A great day in student financial aid

By Anne Krapfl
May 02

Part of the 16,000-letter mailing was assembled Friday in Beardshear's third floor conference room by admissions and student financial aid staffs, including Katharine Johnson Suski (far left, seated) and Chad Olson (handing off box), respective directors of the two offices. Photo by Christopher Gannon.

After several months of waiting, it was an all-hands-on-deck morning last Friday to assemble and mail financial aid award letters to about 16,000 first-year admitted students.

Iowa State's printing services team had the first 7,500 letters ready to go at 8 a.m., the second batch by 9:30 a.m. Envelope stuffing en masse began at 8:30 a.m. in the Beardshear Hall third-floor conference room and, with more than 35 financial aid and admissions employees fervently tackling the task in several locations -- and mascot Cy offering encouragement -- wrapped up before noon, said director of student financial aid Chad Olson.

"This was really an enrollment management effort. I'm so blessed to have such a great team, and admissions sending over a team to help was amazing," Olson said.

Up next

Olson said financial aid letters for incoming transfer students -- perhaps around 900 -- will be mailed by mid-May. The timing for sharing award packages with returning Iowa State students, which typically happens after the state Board of Regents sets tuition rates, is normal this year. Once spring semester is complete and those student records are transferred from the legacy system (ADIN) to Workday, aid offers will be processed for returning students and shared via Workday, likely in mid-June, Olson said. 

Yes, there is an email copy

As the envelope stuff-orama was occurring April 26, Olson's team also was emailing award notifications to first-year admitted students and their parents.

"Like about half of universities, we send both," Olson said. "About 15 years ago, we stopped sending letters in the mail for two years -- and we heard from families. The emails get missed, so we went back to putting both in front of them."

A spring like no other

In a normal year, admitted first-year students would have received their financial aid offers from Iowa State in early February. A three-month delay in the release of a revised Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and problems at the U.S. Department of Education with processing FAFSA submissions this winter made it impossible for colleges and universities to make decisions about student aid packages.

Olson said his office received its first financial aid eligibility data from the Education department the second week in March, but it contained errors. Updates and corrections have arrived intermittently since then, including one early last week.

Olson said Iowa State normally receives FAFSA data on about 40,000 students during the 19-month FAFSA cycle; so far this year that number is about 33,000. Both first-year and returning students experienced problems completing the form, and his staff continues to contact students from both categories without a FAFSA record this spring, he said, because that data also guides university financial aid.

Related stories:

• Deadlines adjusted for delay in student financial aid data, March 7, 2024
• Financial aid team is prepared for changes with revamped FAFSA, Jan. 4, 2024 

A reminder about university guidance, policy for campus demonstrations

May 02

Iowa State University supports the First Amendment rights of students, faculty, staff and members of the community to peacefully protest on campus. Groups organizing a demonstration are encouraged to work with the Demonstration Safety Team for assistance to plan a safe event. The team can be contacted at: demonstration@iastate.edu. 

University policy also provides guidance for Facilities and Grounds Use, Activities. Here are a few key points:  

• Groups gathering on campus grounds cannot substantially disrupt university events or interfere with the flow of vehicle or pedestrian traffic.
• Anyone entering specialized facilities, such as libraries, recreation facilities, clinics, research laboratories and other areas not open to the general public must comply with policies established by such facilities.
• For safety, sanitation and preservation of campus property, camping is not permitted except for special approved events. 
• Outdoor events, with more than 50 people, are not allowed between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.
• University facilities and grounds may not be used in a manner that damages or defaces university property or creates the threat of damage to property; or results in significant littering, pollution or other nuisance.

Faculty, staff, students and visitors are expected to follow all university policies. A link to the Facilities and Ground Use, Activities policy and other resources are available on the Free Speech policy and reporting website.

Five questions with the university ombuds

By Angie Hunt, news service
May 02

Laura Smythe has served as the university's ombuds since April 2022. Photo by Christopher Gannon.

