Inside Iowa State for faculty and staff
March 30, 2023
Inside news
Employees with dependents on their medical, dental or vision plans must provide documents verifying their eligibility by June 2. Emails, an online FAQ and a home mailing will guide you.

John Lawrence shares what he has learned over 30-plus years at Iowa State and why his leadership style helped in numerous roles.

Beate Schmittmann, professor of physics and astronomy and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences since 2012, will retire from Iowa State on June 30, 2024.

The program is a mix of instructor-led courses -- from the Des Moines firm contracted for ISU's employee assistance program -- and LinkedIn Learning courses available on demand. The first instructor-led course is Thursday, April 6.

A top goal of the ISU Foundation's "24 Hours of Cyclone Power" April 4-5 is to build on last spring's participation -- when faculty and staff showed up big.

Gradescope lets instructors administer, grade and provide students feedback on pen-and-paper, bubble sheet and computer programming assignments within Canvas. Scantron Bubble Sheets will sunset in August.

The ISU Alumni Association magazine made its debut last fall, with content from each issue available online at the time of publication. Online content from the just-published spring issue includes a look at how researchers are advancing human and environmental health via nanotechnology and a feature on alumnus Frederick Douglass Patterson, cofounder of the United Negro College Fund and Tuskegee Airmen.
Announcements
The following announcements were added this week:
  • EH&S trainings for employees move to Workday Learning on April 1
  • Procedures set to use recording classrooms
  • Webinar on strategic plan submission process is April 4
  • Call for proposals for fall conference on peace building, social change
  • Annual Hertz lecture on emerging ag issues is April 11
  • Cat litter buckets needed for glass disposal in labs
  • Who knew financial literacy packed the fun?
  • Reminder: P&S Council election ends March 31
  • Campus drive for food, hygiene supplies runs through April 14
  • 'State Day' virtual program is archived
  • Stuart Smith Park path is closed for several weeks
  • Dogs welcome at Reiman for Tuesday evening sessions in April
  • Student employee, supervisor of the year honored
  • Veenker golf course is open for the season
Around campus
Information and reminders from ISU's public safety and environmental health and safety teams about campus closures and announcements regarding severe spring weather.

Iowa State research teams are developing patented technologies -- and sustainable solutions -- to make food safer and water cleaner. Read more in a spring series by news service writers that highlight new approaches Iowa Staters are taking to the discovery process. Another entry will post every Tuesday through April 25.

Crews are realigning a section of the Sheldon Avenue extension west of Town Engineering to create room for 66 more parking stalls in lot 10.

Electrical and computer engineering professor Doug Jacobson explains why it's difficult to determine what information TikTok collects from its users and why a total ban would be hard to enforce, in an essay for The Conversation.

Construction begins this summer on a multi-tenant collaboration space in the ISU Research Park. It will provide space for the College of Agriculture and Life Science's digital ag innovation team and for agriculture-based business tenants, to access technology, research, development and each other.
Appointments
Retirements
Next week
  • Jodi O'Donnell, editorial services, ISU Foundation, April 3, post well wishes to her Kudoboard

Employees, their colleagues or supervisors are invited to submit retirements and departures to inside@iastate.edu. Inside doesn't receive this information from a central source.
Arts and events
Master of Fine Arts in graphic design students graduating in May will exhibit their final thesis projects in spaces throughout the Student Innovation Center Friday, March 31 (5:30-7:30 p.m.). At the same time, Master of Arts in experiential graphic design graduating students will display their final creative components in the first floor atrium near the step-a-torium. All are welcome.

On Sunday, April 2 (3 p.m., recital hall, Simon Estes Music Hall), American mezzo-soprano Megan Moore and Danish pianist Francesco Barfoed will present a concert that includes music from Denmark, Germany, Argentina and Spain, and recent works composed to texts by nonverbal autistic youth. Tickets are $30 (free for K-12 and college students with ID) and available online, in 149 Estes and at the door.

The library's Monday Monologue series continues April 3 (12:15 p.m., Parks Library front steps) with a performance by the ISU student organization, Stormettes Dance Line. In case of rain, the performance moves indoors to the Grant Wood mural lobby, first floor.
Learning opportunities
Provost office programming

Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) programming

WorkCyte Phase II programming
Workday Student readiness workshop in two parts, Student Records Components, April 5 (via Webex), register 
  • 2:10-3 p.m., Class registration 
  • 3:10-4 p.m., Grading and academic standing

University library programming
Previous Inside coverage
About us
Inside Update is published Thursday mornings by Strategic Relations and Communications. Questions? Email inside@iastate.edu or call 515-294-7065.