Visions: Winter 2020

THE MAGAZINE FOR MEMBERS OF THE IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION |

THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Exploding with technological changes and enhanced services, the library is not just a collection of books.

Winter 2020

GE T T IN G S TARTED

by Carole Gieseke

c gi e se k e @ i a s tat e . e du

Diving into the depths of the University Library

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ILLUSTRATION BY JENNY WITTE

M

y earliest memory of my childhood public library is walking out with a stack of books I could barely lift.

I don’t know how old I was – schoolage for sure – but I always checked out the maximum number of books, which I think was 20. I would blaze through those 20 books, take them back, and check out 20 more.

The public library in my hometown was the best source of books to read; the Scholastic book fair was a close second. I loved reading books, and I loved buying books. I still remember the little newsprint order form, with most books under a dollar.

When my oldest daughter started kindergarten, I was thrilled to see that the Scholastic book order form had barely changed, except for the prices.

I wanted to buy them all.

In another library memory, I’m a little bit older, and I’m with my cousin Anne at my grandmother’s house in southern Missouri. My grandmother was always eager to get us out of the house and would let us walk to the town square and to the library. Anne and I liked going to the library, because it was cool in there. We weren’t very interested in the books; we just wanted to hang out. Often, we brought snacks, which were forbidden. As was talking and laughing and making fun of other library patrons. (I am not proud to say we did all of these things.) The librarians did not find our shenanigans amusing, and we found ourselves kicked out more than once.

When I was in junior high, my mom got a job at our local public library, which had by then moved to a modern, new building. You would think I would have been thrilled – daily access to an unlimited number of books! – but by then I was less interested in books and more interested in, well, other things.

But eventually I came back around.

I majored in journalism (not exactly

literature, but close) and married a man who has his nose in a book even more frequently than he has his eyes on a televised sporting event. Often he does both at the same time. He goes to the Ames Public Library at least once a week. I’m guessing we’ve saved about a hundred thousand dollars by borrowing books instead of buying them (sorry, Amazon).

I’m not as voracious a book reader these days; I have a tough enough time getting through my endless stacks of newspapers and magazines. But I do have my favorite authors, and I’m always super excited when they publish new books.

Susan Orlean is one of those authors.

She may be best known for The Orchid Thief, which was made into the film Adaptation. I prefer her collections of narrative nonfiction like The Bullfighter Checks her Makeup: My Encounters with Extraordinary People and My Kind of Place: Travel Stories from a Woman Who’s Been Everywhere. Most of the stories were originally published in the New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Outside magazines. Orlean has an uncanny knack for capturing the smallest, most memorable details of the people she meets. I still remember her description of a young priest having “kissy lips” and the human spiderweb created in the backyard of a 10-year-old boy.

In 2019, Orlean published a different kind of book. The Library Book is a nonfiction account of the Los Angeles Public Library, its history, the 1986 fire that nearly destroyed it, and the community service it embraces today.

I loved this book, and it inspired me to find out more about Iowa State’s library. So, I took a deep dive into the University Library. I spent hours there with photographer Jim Heemstra; interviewed a couple of dozen staff; toured the bowels of the original library building now known as Parks; combed through the archives; and observed how students, faculty, staff, and the community interact with what may be the most important building on campus.

Along the way, I learned how the library started – it was a thing even before the college was founded, but in the early days reading for pleasure was unacceptable – and how it expanded (again and again) and evolved. I was extra lucky in my timing, because just when I met with then-dean of library services Beth McNeil to get the green light to do the story, she told me about an awesome renovation of the first-floor entry space that has added a wonderful area for students to work and gather.

She also told me about the recent addition of 50 new works of art to Parks Library’s already-museum-like space.

I hope the story will take you back to your college days and that you’ll learn something new about today’s library services. Everyone seems to have a “library story,” so drop me a line and let me know what you remember about days (and nights) at the library! 

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COVER STORY

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

10 T he University Library: Not just a collection of books

32 ‘A growing love affair:’ Jeff Johnson celebrates 20 years of service

2 Getting Started 4 Letters to the Editor 6 Around Campus 40 Cyclones Everywhere

Featuring Association news, Cyclone Stories, and more 52 Sports 54 Calendar

34 2020 Distinguished Awards announcement 36

Annual Report: 2018-2019 in review

On the Cover: The 1983 addition to Parks Library extended the building to the south and provided a transition between the limestone facades of the original building and the gleaming new, modern space. Photo by Jim Heemstra

38 From shirts and ties to purple scrubs

Rachel Seale is interim head of the ISU Library Special Collections and University Archives. The collection is housed in a climate-controlled vault filled with archival-quality boxes filled with artifacts, photographs, books, and papers, including the historical records of Iowa State.

