or Grand Avenue to either Sixth or 13th Street.
Concrete repair work on University from Sixth Street to Stange Road is expected to be completed by Aug. 9. This stretch of the project requires lane closures, but a single lane of traffic will remain open in each direction.
Update: West end of Osborn Drive will reopen July 27
As part of a utility project that will improve electrical service to the northwest part of campus, it is necessary to close the west end of Osborn Drive (at Bissell Road) on Monday, July 22. The road is scheduled to reopen on Saturday, July 27. CyRide routes that normally travel along Osborn will be rerouted to Pammel Drive during this period.
Two phone training sessions added for July 17
IT Services is coordinating a free one-hour training session, "Aastra 101," on using the university's new telephones. Two additional sessions on Wednesday, July 17 (9 and 11 a.m.) will be offered in 206 Durham Center; instruction will focus on the features available on the phone. Register online. The documents below will help all new telephone users, and espeically are recommended for review before attending a training session:
- Updated how to Set Up Your Aastra Telephone and Features
- Quick Reference Guide: Set Up Your Aastra Telephone and Features (PDF): A print-friendly quick reference guide version of many of the topics in the "how to"
Memorial reception for former faculty member Ken Frey is July 21
Ken Frey, former professor of agronomy who was active in the department until 2001, died July 14 in Ames. An acknowledgement and memorial reception will be held in the main dining room at Green Hills Retirement Community, Ames, on Sunday, July 21 (2 p.m.). Inurnment will be in the Iowa State University Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the Frey family requests contributions in Ken Frey's name to the Green Hills Memorial Fund, 2200 Hamilton Dr., Ames, IA, 50014-8209. Obituary.
Training session for youth program staff is July 25
The offices of risk management, university counsel and 4-H youth development will hold a training session on July 25 (9-11 a.m., 1020 Extension 4-H Building) that targets departmental/unit employees who plan and supervise youth programs and administrative assistants who complete administrative tasks for youth programs. The training will provide the most current information on youth-related policies, procedures and forms that need to be completed to successfully conduct youth programs at Iowa State. Those planning to attend are asked to send an email to the office of risk management.
DNA Facility installs new genetic analysis equipment
Iowa State's DNA Facility has new instrumentation that can economically measure the expression of many genes or gene variants across a large number of samples. The Fluidigm® BioMark™ HD system uses microfluidic technology to accurately combine reagents and samples into thousands of individual nanoliter-scale reactions in a single run. The instrumentation can perform real-time PCR gene expression, end-point PCR SNP, genotyping and digital PCR assays in a high-throughput, low-volume fluidic chip. For more information, contact facility manager Gary Polking, 4-1813, or assistant scientist Jonathan Mlocek, 4-0841.
Streets south of West Lincoln Way project closed July 15
On Monday, July 15, crews will begin laying the new asphalt on Lincoln Way between Hayward and Franklin avenues shortly after 7 a.m. The new surface will require time to cool before traffic can cross on it, so the side streets south of Lincoln Way (S. Wilmouth, State, Hyland and Sheldon avenues) will close temporarily. They should reopen by the end of day Monday; some openings could be sooner. Residents living on the south side of Lincoln Way are asked to move any needed vehicles out of their driveways prior to 7 a.m. Monday.
Registration is open for teaching orientation and seminar
Registration is open for all new teachers (faculty, staff and graduate teaching assistants) for the University Teaching Seminar (Aug. 20) and New Tenure-eligible Faculty Orientation (Aug. 21). Department administrators should direct recent new faculty (tenure-eligible and non-tenure eligible) and TAs to the registration page. This CELT website includes more information about both events.
Reminder: University Boulevard will close at Lincoln Way for up to 2 weeks
Concrete patching work on University Boulevard is scheduled to begin July 15 and be completed in two phases. Phase 1 will repair the road between Lincoln Way and Sixth Street. To maximize the construction quality, this section of University Boulevard will be closed for an anticipated 10-14 days beginning July 15.
Alternate routes onto campus during Phase 1 include Beach Road, N. Hazel Road to Sixth Street, or Grand Avenue to either Sixth or 13th Street.
Phase 2 (Sixth Street to Stange Road) will require lane closures in late July/early August, but a single lane of traffic will remain open in each direction.
Salary notifications will be available on AccessPlus
Salary notifications for the fiscal year that began July 1 (FY14) for employees in the university budget will be available on or around July 19. Employees will receive an email alerting them that the e-salary slips are available in AccessPlus. To access your slip, log in to AccessPlus and from the “Employee” tab, click on "e-salary slip." All employees whose salaries are included in the university budget system can use the online system to receive their FY14 salary information.
Meal hosts sought for HS teachers of English
The Intensive English and Orientation Program will host a group of seven high school English language teachers from Kosovo for a teacher training workshop July 15-Aug. 3. As one of the workshop's cultural activities, program leaders seek American families who would like to host an evening meal for one or more of the teachers to provide them an opportunity to interact with Americans. If you would be interested in hosting a meal, contact the program coordinator, Kristi Ver Mulm, for more details.
Reserve fall course items at library now
Instructors who wish to place required materials on reserve for fall semester should submit requests now. The forms are available online.
Lots of help available during Kuali switchover
Several university processes and systems make the big move to Kuali software in July. If you handle financial transactions, manage research administration data or generate reports, you've likely got a good start on the Kuali system. But questions are bound to come up. The "Support and Contacts" website is a good place to find answers. The site includes includes:
- Links to training resources
- A list of campus "super users" who are ready to help and many other local Kuali contacts
- Info on subscribing to Kuali News updates and watching the Critical Event Log for updates on info technology systems on campus
Kuali users also can call 4-4000 and when prompted, press "5" to talk to a Kuali expert
Phone training sessions scheduled for July 8, 9, 15, 16
IT Services is coordinating a free one-hour training session, "Aastra 101," on using the university's new telephones. The session will be offered four times a day on July 8, 9, 15 and 16 in 206 Durham Center; instruction will focus on the features available on the phone. Register online.
Brunnier Art Museum to close July 4-Aug. 26
The Brunnier Art Museum, 295 Scheman Building, will close July 4 through Aug. 26 for renovations. A permanent collection decorative arts gallery and new lighting system will be installed. Regular business hours will resume Aug.27.
Comments sought on guidelines for ag work in developing countries
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences seeks comments and input on a draft set of guidelines for the work of faculty, staff and students in agricultural development activities in developing countries. The goal of the guidelines is to provide a clear understanding on how and why the college works in developing nations and in partnership with others. The final document will be the college’s foundation as it works to to solve hunger and poverty challenges and will outline what is needed for responsible public-private partnerships that strengthen that work. Deadline for submitting comments is Sept. 1, 2013. All comments should be emailed to cals@iastate.edu.
Arts and events
'Die Fledermaus' is a farce of mistaken identity, flirtation and a practical joke with unanticipated consequences. It opens Nov. 7 in Fisher Theater.
