Aug. 11, 2011

Council kicks off new academic year

by Erin Rosacker

Members of the Professional and Scientific Council opened the books on the 2011-12 academic year with an Aug. 9 meeting. David Orman, the network administrator in the Center for Nondestructive Evaluation, was voted this year's president-elect, running unopposed. The position was left vacant in June when Ken Kerns resigned as president and then president-elect Dan Burden accepted the offer to step in.

HRS leadership search

Brenda Behling, assistant to the executive vice president and provost, said the initial steps have been taken to find a successor for associate vice president for human resource services Carla Espinoza, who will begin phased retirement by Jan. 1, 2012. A search firm is assisting the search committee, which plans to have the position filled by Jan. 1.

Espinoza said the human resources and equal opportunity and compliance offices will be reorganized into separate units. She said ISU's next president will select the director of equal opportunity and compliance. Jessica Stolee, a human resource specialist, will take over as interim EOC director in January.

Academic restructuring

Faculty Senate president Steve Freeman said his group likely will be asked to consider several academic reorganizations this year. He said a proposed School of Education has earned approval from executive vice president and provost Elizabeth Hoffman. Other proposed changes include:

  • An anthropology/political science merger
  • An ag education studies/horticulture merger
  • A shared business unit for NREM (natural resource ecology and management) and entomology