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October 24

 

Nursing program announces first 3+1 agreement

By Angie Hunt, news service
October 24

A new partnership will provide a seamless transition for Des Moines Area Community College nursing graduates to earn a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree from Iowa State in one year. The new 3+1 agreement, which will begin in fall 2025, is designed so that nursing graduates can work while earning their bachelor's degree.

Iowa State's RN-to-BSN program offers flexibility for all students through a hybrid learning format. The university worked closely with DMACC to ensure the first year of coursework aligns with Iowa State's requirements for a BSN. Dawn Bowker, director of nursing education and clinical associate professor at Iowa State, said the agreement provides potential to grow Iowa State's nursing program and the state's workforce.

"We are providing a pathway for registered nurses to earn their BSN, which will lead to more highly-skilled nurses entering the workforce this decade," Bowker said. "Ultimately, patients will benefit. Research has shown that improved patient outcomes are associated with nurses with bachelor's degrees, including lower mortality rates and fewer medication errors."  

DMACC graduates more than 400 nursing students each year. Noah Harvey, a May graduate, currently is working in the intensive care unit at Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines while earning his BSN. Harvey said his goal is to become a medical doctor, and Iowa State's program provides the balance and opportunity to make that goal a reality.

"I was initially drawn to Iowa State's RN-to-BSN because of the immersion programs at the end of the year. After meeting with the faculty, I knew I had found my home," Harvey said. "The faculty cares so much about your success inside and outside the classroom. The fact that the program is made for working nurses has made it possible to give my all on assignments and not be overwhelmed with my nursing job."

Other partnerships

Since 2021, Iowa State has partnered with Ames' Mary Greeley Medical Center to advance the nursing profession in the community and the state of Iowa. Mary Greeley annually provides tuition for at least eight of its registered nurses to complete Iowa State's BSN program. Bowker said more healthcare facilities, including Mary Greeley, are requiring nurses have a BSN to address the growing complexity of healthcare needs.

Iowa State's program provides students with practicum opportunities at Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and in Oslo, Norway. Bowker said these opportunities allow nursing students to gain experience in understanding global health issues.

Program recognition

The RN-to-BSN program has a 94% completion rate, compared to the 60% national average. The program also recently was recognized by the Iowa Nurses Association. Bowker received the organization's Excellence in Nursing Education award, presented to a nursing instructor who is making a positive influence on future nurses in Iowa.

Sundararajan named to new position in provost's office

By Rob Schweers, office of the senior vice president and provost
October 24

Sriram Sundararajan has been named interim assistant provost for special projects in the office of the senior vice president and provost. He will serve in a 25% appointment through Dec. 31 and a 50% appointment thereafter.

Sundararajan, professor of mechanical engineering and associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Engineering, will report jointly to senior vice president and provost Jason Keith and Sam Easterling, James L. and Katherine S. Melsa Dean of Engineering.

In his new role as interim assistant provost, he will provide leadership to Iowa State's enrollment management units, including admissions, student financial aid and the university registrar. Laura Doering, associate vice president for enrollment management, will report to Sundararajan.

"Dr. Sundararajan has an outstanding track record of success and an excellent reputation across campus," Keith said. "Sriram will work with our talented enrollment management teams to sustain our momentum in bringing new students to campus and helping ensure they receive the support they need to succeed."

Sundararajan joined the Iowa State faculty in 2002. He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science in India, and master's and doctoral degrees from The Ohio State University, Columbus. Previous positions in the Engineering college include associate chair in mechanical engineering and college faculty success advisor.

Sundararajan is the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings and has developed undergraduate and graduate curricula in mechanical engineering and leadership development. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering.

 

 

Grad mixers assist students in ways that support faculty

By Jeff Budlong
October 24

Graduate College associate dean for professional development Elena Cotos wanted a way to bring graduate students together and provide consistent programming that balances professional development with social connectivity. Working with leaders at the Student Innovation Center, she and her team developed Grad Mixer Wednesdays, weekly daylong events for grad students to socialize, network and ask questions. The mixers' focus is to improve their communication, research, teaching, career and leadership abilities.

