Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

INSIDE IOWA STATE
May 18, 2001

Announcements

Rosenthal named women's center director
Penny Rosenthal, director of Iowa State's Off Campus and Adult Student Services Office since 1998, has been appointed director of the Margaret Sloss Women's Center. She begins the new position June 1.

Rosenthal has served as interim director for the women's center since last November. She received a B.S. in psychology/women's studies and an M.S. in counseling and higher education from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Former women's center director Pamela Thomas left Iowa State last summer. A search for a new director for the Off Campus and Adult Student Services will be launched soon.

CTE faculty fellows named for 2001-02
Joni Palmer, assistant professor of landscape architecture, and Scott Chawick, assistant professor in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, have been selected Center for Teaching Excellence teaching faculty fellows for the 2001-02 academic year. Fellows help develop and implement the CTE's programs and develop their own scholarly work related to teaching and learning. Fellows receive release time from their departments (up to $12,000 goes to their departments for replacement costs).

Palmer, a published poet, will identify pedagogical strategies for teachers to use poetry in their classrooms, and develop articles and conference presentations about implementing poetry as a learning tool. Chadwick will observe teachers' classroom communicative behaviors to see what is effective in easing students into learner-centered classrooms rather than teaching-centered classrooms.

Seagrave on June 6 Talk of Iowa
Interim President Richard Seagrave will be a guest on the Wednesday, June 6, installment of Talk of Iowa on WOI-AM Radio. The live, call-in show airs from 10 to 11 a.m. at 640 AM. Questions for Seagrave also may be submitted in advance via e-mail: talk@iastate.edu.

NSF grant supports interdisciplinary work
The statistics department has received a five-year, $2.2 million research grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant will increase interdisciplinary research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty members. Research projects supported by the grant will involve statistics, mathematics and the applied sciences.

"We're not only looking for individuals trained solely in statistics. I hope we can find postdocs and graduate students who have substantial quantitative backgrounds, but who also are interested in agronomy, animal science, ecology, sociology, engineering, computer science, mathematics, psychology, genetics – any number of academic disciplines," said Dean Issacson, head of the statistics department.

The program will let graduate students incorporate research and problem solving into their educations at an early stage. Undergraduates will be assigned to a research group for eight weeks during the summer.

Alumni association sponsors student's trip to Kenya
The ISU Alumni Association awarded its annual $1,000 scholarship to study in Kenya to Jennifer Firzlaff, a junior in animal science. Firzlaff will take a class in agriculture and study farming methods in Africa this summer. She hopes to have a career in zookeeping.

Statistics conference is June 21-22
The ISU statistics department is hosting a workshop June 21-22 to celebrate the 70th birthday of Wayne Fuller, ISU statistics and a Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The conference will include a poster presentation, four invited lecture sessions and a banquet Friday evening. All events are at The Hotel at the Gateway Center. More information is available from Sandie Smith, 4-9773, or from the conference Web site, http://129.186.101.61/FullerConf.

Catt workshop applications due June 15
Applications for the Carrie Chapman Catt Center‘s annual summer workshop for male and female students entering 11th and 12th grades this fall are due June 15. This year's workshop, July 18-21, is about the importance of women and minorities participating in political, economic and community leadership. Enrollment is limited to 30; tuition is $75 per person and scholarships are available. More information, including the application form, is available at the Catt center Web site, http://www.iastate.edu/~cccatt/Workshop.html.

ISU Alumni Association to present Impact Awards
The ISU Alumni Association will hold its annual meeting and Cardinal and Gold Dinner and Recognition at 6 p.m. Friday, May 18, in the Scheman Building. The program will feature a state-of-the-university address by interim President Richard Seagrave. Impact Awards will be presented to individuals who have enhanced the visibility of the life and work of the university and alumni association: head football coach Dan McCarney, President Emeritus W. Robert Parks, past Government of the Student Body President Ben Golding and football student-athlete J.J. Moses.

Decision on early retirement option still pending
ISU administrators are fielding lots of inquiries about the future of the early retirement incentive program, which expires June 30, 2002. The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, has not decided the future of the program, but expects to make a decision this summer. ISU leaders have asked that the current policy be extended for three years, to June 30, 2005.

Human resource services director Carla Espinoza said she and her staff will provide additional information promptly, as it becomes available to them.