Photo by Jim Heemstra

WINTER 2020 / VOLUME 32 / NO. 4 EDITOR: Carole Gieseke ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Kate Bruns PHOTOGRAPHY: Jim Heemstra DESIGN: Scott Thornton LOCAL PHONE 294-6525 TOLL-FREE 1-877-ISU-ALUM (478-2586) WEBSITE isualum.org

VISIONS (ISSN 1071-5886) is published quarterly for members of the Iowa State University Alumni Association by the ISU Alumni Association, 429 Alumni Lane, Ames, IA 5001 1-1403, (515) 294-6525, FAX (515) 294-9402. Periodicals postage paid at Ames, Iowa, and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to VISIONS, ISU Alumni Center, 429 Alumni Lane, Ames, IA 50011-1403.

For ad rates please call 515-294-6560. Copyright 2019 by the ISU Alumni Association, Jeffery W. Johnson, Lora and Russ Talbot Endowed President and CEO and publisher.

The ISU Alumni Association mission: To facilitate the lifetime connection of alumni, students, and friends with the university and each other.

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, 3280 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.

Printed with soy ink on recycled and recyclable paper.

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2019-2020 ISU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS Thomas A. Connop**# Chair ’76 History Dallas, Texas Kathy A. (Sullivan) Peterson**^ Chair-elect ’95 Speech Comm.

Aurelia, Iowa Lawrence Cunningham**^ Immediate Past Chair ’02 Liberal Studies Ames, Iowa Timothy R. Quick**# Vice Chair of Finance ’01 Marketing, Intl. Business Clive, Iowa Marc Mores**# Vice Chair of Records ’95 Exercise & Sport Science Parker, Colo.

Joan Piscitello**# University Treasurer ’98 MBA Ex-officio/voting West Des Moines, Iowa Jeffery W. Johnson**# Lora and Russ Talbot ISUAA Endowed President & CEO PhD ’14 Education Ex-officio/non-voting Ames, Iowa ELECTED DIRECTORS Daniel A. Buhr**# ’95 Elec. Engr.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Kelli Ann Cameron** ’02 Ag. Education Janesville, Wis. Taylor Davis* ’17 Supply Chain Mgmt.

Las Vegas, Nev. Marvin DeJear* ’00 Business Mgmt., MBA ’03, PhD ’16 Ed. Leadership Des Moines, Iowa Heather L. (Reid) Duncan**# ’06 Public Service & Admin. in Ag. Kansas City, Mo. Duane M. Fisher**# ’73 Ag Ed., MS ‘80 Mt. Auburn, Iowa Chad Harris** ‘01 Political Science Kansas City, Mo. 4

Donald A. Hoy**# ’63 Ag. Business Weatherby Lake, Mo. Larry Pithan** ’73 Mech. Engr.

Andalusia, Ill. Cathy Schmidt**# ’88 Marketing Plymouth, Minn.

Gregory Smith**# ’91 Occ. Safety, MPA ’10 Marion, Iowa Martha Smith** ’04 Ag. Business St. Louis, Mo. Amy Burrough Tetmeyer**# ’91 Accounting Johnston, Iowa Dana (Willig) Wilkinson** ’78 Interior Design Bettendorf, Iowa Eric Wittrock**# ’92 Mech. Engr.

Urbandale, Iowa Suzanne J. Wyckoff**# ’70 English Riverside, Mo. APPOINTED DIRECTORS Sophia Magill** Office of the President Representative ’05 Pol. Sci. Ames, Iowa Michele Appelgate* College Representative ’88 Journ. & Mass Comm.

Ames, Iowa Phyllis M. Fevold**^ Non-alumni Representative Ames, Iowa Andrew Larson*** Student Alumni Leadership Council Representative Senior, Forestry LeRoy, Ill. Membership Key: *Annual member **Life member ***Student member ^Business member # 2019 Sustaining Life donor To apply for the Board of Directors, go to isualum.org/ board. The deadline is Nov. 1.

Meet the Board: isualum.org/about/board

Letters 

WE’D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU Let us know what you think about stories in this issue – or about other topics of interest to VISIONS readers. Email your letters to: cgieseke@iastate.edu.

