Cyclone power shopping

December 04

Add some cardinal and gold to the holiday season with Inside's annual campus gift guide, featuring in-store and online gift items from campus retailers, groups, units and student organizations. Memberships and gift cards also are available.

Open houses, sales

CODAC Fall Art Sale
Dec. 10-12, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., College of Design lobby
Works in ceramics, prints, photos, jewelry and textiles by students in the integrated studio arts program. A portion of the sales help fund club activities, workshops and guest speakers. Prices range from $5 to $150.

Reiman Gardens gift shop
Stocking Stuffer Night: Dec. 18, 4:30-7 p.m.
Discounts on gift items and shopping help from gift shop staff.

The Workspace
Art Mart: Dec. 4-6, MU Campanile Room
Hand-crafted items include blown glass, pottery, jewelry, accessories, baskets and prints. Purchases range from $5 to $25 and support clubs, organizations and local artists.

Student Groups

Block and Bridle Club
Summer sausage and cheese gift packages (PDF order form), $8-$23

Forestry Club
Christmas tree and wreath sales, $25-$50

• Dec. 5, 12 (3-6 p.m., Reiman Gardens)
• Dec. 6, 13 (9 a.m.-5 p.m., Reiman Gardens)
• Dec. 7, 14 (noon-6 p.m., Reiman Gardens)

Horticulture Club
Poinsettia sale

• Dec. 4 (11 a.m.-5 p.m., Memorial Union first floor)
• Dec. 5 (11 a.m.-5 p.m., Beardshear Hall)
• Dec. 6 (9 a.m.-1 p.m., Reiman Gardens)

Gift cards, gift certificates

• ISU Educational Gift Certificate
• Iowa State Center
• University Book Store e-gift card, gift card
• Workspace

Memberships

• ISU Alumni Association
• Reiman Gardens
• University Museums

Resident undergraduates get a third tuition freeze

By Anne Krapfl
December 04

Resident undergraduate students will be treated to a third straight tuition freeze next year, following state Board of Regents action on Dec. 3. In an 8-0 vote, the board approved rate increases of 1.75 percent for resident graduate students, 1.2 percent for all out-of-state students and 3.2 percent for all veterinary medicine students.

The freeze for resident undergraduates keeps tuition at $6,648 in 2015-16, and will trim incremental revenue to the university by about $2.2 million. The mandatory student fee at Iowa State will go up $4.50, to $1,087.90.

While ultimately he voted for the resident undergraduate tuition freeze, regent Robert Downer raised two concerns about it: that it creates a disproportionate financial hardship for the University of Northern Iowa, where the vast majority of students are resident undergraduates; and that some board members see anticipated savings from the TIER efficiency review as a rationale for approving a tuition freeze. No savings have been counted yet, he noted.

"My clear understanding was that those savings would be redeployed at the institutions from which they were derived," Downer said.

Noting that he believed "the public would be better served by incremental tuition increases that reflect annual inflation," Downer said he could support a third tuition freeze "particularly if the UNI situation is addressed."

Board president Bruce Rastetter said that the board's $12.9 million supplemental funding request to the 2015 Legislature to implement the regents' new performance-based funding model should "fix financial challenges at UNI and ISU." If funded, approximately $6.6 million would go to UNI and $6.3 million would come to Iowa State.

"This board knows that performance-based funding equals equitable funding for our universities. I believe our Legislature will accept it [funding model] and that we won't need annual requests that provide a stopgap," Rastetter said.

New center

The board approved Iowa State's proposal for a Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (CB²) within the Center for Crops Utilization Research. It's Iowa State's sixth National Science Foundation-funded Industry and University Cooperative Research Center, and will focus on developing high-value biobased products from agriculture feedstocks. Iowa State is the lead institution and professor of ag and biosystems engineering David Grewell will serve as center director, but the center is a collaboration among Iowa State's biopolymers and biocomposites research team; the plastics engineering department at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell; the Composite Materials and Engineering Center at Washington State University and about two dozen fee-paying industry members.

New residence hall

The residence department received board approval to move ahead on a $49.5 million, 700-bed residence hall east of Buchanan Hall on Lincoln Way. The department currently has nearly 11,000 permanent beds in residence halls and campus apartments, and is leasing and operating off-campus apartments for another 1,060 students.

The department, working with facilities planning and management, will implement the university's first design-build process on the new residence hall. That process began last month with a request for team qualifications. Once design-build teams are verified, they'll receive ISU's request for proposal that includes specific information about what's sought for the new residence hall. Teams will submit their plans in the spring, with the final design-build team chosen from the submissions.

