Boys state basketball tourney coming to Hilton Coliseum in 2027

By Nick Joos, athletics communications
March 27

Jason Bell of Johnston-based Elite Glass and Metal polishes newly installed cardinal-colored glass Monday in the Scheman Building's east second floor area, branded as Johnny's at Scheman. In addition to CyTown components that will be in place by 2027, renovated spaces in Scheman were part of the athletics department's pitch to host the boys state basketball tournament. The renovated spaces in Scheman are available to the public for rent. Contact Brian Honnold or Brooke Mease, who work in event planning for the athletics department, to get started. Photos by Christopher Gannon.

A century after playing championships in State Gymnasium, the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) announced March 18 the tradition will return to campus. IHSAA and Iowa State enter a new era when the IHSAA State Boys Basketball Tournament moves to James H. Hilton Coliseum in 2027.

An initial five-year agreement, with support from Discover Ames, will locate the five-day, 32-team boys tournament inside Hilton Coliseum. The multi-use CyTown district under development at the Iowa State Center also is slated to come online in 2027.

"We couldn't be more excited about what this opportunity will offer our student-athletes, schools and supporters as they experience an elite basketball environment at Hilton and an awesome new tournament community in CyTown and Ames," said IHSAA executive director Tom Keating. "Our sincere appreciation goes to everyone who has helped make this possible at Iowa State University, Discover Ames and Cyclone athletics."

Lauded as one of the nation's finest college basketball venues with a capacity of 14,267, Hilton Coliseum boasts consistently strong attendance for the Cyclones' men's and women's basketball programs, which annually rank among the national leaders in home attendance.

The former Stage Door lounge at Scheman overlooks Lincoln Way.

ISU will make facilities at Hilton Coliseum and the updated Scheman Building available for the IHSAA event. Hilton opened in 1971, and the athletics department installed a new state-of-the-art video board, LED ribbon boards and audio system ahead of the 2024-25 season and also completed upgrades to the team locker rooms. The Scheman Building is in the midst of a renovation that has created new hospitality spaces for Cyclone contests and other special events.

The surrounding CyTown district -- expected to be up and running in 2027 -- will feature space for retail, food and beverage, common areas and a 200-room Marriott hotel, The Cardinal.

"On behalf of Iowa State University, thank you to the IHSAA board, Tom Keating and Tom's staff for deciding to bring the athletic association's state basketball tournament to Ames to experience Hilton Magic," said director of athletics Jamie Pollard. "We are excited to host this great event, and our staff looks forward to working with the IHSAA to make this special for the athletes, coaches and fans whose teams reach the state tournament each year."

"This is a major win for Iowa State University and our communities' hotels and restaurants," he added. "It is a great example of the new economic opportunities that CyTown can bring to the Ames community. This will be the first of many such opportunities our community will have in future years, because of the university's investment in CyTown."

IHSAA basketball brings eight qualifiers from each of four size classifications to the state tournament. Since moving to a five-day format in 2018, the event has averaged nearly 50,000 paid attendees annually.

"We are super excited to partner with Iowa State Athletics and the IHSAA to bring the State Basketball Tournament to Ames and Hilton Coliseum starting in 2027," said Discover Ames President and CEO Kevin Bourke. "This weeklong event will expose teams and fans from across the state to Iowa State University, as well as create a huge economic impact to Ames while showcasing our wonderful community."

Ames hosted the IHSAA's basketball tournament six times between 1917 and 1926, all at then-Iowa State College's State Gym. The last edition featured a small-school round robin, with Irwin topping Keystone, Grandview and Lake View for the 1926 Class B title.

The IHSAA concluded its 2025 championships March 14 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, where the tournament has been hosted since 1963.

"We have great relationships in Des Moines and at Iowa Events Center, and we thank them for all their years of support and their continued work in hosting our events," Keating said.

Science association honors nine Iowa State innovators for 'scientific excellence'

By Mike Krapfl, news service
March 27

Nine Iowa State researchers working in agriculture, biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, psychology, and statistics are part of the latest class of AAAS Fellows.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the world's largest scientific societies and publisher of the journal Science, announced its class of 2024 fellows today. The recognition is considered "a distinguished lifetime honor within the scientific community," according to the association.