The 1960s: Peace, love, and Iowa State Thanks to everyone who sent us their memories of the 1960s as a follow-up to our fall 2019 cover feature “The Sixties: A decade that forever altered the nation and Iowa State University.” The following are excerpts of those letters. Read more online at www.isu alum.org/visions THE TWO DON SMITHS I remember both Don Smiths from my time at ISU. Don Smith the president looked like a hippie of the first order, and his girlfriend wore high black leather boots and bounced when she walked – what a couple. I don’t remember if she was his running mate or not.

The other Don Smith was a great basketball player.

By 1964 my fraternity, Delta Theta Chi, had an active member of color: Raynold Bonifil from Haiti. By ’66, alcohol had come to Dogtown, and co-eds could live off campus.

There were protests on campus, but I don’t remember any getting violent, and I could wear my ROTC uniform on campus without being insulted. The ’60s were a great time to be at ISU, except for the football record.

Thanks for the memories.

Terry Chew ** ’67 civil engr Marion, Iowa

VEISHEA 1970 The VEISHEA Central Committee (of roughly 18 members) met Tuesday evenings.

It was being discussed, at high levels, to call off VEISHEA in 1970. The VEISHEA committee, however, after much debate, voted to recommend that VEISHEA go forward as usual.

The question was: Who should present the recommendation to President Parks?

I suggested that the two senior members of VCC should go, early Wednesday morning.

The group objected; their collective decision was for me, as the senior faculty advisor, to present the case to the president. That produced considerable discussion, but the

decision was unanimous – it should be Dr. Harl. And it was, reluctantly.

The president took it calmly, in his office, and said a decision would be forthcoming, but it did not come on Wednesday as expected. Early Thursday morning, as the president ascended to address a large group, he paused long enough to tell me, “We decided we are taking your advice.” And they did.

On Saturday morning, the president addressed a large crowd north of the Union, near the Campanile. It was not more than 15 minutes, but it was a powerful and wellphrased message.

VEISHEA 1970 turned out as a relatively calm event. The Central Committee arranged a different speaker, with a well-thought-out theme; a live microphone was positioned just west of Curtiss Hall (which was used all night long, into the dawn as a long mike on campus).

The president’s talk was very well received.

It was the quietest VEISHEA in some time.

Neil E. Harl** Retired Charles F. Curtiss distinguished professor in agriculture and life sciences Senior advisor to VEISHEA 1969-1971 ’55 agriculture, PhD ’65 econ Ames, Iowa

PANTY RAIDS Hey, guys. Panty raids were not invented at Iowa State in the ’60s. That honor goes to students of the ’50s. And somewhere in my box of ISC memorabilia I still have a pair that was thrown out of a third-story Birch Hall dorm window in the fall of 1953 – after we unexpectedly won our Homecoming game against Missouri. A pair, incidentally, my wife of 62 years claims was hers.

Bill Warner ** ’57 forestry Lake Oswego, Ore.

COMPUTER SCIENCE Thank you for another enjoyable issue to read and learn. The article “The Sixties” was extra special. It was interesting to read about events and life during the sixties that formed the university and students. However, I was

Read VISIONS online We hope you enjoy receiving VISIONS magazine as a benefit of your ISU Alumni Association membership.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for your membership!

Do you prefer to read your magazine on a smartphone or tablet? Want to cut down on paper waste and have a copy of VISIONS magazine that’s easier to read on the go? Now you can say YES Throughout this magazine: (L) indicates life member of the ISU Alumni Association

to receiving VISIONS online ONLY! Simply let us know if you prefer the digital option for future issues, and you’ll start receiving a special email alerting you each time a new issue is ready to read online or through the Iowa State Alumni app. Fill out the form at isualum.org/visionsonline.

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very disappointed that there was no reference to a very big anniversary for Iowa State and the Department of Computer Science. As a computer science graduate, we are proudly celebrating 50 years on the official formation of the college in 1969 following the invention of the first electronic digital computer by John Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford Berry in the 1930s.

Larry A. Miller ** ’80 comp sci Foothill Ranch, Calif.

MEMORIES OF THE ’60S This issue of VISIONS got me looking virtually in my rearview mirror. Sitting in a speech class in 1957, I was speechless as news of Sputnik came out. Somehow, I knew our country would rise to the challenge and win that chapter of the Space Race. With American resolve and ingenuity, we did.

