Opening day

August 23

Crowded sidewalks, new backpacks and bright shoes can mean one thing: School is back in session. University leaders believe fall enrollment will be in the vicinity of 31,000 students; the actual figure will be shared after Aug. 31 – the 10th day of class when the official count is done. Photo by Bob Elbert.

Obama visit Tuesday will limit access to central campus

By Anne Krapfl
August 23

As part of President Barack Obama's visit to central campus Tuesday afternoon, the university will limit street and sidewalk access on central campus. The area that is being secured for this event will include nearly all of central campus -- bordered by the campanile on the south, Curtiss Hall on the east, sidewalks south of Catt Hall on the north and the sidewalk across from Beardshear Hall on the west side.

Following is some information to help Iowa Staters navigate campus, whether or not you're attending the Obama event:

Street closures

Monday: Street closures will begin Monday at the end of the workday or early in the evening. Barricades will restrict traffic on Osborn Drive, Morrill Road, Farm House Lane and the portion of Union Drive north of the Memorial Union. Security and emergency vehicles will be permitted within this area; normal campus travel or parking will not be allowed. Traffic on Bissell Road may be restricted at times.

Tuesday: Starting early Tuesday morning, security will increase and there will not be vehicle access within the secured area (Osborn Drive, Morrill Road, Farm House Lane and the portion of Union Drive north of the Memorial Union).

Employee parking

Employees who normally park along the secured roads (Osborn Drive, Morrill Road, Farm House Lane) or elsewhere within the secured area will need to find alternative locations on Tuesday.

CyRide buses

CyRide leaders report that the campus street closings will affect nearly every route on Tuesday. CyRide buses will be rerouted from the start of service Tuesday morning until 5 p.m. Additionally, CyRide's system will be virtually shut down when Obama is traveling to and from campus. Drivers will do their best to keep service as normal as they can, but riders should anticipate times when buses are behind schedule.

The Orange route from the Iowa State Center lot is the route that general public ticket-holders will be encouraged to take to the event. CyRide will have a stop at the intersection of Bissell Road and Osborn Drive for these riders and additional Orange route buses in service before and after the event. CyRide staff at the campus stop will show riders where to walk to get to central campus.

Building closures

Access to Curtiss Hall and Sloss House will be restricted for most of Tuesday. With the exception of these buildings, all of the other buildings around central campus should be open on Tuesday. However, remember that street closures may alter vehicle access to them, which will impact things such as building deliveries or child dropoffs at the Child Development Laboratory. Environmental Health and Safety will suspend its waste removal service on Tuesday.

Classes in session

Iowa State is not canceling classes Tuesday. Classes that meet in Curtiss Hall have been moved to other buildings for the day. Students who wish to attend the Obama event and have classes or other university conflicts should follow the normal departmental or individual faculty policies regarding absences from class. With some central campus sidewalks closed, students and faculty should allow extra time to arrive at their buildings for class.

Employees who attend

Staff members should make arrangements with their supervisors and follow normal leave policies. For merit staff, the provisions of the collective bargaining contract apply for requesting time off or leave (including vacation, leave without pay or compensatory time). Given the short notice that preceded this event, the normal notice periods for requesting leave can be waived.

Event security

Those who attend should expect to go through an airport-like security check. A (free) ticket is required for admission. The gate opens at 10:30 a.m. Among the items not allowed in: bags, sharp objects, umbrellas, liquids (including water bottles) and signs. Cameras are allowed. Water and portable toilets will be available within the secured area.

Welcome

August 23

Pamela Anthony stepped in as dean of students at Iowa State Aug. 1 after serving as assistant dean of students at Georgia State University in Atlanta since 2003. She also held positions at Spelman College, Atlanta, and University of Alaska, Fairbanks. She has extensive experience in student crisis intervention, student activities, judicial affairs and Greek life.

Anthony has degrees from James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va. (bachelor's in speech pathology); University of Georgia, Athens (master's in student personnel in higher education); and Georgia State (doctorate in educational policy studies).  Her office is in 1010 Student Services. She can be contacted at 4-1022 or panthony@iastate.edu. Photo by Bob Elbert.

Community invited to president's formal welcome

By Diana Pounds
August 23

In seven months on the job, president Steven Leath has traveled to the four corners of the state and made rounds on campus, from dormitory to department. He led the Veishea parade, promoted Iowa's economic potential, met with state lawmakers and testified before a U.S. Senate committee. About the only presidential thing he hasn't done is receive his formal welcome to Iowa State.