The project will be funded by two dormitory revenue bond sales (spring and fall 2015). Construction could begin in May 2015, with the hall ready for occupants in January 2017.

Stadium project additions 

The board approved the athletics department's request to raise the Jack Trice Stadium south end expansion budget $7 million, bumping the project budget to $53 million. The increase is due to both additions to the project and a competitive central Iowa construction market that added as much as 10 percent over estimated costs to bids. Project additions include a fire sprinkler system in the west suites (required by the state fire marshal), an electronic ribbon board around the stadium and replacing and relocating the 40-year-old field pump system. The department will reallocate funds to the stadium project from the companion project to develop the green space between the stadium and Reiman Gardens. That budget will go from $14 million to $7 million.

Transparent Inclusive Efficiency Review update

The board's TIER project manager Mark Braun provided an update on activities since the October board meeting. Estimated completion dates for three administrative business cases the board approved for university-led implementation are:

• Standardize the Regents Admission Index calculation when a student's class rank isn't available, Dec. 15
• Standardize size and structure of search committees for vacant professional and scientific positions, March 1, 2015
• Create a common application portal for students who want to apply to more than one regents university, beginning of June 2015

Braun said the board office released three requests for proposals (RFPs) on Nov. 21. The first two, with a bid submission deadline of Dec. 12, are for implementation assistance on a procurement business case and three information technology and human resources business cases combined. The third, with a bid submission deadline of Dec. 19, is for assistance completing the academic programs portion of the efficiency review.

Other business

Regarding other Iowa State requests, the board approved:

• Professional development assignments for 37 faculty members (PDF, pp. 26-32) for the year that begins July 1, 2015. The list includes eight academic-year proposals, 24 semester-long proposals and five proposals requiring from three to six months away from regular faculty duties. It is the second professional development assignment for 12 of the faculty members. Any Iowa State faculty member employed at least halftime is eligible to apply for a professional development assignment. There is no length of service requirement.
• A purchase of a high-performance computing cluster for $1.7 million to meet the computation-intensive needs of research teams. It will become part of Iowa State's central high performance computing operation and be available to faculty on a shared basis. Individual research teams need only purchase the compute and storage nodes they need (without the burden to fund infrastructure and personnel). The purchase cost will be shared among colleges, departments and research/sponsored fund sources.
• A $3.3 million plan to improve temperature control and reduce interior condensation in Larch residence hall by installing an insulated drywall partition in 272 student rooms. A similar project was completed last summer at Willow Hall. Dormitory system improvement funds will pay for the project.
• A $16.5 million sale of  ISU utility system revenue bonds, the second of two bond sales that will pay for the replacement of three coal-fired boilers with natural gas-fired boilers.

The board also approved a change to the regents policy manual (Chapter 8) that, for purposes of tuition and fees, extends resident status to veterans and their dependents enrolled in a graduate or professional program and receiving benefits under the post-9/11 GI Bill and the Montgomery Bill. Undergraduate veteran students receiving GI benefits already have resident status.

During the board's education and student affairs committee meeting, Liberal Arts and Sciences associate dean Arne Hallum summarized Iowa State's 10-year-old Course Availability Group and the data-driven process that committee uses each semester to ensure adequate class sections and seats for high-demand courses.

Alumni couple makes gift of more than $22 million to Iowa State

December 04

Two alumni who wish to remain anonymous recently made a gift of more than $22 million to Iowa State University, benefiting two priorities on campus.

A portion of the gift will likely support Iowa State’s planned Student Innovation Center. Public funding for the project will be considered in the 2015 state legislative session. 

The Student Innovation Center will be a highly flexible, dynamic space that encourages experimentation, innovation and interdisciplinary investigation. The center will enable students to continue the Iowa State tradition of blending science with practice to engage in practical, hands-on experiences they can take out into the workforce. This project is a public/private partnership, with $40 million in proposed funding by the state, and $40 million from private sources.

The balance of the gift will go toward creating an endowed dean’s chair in the College of Human Sciences. Dean Pamela White will be the inaugural holder.

Dean White has been a member of the Iowa State faculty since 1975 and has served in several leadership roles since then, including interim chair of the department of food science and human nutrition, interim dean of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences – and as interim dean when the college was combined with the College of Education to form the College of Human Sciences. She has served as dean of the college since April 2009.

The dean’s chair will have a tremendous impact on the future of the college. The chair will provide the ability to pursue innovative initiatives and programs outside the realm of normal academics and expand the breadth and depth of students’ experiences.

