Sharing the load

August 22

Move-in crew volunteer Brooke Lee, a freshman from Mendoza, Illinois, pulls a cart of belongings while helping her classmates move into Eaton Hall Tuesday. University apartments opened last weekend and new students moved into campus residence halls Tuesday and Wednesday, with returning residence hall students arriving Thursday through Sunday. Fall semester opens Monday, Aug. 26.

Roads will be open Monday morning

By Anne Krapfl
August 22

It's been a one-of-a-kind summer for drivers trying to navigate campus. Between early March and early July, every north-south arterial angling through central campus closed -- either to be reconstructed or for nearby building construction.

An unusually soggy June and unanticipated discoveries as roads were dug up slowed down the projects, but campus construction managers anticipate all roads will be open Monday morning for the start of the semester. CyRide buses are scheduled to resume their routes through central campus Monday morning, too. Crews are working 12-plus-hour days to pour adjacent sidewalks by the weekend. Street lights, street signs, bicycle loops and bus shelter pads are not likely to be in place by Monday.

Inside put together this Wednesday afternoon update.

Union Drive at Morrill Road

As of Wednesday afternoon, the lone road section yet to be paved was a short connector east of Lake LaVerne between Union Drive and the south leg of Morrill Road. Senior construction manager Rob Ebel, facilities planning and management (FPM), said it would be poured Thursday, weather allowing. Morrill Road is complete. Supplemental crews are assisting this week with pouring sidewalks at the Union Drive-Morrill Road intersection, and Ebel was hopeful that most, if not all, could be completed by Monday. Sidewalks on the west side of Morrill Road (near the lake) will be the last ones installed.

The Union Drive-Morrill Road intersection closed July 8 for what was planned as a 5-6 week road replacement project. Early on, several underground structures scheduled to remain instead needed to be replaced, adding time to the project, Ebel said.

Union Drive west of Welch Road and
Bissell Road north of Union Drive

Both roads are paved and the intersection is connected, said Leroy Brown, FPM senior construction manager. Concrete crews on these projects also are working long days -- and will work through the weekend, if necessary and weather permitting -- to pour new 10-foot-wide sidewalks on both sides of the roads and open driveways to parking lots. Brown said sidewalks will reopen in sections once concrete forms are removed and black dirt filled in at their edges for an even surface. Sidewalks on either side of the Beyer Court driveway and on the Black Engineering Building corner likely will be the last ones poured.

Colored concrete pads for new CyRide bus shelters on Bissell and Union can begin when the sidewalks are in, Brown said.

"We had enough rain days in June to move this project completion back to mid-September, but our contractors are working hard to substantially wrap this up before Monday," Brown said. "We've been pushing them, and they've been working hard to hit the Aug. 26 date."

Sections of Bissell and Union closed during spring break for phase 2 of a two-summer project to expand the storm sewer and/or chilled water networks beneath the two roads. The new replacement roads are narrower (27 feet) and the sidewalks wider to create pedestrian-friendly zones and reduce vehicle traffic through that part of campus.

Wallace Road, adjacent to the Gerdin Building

Ebel said a short section of Wallace Road -- from the Union Drive intersection to just west of the parking deck's north entrance -- which closed after spring commencement, will remain closed through January 2021. The road and lawn south of it are providing a staging area in a tight construction zone for the Gerdin Business Building addition.

Extension committee shares proposals for new structure

By Jeff Budlong
August 22

After nearly a year of information gathering, vice president for extension and outreach John Lawrence shared two proposals from the Structured for Success committee during a public webinar on Aug. 20. The committee is studying how to reshape ISU Extension and Outreach's statewide organization to best serve Iowans. 

Twenty-five regional directors

The first model divides the state into 25 four-county regions, each with an extension regional director funded by ISU Extension. The regional director would have a supervisory role, freeing up county staffs to focus on local education, engagement and programming.

Lawrence outlined a number of responsibilities for the regional directors:

• Integrate council priorities with extension mission, resources and Iowa code
• Provide onboarding, mentoring, supervision and performance reviews for county staff
• Implement budget and financial management
• Assure alignment, reporting and risk management
• Work with counties on program selection and delivery
• Explore internal and external partnerships across counties

Through a memorandum of understanding with ISU Extension and Outreach, county councils would be responsible for extension personnel and education programming, determine compensation for county staff, and prepare and certify the annual budget.

Current regional directors would be reassigned within the new regions, and new regional directors would be hired where needed.

The recommended county staffing under this model includes an educator, director, program coordinator and office assistant as funds allow. A master's degree and experience would be required for educators, specialists and regional directors, with extension's tuition assistance program available to help county staff obtain additional education.

Counties would have the option to offer ISU's health and dental plan for their employees. Lawrence consistently heard the plans would help with employee retention. Employees must work at least 20 hours a week to qualify.

This model would cost counties an additional 2 to 3% service fee on top of the current 2.7% service fee of a county's maximum tax ask. The exact amount will be determined before county councils make their decision.

Option for larger counties

The other model presented by Lawrence is for Iowa's 10 largest counties -- those with 10 or more employees and an operating budget of at least $350,000. Single large counties or two moderate-sized counties that join together under one regional director would not pay the additional service fee, but extension would cover 20% (per county) of the regional director's salary, benefits and travel.

Looking ahead

Feedback on both models from extension staff and county council members is being collected through Oct. 11. That information will be used to help finalize the plan, to be shared Oct. 21. County councils will have until Jan. 1, 2020, to determine which model they choose.

The new organizational structure would go into effect July 1, 2020, with quarterly review sessions beginning Oct. 1, 2020. County councils would begin paying half of the partnership assessment to Iowa State on Nov. 1, 2020 with the other half coming at a later date.

Workday help is available for returning faculty

By Erin Rosacker
August 22

Faculty returning to campus for the fall semester may need to get up to speed on the Workday system that launched July 1. 

Workday is the software Iowa State now uses for its financial, payroll and human resources business. For faculty, that might include managing grants or employees, processing travel expenses, purchasing equipment, or selecting B-base appointment salary and benefit options.

Getting started

A link to Workday is available on Okta dashboards, the "Sign Ons" drop-down menu on the ISU homepage, the sign ons page and ISU's online alphabetical index ("Workday"). A list of first-time tasks -- for example, checking personal information in the worker profile -- is provided on the Workday landing page.

The WorkCyte website has information and resources specific to faculty, including a map of recommended online training courses based on responsibilities. A list of faculty job aids (step-by-step reference guides) for common Workday transactions also is available.

The WorkCyte homepage also includes a log of reported issues -- in progress and resolved -- and tips for using Workday. 

More help

Two faculty user labs remain on this week's schedule (9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 22, 0308 Elings Hall). No registration is required for the user labs, where faculty can get hands-on experience and expert help with Workday questions.

All employees can find support options on the WorkCyte website, including contact information for specialists on improved service delivery (ISD) teams assigned to their units.

New content is focus in second year of Miller OER grants

By Dave Roepke
August 22

In its second year, the Miller Open Education Mini-Grants program shifted even more of its focus to supporting faculty who are crafting original open educational resources (OER).

Grants of up to $5,000 are available to assist Iowa State instructors in using, constructing, refining or distributing openly licensed course content, customizable materials that can be specifically tailored for particular courses and teaching methods. OER, which can range from traditional textbooks to interactive modules, is free for students -- and other faculty.

Last year's inaugural round of grants in many cases spurred production of new OER, but some were awarded transitioning a course to an off-the-shelf OER. The 10 projects funded in 2019-20 are all producing new material in some way. 

"There's a lot more creation this year. We've got more people making something new to fill a need," said open access and scholarly communications librarian Abbey Elder, who coordinates the grant program.

Though work is underway in many cases, most of the projects will debut in the classroom in the spring, Elder said. The projects must be complete and used in a course by the end of June. Faculty who receive a grant will be featured in the trailblazers section of the university's OER website.

In a new requirement this year, text-based projects must be published through the ISU Digital Press, the library's publishing service. The ISU Digital Press uses Pressbooks for OER, a platform that simplifies publishing "nice-looking" e-books that students can download in a variety of formats, Elder said.

"It's a pretty easy-to-use resource," she said.

Here are the 10 minigrant winners:

Karri Haen Whitmer, genetics, development and cell biology

Award: $5,000
Course: BIOL 256L, Fundamentals of Human Physiology Laboratory
Summary: For the past five years, Haen Whitmer has developed content for her laboratory courses to cover topics textbooks didn't include. She will combine those materials with existing OER to develop a new, all-inclusive lab text. 
Approximate students impacted per semester: 400

Diana Lang, human development and family studies

Award: $5,000
Course: HD FS 249, Parenting and Family Diversity Issues
Summary: Lang is combining new videos, images and texts with existing OER material to create an interactive textbook. Because this material will be openly licensed and freely available online, it can be updated regularly and used in other colleges around the U.S.
Approximate students impacted per semester: 120

Monica Lamm and Laura Jarboe, chemical and biological engineering

Award: $4,963
Course: CH E 358, Separations
Summary: Having compiled extensive course notes and resources as textbook supplements, Lamm and Jarboe will adapt the materials into an open handbook on separations for chemical engineering students. The handbook will emphasize how practitioners work in the field.
Approximate students impacted per semester: 100

Amanda Anderson, kinesiology

Award: $4,360
Courses: KIN 258, Principles of Physical Fitness and Conditioning
Summary: Anderson is creating an interactive anatomy OER with embedded videos on resistance training to provide examples of concepts covered in her course. This will help meet an important learning outcome and give students a solid foundation for future kinesiology courses.
Approximate students impacted per semester: 180

Ji Yeong I, School of Education

Award: $3,360
Courses: EDUC 502, Teaching Mathematics to English Language Learners; EDUC 593G, Workshops: Mathematic Education
Summary: I will build open-access readings for each module in her course, filling the need for all-inclusive, relevant content. She hopes to eventually replace the textbook she uses with the material she is developing.
Approximate students impacted per semester: 30

Kelly Reddy-Best, apparel, events and hospitality management

Award: $3,000
Course: A M D 165, Dress, Appearance and Diversity in Society
Summary: Unable to find a textbook that appropriately covers the full context of her course, Reddy-Best is making her own resources to fill that niche. In addition to finding, adapting and combining existing OER, she is creating team-based learning exercises and videos for each module.
Approximate students impacted per semester: 150

Julie Dickerson and Andrew Bolstad, electrical and computer engineering

Award: $2,500
Course: E E 224, Signals and Systems I
Summary: In this required course for electrical engineers, Dickerson and Bolstad are designing content to replace software-based laboratory assignments with more engaging hands-on exercises. The new lab material will incorporate CyDAQ, a data acquisition device designed by former ISU students as a senior design project.
Approximate students impacted per semester: 100

John Haughery, agricultural and biosystems engineering

Award: $2,499
Course: TSM 363, Electrical Power Systems and Electronics for Agriculture and Industry
Summary: Haughery, the program's only two-time recipient, is reorganizing, formatting and publishing an adapted version of the OER textbook he adopted with last year's grant. The adaptation will fit seamlessly into his course structure, including only the chapters covered. A print option will be available.
Approximate students impacted per semester: 120

Nicole Tramp, food science and human nutrition

Award: $2,025
Course: FS HN 554, 555 and 556, Dietetics Internship I, II and III
Summary: Tramp is creating a case study dietetics students can access in Canvas that will explore options for the management of Type 2 diabetes. This will add an interactive learning experience that can be adopted, updated or remixed by instructors at other universities.
Approximate students impacted per semester: 70

Julie Irish, interior design

Award: $1,000
Course: ARTID 569A, Advanced Studies in Interior Design: Design Theory
Summary: Irish is identifying open-source readings and creating new open lecture materials, which can be adopted in other interior design courses around the U.S.
Approximate students impacted per semester: 16

The OER minigrant program is sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), University Library, the office of the senior vice president and provost and the Computation Advisory Committee. The grants are inspired by the Miller Faculty Fellowship Program, a CELT program funded by the Miller Endowment Trust. The trust was created by the estate of F. Wendell Miller, an attorney and farm manager who died in 1995 and left the bulk of his estate to Iowa State and the University of Iowa.

Grants will be offered again in the spring for fiscal year 2021, Elder said.

A summer full of news

By Jeff Budlong
August 22

Classes may be smaller but campus is far from quiet over the summer months. Here's a look at some of the news made since May graduation weekend.

Appointments

Dean

• Sam Easterling, James L. and Katherine S. Melsa Dean of Engineering, effective July 15
• Luis Rico-Gutierrez, College of Design dean, reappointed through 2024

Vice president-level

• Duane Reeves, assistant vice president for specialty business services and cultural arts, division of operations and finance, effective June 3

Director

• Donald Hackmann, School of Education director, effective July 1
• Christopher Hanes, student counseling  services director, effective July 1
• Jared Hohanshelt, logistics and support services director, effective July 15
• Brendan O'Brien, office of international students and scholars director, effective Aug. 1
• Rick Sanders, ISU Research Park president, effective June 1
• Eliot Winer, Virtual Reality Applications Center director, effective July 1
• Karen Zunkel, institutional research executive director, effective July 2

Department chair

• Li-Shan Chou, kinesiology department chair, effective July 1
• Scott Grawe, supply chain management department chair, effective July 1
• Dan Nettleton, statistics department chair, effective Aug. 16
• Kevin Scheibe, information systems and business analytics department chair, effective July 1
• Deidra Schleicher, management department chair, effective July 1

Program leader

• Carolann Jensen, state relations officer, effective Aug. 25
• Deborah Nistler, 4-H youth development state program leader, effective Aug. 15
• Diana Sloan, program director for Hispanic/Latino affairs, office of the vice president for diversity and inclusion, effective May 20

Interim leadership

• Tammy Hansen, accounts receivable interim director, effective June 3
• Angie Hunt, news service interim director, effective Aug. 8
• Jacy Johnson, office of strategic relations and communications interim executive director, effective July 3
• Dana Rewoldt, interim director of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer and president of ISU Research Foundation, effective Aug. 5
• Hilary Seo, University Library interim dean, effective July 1
• Jennifer Suchan, interim university registrar, effective June 17

News

• Tuition rates: The FY20 increases will range from 3.7% to 4.8% in tuition and fees, an increase of $331 for resident undergraduates.
• Pay raise: Faculty and professional and scientific staff with satisfactory work evaluations will receive a two-part salary increase. The first 1% increase came July 1, the second Oct. 1.
• Workday launches: The central system for finance, payroll and human resources came online for everyone July 2. It also can be accessed when away from campus through the mobile app.
• New job site: Looking for a new job at ISU? Workday makes it a more convenient process. Student hiring also moved to Workday.
• Cyclone regent: Iowa State junior Zack Leist was appointed to the state Board of Regents by Gov. Kim Reynolds in June.
• Oversight for the Iowa State Center transferred to the athletics department from the division of operations and finance on Aug. 1.
• Enrollment: After record-setting spring graduation, summer enrollment fell below 11,000 for the first time since 2012.
• Record number: ISU set a record for external research funding in FY19.
• Easing the process: An updated hiring and employment policy went into effect in  July.

Construction projects

• Moving forward: The Student Innovation Center is about 75% complete and on target to open by the spring semester.
• Still standing: Part of Helser Hall was demolished in 2001, but what remains received $6.5 million in upgrades that replaced windows and refurbished rooms.
• Nearly complete: The Brunnier Art Museum is wrapping up a 20-month renovation and will reopen in September.
• Staying active: The Maple Willow Larch fields officially open this fall while renovations at the Southeast Recreation Complex continue into 2020. Intramural and club sports will have more options when the projects are complete.
• Let there be light: Parks Library summer renovations focused on opening up space in the lobby to add seating and student space on the first floor.

Helpful to know

• Making travel easier: The travel card allows individuals to pay work-related travel and hospitality expenses without using personal funds and then seeking reimbursement.
• Updated rooms: Ten general university classrooms received technology improvements.
• Here to help: Smart Start is a new program for first-year students designed to help those who may have academic issues before it becomes a bigger problem.

Students, alumni share business concepts at state fair pitch-off

By Anne Krapfl
August 22

Thirteen individuals or entrepreneurial teams received awards during an Aug. 18 awards ceremony that concluded "The Great Iowa State Pitch Off: STANDING InnOVATION," the centerpiece of the university's Iowa State Fair exhibit.

Continuum Ag was named "best of show" following a two-round competition that launched with 112 pitches -- involving more than 150 participants -- presented during the first eight days of the fair. The pitchers represented all colleges, ISU Extension and Outreach and the university's alumni community. On Aug. 16-17, the 56 winners of those head-to-head contests pitched again to a panel of judges, who selected the winners. President Wendy Wintersteen and senior vice president and provost Jonathan Wickert presented the awards Sunday afternoon at the university's exhibit.

The Washington, Iowa-based Continuum Ag, a consulting company that uses data to provide farmers with real-time soil health recommendations, received a $5,000 top prize. It was founded by Mitch Hora, a 2017 alumnus (agronomy and agricultural systems technology). His brother, David Hora, a freshman studying agronomy at Iowa State, works for Continuum Ag.