"In Pearson Hall, we don't have a space for graduate students to come and feel like it is their home," Cotos said. "They can get so busy with their coursework, teaching, research or other assistantship responsibilities that they miss that sense of belonging and community. Especially for newer graduate students, the mixers are an opportunity to learn about different forms of support, services and professional development opportunities available to them at Iowa State."

Graduate students are invited to room 1118 to take advantage of mostly hourlong activities. Each Wednesday contains seven activities; no registration is needed and students come and go as their schedules allow. The weekly schedule is:

• Coffee buzz (8-9:30 a.m.): Free coffee and networking opportunities with staff from student-serving units.
• Academic drop-ins (9:30-11 a.m.): Individual work with peer mentors specializing in areas such as written and oral communication, thesis/dissertation writing, English writing and speaking, competitive awards or career coaching.
• Innovation at Iowa State (11 a.m.-noon): Faculty and graduate students showcase their work.
• Lunch and mingle (noon-1 p.m.): A friendly place to eat lunch and build community.
• Career watch party (1-2 p.m.): Information for career-minded students on a range of employment topics.
• Peer-mentored groups (2-3 p.m.): A peer-facilitated environment where students receive feedback and accomplish their accountability goals.
• Workshops and seminars (3-4:30 p.m.): Topic-driven talks to enhance academic and professional skills.

The activities were determined, in part, by requests the graduate professional development staff receives on skill development and nationally recognized career expectations of graduate students. 

Student and faculty benefit

Cotos said faculty are invited to share their research with graduate students during the Innovation at Iowa State hour. But her biggest request is that faculty encourage their graduate students to attend the mixers. That exposure reaps benefits to faculty, too.

The mixers highlight assistance available to grad students that develop skills that will make them competitive in their future careers while easing the demand on faculty.

"The Graduate College has the Center for Communication Excellence that provides a lot of support for students who need to improve their research writing," she said. "It also can help with their presentation or interpersonal skills. We know our faculty are busy, and that graduate students need feedback about what makes a research paper good or a presentation impactful."

Cotos said professional development staff lend help in key areas that are beneficial to participants as students at ISU and in the workforce. 

​​"We also prepare students for academic and non-academic careers, helping them navigate the job seeking process, prepare application documents, practice interviewing and present personal branding on social media," she said.

The Graduate College has about 15 graduate peer mentors in communication consulting and career coaching roles who assist other students each semester and also facilitate mixer events. They go through significant training -- including a practicum -- to become certified, Cotos said. The peer-support model began in 2015 and has consistently expanded.

Looking ahead

Cotos hopes to continue the mixers past the fall semester with graduate students taking more ownership.

"I want to give them more leadership opportunities to organize events for the mixers," she said. "I want them to select the topics and types of activities that are most important to them. Taking that leadership may not be something they have a lot of experience with, and many of them are looking for those opportunities."

In addition to developing leadership skills, giving grad students more say lets them set a feasible schedule and spread the word with their peers, Cotos said.

Ten things to know from this week's digital accessibility update

By Jeff Budlong
October 24

Cyndi Wiley, digital accessibility lead for Information Technology Services (ITS), emphasized compliance and the deadline of April 24, 2026, during a Oct. 21 webinar updating Iowa State's digital accessibility efforts.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Justice updated regulations in the Americans with Disabilities Act that ensure people with disabilities can successfully navigate entities' web content and mobile apps. As a public university, Iowa State must comply by the 2026 deadline.

"This promotes inclusivity, compliance and wider reach by ensuring everyone can participate," Wiley said.