He'll check that off the list on Sept. 14 at the presidential installation ceremony. Installations have been a tradition at Iowa State from its very beginning. Adonijah Welch, the first president, was installed in 1869 in a ceremony coinciding with the inauguration of the university.

Leath's installation as Iowa State's 15th president will be marked by a colorful procession of several hundred robed academics, brief remarks by state and university officials, and performances by Simon Estes and Iowa State musical groups.

Leath to share vision

After Craig Lang, president of the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, formally installs the ISU president, Leath will share his vision for the university.

The installation begins at 10 a.m. in Stephens Auditorium and will be followed at 11:30 a.m.  with a reception in Stephen's Celebrity Café.

"We hope many members of the university community and Iowa State friends will join us at the ceremony and become a part of this special moment in Iowa State history," said Olivia Madison, dean of the library and chair of the installation planning committee. She added that those unable to attend the ceremony may view it live or later on the presidential installation website.

Installation eve: Student celebration, keynote talk

Other installation events, set for Sept. 13,  are a midday student celebration on central campus and an evening opening keynote speech by national fiscal reform expert Erskine Bowles in the Memorial Union.

Students, joined by Cy, the pep band and cheerleaders, will welcome Leath and his wife Janet to the university on the eve of the installation. The celebration will occur on central campus, near the campanile (11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.). President Leath will give brief remarks at 12:20 p.m., and a picnic lunch will be served.

A veteran of government and business, Bowles is at the center of the national dialogue on America's deficit crisis. He will give a public address, "Conversation on the National Debt," Sept. 13 (8 p.m., Memorial Union Great Hall) and introduce Leath during the Sept. 14 installation.

Leath served as vice president for research and sponsored programs for the multi-campus University of North Carolina during Bowles' tenure as its president. Bowles was appointed by President Barack Obama to co-chair with former Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson a bipartisan national debt reduction commission. He also served as President Bill Clinton's chief of staff.

Q&A with Faculty Senate president Suzanne Hendrich

August 23

The basics

Position at ISU:

University Professor in food science and human nutrition

Arrived at ISU:

1987

Hendrich's priorities this year:

• Provide faculty input to develop a comprehensive faculty/staff wellness program
• Work on university-wide learning outcomes and assessment processes
• Enhance a sense of community among faculty members and as a Faculty Senate
• Help show how valuable ISU faculty members are to the state of Iowa

Senate's biggest challenge:

"Resource constraints, which seem likely to continue."

Hendrich's thoughts on the year ahead:

"Representing the faculty -- who by their nature, and by the nature of the university, hold very diverse viewpoints on issues -- will be a great challenge. I feel prepared to bring people together to create consensus and move forward to make ISU even better."

Q&A with P&S Council president David Orman

August 23

The basics

Position at ISU:

Information technology manager, Center for Nondestructive Evaluation

Arrived at ISU:

1994

Orman's priorities this year:

• Salary compression, equity and fairness issues
• Cultivating successful relationships with new senior leadership

Council priorities this year:

• Professional development program for P&S staff
• Salary issues
• Supervisor training
• RMM (Resource Management Model) inequities

Council's biggest challenge:

"Keeping P&S staff in the minds of the new university leadership, despite all of the changes and record enrollment issues."

Orman's thoughts on the year ahead:

"This is a very exciting time. We have new leadership, record enrollment and the budget situation finally seems to be settling down. There is a lot of positive energy and fresh ideas throughout ISU. I'm glad I've been granted this opportunity to serve P&S staff and I'd like to take this opportunity to encourage others to take up the mantle, join council and be part of the adventure!"

Summer 2012 retrospective

By Paula Van Brocklin
August 23

Summertime in the world of academia usually means life is less hectic. But while you were enjoying some peace and tranquility, many administrative and physical changes took place across campus. Here's a look back at some summer news.

