Like a giant sandbox

April 13

The first of many phases to the athletics department's CYtown development at the Iowa State Center is progressing this spring. Crews have removed most of the east half (C and D lots) of the parking block south of Hilton Coliseum. By fall semester's start, they'll install underground utilities to support future CYTown facilities, install new lighting and resurface the lots, which will be raised as an Ioway Creek flood mitigation strategy.

Congratulations, term faculty

By Anne Krapfl
April 13

The office of the senior vice president and provost announced promotions for 37 term faculty for the 2023-24 academic year. The promotions span all seven colleges and include 14 cases of advancement to the full professor level and 23 cases to the associate professor level. They also cover four of the five professional tracks in Iowa State's four-year-old term faculty system: teaching, clinical, practice and adjunct. The fifth is a research track.

 

Term faculty advancement by college

College	To associate professor	To full professor	Total
Agriculture and Life Sciences	9	3	12
Business	2	0	2
Design	1	2	3
Engineering	1	1	2
Human Sciences	5	2	7
Liberal Arts and Sciences	4	5	9
Veterinary Medicine	1	1	2
Total	23	14	37

 

In the October 2022 employee headcount, Iowa State employed 573 term faculty.

In addition to new titles that take effect this summer, July 1 for 12-month faculty and Aug. 16 for 9-month faculty, promoted term faculty receive an increase to their base salary and longer appointments.

Promotion requests for 75 tenured or tenure-track faculty members for 2023-24 await final approval by the state Board of Regents at its April 20 meeting in Ames.

Five questions with the student life archivist

By Carly Hanson
April 13

In the classroom and beyond, students make history at Iowa State. The projects, coursework, events, organizations and activities that students take part in during their time at the university become integral to its legacy. Preserving records from student life past and present is crucial to the work of Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) and its new student life archivist Rebecca Wells.

How do student life archives help tell the university's story?

The history of the university is a mosaic of the experiences, memories and accomplishments of every student, staff, faculty and administrator at Iowa State. If one of those groups' perspectives is absent, then the university’s history is missing a piece.

Although we will never be able to collect, preserve and share every single person's perspective in the archives, we do seek to build an archival record in which everyone can see themselves -- one that is representative of every Iowa Stater and can truly serve as a reflection of the campus in which no one who calls Iowa State home is forgotten or erased.

What's something especially meaningful you've archived?

The Jill Wagner papers. The university commemorates 100 years since Jack Trice's passing this year, and while co-curating the exhibition "Once, Twice, Trice: Students Tackle Naming Jack Trice Stadium," the name Jill Wagner came to the forefront.

Wagner, the first elected female president of the Government of the Student Body and alumna with a predilection for social justice, was one of the thousands of students who contributed to the nearly 25 years of student activism that went into naming the football stadium in honor of Trice. Adding the voice of this one student to the archives helps represent the thousands of students who signed their names to petitions, wore armbands during football games and contributed their time and money to exact tremendous change at Iowa State.

When people think of archives, websites don't always come to mind. Why is it important to archive university websites? 

It's not just websites! People are often shocked to hear that we archive born-digital materials, like Word documents, PDFs, digital photos and websites.

For decades now, we have used computers and the web in our daily exchange of information and interactions with others. These materials are evidence of the functions and responsibilities of their creators, making them vital to capture and preserve for future use.

I currently am revamping our web archiving program to better collect and preserve our online presence and serve our users. If anyone notices that a university webpage hasn't been captured in a while, or at all, they can contact me to get the process started.

You recently held a Recordkeeping 101 workshop -- what were the takeaways, especially for employees?

Good recordkeeping means managing your records throughout their lifecycle to prevent the accidental loss or erasure of history. In my role as student life archivist, I often talk with students about why their records matter, but faculty, staff and administrators' records are just as important. Both the official records created in your role at the university and your professional contributions to field-specific research and service provide evidence of important decisions made and actions taken, which are important to archive.

What do you wish more people understood about archiving?

Archiving is a way to connect to each other, relate to one another and communicate across time through shared experiences. We welcome you to be a part of the archival process here and encourage you to collect, preserve, donate and share in the creation and use of the archival record of Iowa State and its major research areas. Archival collections can only be as representative as the people who choose to share their stories. 

If you're ever unsure about visiting us, donating things to us or want to know more about what we do and how you can be a part of it, reach out to archives@iastate.edu. We want to hear from you!

Faculty promotion, tenure requests go to regents next week

By Anne Krapfl
April 13

Iowa State leaders will ask the state Board of Regents to approve promotions for 75 faculty members at the board's meeting in Ames next week. The request includes 43 cases of promotion with tenure, three tenure-only requests and 29 promotions for tenured faculty.

The board meets Wednesday (committee meetings) and Thursday (full board meeting), April 19-20, at the ISU Alumni Center. Public portions of the meeting will be livestreamed on the board's website. The agenda and supporting documents are online.

New degrees

Iowa State also will seek a final green light for an online Master of Accounting Analytics (an in-person version exists), and a new Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural communications. Since 1996, this programming has been offered as a communications option within the agricultural and life sciences education major. Students have asked for a degree program with a name that reflects the strategic communications aspect of their education.

In anticipation of a FY 2024 salary policy discussion at their June meeting, board members will receive comments from the leaders of employee representative groups about their constituents' pay situation. At Iowa State, those leaders are Jon Perkins, Faculty Senate; and Jamie Sass, P&S Council.

Building projects

The regents will review an Iowa State proposal to purchase and install a combination of donated and discounted feed mill and grain processing equipment at the new grain science complex on the Curtiss Farm west of Ames along U.S. Highway 30. The proposal would add $11.2 million to the current project budget of $24 million, with the difference covered by private gifts and university funds. In replacing three ISU feed mills, the facility will be used for research and training future employees in grain and feed facilities to serve the state's ag industries.

Iowa State also will ask for board permission to:

• Begin planning for an estimated $22 million project to add 16,000 square feet to the southeast corner of the Lied Recreation Athletic Center and renovate 20% of the facility. The project would expand weight rooms, locker rooms and sports medicine areas for the Cyclone wrestling and track and field programs. Recreation services and the athletics department would exchange some space; rec services' space allocation would not decrease. Athletics operating funds and private gifts would pay for the project.
• Build seven teaching labs for textile sciences (apparel, events and hospitality management department) in the Human Nutritional Sciences Building, permanently replacing and modernizing current labs in the adjacent LeBaron Hall (which is planned to be replaced). University funds would cover the $2.1 million cost.

Other business

In other Iowa State-related business, the board will:

• Approve parking permit rates for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Iowa State is proposing a 3% increase.
• Approve residence system rates for the 2023-24 academic year. An average room-meal plan combination would go up about 4%, as proposed.
• Consider requests to close four centers: Biobased Industry Center, Center for Metabolic Biology, Iowa Center for Advance Neurotoxicology and the Center for Earthworks Engineering Research. The first faces declining private sponsors, the others are due to center leadership departures.

Presentations

Board members will receive presentations on the topics listed, in most cases from university employees (times are estimates):

• Student employment on campus, to the campus and student affairs committee, Wednesday, 12:45 p.m.
• K-12 educator preparation programs, to the academic affairs committee, Wednesday, 2 p.m.
• Protecting the world from antimicrobial resistance, Paul Plummer, College of Veterinary Medicine, and executive director of the National Institute of Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Education, to the full board, Thursday, 10 a.m.
• Regent universities' economic impact in Iowa, Hannah Ruffridge, Lightcast market analytics firm, to the full board, Thursday, 11 a.m. (held from the February meeting)

History helps ISU police confirm its mission

By Jeff Budlong
April 13

The Iowa State police department did a different kind of investigation over the past couple of years. For a group charged with protecting others, it decided to look into something different -- its own history.

Sgt. Adam Choat put his investigative instincts to good use to determine the department's beginnings through the discovery of the first night watchman, Knute Hegland. Choat pored through three large books kept in the Armory basement to start to put the pieces together.

"When [Choat] joined our organization, he had a real interest because his dad used to be an officer here, and his grandfather was an Ames police officer," said chief of police Michael Newton. "We  know our department has been ingrained in community-oriented policing, but this helps us understand why, and it goes all the way back to the first night watchman."

Newton said when researching Hegland, it quickly became apparent that students admired him. He is mentioned in yearbooks -- and he is a rare merit employee buried in the university cemetery.

Humble beginnings

According to the ISU Biographical Dictionary, Hegland was born in Norway and hired as a fireman in the heating plant at Iowa State College in 1905. He worked there for 13 years before becoming the first night watchman, a job he held for 28 years until his death in 1946.

His duties on the overnight shift included checking buildings on his route and ensuring the gates at the campanile were locked. Although the police department's duties have vastly expanded over the decades, ensuring doors are locked and buildings are secure remains a priority, Newton said.

Hegland's personality and kind greetings made him a favorite of the student body. He helped avoid tragedy in 1938 when a fire broke out in Margaret women's residence hall near where Lebaron Hall now stands. When he noticed the flames, he sounded an alarm, ensuring all residents escaped without harm despite the building burning to the ground.

"He really made a lifelong impact on Iowa State with all he did," Newton said. "He started us on a path of being part of the community, and I think it's easy when you start that way to continue that legacy."

Newton said it is an idea he presents to potential hires, emphasizing the department's organization and culture must be a fit for them and vice versa.

Celebrating history

Hegland is part of the history Newton hopes to celebrate this year, the 105th of the Iowa State police department. Staff are putting together a display of uniforms and badges officers have worn through the years that will be in the Armory.

"We also plan on putting together a timeline so that we can share more of our history with campus," Newton said.

New council members will be seated in June

By Anne Krapfl
April 13

Eighteen vacancies on the 44-member Professional and Scientific (P&S) Council were filled for fiscal year 2024 in last month's election. The winners included 14 newly elected and four incumbent (noted by *) members. They will be seated at the end of the council's June meeting. Elected to represent the four divisions were:

• Academic affairs (12 vacancies): Michael Boyd, statistics; Lynne Campbell*, ISU Extension and Outreach; Amanda Eggers, ISU Extension and Outreach; Isaac Ehlers, student financial aid; Rachel Faircloth, Program for Women in Science and Engineering; Leah Feltz, ISU Extension and Outreach; Jennifer Finch, accounting; Paul Gibbins, ISU Extension and Outreach; Chris Knight-Gipe, ISU Extension and Outreach; Sarah Larkin*, Graduate College; Carrie Schwake, Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center; and Kaylee Wellik*, Greenlee School
• Operations and finance (2): Mindy Hanna, finance delivery; and Jennifer Schroeder*, accounts receivable
• President's division (3): Nikki Brandon, environmental health and safety; Sara Everson, public safety; and Lucas Oerter, athletics
• Student affairs (1): Nathan Pick, recreation services

The council's constitution provides a representative for every 75 P&S employees.

Jason Follett, chair of the representation committee, reported a 19.6% participation rate (701 ballots completed of 3,578 invitations), one of the higher rates in recent years.

Follett said there were access issues again this year with the ballots in Qualtrics, and his committee has been working with IT Services staff to study ballot alternatives. Additionally, the email invitation to vote (sent via a vendor) landed in some employees' junk folder.

In council announcements:

• Senior vice president and provost Jonathan Wickert said university leaders await instructions from the state Board of Regents on a regent system review of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and efforts. He said he anticipates a multi-month project that gets underway yet this spring and continues into the fall. Regents David Barker, Jim Lindenmayer and Greta Rouse will lead the study.
• Jennifer Schroeder, who chairs the professional development committee, said all P&S professional development opportunities and archived events back to 2019 are being moved from Learn@ISU to Workday Learning. That task should be completed by July 1.
• Vice president Patrick Wall said the May meeting will include a discussion about consolidating the council's standing committees for better efficiency and outcomes. For example, he said a dedicated communications liaison on each committee might be more effective than a stand-alone communications committee.

The council's next meeting is Thursday, May 4 (2:10 p.m., 3580 MU).