Iowa State's digital accessibility toolkit has numerous tailored resources to begin updating or continue the effort. It includes knowledge base articles, LinkedIn Learning paths, free tools to check accessibility, captioning and transcription services and more. Wiley said her team will continue to update the toolkit.

Here are 10 takeaways from the webinar:

1. The updated regulations require accessibility for web content and mobile apps, including:
   • Educational content (course materials in Canvas)
   • Software and applications
   • Social media content
   • Mobile apps (internal and external)
   • Digital documents (PDFs, Microsoft Word files)
   • Digital publications (e-books, journal articles)
   • Digital communications (emails, newsletters)
   • Multimedia (images, videos)

2. All websites related to the university must be accessible. It includes all ".iastate.edu" domains and subdomains as well as faculty research, student organization and affiliate sites (athletics, ISU Book Store and ISU Extension and Outreach, etc.). All university websites should comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 AA as defined by the Web Accessibility Initiative group.

3. Siteimprove, a software tool found on the toolkit website, ensures accessibility and compliance for public-facing and internal websites.

4. All digital course materials must be accessible. This includes Canvas courses and digital books, textbooks, audio, video and documents. Anthology Ally, also found on the toolkit website, is software that works in Canvas to automatically check course content and files for accessibility issues and delivers guidance to instructors to improve them.
5. All social media posts must incorporate available accessibility features of each platform (Facebook, X, Instagram, etc.). Older posts do not have to be updated, unless requested.
6. The digital accessibility team will begin a series of monthly webinars on specific accessibility topics this month. A digital accessibility work group also will be formed with liaisons from departments across campus to share information and updates.
7. Starting in spring 2025, required training for faculty and staff will be available through Workday Learning.
8. On April 24, 2026, Iowa State must have processes in place to respond to any digital accessibility inquiries or complaints. Web content or apps that aren't compliant may not be used or purchased.
9. The ITS web development and digital accessibility units offer fee-for-service help for digital accessibility compliance projects. Contact them to learn more.
10. Specific questions can be emailed to digitalaccess@iastate.edu. Any ISU employee may join the "Digital Accessibility at ISU" group in Microsoft Teams.

Related articles:

• Deadline moves up for digital accessibility, June 20, 2024
• New series aims to demystify digital accessibility, Sept. 21, 2023

Survey results show better student awareness of sexual misconduct resources

By Katy Cran, division of student affairs
October 24

Earlier this week, results were shared of Iowa State University's participation in the Higher Education Sexual Misconduct and Awareness (HESMA) survey. Iowa State was one of 10 universities that administered the survey in spring 2024, joining California Institute of Technology; Georgetown, Harvard, Stanford and Yale universities; Washington University in St. Louis; and the universities of Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh and Virginia. Iowa State participated in a nearly identical survey in 2019.

Last spring, the survey was sent via email to all current students, and 15.6% of ISU students responded. The survey sought to identify:

• Student perceptions and knowledge of sexual assault
• Student awareness and opinions about sexual misconduct resources on campus
• The prevalence of sexual misconduct, stalking and power-based personal violence

The results show a decrease in students experiencing sexual assault or misconduct, from 22.8% in the 2019 survey down to 16.9% in 2024. The data also indicates progress related to students' knowledge of campus policies, resources and what to do if they or an acquaintance experiences sexual misconduct. Broadly, the Iowa State HESMA data supports previously identified areas of strength for the institution. It also identifies areas for improvement.

Since 2019, Iowa State has implemented several community education initiatives and programs. Some of these are:

• Student Health and Wellness, in collaboration with the Iowa State police department, established a program related to consent called Green Flags training.
• More education about sexual assault resources were included in the Cyclone 101 optional course for first-year students and in campuswide initiatives such as Cyclone Support.
• Student Health and Wellness added staff dedicated to sexual violence prevention, increased involvement in the Green Dot bystander intervention network and broadened the membership of the Green Dot bystander intervention team.

