Faculty Senate honors Wintersteen

The Faculty Senate concluded its final meeting of the semester on Dec. 16 by honoring retiring President Wendy Wintersteen.

Faculty Senate president Meghan Gillette praised Wintersteen for her years of service to the university and her dedication to always doing what she thought was best for ISU. Past senate presidents Rahul Parsa, Rob Wallace, Peter Martin and Denise Vrchota presented Wintersteen with a memory book from the senate. The book was designed by graphic design graduate student Kerry Enyaosah and captured Wintersteen's Iowa State years from her time as an extension specialist and student through her presidency.

Wintersteen also received a carved wood vase in the shape of a flame, "The Bright Flame of Service," created by Wallace, an accomplished woodworker. It was made from the wood of a sycamore tree that grew on campus and was stained cardinal and gold. The vase sits atop a cherrywood base in the shape of the state of Iowa.

Wintersteen thanked all faculty for their hard work and efforts that help make the university a strong and welcoming place.

Upcoming votes

Governance council chair Sarah Bennett-George reminded senators of upcoming elections -- departmental, college at-large and president-elect -- in January. Two athletic council seats will be available in a March vote and senate council chair, college caucus chair and secretary positions will be voted on in April.

Faculty conference

The spring faculty conference will take place on Wednesday, March 25 (8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., MU Sun Room). Four speakers will discuss workplace bullying, conflict management, creating psychologically safe workspaces and ethical communication. Each speaker will talk for 40 minutes before faculty will break into small groups for 20 minutes of discussion.

Other business

The senate will vote at the January meeting on:

• Proposed changes to the Faculty Handbook on faculty salary assessments. The changes would provide at least a one-month timeline for faculty to request a salary assessment, but a request can only be submitted once every three academic years. It eliminates potential confusion between performance-based, meritorious and equity, market or parity adjustments.
• A proposed addition to the Graduate College handbook that all graduate students enrolled in degrees with a dissertation, thesis or creative component must complete the responsible conduct of research training before or during their first enrollment in those credits. The requirement would be effective fall semester 2026.
• A proposed change to the Faculty Handbook on the approval process (PDF) for academic programs changing or adding a delivery option, for example an online option. Currently, the process takes 12 to 18 months and is treated as a new program. The change would be managed by departments, and the senate's curriculum committee would maintain approval. Not sending the changes to the full senate could reduce approval time by as much as a semester.
• A proposed online master's in user experience design in the College of Design. User experience design is a comprehensive design process used to envision, create and implement products, systems and services. It's intended to make designs more enjoyable, usable and accessible based on a user-centered design approach.
• A proposed undergraduate certificate in companion animal science and management in the animal science department. The 24-credit certificate has 15 at the 3000 or 4000 level, and students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 in certificate courses to receive it. Students will be able to explain key concepts in companion animal biology, behavior and nutrition and apply best practices for their care and welfare. Nationally, 66% of U.S. households own a pet, and the industry generates approximately $152 billion per year.
• A proposed minor in animal nutrition in the animal science department. It will focus on feed formulation, feedstuff evaluation, nutrient metabolism and nutritional physiology across numerous species. Students will work with real-world case studies and get experience with feed formulation software.
• A pair of proposed 15-credit graduate certificates in leadership in business and quantitative principles in business in the Ivy College of Business. The complimentary certificates require less time to complete and expose students to the master's program for those not ready to complete a degree. The credits are transferrable into a professional MBA program. The leadership certificate focuses on management and quantitative business disciplines. The quantitative principles certificate focuses on foundational content for business administration.
• A proposed interdisciplinary undergraduate minor in American Midwest Studies across the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The 15-credit minor focuses on preparing students for careers that require an understanding of the American Midwest as a social, political and cultural region. The minor offers interdisciplinary study of the past, present and future of Iowa and surrounding states.
• A proposed discontinuation of the organic crops breeding graduate certificate in the agronomy department due to a lack of both student interest the last four years and faculty available to teach courses.
• A proposal to remove the Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy in one of two sections in the Faculty Handbook to avoid redundancy. If it passes, the senate's documents committee will renumber chapter two to reflect the change.

Senators approved:

• The fall graduation list that includes more than 1,400 undergraduate and 300 graduate students.
• An online master of science in nursing (PDF) in the College of Health and Human Sciences. The 16-month, 36-credit coursework-only master's degree is the standard credential for leadership roles in health care and is the prerequisite into doctoral nursing programs. It will focus on population health and nursing education.
• An accelerated bachelor of science in nursing (PDF) through a partnership between the College of Health and Human Science and Mary Greeley Medical Center that helps address a shortage of nurses in the state and nation. To be eligible, students must have a previous bachelor's degree, 63-credit hours of prerequisite coursework and a certified nursing assistant certification. After completion, students will qualifiy for the exam to become a registered nurse.
• A change to how homeschooled students (PDF) are evaluated for admission to Iowa State. Iowa State will use the cumulative GPA listed on a student’s homeschool transcript as part of the student’s evaluation for admission. It will ensure consistency with all students and match standards used by peer institutions.
• An online bachelor of arts in psychology (PDF) in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences aimed at distance learners. The degree is for working adults, rural residents and those with existing college credits who have not finished their degree. All requirements mirror the in-person degree requirements.
• An addition to the Faculty Handbook to add professional students (PDF) -- those in the School of Education, College of Veterinary Medicine and others -- to the groups that can be used to show evidence of scholarship for faculty members during promotion or tenure evaluation.
• An addition to the Faculty Handbook to broaden the pool of faculty members with administrative responsibilities who are exempt from post-tenure review (PDF). It includes administrators such as assistant and associate deans and assistant and associate provosts.
• Terminating the secondary major in international business (PDF) in the Ivy College of Business because of low interest. The degree was only available to students with a primary major in the college.