"We're proud and honored as an institution that the American Association for the Advancement of Science recognized nine bold innovators from Iowa State in their 2024 class of AAAS Fellows," said vice president for research Peter Dorhout. "These individuals represent the best of Iowa State research. Their work and tireless commitment to discovery helps us achieve our strategic aspirations of creating opportunities and forging new frontiers as collaborative partners seeking proactive and innovative solutions to the many challenges facing our world."

Here are Iowa State's members of the 2024 class of AAAS Fellows, their award citations and current research programs:

Andreotti

Amy Andreotti, the Roy J. Carver Chair and University Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, "For contributions advancing the discipline of chemistry related to molecular signaling events that control immune cell activation in response to infection and disease."

Andreotti and her co-workers strive to understand the molecular mechanisms that control the immune response. With an emphasis on protein structure and dynamics, they are highlighting regulatory features that can be exploited in the development of new therapeutics to treat cancer and immune dysfunction.

Fox

Rodney Fox, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering (chemical and biological engineering) and executive director of the Center for Multiphase Flow Research and Education, "For distinguished contributions applying computational fluid dynamics to chemical reaction engineering."

In collaboration with researchers at the University of Paris-Saclay and the Ecole Polytechnique in France, Fox is developing innovative hydrodynamic models and computer simulation codes for multiphase reacting flows. Predictive simulations of such flows are essential engineering tools for numerous environmental and industrial applications.

Gentile

Douglas Gentile, Distinguished Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences (psychology), "For distinguished contributions to the fields of social and developmental psychology, particularly for media effects and learning theory."

Much of Gentile's work examines positive and negative effects of mass media on people, with an eye to helping people maximize the benefits of media while minimizing potential harms. Recent work includes advancing learning theory with a meta-theoretical model as well as practical research advancing our understanding of gaming disorder.

Huang

Wenyu Huang, professor of chemistry and a faculty scientist for the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames National Laboratory, "For contributions to advancing the discipline of chemistry related to the development of heterogeneous catalysis to aid in reducing energy consumption and by improving sustainability."

Huang's current research program focuses on catalysis for efficient chemical conversions, with specific efforts in upcycling waste plastics, reducing carbon dioxide, and developing innovative catalysts using intermetallic compounds. Their work aims to enhance reaction efficiency and selectivity, leveraging advanced materials to address environmental challenges, making it a contributor to green chemistry and renewable energy.

Meissner

Christian Meissner, professor of psychology, "For distinguished contributions to the field of cognitive psychology, particularly for theoretical and practical insights on the conduct of witness interviews and suspect interrogations."

Meissner conducts research on the psychological processes involved in developing rapport and trust, understanding why people resist sharing information, how best to facilitate recollection, and best practices for assessing deception in investigative interviews.

Nettleton

Dan Nettleton, Distinguished Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences (statistics) and Laurence H. Baker Chair in Biological Statistics, "For outstanding research in statistical science, design, analysis of high-dimensional biological datasets, for extraordinary impact on applications in life sciences, and for distinguished leadership to the statistical profession and community."

Nettleton conducts research on statistical methods for the design and analysis of high-dimensional biological datasets. His most recent work focuses on quantifying uncertainty associated with predictions generated by machine learning algorithms.

Prozorov

Ruslan Prozorov, professor of physics and astronomy and senior physicist for the Ames National Laboratory, "For distinguished contributions to the fields of superconductivity and magnetism, particularly for significant advances in understanding basic properties of high-transition temperature cuprates, iron-based superconductors, and ferromagnetic nanoparticles."

Prozorov leads the SUPERMAGLAB (the Superconductivity and Magnetism Low-Temperature Laboratory). The lab's research is focused on unconventional superconductivity, magnetism and their coexistence in novel quantum materials. The goal is identifying and understanding emerging phenomena relevant for energy- and quantum-computing related technologies. This research requires very low temperatures, close to absolute zero, and, often, high magnetic fields.

Schulte Moore

Lisa Schulte Moore, professor of natural resource ecology and management and co-director of the Bioeconomy Institute, "For distinguished contributions to landscape ecology, particularly for creating more sustainable agricultural systems."

Schulte Moore's research supports the development of new agricultural practices and markets to meet farm and societal goals for sustainable food, energy, and materials, rural prosperity, healthy soil, clean water, abundant wildlife, and inspiring recreational opportunities.

Toth

Amy Toth, professor of ecology, evolution, and organismal biology and chair of the graduate program in ecology and evolutionary biology, "For distinguished contributions to the field of evolutionary biology, particularly for advancing insect sociogenomics and the understanding of the social biology of organisms."

