Sweet treat Tuesday

September 19

 Photos by Christopher Gannon.

Senior Camila Medina (left) and sophomore Ryder Souder assemble several flavors of macaroons Tuesday afternoon in the Culinary Creation Lab on the third floor of the Student Innovation Center. Students learned how to make the cookie in their Hospitality Management Industry Workshop course, which focuses on baking and pastry arts.

On the front page, senior Anna Werner carries a sheet of macaroons to the oven. The three classmates are biology, mechanical engineering and construction engineering majors, respectively.

Search begins for next Business dean

By Rob Schweers, office of the senior vice president and provost
September 19

The search for Iowa State's next Raisbeck Endowed Dean of the Ivy College of Business has begun.

Current dean David Spalding, who also serves as vice president for economic development and industry relations (EDIR), announced in May he will retire during the summer of 2025. The two positions are expected to be separate in the future, and a search for the next EDIR vice president will begin in the coming months.

The Business dean search committee will be co-chaired by Dan Grooms, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine; and Ann Marie VanDerZanden, associate provost for academic programs. Additional members of the search committee are:

• Ryan Bhattacharya, professor of practice, management and entrepreneurship
• Haozhe Chen, Walker Professor in Logistics and Supply Chain Management; and chair of supply chain management
• Miriam De Dios Woodward, president and CEO, De Dios Consulting
• Judy Eyles, director, Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship
• Mike Gerdin, chairman and CEO, Heartland Express
• Cara Heiden, retired co-president, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
• Kelsey Hensen, student in finance; and president, Ivy Student Council
• Dan Houston, chairman, president and CEO, Principal Financial Group
• Diane Janvrin, William L. Varner Professor of Accounting
• Huifang Mao, Raisbeck Professor in Business; interim associate dean for research and academic personnel; and professor of marketing
• Alberto Martin-Utrera, assistant professor, finance
• James Saulsbury, MBA student; and president, MBA and Specialized Masters Association
• Brady Talley, director, Ivy College of Business student success
• Ivy Yuan, Kingland Systems Director of Graduate Education for Business Analytics; and associate professor, information systems and business analytics

Nominations welcome

The committee will start its work immediately, developing the position description and identifying talented candidates. Nominations for the position may be submitted to Grooms, dgrooms@iastate.edu, or VanDerZanden, vanderza@iastate.edu. The Buffkin/Baker executive search firm will support the committee in its work.

The Ivy College of Business has nearly 5,200 students, 89 faculty and 88 staff among six academic departments and 14 undergraduate and nine graduate degree programs. One of only 2% of schools globally to be accredited in both business and accounting by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the college is known for its high-impact programs -- including entrepreneurship, supply chain management and MBA programs -- as well as its affordability compared to peers.

It's official: College of Health and Human Sciences

By Anne Krapfl
September 19

Meeting this morning on campus, the state Board of Regents approved a new college name at Iowa State: The College of Health and Human Sciences. The change takes effect today. Associate provost Ann Marie VanDerZanden said the addition of "health" to the name reflects strong programs, research and outreach in its current offerings, helps communicate its health-related focus to students and other stakeholders and is consistent with renaming occurring at Iowa State's peer universities.

The College of Human Sciences formed in 2005, a merger of two colleges: Education and Family and Consumer Sciences. Three departments formed the School of Education in 2012.

The regents also approved health and dental insurance premium increases (PDF), to both the employee and employer portions, for the plan year that begins Jan. 1. No changes are being made to the health care and dental plan coverages.

All plan participants will see an increase to their monthly health care premium, between $12 and $66 for HMO participants, and between $11 and $97 for PPO participants. The university will absorb most of the premium increases and will cover more than 87% of the total cost of the health care plans.

Employee monthly premiums for basic dental insurance will stay flat (employee only coverage) or go up $1 for all basic plan options except employee and family, which will go up $2 per month. Employee premiums for the comprehensive dental plan will  go up $3 per month, with two exceptions: Employee-only coverage will cost employees $1 more per month, and employee and family coverage will cost $4 more per month.

