Inside Iowa State for faculty and staff
Feb. 8, 2024
Inside news
ISU Dining head chef Josh Wilkins recently won the Iowa Pork Producers' 37th annual Taste contest. He brings that same dedication to feeding 10,000 daily visitors to the dining centers.

More than 1,300 staff and faculty with student advising and academic support roles received access this week to a Workday Student practice site. It gives them a risk-free way to kick the tires on some functions they'll be using -- for real -- next month.

This spring, terms expire for 20 of the 44 seats on the Professional and Scientific Council. Vacancies exist in all four representation areas; P&S employees may seek election in their area.

The 24th Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity for faculty, staff and students is Thursday, Feb. 29. Organizers liken it to a book club -- what you read or experience there gets even better when you talk about it with others. Registration is open.

Artificial intelligence can be a brainstorming buddy for accessible course design, for example, how to start alternative text and revise it to provide descriptive information for students. It also can improve closed captioning accuracy.
Announcements
The following announcements were added this week:
  • Deadlines approaching for two spring undergrad research presentations
  • Reminder: Avoid large projects, reports in Workday Feb. 10-18
  • Hort club's Valentine bouquet sale runs Feb. 13-14
  • Reminder: Registration closes Feb. 16 for March research roundtable
  • Nominate your supplier for procurement awards
  • Funding support available for summer faculty success program
  • Regents' free speech survey due March 1; check your inbox
  • Procurement to host travel/events showcase on Feb. 15
  • Story time with Pete the Cat is Feb. 10 in the bookstore
  • Health insurance coverage form is in Workday
  • P&S February seminar focuses on class/comp structure
  • SHOP can use your empty egg cartons, grocery bags
Appointments
  • Dan Nettleton, Distinguished Professor and Laurence H. Baker Endowed Chair in Biological Statistics, to a second five-year term as statistics chair, effective July 1
ISU Extension and Outreach announced new regional directors:
  • Tanya Michener, Newton Development Corp., to Region 18, serving Marion, Mahaska, Jasper and Poweshiek counties, effective Feb. 5
  • Quinton Richardson, Wartburg College, Waverly, to Region 28, serving Black Hawk County, effective Feb. 12
  • Bridget Schultz, North Iowa Area Community College, Mason City, to Region 10, serving Butler, Bremer, Buchanan and Fayette counties, effective Feb. 19
Retirements
Next week
  • Janell Meyer, Team Birch, finance service delivery, Feb. 16 (no public event)
Arts and events
At an after-work tour, Farm House curator Allison Sherdian, university museums, will introduce a new exhibition that demonstrates the influence of world's fairs and exhibitions on decorative arts during the time period 1851-1910. Join her today (Thursday, Feb. 8) at 5 p.m. at the Farm House Museum on central campus. 

The Iowa Orchid Society joins Reiman Gardens to host an answer booth, show and sale of exotic orchids at the annual Orchid Fest Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 10-11 (10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily). Guests pay regular gardens admission.

Before the Super Bowl kicks off, the Iowa State wrestling team hosts Northern Iowa in an intrastate showdown Sunday (new start time of 1 p.m.). The Cyclones look to post their fifth straight victory over UNI in their first matchup at Hilton Coliseum since 2021. Tickets start at $6.
Learning opportunities
Provost office programming
  • Faculty development workshop, Documenting your Research Impact and Increasing Visibility, topics include impact metrics and sources, who is citing your work, creating citation reports and author profiles, using the ISU Digital Repository and DataShare data repository, open access publishing, Feb. 22 (2-3:30 p.m., 3560 Memorial Union), register

Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) programming

WorkCyte Phase II programming
Workday Wednesdays: highlights of Workday Student functions.

University library programming
Register, location is 199 Parks Library.
Previous Inside coverage
About us
Inside Update is published Thursday mornings by Strategic Relations and Communications. Questions may be directed to 515-294-7065.