Toth's research uses an integrative approach, blending ecology, evolution, behavior, physiology, and genomics, to study insect sociality and pollinator declines. Her work has provided insights into the genomic mechanisms and evolution of social behavior, as well as deepened our understanding of the effects of environmental stress on bee health.

These nine Iowa State researchers join 462 other scientists, engineers and researchers in the newest class of AAAS Fellows. They will be recognized at a forum on June 7 in Washington, D.C., and featured in a March issue of the journal Science.

"This year's class of fellows are the embodiment of scientific excellence and service to our communities," said Sudip S. Parikh, the CEO of AAAS. "At a time when the future of the scientific enterprise in the U.S. and around the world is uncertain, their work demonstrates the value of sustained investment in science and engineering."

Continue the conversation on student success at campus symposium

By Anne Krapfl
March 27

Staff and faculty who want to learn more about strategic plan-funded initiatives aimed at boosting student retention and graduation rates -- and how to sustain and expand them -- should register for a free symposium on Thursday, April 10 (9 a.m.-3:15 p.m., registration and refreshments start at 8 a.m., Memorial Union Sun Room). Student Success and Retention is one of the final pieces of a three-year, $1.5 million initial investment in the university's 2022-31 strategic plan.

"For their awareness, we're going to tell participants about our eight initiatives that have achieved some building and connecting, but this conference really is to make sure the work continues," said Andrea Wheeler, associate professor of architecture and faculty fellow for student success in the provost office. "We want to keep the conversation going, we want the train to keep moving."

All are invited. Academic advisors, student affairs staff and teaching faculty in all colleges especially are encouraged to attend, Wheeler said.

"We'd like faculty to fully understand what's available to students who may be a bit vulnerable, not students in crisis, but who could benefit if someone let them know the university offers these services," she said. "And we'd like to continue the work to build a campus-wide culture of supporting student success and retention."

Matthew Mayhew, professor of educational studies at Ohio State University who studies the climate and the challenges students face in higher education, will give the keynote and, with several Iowa State senior leaders, "set the scene for 2025," Wheeler said. Mayhew is the lead author of the book, "How College Affects Students: 21st Century Evidence that Higher Education Works," which synthesizes more than 1,800 research investigations.

The conference also includes two morning breakout sessions and two afternoon panels, one featuring students sharing their experiences of support and success, the other faculty, advisors and student support specialists exploring strategies that positively impact student success.

Registration is free and includes lunch. Wheeler encouraged faculty and staff to attend whatever portion of the conference their schedule allows.

Three years of connecting

During her three-year, half-time fellowship in the provost office, Wheeler worked with associate provost Ann Marie VanDerZanden to lead a task force focused on:

• Identifying initiatives at the college and university level to support students
• Expanding partnerships across the university
• Using data to develop metrics for meeting retention and graduation goals

An initial group of 14 identified eight initiatives to invest in with the strategic plan funds. The funding and Wheeler's fellowship end on June 30. She said at least five of the initiatives will continue into the next fiscal year, dependent in some cases on a new funding source. They are:

1. Cyclone Support Training for employees. With an anticipated May 1 launch in Workday Learning, this 30-minute, interactive module trains faculty and staff on how to connect students to academic and wellness support services. It includes information on using university processes, including the Navigate software.

2. Three years of supplemental funding for the Academic Success Center was used to raise the wage for peer tutors to $15/hour, pay tutors for training and prep time to boost the quality of sessions, and increase the number of Supplementary Instruction (SI) sessions, particularly for three gateway classes with low passing rates historically.

3. Online onboarding for incoming first-year students. The five-module Cyclone 101 was piloted in Canvas last summer. The intent is to provide early information on academic and campus life topics so students feel better prepared and confident when they arrive on campus in August. Completion is optional. The pilot phase continues this summer.

4. A Cyclone Support specialist, Stephanie Negoda, started in January 2024 and is part of VanDerZanden's team. She responds to individual tags and requests in the Navigate app and, via texts to the student, shares the appropriate, responsive resources for each situation. The point is to reach students quickly in a mode they use frequently.

5. The efforts of two student assistance specialists, Johnna Ragland and Autumn Diesburg in the Dean of Students' office of student assistance, also have streamlined the referral process across college and campus units. In fall 2024, the Navigate team started a Cyclone check-in survey, inviting students to identify any barriers they faced during the semester. In response, these specialists met individually with 52 students and identified assistance for their specific challenges.