The basics

Laura Smythe ("Sm-eye-th"), university ombuds

Years at Iowa State: Two (previously she served in same role at the University of Idaho)

Education: Doctorate in law (1997); master's degrees in Latin American and Iberian studies (1992) and political science (1991) from the University of Wisconsin, Madison; and bachelor's degree in Spanish (1990) from the College of Wooster, Ohio

Notable experiences: Smythe began her career as a private-practice attorney. Since 2003, she has operated her own consulting firm focused on organizational culture, conflict management and service as an external ombuds. Currently she is one of two ombuds appointed to serve the International Ombuds Association community.

Iowa State's ombuds services are independent, impartial and confidential for faculty, P&S and merit staff, postdoctoral scholars  and graduate and professional students. They are an informal resource for employees and are not meant to replace an employee's ability and responsibility to speak with their manager to informally resolve issues.

Q: You've said the ombuds office is 'deliberately unique.' What does that mean?

We are an independent office and not affiliated with any unit, department or college. Our meetings and conversations are confidential and not shared with anyone at the university. The one exception is if we learn someone is in imminent risk of serious harm. We are mandatory Title IX reporters.

We spend our days talking with people who are stressed and in conflict, facilitating conversations between people who are struggling to communicate constructively, advising about resources, coaching individuals in leadership positions, offering trainings and listening. We do not judge or advocate. Visitors can rest assured that we won't favor somebody or some unit over another. We are a safe place to explore options. Visitors retain full agency to decide what they want to do after consulting with us about their options.

Q: What type of trainings do you offer?

We offer trainings that focus on how people interact and communicate with one another. Training sessions are scheduled by request and designed for the learning objectives of the group. Check out our list of available trainings. If you, or your group, don't find what you're looking for, please reach out to our office. I'm always developing new trainings.  

Q: What are the most common misconceptions about the ombuds office?

There seems to be a myth that reaching out to the university ombuds somehow escalates matters. I'd love to dispel that myth. We're intended to be a safe space to explore concerns, identify possible solutions or resources and do it without anyone necessarily knowing you visited our office. In fact, we embrace opportunities to work with people proactively rather than reacting to a situation that has become tense and difficult.

The other frequent misconception is that we file and investigate formal complaints. Sharing a complaint with us is different than sharing it with a supervisor or university human resources. We do not file complaints or reports or use the information we hear in any way except to explore with the visitor what they want to do. Sometimes we work with an entire unit or group on culture and climate. To do that work, we may meet individually with group members to build trust and understand their perspective. While that may feel like an "investigation," the information gathered is used only within the group for their learning and reflection. It does not become part of anyone's file or record.

Q: When should someone reach out to your office?

If you are struggling with a colleague, supervisor, supervisee, major professor or graduate or professional student, please consider reaching out to us. If we cannot help, we will guide you to other resources on campus. We would rather have you reach out than not.

We welcome proactive conversations about how to handle a difficult conversation or situation, or to serve as an impartial ear. Most people are uncomfortable with conflict. I've studied, researched, practiced and taught conflict management for more than 20 years. I'm here as a resource designed to parallel other formal options. Visitors do not give up their rights to formal solutions by speaking with our office.

Q: What are the limitations of the ombuds office?

Because we do a lot of listening, we are sometimes confused with counselors. We are not counselors, psychiatrists or psychologists. Our experience is rooted in conflict management skills, best practices in communication, and developing psychologically-safe workplaces.

We are not advocates. Because we are an impartial office, we cannot, and do not, advocate for anybody or any group.

We do not serve undergraduate students.

Review: Regent schools' admissions index is working

By Anne Krapfl
May 02

The state's graduation rate for students at four-year public universities has led the nation for the past decade, and the Regent Admission Index (RAI) continues to be an accurate predictor of success in college. Jason Pontius, associate chief academic officer on the board staff, told the state Board of Regents April 25 the interinstitutional team that completed a review of the RAI isn't recommending any changes at this time. 

The biennial review is intended to assess the efficacy of the RAI on desired outcomes such as first-year grades, retention and graduation rates and the threshold (score of at least 245) for automatic admission to a regent university. The RAI, which considers a standardized test (SAT or ACT) composite score, high school GPA and a set of high school core courses, is used to automatically admit Iowa residents to regent universities, and often is used to automatically admit non-residents.

