Campus leaders recently approved a partial university closure during winter break. Participating departments and units should communicate reduced hours and closures in advance.

A little piece of Iowa State's beautiful central campus is missing -- a piece that honors it for being so beautiful.

The former Women's and Diversity Grants Program -- now called Inclusion Initiatives -- will fund proposals that promote an inclusive and engaged community and positively impact the university. The deadline for a new "intent to apply" requirement is Nov. 30; proposals are due March 1, 2018.

Head coach Kevin Dresser, the 2016 national coach of the year at Virginia Tech, will be matside at Hilton Coliseum for the first time when the Cyclones host a season-opening tournament Saturday. This year's roster features 21 returning wrestlers and 16 newcomers.

Six-plus years in, a multidisciplinary project to transform 30 acres into a living landscape at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women, Mitchellville, still is changing lives. Landscape architecture assistant professor Julie Stevens, who led the effort, is the latest in a series about Iowa Staters whose work is changing the world for the better.

Eating "clean" is all about avoiding foods with additives, preservatives or other chemicals on the label, but two food science and human nutrition professors warn of the consequences in terms of food waste, safety and cost.

Four victories against Big 12 opponents and entry into several national polls were part of the fun.

Do you use iPhone earbuds? A father and son who both are Iowa State engineering alumni helped make them possible. Wendell Sander was Apple's 16th employee and designer of the Apple III. He left the company and later returned to work on earbud volume control for his son, Brian Sander, who by then was an Apple vice president. 

• Sam Cook, post-harvest engineer and feed technologist in agricultural and biosystems engineering, as the inaugural holder of the Bühler Lecturer in Feed Technology, effective Oct. 9

• Retirement: Sue Mallas, facilities services, facilities planning and management, Nov. 3 (1:30-3 p.m., program at 2 p.m., 0162 General Services Building)

• Retirement: Kerry Culp, agronomy, Nov. 17 (3-5 p.m., second floor commons, Agronomy Hall)
• Retirement: Carol Cordell, kinesiology, Nov. 29 (2-4 p.m., 213 Forker)
• Retirement: Sandie Smith, Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology, Nov. 29 (2-4 p.m., 115 Office and Lab)

• Drainage Research Forum, Nov. 15 (9:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m., Alumni Center), register online $25-$50 ($75 after Nov. 8)

ISU Theatre addresses the devastating impact of lies, rumors and falsehoods in its fall play, "The Children's Hour." Performances are Nov. 3, 4, 10 and 11 (7:30 p.m.), and Nov. 5 and 12 (2 p.m.) in Fisher Theater. Tickets, $18 for adults and $11 for students, are available at the Stephens Auditorium ticket office or through Ticketmaster.

The Iowa State basketball and wrestling teams kick off their 2017-18 seasons in Hilton Coliseum this weekend. The wrestlers host the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open Nov. 4 (9 a.m., $5-$10). The women's and men's basketball teams host exhibition games Nov. 5, at noon and 5 p.m., respectively. Tickets for the women's game vs. Wisconsin, La Crosse, are $10-$12 ($5-$6 for youth), and $25 for the men's matchup with Emporia State.