Sitting in a Russian language class in 1959, I was intrigued with Nikita Krushchev’s visit to our campus after he inspected the cornfields of Roswell Garst. Our Lithuanian professor had, with good reason, threatened to flunk anyone who missed class that day to add credibility by joining the crowds to see “that animal.”

I vividly recall my friend Bill Dalghety calling to ask that my fraternity brother and our NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion, Roger Puhlman, blunt the march of hired rowdies who were marching on the Student Union with signs proclaiming “would rather crawl on my belly to Moscow than die in a nuclear holocaust.” Roger had a great suggestion for the big, ugly dude leading the imported rabble rousers who promptly left town and took his kooks with him.

Jeff White* ’60 industrial admin Radnor, Pa. One memory from my years at Iowa State comes from an informative speech assignment.

At first, I couldn’t think of anything exciting or unique that would be of interest to my class and professor. My topic finally emerged when I overheard classmates talking about the marijuana plants that had been recently discovered growing by The Hub. Understand that I had come to Ames from a small family farm in southern Iowa and had never even seen an illegal drug. After hearing about the plants, I decided that educating my class (and especially myself) about cannabis could be worthwhile.

For the next few days I researched my topic and practiced my speech until I felt comfortable with my presentation. Speech day came, and all went well. Afterwards, my professor gave me positive comments about my content, organization, and delivery. He then surprised V I S I O N S W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG W I N T E R 2 0 2 0

me by asking if I had ever used marijuana.

When I told him I had not, he suggested that connecting my topic to a little first-hand experience could have added even more life to my speech. I’ve often wondered if my maiden name, Stoner, motivated his comment!

Pamela (Stoner) Williams** ’70 home ec ed Northfield, Minn.

RACE AND THE 1960S I greatly enjoyed the latest issue of VISIONS, especially your “Getting Started” column. ISU was a very good educational experience, but we did not receive adequate preparation for the racial challenges that were ahead of us. Ironically, David Ford and I were in the same PE class: swimming. (I assume there was only one African American named David Ford in the mid-’60s.) Our paths did not cross outside of class; I wish I would have invested time in getting to know him.

Joe Ford** ’77 animal science, PhD ’72 Maryville, Mo. Enjoyed the ’60s issue very much, but thought your intro letter suggested that students and faculty were not focused on civil rights issues during that period. That, I believe, is not correct. I selected one academic year of the ISU Daily, 1964-65, and created a table that shows civil rights coverage – lots of it, as well as activity by both students and faculty. As Daily editor for 1966-67, I can attest to the fact that the paper covered these issues then as well. I cannot explain why the Bomb might not have covered the issue. My analysis suggests that civil rights was a hot issue during the 1964-65 year with 13 page-one TOP STORY articles on one aspect or another, and involvement by students and faculty in the Selma-toMontgomery Freedom March as well as changing ISU policy to prevent discrimination based on race by fraternities and sororities at ISU. While no Blacks were pledged during the period I covered, the first male Black student was pledged during the following academic year. The only issue hotter than civil rights during the period was women’s hours, as you noted in the issue.

Eric Abbott * ’67 science journalism Ames, Iowa

IN PRAISE OF PRESIDENT PARKS The 1960s article reminded me what a great man President Parks was, and how lucky ISU was to have him at the helm during the turbulent times. He also guided the university during the growing pains of the period that followed, not always with the full support of the faculty.

I still remember a meeting during which he made the case for switching from the quarter

to the semester schedule, how disappointed he was when the motion was voted down, and the democratic grace with which he accepted the verdict. The architecture faculty, including myself, were very much in favor – and not only because it was through his vision that the College of Design came in to being, drawing three departments from three different colleges: architecture from engineering; landscape architecture from agriculture; and art from home economics. Having served in administrative positions, I can well imagine how daunting the task must have been.

Chris Saccopoulos ’66 architecture, master’s ’74 Kythnos, Greece “The ’60s” was a trip back in time.

I graduated in 1962 and returned as assistant dean of students in 1968, reporting to Dr. Art Sandeen, who then-university vice president William Layton brought to become dean of students. The campus was as you described, and there were initiatives to change the demography of the campus climate. Rob Denson joined our staff located on the fifth floor of the Memorial Union, and Bill Bell was on that very talented staff that had been assembled. Denson, now president of the Des Moines Area Community College, indeed oversaw the “tent city,” which surrounded the Campanile. Credit to the late President Bob Parks, who kept calm on the campus with a leadership style adopted by others. As a young student affairs staff member I learned much, which served me well over four decades in college and university administration. I am ever so grateful to my alma mater.

