Announcements

Council hosts November drive for student food pantry

To support Iowa State students during the university winter break, the Professional and Scientific Council is holding a donation drive for the SHOP food pantry through Friday, Nov. 29. The final pick-up will be Monday, Dec. 2. SHOP's list of needed food items is online, as is the council's list of drop-off locations for this drive.

Bookstore's appreciation event is Nov. 14

Thursday, Nov. 14 (4-7 p.m.) is the semi-annual Cyclone Appreciation Day at the ISU Book Store. Enjoy free popcorn and one-day deals on clothing, gifts and technology. Local businesses will have booths throughout the store with free samples and drawings for prizes.

Confirm winter, spring teaching assignments, then submit course material requests

Faculty who will teach a winter 2024 session or spring 2025 semester course are asked to submit all materials needed for class -- textbooks, courseware, e-books, course packets, subscriptions, immediate access digital course materials and supplies (Design, lab, personal protective equipment, technology, etc.) as soon as their teaching assignment is confirmed. Include courses for which there are no textbook requirements or when open educational resources (OER) will be used. These lists should be submitted to your department academic coordinator. Instructors also may submit their own materials via Verba Collect.

The bookstore team provides custom book lists to students after course registration. Textbook and course material requirements can be found online. Contact Emma Hartman, 294-0362, with questions, or visit the ISU Book Store's Course Material Adoptions website. 

For undergraduate courses, most required textbooks, e-books, courseware and course packets will be part of Immediate Access ONE, a one-program, one-price, day-one access program where students receive their required books for one flat rate. For more information, contact immediateaccess@iastate.edu.

Recognize a P&S colleague with a CYtation award

Nominations for Professional and Scientific Council CYtation Awards are being accepted through Dec. 2. Four different awards recognize an employee or employees for a job well done: CYtation Award, Woodin CYtation Award, CYtation Team Award and Outstanding P&S Councilor CYtation Award. A detailed explanation of each, including who is eligible and nomination instructions, is available on the P&S Council website.

Gymnastics season ticket available for $20

The Cyclone gymnastics team will compete five times at Hilton Coliseum during January and February. A $20 general admission season ticket ($4 per event) is on sale now; single meet events will go on sale at a later date.

Snow blower service days are Nov. 8-9

The Agricultural Systems Technology club's annual snow blower service days will be held Nov. 8 (1-6 p.m.) and Nov. 9 (8 a.m.-1 p.m.) on the west side of Sukup Hall. For $30, club members will provide a routine service -- oil and spark plug change and a power wash -- but no major repairs. Drop off your snow blower during service hours. Pick-up and delivery (Ames zip codes only) is available for $25; email astservicedays@gmail.com.

Governor announces paid holidays for state employees

Iowa State employees will receive two additional paid holidays in 2024, as announced by Gov. Kim Reynolds and shared Wednesday in an email to faculty and staff from President Wendy Wintersteen and vice president for human resources Kristi Darr. The university will implement the paid holidays on Wednesday, Nov. 27, and Thursday, Dec. 26. Normal holiday procedures will be followed on these days.

The university's winter break between semesters is Monday, Dec. 23, through Friday, Jan. 17. To promote time off, units may reduce services and develop schedules that align with Staffing Guidance for University Breaks. The winter break timeline is:

  • Friday, Dec. 20: Fall semester ends
  • Monday, Dec. 23: Online winter session begins
  • Tuesday, Dec. 24 through Thursday, Dec. 26: University holidays
  • Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025: University holiday
  • Friday, Jan. 17: Online winter session ends
  • Monday, Jan. 20: University holiday
  • Tuesday, Jan. 21: Spring semester begins

CyThx campaign begins Nov. 1

In its seventh year, CyThx gives Iowa Staters a chance to thank the faculty, staff, graduate teaching assistants or anyone else who makes them feel like a valued member of the ISU community. Your gratitude will remain anonymous if you chose, but your CyThx honoree will be acknowledged through email and on the CyThx webpage. Submissions can be made through the end of the month. The initiative is a partnership of the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, ISU learning communities, multicultural student affairs, student government, Graduate and Professional Student Senate, student engagement and student union board.

Registration requested by Nov. 7 for retirees symposium

The ISU Retirees Association's 12th annual "Rock On in Retirement" symposium will be held Wednesday, Nov. 13 (8:30 a.m.-noon, in person at the Alumni Center and via Zoom). Three keynote speakers will address topics relevant to seniors:
  • The Changing Climate Across the U.S., Justin Glisan, state climatologist of Iowa
  • Building Homes to Address Changes in Our Climate, Justin Dodge, partner with Hunziker Companies and president of the Homebuilders Association of Iowa
  • Gardening in a Warmer World: Planning Now for Your Garden's Future, David McKinney, curator for the Iowa Arboretum and Gardens, Madrid
The symposium is free; registration is requested by Nov. 7 on the ISU Retirees website. Those who participate online will receive the Zoom link and a link to download the symposium packet. Those attending in person will pick up their packet at the symposium.