Since fall 2021, regent university applicants may choose to not submit a standardized test score and undergo an individual review instead. For fall 2022 admission, 20% of enrolled Iowans and 51% of enrolled out-of-state students used this option.

In a related study, the same team reviewed an alternative national test, the Classic Learning Test, for its acceptability as a standardized test in the RAI. Rachel Boon, chief academic officer on the board staff, said there isn't enough data yet about its predictability of student outcomes. In the meantime, it could be part of an individual, holistic review of a student applicant.

Input to FY25 salary policy

Preceding their June consideration of employee salary policies for the next budget year, regents received comments last week from the elected leaders of non-unionized employee groups. Presenting from Iowa State were P&S Council president Patrick Wall, ISU Extension and Outreach; and Faculty Senate president Sarah Bennett-George, apparel, events and hospitality management.

Bennett-George illustrated the faculty role in each of Iowa State's three land-grant missions: as "primary stewards of the student experience," discovery of new knowledge and service to the state through applied research, well-equipped student graduates and programming for Iowans. Faculty do all that working, on average, about 50 hours per week, a consistent data point during her 12 years at Iowa State. But in those 12 years, annual faculty salary increases never kept pace with annual inflation, she noted. As a result, Iowa State faculty "consistently are positioned at the bottom of our peer group for faculty compensation."

"Without additional state funding to support a strong salary policy, Iowa State will not be able to maintain a competitive edge to either recruit or retain the very strong faculty I am proud to represent this afternoon," she concluded.

Wall likened the college student experience to youth baseball. The misperception that simply showing up guarantees the skills to land a good job is sort of like believing a $400 bat guarantees successful hitters. Just as hitting lessons and practice produce hitters, P&S staff are the skill development coaches who help produce marketable college graduates.

"The people I work alongside every day care deeply about the success of every student, as well as every Iowan across our 99-county campus," he said. "We teach, we advise, we conduct research and most importantly, we turn students into the heavy hitters demanded by companies in Iowa."

"State appropriations for the regent institutions are a direct investment in the Iowa workforce of tomorrow. Please keep investing in staff," he told board members.

DEI directives

The presidents of the regent institutions each presented a progress report on how their university is implementing the board's 10 diversity, equity and inclusion directives. In a campus memo later in the day, President Wendy Wintersteen and senior leaders outlined Iowa State's actions for complying with the directives.

Officer elections

The board elected regents Sherry Bates and Greta Rouse to serve two-year terms as the board's president and president pro-tem, respectively. Both had served in interim roles since February. The board recognized regent Michael Richards during his last meeting. Richards has served as a regent since spring 2016 and as board president from May 2017 to January of this year.

Iowa State agenda items

In Iowa State business, the board approved:

• Two new degree programs for fall implementation: a Master of Digital Health in the kinesiology department and a Bachelor of Arts in sports media and communication in the Greenlee School. The digital health program is the first approved from an initial six "degrees of the future," a 2022-31 strategic plan-supported initiative to create degree programs that address workforce and student demands.
• The appointment of Mary Sirna as director of equal opportunity, effective March 25.
• 3% price increases for campus lot and Memorial Union ramp parking permits for the year that begins July 1. The new rates are $205 for general staff, $642 for a reserved lot and $1,108 for a 24-hour reserved stall.
• A budget ($9.2 million) and project description for three building additions to the large animal ward of the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center, to expand equine reproductive services in response to a growing demand in the state. College of Veterinary Medicine funds will pay for the project. Construction would begin in spring 2025 and last about 16 months.

Regent David Barker requested that proposed dining and student housing rate increases for 2024-25 be pulled from the consent agenda for consideration at a future meeting.

Free speech survey results

The board heard a short summary of the results of the second distribution of the regents' free speech survey in February. All regent university employees and students and University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics employees received an email invitation. The first survey was administered in November 2021 to establish a benchmark. Although the 2023 student response rate dropped, Pontius said the racial/ethnic background of respondents was close to ratios in the overall student populations, making the survey reliable.

Free speech survey: All regent employees and students

A few student survey highlights:

• A majority (87%) of students agreed that they felt comfortable expressing their opinions related to things they were studying in class. Agreement with that statement increased by nearly 10 percentage points from 2021 to 2024.
• Eighty-three percent of all student respondents (88.3% of Iowa State respondents) agreed their university provides an environment for the free and open expression of ideas, opinions and beliefs.
• Among student respondents, 79.1% agree that their university does not restrict speech on campus. This view has increased by nearly 13 percentage points since 2021.