Faculty and administrative changes

• Former Engineering dean Jonathan Wickert became Iowa State's senior vice president and provost on July 30. President Steven Leath named him to the post in May following a national search. Former executive vice president and provost Elizabeth Hoffman remains an ISU professor of economics; she is on a faculty improvement leave for the 2012-13 year.
• A 20-member search committee was named in July to seek a new Engineering dean. Mufit Akinc, professor of materials science and engineering and an associate scientist for the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory, serves as the college's interim dean.
• President Leath announced several administrative changes early this summer:
  • Vice presidents Warren Madden and Tom Hill were promoted to senior vice presidents. Madden is senior vice president for business and finance, and Hill is senior vice president for student affairs.
  • Tahira Hira is senior policy adviser to the president. She had been executive assistant to the president. In her new role, Hira will develop strategies to increase ISU's national prominence, manage rising enrollment and recruit top faculty.
  • Dave Biedenbach is assistant vice president for university financial planning and budgets, now located in the president's office. Budget planning had been based in the provost's office since 2006.
  • Sheryl Rippke, policy administrator, now reports to the office of university counsel instead of the president's office.  
• Pamela Anthony became ISU's dean of students on Aug. 1. She previously served as assistant dean of students at Georgia State University, Atlanta.
• Ralph Reynolds became Iowa State's inaugural director of the School of Education in the College of Human Sciences on July 1. The school serves students, alumni, faculty and staff who focus on Pre-K-20 teaching, learning and educational leadership.
• Enrollment services staff member Darin Wohlgemuth was named interim director of admissions in July. He succeeds Marc Harding, who took a position with the University of Pittsburgh.
• Laura Doering, an ISU staff member since 1996, became registrar on July 1. She had been the university's senior associate registrar and director of transfer relations.

Construction update

• The Ames Intermodal Transportation Facility, located west of the Chamberlain Street intersection on Hayward Avenue, opened in July. CyRide owns the facility, and Iowa State's parking division is managing it. Regional bus and shuttle service began July 1. Parking permits are available for faculty, staff, students and the general public.
• The Cyclone Sports Complex, located east of the Towers residence halls, is nearing completion and will see its first use at the end of August.
• Mechanical and electrical finish work on the football training facility continues. The building should be ready for occupancy in October.
• Various projects at Curtiss Hall will impact access to and throughout the building as the academic year commences. The Student Services Mall is complete with a dedication planned Aug. 28. Work has begun on Harl Commons, a student gathering area in the basement and on the ground floors of Curtiss. As a result, the east entrance is under construction.
• Excavation and foundation work on the Agricultural Biosystems Engineering Complex next to the Biorenewables Research Laboratory on the west side of campus began this summer and will continue through fall. Look for increased truck traffic in the area. Parking lot 6 is closed and pedestrian walkways have been rerouted. The building should be finished by fall semester 2014.
• Construction continues on Troxel Hall, located east of Horticulture Hall. Expect some traffic congestion around Farmhouse Lane while workers haul materials to the site. Completion is planned for next spring.
• Osborn Drive received a facelift this summer, complete with a call box and turnoff exit for access to Wallace Road. Brick columns, landscaping and sidewalk improvements also were part of the project. 

Cyclone Cinema series opens this week

By Anne Krapfl
August 23

If your busy summer caused a few missed opportunities at the box office, Cyclone Cinema could help you catch up on some of the top spring and summer films. This fall's lineup features 14 films released between March and August.

Cyclone Cinema is a program of the Student Union Board, with funding provided by the Government of the Student Body. Films are shown in the Carver Hall auditorium. Admission is free and the public is welcome.

The series opens this week with eight showings of The Avengers, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson. Showtimes are 7 and 10 p.m. every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, except during Thanksgiving break (Nov. 17-25), when the film series also takes a break.

Films are free, but bring some cash

What's a feature film without Milk Duds? Cyclone Cinema's concession stand features popcorn ($2 and $3), boxed candy ($2), bottled water ($1) and Coca Cola products ($1). You may pay with cash or CyCash at the concession stand. ISU students also may use their Dining Dollars.

Here's a quick look at the fall lineup:

• Aug. 23-26: The Avengers (rated PG-13), Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson
• Aug. 30-Sept. 2: The Hunger Games (PG-13), Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson
• Sept. 6-9: Snow White and the Huntsman (PG-13), Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron
• Sept. 13-16: Men in Black 3 (PG-13), Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones
• Sept. 20-23: Moonrise Kingdom (PG-13), Bruce Willis, Edward Norton
• Sept. 27-30: Rock of Ages (PG-13), Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough
• Oct. 4-7: The Amazing Spider-Man (PG-13), Emma Stone, Andrew Garfield
• Oct. 11-14: Brave (animated, PG), voices of Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly
• Oct. 18-21: The Dark Knight Rises (PG-13), Christian Bale, Tom Hardy
• Oct. 25-28: Ted (R), Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis
• Nov. 1-4: The Bourne Legacy (PG-13), Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz
• Nov. 8-11: Magic Mike (R), Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey
• Nov. 15-16 only: Total Recall (PG-13), Colin Farrel, Kate Beckinsale
• Nov. 22-25: No film, Thanksgiving break
• Nov. 29-Dec. 2: The Campaign (R), Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis