Inside Iowa State
June 27, 1997
Third-year projects wrap up
by Anne Dolan
Iowa State students -- and in some cases, staff -- were encouraged to understand various cultural values as a precursor to better communication. And high school students received an introduction to practical uses of all that stuff they learn in physics and chemistry. These were the results of two projects this year coordinated by professional and scientific staff. Leaders of the retention/recruitment projects gave year-end reports to the P&S Council during its June 1 meeting.
Suzanne Zilber and Martha Norton of Student Counseling Services reviewed two workshops, "Enhancing Inter-racial Communication" and "Lifestyles for Learning," attended by more than 1,000 people (mostly students) since last August.
Zilber said the workshops emphasize two messages: Don't offend someone when you don't intend to, and don't take offense when none is intended. The workshops have been used and improved upon since 1992; this is the second year SCS received a P&S grant for the program.
Brian Larson, an associate scientist in the Center for Nondestructive Evaluation, and Rick Lopez, a junior in pre- metallurgical engineering, summarized a high school visit program that involved three staff and four engineering students in visits to 17 physics classes at seven central Iowa schools.
Lopez said the program boosts communication skills, confidence and knowledge in the ISU students who participated, in addition to alerting high school students to ISU's engineering college. About 50 high school students were mailed more information on the college.
Last fall the President's Office offered $25,000 in grants to P&S teams with proposals aimed at recruiting or retaining ISU students. Seventeen of 28 proposals received full or partial funding. Awards varied from $350 to $3,500.
The council has requested $27,500 to fund retention and recruitment projects next year, a 10 percent increase over this year's allocation from the President's Office.
In other business, the council:
- Approved a letter from council president Jim Meek to
Richard Seagrave, chair of the Faculty Senate Committee to
Review the Office of the President, regarding the council's
interaction with President Martin Jischke and his office
staff. The letter said that, in general, the council is
supportive of Jischke and his staff, even if it does not
agree with all administrative decisions or outcomes.
- Discussed a request from the Faculty Senate Committee
on Governance Structure and Documents to appoint members to a
joint faculty-P&S study group to look at issues of mutual
interest. Some topics suggested by the senate include the
increase in the number of P&S staff, differences in the
teaching roles of P&S staff and faculty, and giving P&S staff
academic rank. The council also may suggest issues for study.
Rob Bowers, council president for the 1997-98 year, will
appoint three P&S staff to the group.
- Discussed this year's salary policy with assistant
provost Ellen Rasmussen. She noted that the increase for most
faculty and P&S staff whose performance is satisfactory will
be half of the projected average salary increase of 4
percent. In recent years, one-third of the average percentage
increase was awarded to employees with satisfactory work
performances; the rest was based on merit and market and
equity considerations.
- Agreed to host a second annual tailgate party for P&S
staff prior to the first home football game Aug. 30.
- Approved the appointment of Elena Poluouchkina,
program assistant in the College of Agriculture, to fill the
academic and research seat vacated by Jody Danielson. The
seat will be filled in the spring '98 election.
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