Digital accessibility update webinar recording available

The digital accessibility team hosted a webinar on Oct. 21 to help the campus community understand the new federal digital accessibility ruling and Iowa State's compliance efforts that must be completed by April 24, 2026. The PowerPoint slides also are available. Attendees were able to ask questions that were answered by the digital accessibility team.

Winery announces its annual holiday sale

The Iowa State University Winery has opened its holiday season wine sale. Customers can preorder these award-winning wines through the winery's website or a Google Forms order form. The featured products are Maquette (red), Rosé and La Crescent (white). Order pickups and walk-up purchases will be available on these five Fridays: Nov. 1, Nov. 22, Dec. 6, Dec. 13 and Dec. 20 (11 a.m.-1 p.m., ISU Meat Lab, Kildee Hall). All bottles cost $20, and you must be 21+ years old with a valid ID to purchase and consume. On the weekend of Nov. 15-17, the winery will sell its products at the Des Moines Holiday Boutique, Iowa Events Center, during operating hours.

Save the date: Gold Star Hall Ceremony is Nov. 13

Three former Iowans and Iowa State students who gave their lives serving our country will be honored during the university's annual Gold Star Hall Ceremony on Wednesday, Nov, 13 (4:15 p.m., Memorial Union Great Hall). After the program, there will be a reception with food and drink, along with displays of personal items from each honoree (Sidney Peterson, Ringsted, World War II; Max Harvey Collins, Nevada, Korean War; and James Herrick Jr., Panora, Vietnam War). More about Gold Star Hall.

Professional development funding requests from term faculty due Dec. 1

The office of the senior vice president and provost financially supports professional development for term faculty. Term faculty interested in participating in a virtual or in-person professional development activity, such as training, a workshop or conference, are encouraged to apply for up to $1,000 in faculty development funding. More information, including guidelines and the submission process, is online. Applications are due Dec. 1 for professional development activities that take place between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2025 (note: conference submissions do not have to be accepted by Dec. 1). Awards will be allocated and recipients notified by Dec. 21.

Celebration of life for Nani Ghoshal is Nov. 15

A celebration of life for former faculty member Dr. Nani Ghoshal, professor emeritus of veterinary anatomy, will be held Friday, Nov. 15 (2:30 p.m., Commons Area, Patterson Hall, use entrance B to enter through the "fish tank" lobby). Ghoshal died Aug. 7 in Ames at age 89. He was a member of the Veterinary Medicine faculty from 1963 until his retirement in 2009. The event will include remembrances followed by refreshments. Individuals who would like to share a remembrance are asked to email Audra Hartwigsen, biomedical sciences department. Memorials are suggested to a scholarship fund in Ghoshal's name at the ISU Foundation. Obituary.

Earn 8 continuing professional ed credits at accounting conference

The accounting department will host the annual Contemporary Issues in Accounting conference on Nov. 25 (8 a.m.-4 p.m., Gerdin Business Building). This year's conference features industry leaders and Ivy College of Business faculty, with topics ranging from how to use artificial intelligence at work to the future of the accounting profession. Registration closes Nov. 18. Earn eight credits of continuing professional education, including two credits of ethics education.

Wellmark's Explanation of Benefits has new look

The first paperwork employees on the ISU Plan receive after a healthcare visit is an "Explanation of Benefits" from Wellmark. It's not a bill. As this summary notes, it's a breakdown of costs of the services received, applicable discounts and likely amounts for what: insurance will cover and you will owe your health care provider. Around Oct. 1, the Explanation of Benefits (PDF) adopted a new layout that's intended to help members better understand their financial responsibility, rights and next steps when your health care provider submits a claim to Wellmark. The only change is to the document's visual design:

  • The member's cost-sharing responsibility is displayed on the first page for all claims contained in that Explanation of Benefits.
  • An updated summary page layout makes it easier to find services, notes and costs associated with each claim. Non-covered costs also are listed to help members understand the financial portion of services not covered by their plan.
  • The updated glossary includes straightforward definitions for health insurance words and phrases members may see when managing their health care services.
  • New language highlights a member's right to an appeal and other protections in the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

Reserve a seat at fine dining events in the tearoom

Upper division hospitality management students, with professor of practice and chef Karla Boetel, will host fine dining events on three Wednesday evenings this fall in the Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom (23A MacKay). Each dinner is a three-course meal with dessert and wine pairings, and costs $60 per person. To reserve seats, email tearoom@iastate.edu with the date you'd like to attend and number of guests. The dates and themes (full menus will be shared soon) are:

  • Oct. 30, Italian cuisine
  • Nov. 6, French cuisine
  • Nov. 13, Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian fusion) cuisine

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