6. College-level help rooms. In fall 2022 and 2023, funds were distributed to pay graduate students to staff help rooms in the undergraduate colleges, typically focusing on specific courses. The intent was to supplement central tutoring and SI with a "local" option to reach more students. The numbers of students who used these help rooms didn't warrant additional funding this year except in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

7-8. A goal to develop a data-driven student retention plan in each undergraduate college was completed in one college. Associate deans and other college representatives were interviewed about the kind of data they needed, and that work produced a needs assessment for each college. However, creating the required data dashboards proved difficult during a critical time in Workday Student implementation and data updates.

A guide to reserving space in the Student Innovation Center

By Jeff Budlong
March 27

The Student Innovation Center draws students, faculty and staff from across campus for classes, projects and events where collaboration is everywhere. The purpose of the building is to celebrate the innovation that happens at Iowa State and bring together all the colleges to encourage interdisciplinary work and foster new ideas. Each college has footprint in the building to invite everyone to engage in innovation. There are many spaces available for use but anyone who uses the rooms and equipment should understand some basic guidelines.

The Student Innovation Center is made up primarily of three kinds of spaces, each with its own reservation procedures:

• Student Innovation spaces 
• General university classrooms
• College-designated spaces

Makerspaces

Makerspaces are studios, shops and labs where students, faculty and staff can create and collaborate. Users must complete online trainings in Canvas which cover the basics of the equipment and software in the makerspaces. After completing the Canvas course, users can sign up for a Making 101 session, which provides hands-on trainings required to use most of the machines and equipment in the makerspaces. Both the online and hands-on training must be completed before using the makerspaces.

* Reservations are required through the Student Innovation Center website to use the Letterpress Lab, Paint and Finishing Shop and Composites Shop. They're locked when not in use.

Makerspaces are open 9 a.m.-8 p.m. unless otherwise noted and staffed by experts who enforce safety and can help with machinery use. Materials for use in the makerspaces can be purchased at the Innovation Supply Station (room 1237). A ninth makerspace -- the Artificial Intelligence Innovation Studio -- will open on the third floor this fall.

Meeting rooms

The Student Innovation Center has six small meeting rooms (0122, 2237, 3111, 3131, 3136, 3136) that hold five to eight people and five large conference rooms (0107, 1118, 1133, 2235, 4237) that can hold 10-20 individuals. They can be reserved through the center's website or on the electronic pad just outside the room entrance. The small rooms can be reserved for up to three hours per day and reservations are available 30 days out. The large rooms also are available in three-hour blocks and can be reserved up to five days out. A reservation for more than five days out requires an event request.

Spaces like the stepatorium and first-floor atrium/multipurpose area can be reserved through the center. Reserving the Launchpad (room 4250) requires approval at the dean level or above.

General university classrooms

These rooms -- like all general university classrooms -- can be reserved by contacting room scheduling. Center staff can't reserve these rooms.

College-designated spaces

The six undergraduate colleges have designated space in the Student Innovation Center. The colleges are responsible for the spaces, control access and determine whether they can be rented or used by others. The rooms are locked when not in use, and center staff can't access or reserve the rooms.

Design

All spaces are for Design (and LAS) courses, students and staff. They are not available to those outside the college.

Liberal Arts and Sciences

All spaces are for LAS (and Design) courses, students and staff and are not available to those outside the college.

Engineering

All spaces are for Engineering courses, students and staff and are not available to those outside the college.

Health and Human Sciences

The room is available for rent in four- and eight-hour blocks for a fee ($93 for four hours and $187 for eight) outside of HHS classes. Email Matt Haynes to reserve.

Agriculture and Life Sciences

The rooms are available to reserve at no cost when not in use. Email Marcy Cheville to reserve.

Business

Room 3231 can be reserved at no cost when not in use. Email Ashley Sawyer to reserve.

Student organizations

Seven student organizations are housed in their area of the assembly bay in the basement and can use the equipment. The clubs are:

1. SAE Aero: Designs, builds and tests radio-controlled aircraft flown in competitions.
2. Baja SAE: Designs, manufactures, builds, tests and races an all-terrain car.
3. Cardinal Space Mining: Designs and builds a robotic mining system to compete in NASA's Robotic Mining Competition.
4. SAE Clean Snowmobile -- Designs a snowmobile that's acceptable in environmentally sensitive areas such as national parks.
5. Formula SAE: Designs, builds, tests and races a formula-style race car.
6. PRISUM Solar Car: Designs, builds and drives a solar-powered car in cross-country time/distance events. 
7. Robotics: Designs, builds and competes with robotics as an individual or team.