What's next

In the spring, Iowa State will initiate a Sexual Violence Prevention and Response advisory board, led by Carrie Giese, student wellness; and Mary Howell Sirna, office of equal opportunity. The board will provide feedback and guidance to a team of campus experts on efforts to strengthen the culture and understanding of consent and healthy relationships while building a more responsive campus community.

"The results from this survey provide a foundation for Iowa State to increase our prevention and response efforts related to sexual misconduct," Giese said. "We are ready to dig into the data to develop strategies that build a culture of understanding and care around an important subject."

The data from the 2024 survey will help the group align its plans with current student trends. The advisory board anticipates that its first progress report will be released in summer 2025.

Questions about the HESMA survey and results can be directed to Carrie Giese.

 

Homecoming celebration starts Sunday

October 24

Homecoming 2024, "Cy Around the World," begins with a kickoff event Sunday, Oct. 27, and runs through the home football game against Big 12 Conference foe Texas Tech Saturday afternoon, Nov. 2. A list of all Homecoming events is online; here's a curated selection for faculty and staff consideration:

 

Kickoff
Sunday, Oct. 27 (11 a.m.-1 p.m., Alumni Center and adjacent parking lot)

This free event is open to all, including faculty and staff, alumni, friends, ISU students and the Ames community. Enjoy free quesadillas while supplies last, snacks for sale  -- including cherry pies! -- live performances, music, games and activities.

 

93rd annual honors and awards ceremony
Friday, Nov. 1 (1:30 p.m., Stephens Auditorium)

More than 40 ISU alumni and friends will be honored for their impact in their communities, on Iowa State University and through their careers. The ceremony is open to the public; a dessert reception follows.

 

Lunch on campus
Monday-Thursday, Oct. 28-31 (11 a.m.-1 p.m., central campus)

Food on campus features a different local vendor serving lunch on central campus during homecoming week. You must have a homecoming button ($5) to eat; they're sold at the food tent, ISU Book Store in the Memorial Union and Innovate 1858 store in the Student Innovation Center. The menu is:

• Monday: Sandwiches from Jimmy John's
• Tuesday: Chili and cinnamon rolls from The Machine Shed, Urbandale
• Wednesday: Grilled burgers
• Thursday: BBQ sandwiches from Whatcha Smokin', Luther

A designated faculty and staff serving line is open for an hour (11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) If you arrive before or after, plan to use the general serving line. Drop in a business card each time you stop by the faculty-staff line for a chance to win a prize at Friday's food on campus option -- Papa John's pizza slices during the evening pep rally at the Alumni Center.

 

Pep rally and celebration
Friday, Nov. 1 (5-8 p.m., Alumni Center)

At 5 p.m., faculty and staff are invited to the Reiman Ballroom (second floor) to receive a free drink ticket. Drink tickets will be handed out until 5:15 p.m. Business cards collected during the week at food on campus will be drawn to award prizes (must be present to win). Faculty and staff who are alumni association members will receive an exclusive ISUAA item. The evening's events are:

• 5-6 p.m., Homecoming Happy Hour, Cy’s Lounge (2nd floor), use your drink ticket and enjoy light snacks.
• 6 p.m., Pizza ($5 or free with your 2024 homecoming button), served in lot A-4. Inside the building, enjoy giveaways, kids activities, cash bar and ISU Book Store merchandise sale.
• 6:45 p.m., Pep rally, lot A-4, featuring the Cyclone marching band, Yell-Like-Hell* cheer finals, Cardinal Court (homecoming royalty), Cyclone student athletes and other special guests.

* If you're interested, the Yell Like Hell semifinal round (the first time teams are painted and in costume) begins at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, on central campus.

 

Fireworks and mass campaniling
Friday, Nov. 1 (11:59 p.m., central campus)

 

Office decorating contest
Friday, Nov. 1, judging begins at noon

This Homecoming tradition is back -- a fun way to show off your school spirit. Registration to participate closed Oct. 22.