 “We are extremely thankful to this wonderful couple for their extraordinary generosity toward their alma mater,” said Iowa State University President Steven Leath. “Through their gift, they assure that the mission of this great university will be advanced for generations to come through the creation of a facility that fosters innovative, interdisciplinary learning and also by enhancing educational opportunities in the College of Human Sciences.”  

The gift was made through the Iowa State University Foundation, a private, nonprofit corporation dedicated to securing and managing gifts and grants that benefit Iowa State University.

Create a winter's tale at WinterFest

By Paula Van Brocklin
December 04

Iowa State's annual celebration of all things winter is Friday, Dec. 5, with a few events starting earlier in the week and others carrying over into the weekend. From cookies, to hot chocolate, to carriage rides, WinterFest 2014 offers a variety of cold-weather, family-friendly activities. Most events are held in the Memorial Union and are free, unless indicated. A complete list of activities is online.

• Winter clothing drive, (through Dec. 5), preferred items are hats, scarves and gloves to be donated to the Ames Emergency Residence Project, drop-off sites are the Maple-Willow-Larch hall desk, Birch-Welch-Roberts mailroom, Union Drive Community Center mailroom, Wallace-Wilson hall desk, Frederiksen Court Community Center, MU main lounge (near the post office), and LeBaron and Carver halls
• University Book Store open house, (7:45 a.m.-6 p.m., Dec. 4 and 5, UBS), deals throughout the store
• Art Mart, (11 a.m.-6 p.m., Dec. 4; 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Dec. 5; 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Dec. 6, MU Campanile Room), featuring blown glass, pottery, jewelry, hand-woven baskets, photography and more, most artwork is $3-$20, proceeds benefit artists and sponsoring organizations
• Andy Albright Jingle Jog, (registration 4-5:15 p.m., MU Multicultural Center; run begins at 5:30 p.m. in front of Beardshear Hall), $20, proceeds fund a freshman scholarship
• Campanile tours and carillon music, (4-6 p.m., campanile), tours led by ISU carillonneur Tin Shi Tam
• Letter-writing service project, (4-7 p.m., MU Cardinal Room), sponsored by ISU Student Veterans of America
• Photo snow globes, (4-7 p.m., MU Cardinal Room), get your picture taken in front of a fun backdrop and placed in a snow globe
• Spin art Frisbees, (4-7 p.m., MU Commons)
• Bingo, (4-8 p.m., MU Pioneer Room)
• Bowling and billiards, (4-9 p.m., the Underground)
• Eats and treats, (5-7 p.m., MU Commons), sample seasonal beverages in the MU Market & Café
• Holiday ornament crafting, (5-8 p.m., the Workspace)
• Tree lighting ceremony, (5:15-5:30 p.m., steps of Beardshear Hall), live music
• Gingerbread house crafting, (6 p.m., MU Commons), make your own gingerbread house to take home
• Cookie decorating, (6 p.m. until gone, MU Commons), decorate sugar cookies and warm up with hot chocolate
• Horse-drawn carriage rides, (6:30-9:30 p.m., pick up and drop off on the north side of MU), ride is through central campus
• Cyclone Cinema: The Maze Runner, (7 p.m. and 10 p.m., 101 Carver)
• Ice skating, (midnight-3 a.m., Dec. 4, and 1-3 a.m., Dec. 6, Ames/ISU Ice Arena), free both days for the first 400 participants

Instant messaging makes a comeback

By Diana Pounds
December 04

If you left instant messaging behind with your AOL membership and Buddy list, it might be time to take another look. Instant messaging has surged into the workplace, including Iowa State. In a typical week, some 2,500 faculty and staff use Microsoft's instant messaging system, Lync, to dash off notes to colleagues or hold video calls or online meetings.

The Lync system is available to all faculty and staff, as part of last summer's switch to Microsoft Outlook's cloud-based service.

Lync has its own communications niche on campus, said Mike Lohrbach, systems and operations director in information technology services (ITS).

"It's great for quick communication," he said. "It's less formal and often faster than email."

ITS senior systems analyst Vincent Oliver said most of the instant messages on campus flow between members of the same department. However, he added that Iowa State Lync users can connect with anyone, on campus or off, who has Lync or Skype instant messaging software.

If you're interested in giving Lync a try, here are some startup tips.

How to get the software

First, check to see if you already have the Lync software installed. If you're running Office 2013 on your PC or a newer version of Office for Mac 2011, Lync is probably on your computer. Search your applications for the software, making sure you check the MS Office folders.