Building partners

There also are several building partners with assigned space in the center:

Innovate 1858: Hands-on learning lab retail store managed by students and faculty in the apparel, merchandising and design department.

ISU Printing Services: The print center handles printing needs from course materials to posters for students, faculty, staff, and ISU units.

SPARKS Café: Students in the apparel, events and hospitality department manage the café, which sells a range of food and beverages.

WiSE West: The program for Women in Science and Engineering supports and empowers community for all students majoring in a science, technology, engineering or math discipline. 

Gaffer's Guild: Artistic glass blowing club open to students and the public.

SHOP focuses on staples to meet student need

By Jeff Budlong
March 27

The lines were so long Mohammad Alam knew something needed to change to better serve students. So the operations manager of SHOP, the student-run pantry in Beyer Hall, went to work.

"When I started here, there'd be a very long line of students, nearly 100, on Wednesdays [when new food shipments become available] waiting two or more hours for us to open," he said. "We focused on some changes to make it fairer for everyone and so students don’t have to worry about certain items not being on the shelves."

SHOP, which receives most of its funding from student government, continues to see significant need among students, with about 1,800 visitors in February. Alam instituted limits on some items -- for example, milk and eggs -- so more students have access to them. A certain quantity of the items are restocked hourly to provide equal access to all students regardless of their schedule.  Alam also adjusted biweekly ordering from the Food Bank of Iowa and Fareway Stores to emphasize staple goods -- milk, eggs, bread, a protein and fruit.

The goal is to assure students these staple items will be available each week, said SHOP advisor Breanna Wetzler. Ordering is structured so the same quantity of food is available Monday through Wednesday when SHOP Is open. There also is an emphasis on stocking healthy food options and meeting special dietary needs when possible.

SHOP recently expanded -- one of 19 strategic plan projects to receive funding for fiscal year 2024 -- to an adjoining room to create more shelf and storage space. Nearly all food is on shelves or in refrigerators and freezers in the new space while the original area is used for checkout, bagging and storage.

Student survey

Student wellness staff developed a basic needs survey that will be emailed to a representative sample of the student body before the end of the semester. Survey questions were crafted to gain information about Iowa State students, something that was more difficult using national surveys. New programs to support student needs will be developed using the results, said Austin Cook, student wellness food security and basic needs specialist. 

"It will give us an idea of what the needs are that students are having, including information on food security," Cook said. "We also ask about housing and other topics that will help us decide where we funnel our energy to meet the need."

A role for faculty and staff 

Wetzler said faculty and staff can help by making sure students are aware of SHOP and its focus on serving students.

"It can be a challenge to reach nearly 30,000 students, so if our faculty and staff can share information with them or include information in their syllabus, it helps," she said.

Faculty and staff can contribute to SHOP (1306 Beyer) in several other ways:

• Donate clean plastic bags
• Donate empty egg cartons (cut in half to make six-egg containers)
• Donate food and toiletry items
• Donate financially through the ISU Foundation
• Volunteer during university breaks

2022 task force: Student success initiatives

March 27

• Andrea Wheeler,* chair, faculty fellow for student success, provost office
• Lequitia Ancar, assistant director of student services, College of Engineering
• Heather Bolles, teaching professor, mathematics
• Marcus Crede, associate professor, psychology
• Issac Ehlers, financial aid adviser, office of student financial aid
• Adriana Gonzalez-Elliott,* director, Academic Success Center
• Elizabeth Housholder,* director of research and assessment, department of residence
• Clayton Johnson,* associate director of student services, College of Human Sciences
• Kurt Rosentrater, associate professor, agriculture and biosciences engineering
• Zoe Thornton, associate professor of practice, School of Education
• Howard Tyler, assistant dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• Brian Vanderheyden,* former director of student wellness
• Kipp Van Dyke,* associate dean of students for student assistance and academic success
• Arnold Woods, director, student leadership initiatives, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

*Had a continuing role as lead on one or more of the eight initiatives

Eight initiatives aimed at boosting student success, post-pandemic

By Anne Krapfl
March 27

One of President Wendy Wintersteen's initial investments in the 2022-31 strategic plan was $1.5 million for university-wide strategies to increase student retention and graduation rates, with a focus on first-generation students and students whose academic progress was most impacted by the pandemic. Associate professor of architecture Andrea Wheeler accepted a three-year, halftime faculty fellow post in the provost office to coordinate the investment. Below is a little more information about the eight initiatives funded.