HMO: Approved increases to monthly premiums

*Includes university portion

PPO: Approved increases to monthly premiums

*Includes university portion

Administration building honors Warren Madden

Iowa State received permission to name the north-side Administrative Services Building the Warren Madden Building in honor of the alumnus (1961, industrial engineering) who retired in 2016 as senior vice president for business and finance after serving the university for 50 years. Among many contributions to the campus and Ames communities, Madden helped preserve several 19th-century structures and the central campus greenspace as the university grew, develop the Iowa State Center in the 1970s and expand campus utilities and the residence system. He collaborated with city leaders on town-gown initiatives such as CyRide and the ice arena, and coordinated major campus flood recovery in 1993, 2008 and 2010.

"For 50 years, Warren Madden invested his time, talents and affection for Iowa State University to make a special place even more special. With the naming of the Warren Madden Building, we'll have a permanent recognition of him on our campus," said President Wendy Wintersteen.

The Administrative Services Building opened in 1998.

New academic programs approved

The regents gave a final green light to two Iowa State bachelor's degree programs:

• Bachelor of Science in game design (PDF), an inter-college degree program based in the College of Design. The curriculum will include new and revised courses, and the program will first be offered in fall 2025. Over its first three years, the plan is to add three faculty positions to teach core courses. Students who complete the degree will be prepared to work in major or boutique-sized game design companies as game artists, programmers or writers.
  This is Iowa State's second approved degree of the future. In April, the board approved the first, a Master of Digital Health program in the kinesiology department.
• Bachelor of Science in education studies (PDF) in the School of Education. The degree is designed for students interested in education but not in working as a K-12 classroom teacher. This could include educators for museums, zoos or libraries; or those working in community-based education, international education, educational technology or educational policy. The program will first be offered in fall 2025.

First Amendment training

The board's Free Speech and Student Affairs committee received a summary of completion rates last year of the regents' annual First Amendment training among all students, faculty and staff. The board began this required practice in the spring of 2021.

FY24: Completion of First Amendment training, Iowa State

Building projects

The regents approved a budget ($14 million) and project description for phase 1 of the National Testing Facility for Enhancing Wind Resiliency of Infrastructure in Tornado-Downburst-Gust-front Events (NEWRITE) in 1380 Howe Hall. Fully funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, this first phase will construct a 1/15th scale prototype of the phase 2 facility that would study the impact of short-term downbursts of wind such as tornadoes and derechos. Much of the phase 1 funding will be used to design phase 2 up to construction bid documents and site selection. A second NSF grant (up to $80 million) is needed to implement phase 2. Partha Sarkar, professor of aerospace engineering, leads a team of researchers from nine universities involved in the project.

Iowa State also received final approval to revise the plans and budgets for three previously approved projects:

• Stange Road reconstruction between 13th Street and Blankenburg Drive in the summer of 2025. The revised budget, $3.65 million, reflects an increase of $2.2 million. Additional road funds from the Iowa Department of Transportation will allow the project to be completed in a single season, not two as originally proposed, minimizing the impact and saving costs. The work will include concrete pavement, sidewalks on both sides of Stange Road, street lighting and storm sewer improvements.
• Expansion of the Lloyd Large Animal Hospital in three phases. A revised budget, $12 million, includes an increase of $2.8 million. The changes to this equine-focused project will expand the in vitro fertilization embryo transfer lab addition (phase 2) and add a rehabilitation room with sports medicine, physical therapy, exam space and an equine treadmill (phase 3). All work will be completed by fall 2026.
• Remodel of the Seasons Marketplace, campus' second-largest dining center, in the Maple Willow Larch Commons. The revised budget of $6.25 million (an increase of $3.8 million) adds dining room and food service upgrades to a "back of house" renovation completed in the kitchen, food prep and office area during the 2024 summer. These are the first improvements to Seasons Marketplace since 2008. "Front of house" improvements include a dedicated serving station for special dietary needs, better venue circulation and entrances, upgrades to the heating/cooling, plumbing and electrical systems and environmental continuity with other campus dining locations. The work will be completed over the next three summers to allow the dining center to remain operational during critical summer programs.

Editor's note: The board's discussion of fiscal year 2026 appropriations requests to the state of Iowa took place after Inside Iowa State's deadline. Look for a summary in the Sept. 26 edition.

Harnessing data to strengthen the student experience

September 19

Student affairs' assessment, research and divisional effectiveness team (from left): Michael Graham, Katie Ansong, Amanda Puffett, Matt Pistilli and Liz Housholder. Photo by Christopher Gannon.

Sometimes it's best to let the data tell the story.

