News Archive

A small army of volunteers work throughout November to decorate Reiman Gardens' grounds for the holiday light show. More help ensures every Thursday through Saturday evening in December is a success. Members of the horticulture department work with Reiman Gardens staff to plan and execute the holiday design.

As part of the phased implementation of Workday Student and Receivables, thousands of transaction scenarios, featuring hundreds of simulated student personas, are being tested this winter in preparation for rollout No. 3 this spring.

Despite a lack of course credit, a four-session bootcamp about off-road vehicle technology this fall had nearly twice as many applicants as seats. The bootcamp resulted from a collaboration among John Deere, agricultural and biosystems engineering department, ISU Research Park and the Digital Ag Innovation Lab.

Withers, currently dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Colorado State in Fort Collins, will begin his new leadership post at Iowa State in April.

Also on the state Board of Regents agenda: Phase two proposals for the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, veterinary cancer center and CYTown infrastructure, faculty professional development assignments for next year and an incentive program for Business faculty who develop customized education services for corporate clients.

Microsoft Copilot is available to faculty and staff and includes commercial data protection. Unlike other generative AI such as ChatGPT, Copilot doesn't use personal and company data to build its model.

Following vigorous discussion at its Nov. 16 meeting, the State Board of Regents approved 10 recommendations for limiting or clarifying policies and programming about diversity, equity and inclusion at the three regent campuses. By April, the schools must develop plans for how they'll comply with the recommendations.

Iowa State's Educational Materials Policy, which establishes ownership of educational materials, is being updated for the first time since 1976. Proposed changes include the recognition of the change of delivery, how educational materials are produced and who produces them.

Also on the docket are requests for two second phases at the Veterinary Medicine campus: the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and pet cancer clinic, the biennial report on how faculty spend their workweek and a compensation proposal for Business college faculty who lead custom professional education for corporate clients.

A new mat strategy at the Memorial Union entrances helps keep dirt and debris on visitors' shoes from showing up all over the building. The custodial staff spends less time cleaning floors, freeing them up for other work. Over seven years, the mats will save the MU more than $640,000.

Information shared this week with students and employees about campus announcements and closures related to winter weather.

With its final vote last week, a review committee recommended the university keep Carrie Chapman Catt's name on Catt Hall.

This summer, senior vice president for operations and finance Shawn Norman tweaked the leadership structure for the division and has announced promotions to fill the remaining positions.

Karen Rodekamp, a 24-year veteran in ISU Dining -- and former student employee -- was promoted to director of ISU Dining, effective Nov. 1.

Daily lunch for thousands, festive homecoming banners and an events stage gave warmth to a chilly central campus this week. The homecoming celebration continues through Saturday.

Iowa State's four-year partnership with the Jed Foundation began Aug. 1. The first year is about developing the strategic plan; subsequent years are for implementation and, later, regular planning to keep its content relevant.

A subcommittee structure lets University Sustainability Committee members focus on categories in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education's STARS assessment tool. The goal is a more accurate and complete data set for the next submission in 2025.