Wheeler said five of the initiatives should continue into the next fiscal year. In some cases, recurring funds still are being identified to sustain them. The eight are:

1. Cyclone Support Training for employees. Former student wellness director Brian Vanderheyden and Leif Olson, student success and retention specialist in the provost office, worked with a vendor to produce a 30-minute, interactive module that trains faculty and staff on how to connect students to resources and care, in part by raising awareness of existing processes and tools such as the Navigate app. May 1 is the anticipated launch date in Workday Learning, and the training may be added to new faculty onboarding. Currently, some of this training is offered in-person by student wellness staff.

2. Three years of supplemental funding for the Academic Success Center was used to: raise the hourly pay for student tutors to $15 to recruit and keep strong tutors, pay tutors for training time, and increase the number of Supplementary Instruction (SI) sessions, particularly for three 'gateway' classes with low passing rates historically. Average attendance in SI sessions for those three courses went from 4-6 students to 15-18 students. Funds also paid an administrative fee for the Knack online tutoring pilot this academic year. Students submit all tutoring requests through Knack, which is being evaluated for renewal this fall. During fall 2024, 873 students completed at least one tutoring session, but the average was just over four sessions per student.

3. Online onboarding for incoming first-year students, Cyclone 101, was created and piloted in the summer of 2024. The five modules (about an hour each) in Canvas provide information on both academics (for example, online campus systems, time management) and student life (financial aid, residence life, support services, on-campus employment) so students are more confident when they arrive on campus in August. Wheeler praised Clayton Johnson, associate director for student services in the College of Health and Human Sciences; and UIA fellow Nicole Bartolozzi, division of student affairs, for completing a big task in a short time, with assistance from the Iowa State Online team. Completion is not mandatory, and Johnson said about 46% of invited students completed at least part of the series by the start of fall semester. The series stays in Canvas and can be a resource for students all year. Iowa State Online received funding this spring for additional support for Cyclone 101 to continue the pilot phase this summer. In a follow-up survey, students who completed the modules largely found the content valuable. Its impact on student success still is being studied, as are options for an instructor of record in Canvas.

4. A Cyclone Support specialist, Stephanie Negoda, started in January 2024 and works on VanDerZanden's team in the provost office. She responds to individual tags and requests in the Navigate app and, via texts to the student, shares the appropriate, responsive resources for each situation. The point is to reach the student quickly in a mode they use frequently. She collaborates with the student assistance specialists (below) and other program leads and has streamlined processes for referral and outreach to students. Last fall, from referrals from multiple programs for 1,718 students, 424 students completed at least one appointment with the recommended office. Remaining strategic plan funds will cover this position for an additional year.

5. The efforts of two student assistance specialists, Johnna Ragland and Autumn Diesburg in the Dean of Students' office of student assistance, also has strengthened partnerships across college and campus units. In fall 2024, the Navigate team started a Cyclone check-in survey, inviting students to identify any barriers they faced during the semester. In response, the student assistance specialists met individually with 52 students and assisted with their specific challenges, some academic, others seeking a sense of community or access to resources. Students have responded positively to the personalized support they provide, and this case management approach underscores the value of early, human connection in addressing barriers to student success.

6. College-level help rooms. In fall 2022 and 2023, funds were distributed to pay graduate students to staff help rooms in the undergraduate colleges, typically focusing on specific courses. The intent was to supplement central tutoring and SI with a "local" option to reach more students. In most colleges, the numbers of students who used these local help rooms didn't warrant additional funding, and by year three (2024-25), only the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences received funds for student help in high-enrollment math and physics courses.

7-8. A goal to develop a data-driven student retention plan in each undergraduate college was completed in one college. Associate deans and other college representatives were interviewed about the kind of data they needed and a process to access it. That work produced a needs assessment for each college. However, creating the required data dashboards proved difficult during a critical time for data updates and Workday Student implementation. Wheeler said college data dashboards may be a future project for the team in institutional research.