A few employee survey highlights:

• Most employees (76.9%) at all universities (79.4% at Iowa State) agreed that their university provides for the free and open expression of ideas, opinions and beliefs. This view has increased by eight percentage points since 2021.
• Among all employee respondents, 73.9% agreed with the statement that their university does not restrict speech on campus, even when it makes people feel uncomfortable. Agreement with the state increased a full 10 percentage points from 2021 to 2024.

LeBaron construction will impact Morrill Road, bus route

By Jeff Budlong
May 02

The orange zone on this map indicates the location of a temporary closure of Morrill Road adjacent to LeBaron Hall. Sidewalk closures and detours also will be part of the project. Maps courtesy of facilities planning and management.

The two-year process of demolishing and replacing LeBaron Hall will begin this summer. The $39 million project will require the temporary closing of a short section of Morrill Road with changes to traffic flow and a CyRide bus route, and temporary sidewalk closures.

Construction -- led by Des Moines-based Neumann Brothers -- will begin with a fence erected around LeBaron in late June and work commencing July 1. The project will demolish LeBaron, replace it with a new building and renovate the circulation corridor connecting LeBaron to MacKay Hall and the Human Nutritional Sciences Building. Work is scheduled to conclude in fall 2026.

Project manager Liz Clarke, facilities planning and management, said the LeBaron auditorium is not part of this project and will remain in use during construction. Everyone will use the north or west entrances to get to the auditorium from outside.

Road closure

A section of Morrill Road adjacent to LeBaron will close at the end of June for the duration of the project. Two-way traffic will be allowed on the south end of the road, up to the closure. A temporary turnaround at the Morrill Hall and Hub service driveway will be available for drivers making deliveries and employees who park along Morrill Road. The closure will eliminate some parking on Morrill during construction, and the parking division is contacting impacted drivers.

Trucks delivering materials and equipment to and from the construction site will follow one route, arriving to the north side of campus, traveling west on Pammel Drive, south on Bissell Road, east on Osborn Drive and finally south on Morrill (see map below). Whenever possible, deliveries will avoid the busiest times of the day, Clarke said.

CyRide and sidewalks

Beginning Monday, May 13, CyRide's orange route 23 will be rerouted around Morrill Road for the duration of the road closure, no longer stopping at Parks Library or Beardshear Hall. Instead of turning south on Morrill Road from Osborn Drive, buses will continue west to Bissell Road and travel south on Bissell to Union Drive.

Morrill Road's westside sidewalk will remain open for pedestrians and bicyclists. Bicyclists will dismount and walk their bikes through the closed road area.

Portions of sidewalks north, east and south of LeBaron will be closed throughout the project with signs posted to alert pedestrians.

Trees and art

Clarke said trees within the construction area were evaluated by experts.

"A limited number of trees were identified for removal due to poor condition," she said. "There will be exclusionary fencing installed around several trees that will remain and be monitored."

Pieces of public art in or near the construction site will be disassembled, stored during the project and reinstalled after completion.

Construction vehicles bringing supplies and equipment will follow the dotted red path to and from the construction site. Two-way traffic will be allowed along the length of Morrill Road shaded in blue.

Rising leaders pursue remedies for campus needs

By Anne Krapfl
May 02

As part of their academic-year leadership training, members of Iowa State's Emerging Leaders Academy (ELA) put theory to work, first identifying issues or challenges on campus and then throwing the time, brain power and collaboration tools of an eight-person team at some solutions.

The 32 members of the 2023-24 ELA class gathered April 19 to share outcomes of their four capstone projects. They also reflected on what they learned about teamwork, navigating a large university to accomplish goals and how leadership works best among a whole team of leaders.

