Inside Update

Aug. 11, 2011
Announcements and news for ISU faculty and staff

News

Free digital storage space for every Iowa Stater
IT Services and campus IT specialists partnered to provide every ISU student, faculty and staff member with 5GB of free digital storage space. The new CyFiles space is intended for all kinds of university-related storage needs -- but don't keep your favorite songs there.

Regents sign off on FY12 budget
Meeting Aug. 4 in Cedar Falls, the state Board of Regents approved the university budget for the year that began July 1. The board also approved ISU requests to award three honorary degrees this year and to assist with Iowa Public Radio's purchase of two small commercial radio stations in Des Moines to improve its FM service in the metro area.

Cost of the August 2010 flood: $41.5 million
Vice president for business and finance Warren Madden told the regents Aug. 4 that the latest estimate on campus damages and mitigation costs from the Aug. 11, 2010, flood is $41.5 million. With numerous reimbursements, the goal, he said, is to get the final cost to Iowa State inside the $4 million-$6 million range.

Council kicks off new academic year
P&S Council members opened the books on the 2011-12 academic year at their Aug. 9 meeting, choosing a new president-elect and learning about upcoming issues.

Presidential search committee teleconference is Aug. 16
The next meeting of the presidential search committee will be held via conference call on Tuesday, Aug. 16 (1:30-3 p.m.). A call-in number and agenda information are posted on the search website; those on campus can monitor the meeting in 2200 Gerdin.

More news: Inside Iowa State

Announcements

The following announcements were added this week:
-- College convocations begin Aug. 18 with Human Sciences event
-- Museums closed until Aug. 21-22
-- Residence halls open Aug. 16; watch for congestion in those areas of campus

See: Announcements

Teaching

CELT programs
Register via AccessPlus (click on Employee > HRS Training > Courses). Workshops are in 1230 Communications.
-- Introduction to Blackboard (Bb) Learn, Aug. 17 (2:10-3:10 p.m.)
-- Bb Learn: Developing Your Blackboard Learn Course, Aug. 19 (10-11:30 a.m.)

See: Descriptions and times

Teaching seminars for new faculty, TAs
The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching is offering these back-to-school seminars next week. A schedule of events and registration are online.
-- University Teaching Seminar (for new faculty), Aug. 16 (8:30 a.m.-11:50 a.m., MU Gallery)
-- University Teaching Seminar (new faculty and TA sessions), Aug. 16 (12:30-4 p.m., MU South Ballroom)
-- Teaching Assistant Seminar, Aug. 17 (8-11:50 a.m., MU South Ballroom)

Appointments

-- Terry Wipf, ISU civil, construction and environmental engineering, to interim department chair, effective Aug. 16 for up to two years
-- Dan Robinson, ISU educational leadership and policy studies, to interim department chair, effective Aug. 16 for up to a year

Around campus

Study: Most plant species important to ecosystems
ISU researchers participated in a study that shows the importance of plant species in grassland world-wide ecosystems. The study was published in the latest issue of Nature.

ISU experts assess the impact of the country's credit rating downgrade
While nobody can be certain what Friday's unprecedented downgrade of the United States' AAA credit rating by Standard and Poor's will mean to the U.S. economy, some Iowa State experts provide perspectives on the potential impact.

Ames Laboratory participates in DOE program to license technology, create jobs
A new U.S. Department of Energy program gives start-up companies the chance to license technologies created by national laboratories at reduced costs and with less paperwork. The intent of the "America's Next Top Energy Innovator" challenge is to create jobs and make it easier for start-up companies to succeed.

Departmental newsletters

Your Library
The Aug. 10 issue of Your Library Newsletter includes: A library guide for new faculty; online changes to SciFinder Scholar, New Web of Knowledge and Lexis-Nexis Congressional; access to dissertations, theses and scholarly articles; tailored access to Special Collections; and a welcome back message from dean Olivia Madison.

ISU Extension and Outreach
In the August issue of ISU Extension and Outreach News, read about: CIRAS' study of western Iowa flooding; Common THREAD work on community progress; farm and business succession workshops; Reach Out Iowa youth community service projects; Preserve the Taste of Summer food safety program; and ISU Extension's partnership with White House Rural Champions of Change.

Open houses/receptions

Upcoming
-- Retirement: Beth Weiser, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences development office, Aug. 24 (2-4 p.m., 142 Curtiss)

Details about this event are on the university calendar.

Arts and events

All (political) eyes turn to Ames, ISU
The Iowa State Center will be a political hotbed in the coming days, serving as the backdrop to the Ames Straw Poll and a national televised debate among Republican presidential candidates. The debate takes place on Thursday, Aug. 11 (8 p.m., Stephens Auditorium); straw poll activities run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13 (Hilton Coliseum, Scheman Building and surrounding grounds). Tickets are available through the Republican Party of Iowa.

More campus events
Talks, performances, athletic contests and other campus events are listed on the university calendar. Also, see the Arts and Entertainment page.

Submitting your news
Inside Update is published Thursday mornings by the Office of University Relations. Send Update news to inside@iastate.edu. For questions, call 4-7958.

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