The office of assessment, research and divisional effectiveness in the Division of Student Affairs excels at studying data to inform decisions on university policies and programs and help students achieve their goals.

Programs within the student affairs division generate mountains of data on student activities, everything from how often students attend events at the Memorial Union or access recreational services, to how many students participate in learning communities. That data can guide improvements in those programs and services, but someone has to assess it all.

That's where Matt Pistilli and his team come in. Pistilli, the director of assessment, research and divisional effectiveness, said the office works within the division to measure and assess impacts and success for students.

"It's about making sure our efforts are centered on the student and the university mission and making sure we're investing in what works," Pistilli said. "We want to demonstrate why we do what we do, show how well we do it and inform future policy and practice. We need to be able to show our outcomes, point out how what we do drives success for students."

Pistilli was hired in August 2016 to create the position he now occupies, and the office has expanded to five employees in the years since.

Examples run the gamut for the kind of data collected by the division. Academic measures like course performance, student retention and graduation rates can factor into the office's work. Every time a student swipes their ID to access dining, recreational facilities or an event at the Memorial Union becomes a data point as well. The office also conducts its own surveys and focus groups to zero in on particular aspects of the student experience.

Focus is on division units

Headquartered in the Student Services Building, the office team primarily works with other units in the student affairs division, though Pistilli said it may be able to partner with units outside the division in special cases. Those interested in working with the office should contact him, he said.

Liz Housholder, associate director of the office, said part of its goal is to get units to ask questions they haven't before about outcomes -- and then make data-driven decisions on how to strengthen their missions. That means evaluating available data and wringing out as much insight as possible from it.

"We're always asking, 'what data do we have on hand and what more could we be asking of those data sets?'" Housholder said.

Some of the data gathered in the student affairs division is reported in public-facing documents, but Housholder said the office never publishes personal data or information that could be used to identify individuals. Data security and privacy are top priorities, she said.

Householder stressed the effectiveness of telling stories with data, illustrating how assessments can strengthen student resources. Before being moved to the office of assessment, research and divisional effectiveness in March, her position had existed in the residence department.

Data show students tend to attain better academic outcomes while living in university housing. ISU survey data showed one of the factors that encourages students to live on campus beyond their first year is a strong sense of community in their housing situation. During her time in the residence department, Housholder said the residence life team drew on the survey data to revise resident assistant activities, encouraging the residence hall RAs to meet individually with each resident and to document those interactions to foster a sense of connection and community.

"Some of the most effective ways we have of showing our impact is to combine data and storytelling to illustrate why we do what we do," Housholder said.

On-campus counseling appointments available to employees

September 19

Iowa State's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a toolbox of free and confidential services to help employees build a happier, healthier life. It's part of the employee benefits offerings.

The program, currently contracted with Des Moines-based Employee Family Resources, provides confidential support from experienced, master's-level clinicians in a safe and respectful environment. The services are free to all employees who use them, as well as to members in their immediate family.

EAP professionals can assist with:

• Work stress
• Family and personal relationships
• Emotional or mental health
• Work and life balance
• Substance abuse or addiction
• Financial or legal concerns
• Personal growth and development

Getting started

All assistance begins with a phone call. When you call the EAP number (1-800-327-469), indicate you're an Iowa State employee. A counselor will ask you to describe your concerns. The counselor will then connect you with one or more of the EAP services that can help you, including:

• Life coaching
• Togetherall 24/7 peer support community
• Legal consultation
• Financial consultation
• Elder care consultation
• Child care resources
• Counseling sessions, in-person or telehealth

Meet Melanie Clark

Melanie Clark

Melanie Clark is the new EAP counselor who's coming to campus twice a week for in-person counseling sessions with employees or their family members. Clark is on campus Mondays and Fridays (9 a.m.-4 p.m., last appointment begins at 4 p.m.) Her campus office is accessible on the first floor of the Communications Building.

Clark currently is a clinical intern at Grand View University, Des Moines, finishing a master's degree to become a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) in Iowa.  She said her ability to build connections with clients stems from strong communication skills, empathy and an understanding of the challenges people face. Another of her strengths is working with families and recognizing the importance of family dynamics in overall well-being.

Virtual counseling sessions and a hybrid combination also are options for ISU employees thinking about counseling. Employee Family Resources has offices in downtown Des Moines and West Des Moines, and those location are possibilities if urgency, your daytime location or day-of-week preference better suits one of those sites.