If your computer is on ITS CorePlus support (that is, your office pays a monthly support fee), you can get Lync by asking Solution Center staff (294-4000 or solution@iastate.edu) to push the software to  your computer.

If you don't have CorePlus, it's DIY time. Here's how to download and install the free software.

Mobile apps, too

Lync apps are available for Windows, Mac and Android devices. Download apps from the vendors' app stores.

Open for business

Once you sign into Lync, a small dialogue box appears on your desktop and you can begin sending or receiving messages. You also can post your status to other Lync users by typing a custom message or using preset options, like "available," "away," or "do not disturb."

Send your first message

To message ISU faculty or staff, type the individual's name or Net-ID into the search box. The search will yield the usual directory info and let you know if your intended recipient is available. A green circle or line on the recipient's picture icon means his or her Lync is ready to receive your message. Other colors indicate, for example, that the recipient may be in a meeting or out of the office. Once you've started an instant messaging conversation with one person, it's easy to bring others into the discussion. Find the newcomers through the search box and drag their picture icons to the conversation box.

Build contact lists

You can save search time by putting your most-contacted colleagues into a contacts list. To add a contact, find the person's name in the search box.

On Windows/PC

• Point at the picture icon
• Click the three blue dots ("more options" symbol)
• Click "add to contacts"

On Mac

• Highlight the individual's name
• Click the "+" symbol
• Add to "pinned contacts"

Audio, video conferences

Lync also can be used for audio or video chats and conferences. Check out the tutorials referenced below when you're ready to try these options. (PC users who don't have built-in audio or video devices will need additional equipment and a little setup.)

Conversation records

It's good to be aware that, transitory as your instant messages may seem, they're likely being saved on your computer or the computers of those you message with. You can control what gets saved on your end. Here's where to go:

On Windows/PC

• From the gearshift symbol in the Lync box, pull down "tools," then "options" and "personal"

On Mac

• From the top of your monitor, pull down under the "Lync" tab to "preferences," then "history"

How-to's

Many short, easy tutorials come with your Lync program. Here's where to find them.

On Windows/PC

• Locate the gear symbol inside the Lync box
• Pull down "Help," then "Lync help" to find tutorials and online training video and documents

On Mac

• Locate "Help" on the tool bar at the top of the screen
• Pull down "Lync help"
• The "Lync for Mac Quick Tour" or "Communicating Using Mac for Lync" videos provide good overviews

How to install Microsoft Lync on your PC or Mac

By Diana Pounds
December 04

Before starting your install

• Check to see if Lync is already on your computer. If you're running Office 2013 on your PC or a newer version of Office for Mac 2011, there's a good chance it's installed.
• Find out if your computer equipment is on ITS CorePlus support. If so, contact the Solution Center (294-4000 or solution@iastate.edu) to have Lync automatically pushed to your computer.

Windows

• Ensure that you have "admin" rights to your computer. You'll need them for the install.
• From the "start" icon, click on "computer," then "map network drive" at the top of the window.
• Select a drive letter and, in the "folder" input box, type "\\software.iastate.edu\software\Lync" and click "finish" button.
• Click through these directories: "Lync" > "Install" > "PC" > "Lync 2013 with SP1."
• To install the software, click "setup."
• To burn a CD image of the software for a later install, go back up to "Lync 2013 with SP1," then click "DVD image" and save the enclosed file.

Mac

• Ensure that you have "admin" rights to your computer. You'll need them for the install.
• From your desktop, simultaneously click command+K to access the "connect to server" window
• In the server address blank, type "smb://software.iastate.edu/software/Lync."
• The software server icon will appear on your desktop. Click through these directories: "Lync" > "Install" > "Macintosh" > "Lync 2011 for Mac" > "files."
• To install, drag "lync_14.0.10_141024.dmg" to your desktop and click it.
• To burn a CD image of the software for a later install, go back up to "Lync 2011 for Mac," click "CD image" and save the enclosed file.

'Carol' kicks off holiday season

December 04

Get a glimpse of Christmas past, present and future with the miserly Scrooge in ISU Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol. The Charles Dickens holiday classic opens its two-weekend run in Fisher Theater on Friday, Dec. 5.

Adapted by department and production director Jane Cox, the show features nearly 60 characters with a cast of more than 45 ISU students and area children. Senior Christopher Kent is Scrooge, and junior Michael Clinkscales and Ames kindergartner Phillip Stoytchev portray Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim, respectively.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, 1 p.m. on Dec. 7 and 2 p.m. on Dec. 14. Tickets are $18 ($16 for seniors, $11 for students), available at the Iowa State ticket office, through Ticketmaster and at the door.