Inside Iowa State for faculty and staff
May 4, 2023
Inside news
Here are the faculty and staff receiving the university's highest awards for employees in 2023, including a new award recognizing impact on student success. Save the date: The annual awards celebration is Sept. 20.

Four faculty members tried something new this semester: Combining their classes one day a week "for student-centric learning to the max." They held creative recess in the Student Innovation Center and adopted programming such as the college pitch off.

Beginning with fall semester courses, the ISU Book Store has adopted a "digital first" model for textbook sales. Faculty retain the option to choose print, but they need to request it.

Seventy-five faculty members were approved for promotions including tenure. Thirty-seven term faculty up for promotion this year also advanced.

With more than 200 print and e-books so far, the Innovation Bookshelf at Parks Library is a permanent collection of inspiring innovation resources.
Announcements
The following announcements were added this week:
  • Employment verification becomes self-service request
  • You're invited: Procurement's supplier awards event
  • An update on the dependent eligibility verification process
  • Share your ideas for LAS dean candidate qualifications at a listening session
  • Submit requests now for summer, fall library course reserves
  • Campus group will collect and share graduation caps and gowns 
  • Mindfulness is focus of May 9 P&S seminar 
  • Registration is open for August Project LEA/RN workshop
  • May dates announced for Cyclone 'tailgate tour'
  • Reiman Gardens' plant sale is May 13-14
  • Vet Med association honors ISU alum with new DEI award
  • Applications due June 15 for fall's Cardinal Women* program
Around campus
All year, the College of Veterinary Medicine has celebrated the achievements of Frederick Douglass Patterson, who earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State 100 years ago and whose accomplishments include founding the United Negro College Fund, serving as president of Tuskegee University for 20 years and founding its College of Veterinary Medicine, and receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Read more in the spring issue of Iowa Stater magazine.

Two mechanical engineering faculty are part of a team that will use a nearly $1 million research award from NASA to investigate the fundamental processes in lithium-ion batteries during extreme weather conditions -- such as the freeze-thaw cycles spacecraft encounter during explorations.

University Professor emeritus Steffen Schmidt writes about Iowa Democrats' struggle to keep their caucuses first-in-the-nation while Republicans stick with tradition in an essay for The Conversation.
Appointments
Open houses and retirements
This week
  • Open house, Central Stores, May 4 (10 a.m.-2 p.m., 192 General Services Building)
  • Retirement, Roberta Johnson, student financial aid, May 5 (2-4 p.m., program at 2:15 p.m., first floor rotunda, Beardshear Hall), post well wishes to her Kudoboard
  • Retirement, Tim Borich, community and regional planning, May 5 (4-5:30 p.m., remarks at 4:30 p.m., 130 College of Design)

Next week
  • Retirement, William Meeker, statistics, May 11 (3:45-5:15 p.m., via Zoom) 
  • Retirement, Bob Currie, facilities services, facilities planning and management, May 12 (no public event)

Upcoming
  • Retirement, Barbara Haas, English, May 15
  • Retirement, Donna Niday, English, May 15 
  • Retirement, Alric Rothmayer, aerospace engineering, May 15, post well wishes to his Kudoboard
  • Retirement, Martha Selby, materials science and engineering, May 15, 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.
Open forums
Listening sessions: Qualities and qualifications for the next dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, hosted by search committee members 
  • Thursday, May 4 (3-4 p.m., 127 Curtiss)
  • Monday, May 8 (2-3 p.m. via Webex)
Arts and events
The third annual IGNITE Innovation Showcase runs May 4-6 in the Student Innovation Center. It features more than 60 showcased student efforts. Highlights include make-and-take prints, glass firing demonstrations, Dolphin Tank presentations inspired by TV's "Shark Tank" and free food from Hickory Park at Saturday's celebration lunch.

May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and several ISU faculty-staff associations and student organizations are co-hosts of a second annual campus celebration Saturday, May 6 (4-6:30 p.m., MU Great Hall). Enjoy artistic performances, ethnic fashions, award presentation to the 2023 heritage month essay contest winners and a reception with traditional Asian foods. Registration is free but required.

Support the campus art community and find unique gifts at Art Mart, May 9-12 in the Memorial Union Art Gallery. Pottery, blown glass, jewelry, prints and more will be sold.

More than 30 Iowa State students created a quilt printed with photos of protestors killed during demonstrations following the arrest, beating and death of Mahsa Amini in Tehran last September. The quilt will remain on display through the summer in the Pickard Chilton Gallery, King Pavilion at the College of Design.
Learning opportunities
University human resources programming
  • Workshop, leadership skills certificate series for supervisors, Effective Leadership and Communication, May 11 (10 a.m-noon, online), enroll in Workday Learning (topic: university human resources)
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About us
Inside Update is published Thursday mornings by Strategic Relations and Communications. Questions? Email inside@iastate.edu or call 515-294-7065.