In addition to the Horas' honor, seven individuals or teams received $2,500 awards and four more received $1,000 honorable mention awards. Additionally, one winner was selected from the "Pitch Me ISU" 60-second video-based contest -- an opportunity for undergraduates to share their world-changing idea if time and money were no issue.

Award winners

• $5,000 Best of Show: Continuum Ag, alumnus Mitch Hora and freshman David Hora, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• $2,500 Youth Entrepreneur Award: Civil Discourse for Teens training, Owynn McNutt, Charlize DeArmond and Nicholas Stocks, Iowa 4-H members
• $2,500 Community Entrepreneur Award: New Day Dairy bed and breakfast, Clarksville, alumna Lynn Bolin, Ivy College of Business
• $2,500 Applied Technology and Innovation Award: Haber Technologies, alumnus Eric Harweger and graduate student Dillon Hurd, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• $2,500 Applied Technology and Innovation Award: CattleTEC, graduate student Alex Irlbeck, College of Engineering, and 2019 CyStarter
• $2,500 Civic/Social Entrepreneurship Award: Belange Handmade LLC, senior Belange Mutunda, College of Human Sciences
• $2,500 Cutting Edge Innovation: NXGenCare, Andrew Guillamette, ISU Startup Factory
• $2,500 Iowa Entrepreneur Award: Deadeye BBQ sauce, alumnus Michael Hanstad, Ivy College of Business and 2018 CyStarter (awards funded by the Ivy College of Business)

• $1,000 Pitch Me ISU Award (video pitch): Comic Sandwiches (shield and prop replicas), senior Grayson Burgess, College of Engineering, and 2019 CyStarter (award funded by President Wendy Wintersteen)

• $1,000 Honorable mention: Jensen Applied Sciences, junior Dillon Jensen, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and 2019 CyStarter
• $1,000 Honorable mention: Lunchsox, graduate student Rebecca Lyons, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and 2018 CyStarter
• $1,000 Honorable mention: The Modern Milkman, junior Lauren Jones, Ivy College of Business, and 2019 CyStarter
• $1,000 Honorable mention: Process Partners, graduate student Courtney Middelkoop, College of Engineering (awards funded by the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship)

All students to take sexual assault prevention training

August 22

All Iowa State students will complete sexual assault prevention training this fall as part of Title IX requirements.

The freshman class was the only one last fall to complete this training, and that class will get a refresher. The training now expands to all students, including graduate students.

This year's course comes in two parts and is accessible to students through Canvas. The first part takes about 45 minutes and must be completed by Sept. 9. The second part -- due by Sept. 30 -- is a confidential survey sent 21 days after the training is completed to assess what students have learned. The training can be completed in multiple sittings.

Margo Foreman, Title IX coordinator and assistant vice president for diversity and inclusion and equal opportunity, said the training not only reinforces what students know, but shows them how they can use their influence to make campus safer. She asks faculty and staff to remind students to complete the training.

Once students are in Canvas, help is available for logging in and completing the training.

Foreman also reminds student employees to complete an additional course that deals with their responsibility to report inappropriate activity. There are additional training courses for student-athletes and athletics staff.  

Faculty and staff training programs are done through Learn@ISU and are automatically triggered 30 days after employment begins.

Welcome back events for faculty and staff

August 22

Welcome to a new academic year. Inside provides this reminder of kickoff events for faculty and staff.

In your college

• Human Sciences: Welcome Back event, Aug. 22, 8-11 a.m., Reiman Ballroom, Alumni Center
• Business: Ivy faculty and staff (and families) picnic, Aug. 23, 5:30 p.m., Big Bluestem Shelter, Moore Memorial Park, 3050 Northridge Parkway
• Design: Welcome reception, Aug. 26, 6-8 p.m., program at 6:30 p.m., Beckman Forum, College of Design
• Veterinary Medicine: Convocation, Sept. 4, 4 p.m., 2226 Vet Med
• Liberal Arts and Sciences: Convocation, Sept. 9, 3:30 p.m., reception follows, MU Sun Room
• Agriculture and Life Sciences: Convocation and awards ceremony, Sept. 17, 4:10-5:15 p.m., reception follows, MU Pioneer Room
• Engineering: Convocation and awards ceremony, Sept. 19, 3:10-4 p.m., Howe Hall auditorium, reception follows

All-university traditions

• President's Annual Address: Sept. 11, 4 p.m., MU Great Hall, reception follows
• University Faculty-Staff Awards Ceremony: Sept. 23, 3:30 p.m., MU Great Hall, reception follows