Inside Iowa State

February 11, 2005

P&S day set for April 4

by Linda Charles

Professional and Scientific Council members asked several questions about the new Medco prescription plan during the Feb. 3 meeting. The new plan affects staff, faculty and supervisory merit employees in the ISU Plan.

Carla Espinoza, associate vice president for human resource services, and Tim Ashley, employee benefits manager, told council members the university switched to Medco to hold down benefit costs.

Those under the ISU Plan may either purchase their prescriptions through the mail via Medco, or buy them at a local pharmacy. (See related story.)

Ashley said that the university is self-insured, which means Iowa State pays the cost of prescriptions, minus the amount paid by employees. Without the switch to Medco, insurance premiums under the ISU Plan might have risen 10 to 12 percent, he added.

P&S Professional Development Day

The P&S Professional Development Day will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. April 4 at the Hotel at Gateway Center. The cost is $65.

William Parker will open the conference with a keynote address entitled "Cultural Intelligence." Parker is president of Parker & Parker Associates, a human resource development consulting firm in Lexington, Ken., and retired vice chancellor for minority affairs at the University of Kentucky.

Following the conference, all P&S employees are invited to Reiman Gardens from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. for ice cream. They will be admitted to the gardens for free.

The P&S Professional Development Day will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. April 4 at the Hotel at Gateway Center. The cost is $65.