While providing an opportunity to practice leadership, ELA team capstone projects also aim to support the university's strategic plan and Principles of Community. Additionally, a project should:

• Be sustainable without creating lots of work for someone else
• Focus narrowly enough on an issue that it be completed in six months
• Involve campus stakeholders or clients in its planning

Here's a short summary of the teams' work and where you might experience the outcomes:

Team 1

The issue: Each semester, more than 100 undergraduates with a low distraction accommodation request struggle in the practical/laboratory exams for 100- and 200-level chemistry courses. Additionally, what funding sources exist to address this specific need? (The challenge exists in numerous departments but is largest in chemistry.)

Short-term response: Plexiglas shields, ear plugs and headphones to equip 12 chemistry labs would cost $7,000 and help students perform at their best during hands-on lab exams. The provost's office is interested in sponsoring this effort. Strategic plan annual funds might be another option.

Long-term response: Following lab tours, a student survey and a best practices review, the team recommended a tool kit for use in future labs (new or remodeled).

Team 2

The issue: The Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship's programs and services are underutilized by ISU faculty and staff who could benefit from them.

Response: Based on focus groups and individual interviews (and a theme analysis of the coded transcripts) the team identified reasons faculty and staff don't know of or don't use the Pappajohn Center and recommended communication and education strategies for more effective outreach to, and engagement with, faculty and staff. The team gave its presentation to center director Judi Eyles in mid-April.

Team 3

The issue: How to expand the capacity of the student food pantry, SHOP, to serve more students, especially students' families. This involves effectively communicating with would-be clients, growing SHOP's volunteer corps and investigating options for upcycling food from campus catered events at SHOP.

Response: The team is working on several initiatives: new language on donating leftover food in the training document for 800 student organizations, a grant proposal for a campus food upcycling app, emails to Schilletter University Village residents confirming families may use SHOP, training with recreation services student employees in Beyer Hall so family members may access SHOP, a paid marketing internship to assist with promoting SHOP, incentives in the employee well-being program, Adventure2, for employee volunteers at SHOP.

Team 4

The issue: Employees don't know how to locate valuable university resources. From collective experiences, new employee onboarding is not comprehensive or consistently enforced.

Response: The team began assembling a list of essential onboarding activities with the intent of developing a central website of common resources, a "welcome packet." With so many units around campus "that have their fingers in this," the list of possibilities became long and a bit overwhelming. Another concern was long-term management and maintenance of such a site.

The team eventually learned of a parallel effort by university human resources to revamp the employee onboarding process in Workday, and concluded its best option would be to promote the Workday resource checklist.

About ELA

The provost's office launched ELA in 2009 to develop faculty and professional and scientific staff who either serve in leadership roles at Iowa State or aspire to them. In fall 2017, new leaders for the program introduced team capstone projects, replacing a mentor component with an ISU leader for each class member.

Currently, ELA's administrative director is Katharine Hensley, office of the senior vice president and provost, and the faculty co-leads are assistant provost for faculty success Tera Jordan and music and theatre department chair Brad Dell.

Iowa State earns platinum designation for workplace mental health efforts

May 02

Iowa State University has been awarded a 2024 Platinum Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health by Mental Health America (MHA). The Bell Seal is a first-of-its-kind workplace mental health certification to recognize employers striving to create mentally healthy workplaces for their employees.

The platinum recognition is the highest of the Bell Seal's four levels, surpassing gold, silver and bronze.

"Gaining status as a Bell Seal-certified organization demonstrates Iowa State's ongoing commitment to employee health and well-being," said Kristi Darr, vice president for university human resources (UHR). "University leaders recognize that an investment in employee mental health is an investment in the university's financial, social and emotional health. But more than that, it's the right thing to do."

Iowa State's UHR benefits and worklife teams completed an evaluation of university policies and practices in four areas: workplace culture, benefits, compliance and wellness programs. In awarding the platinum certification, MHA cited the university's efforts in these areas:

• Expansive employee growth opportunities.
• Competitive and mental health-friendly benefits packages.
• An emphasis on, and commitment to, work-life balance and employee well-being.
• A commitment to recruiting and retaining an inclusive workforce.

MHA is a community-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting mental health, well-being and illness prevention for all. In 2019, it introduced the Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health to recognize companies and organizations that understand the value of addressing mental health at work and implement policies and practices that support employee well-being. One in four employers meets the standards for Bell Seal certification, and fewer attain platinum status.