Tom Goodale* ’62 science journalism, PhD ’71 education Lexington, Va. Iowa State University values communication with alumni and other audiences, and VISIONS welcomes letters from readers about topics in the magazine. Letters must be signed and include address and daytime phone number.

Letters chosen for publication may be edited for length and clarity. The editor may decide to publish a representative sample of letters on a subject or limit the number of issues devoted to a particular topic. While universities are places of open discussion, letters deemed potentially libelous or that malign a person or group will not be published.

Letters express the views of the readers and not Iowa State University nor the ISU Alumni Association. Send letters to VISIONS Editor, ISU Alumni Center, 429 Alumni Lane, Ames, IA 50011-1403 or email cgieseke@iastate.edu. *Annual member of the ISU Alumni Association **Life member of the ISU Alumni Association

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CHRISTOPHER GANNON

The new Iowa State Student Innovation Center will open this spring.

Around Campus

A $3.4 billion impact to Iowa’s economy Iowa State’s $3.4 billion impact on the state of Iowa reflects service to families, communities, and businesses, and the university benefits the state through an expanded economy and improved quality of life, according to an economic impact and investment analysis conducted for the Iowa Board of Regents.

Iowa State’s economic impact supported the equivalent of 42,640 jobs in 2017-18, an impact nearly as large as the entire utilities industry in the state, according to the study.

“The study demonstrates that Iowa State University provides an exceptional value and return on investment for our students and all Iowans,” ISU President Wendy Wintersteen (L)(PhD ’88) said. “We help students achieve their potential and earn the degrees that translate into higher lifetime earnings. We benefit all Iowans by creating a more prosperous

• Alumni: Iowa State’s greatest economic impact on the state of Iowa comes as the result of the education and training it provides. More than 113,000 of Iowa State’s 266,000 alumni currently live and work in Iowa. Their impact was $1.8 billion in added income for the state economy, equivalent to supporting nearly 19,000 jobs.

• Research: The study credited Iowa State with creating a total of $310.2 million in added income for the state economy through faculty research – the equivalent of supporting 4,139 jobs in Iowa. The direct economic impact in 2017-18 was more than $361

million, with 63 percent of the total earned from competitive grants and contracts received by Iowa State scientists.

• Economic development: Iowa State supports a culture of innovation, developing a mindset of entrepreneurship in its students and faculty. During 2017-18, ISU start-up and spin-off companies added $422.2 million to Iowa’s economy, supporting 8,011 jobs.

• Extension and outreach: With a presence in each of Iowa’s 99 counties, ISU helped more than 10,300 companies and organizations and nearly 16,000 farmers across the state in 2017-18.

To read the full report, go to www.news. iastate.edu/news/2019/11/14/ economicimpact

A multi-use development district

Iowa State President Wendy Wintersteen (L)(’88) has transferred oversight of the Iowa State Center to the Department of Athletics and appointed director of athletics Jamie Pollard (L) to lead a process to re-imagine the Iowa State Center and athletics complex as an arts, culture, and community district for the future.

Pollard and ISU Research Park President Rick Sanders (A) will partner to conduct a 6

economy and improving quality of life, making our state a better place to live and work.”

Here are some highlights of the Nov. 14 report:

feasibility study to examine the potential for multi-use development between Jack Trice Stadium and Hilton Coliseum while also relocating commuter and football gameday parking to a new paved parking area east of University Boulevard.

“The goal of the project is to use the excitement surrounding Cyclone athletics to serve as a catalyst to help continue to transform Iowa State University and the Ames community into

one of the premier institutions and cities to study, work, live, and visit,” Pollard said. The study will examine the possibility of adding large-scale convention and hotel space; reinvest in current Iowa State Center facilities; and attract and retain students, workers, businesses, and visitors to Ames.

To view more about the proposal, go to www.cyclones.com and click on the “2020 Vision” logo at the top right corner of the page.

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cool things you should KNOW and SHARE about ISU

1. Ivy league: For the first time, Iowa State is included in the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine list of top undergraduate schools for entrepreneurship studies. Iowa State premiered on the list at No. 26. The Ivy College of Business launched the entrepreneurship major in 2017.

2. Native art: University Museums has received a $5 million art acquisition endowment and a collection of hundreds of Native American and Central American works of art. The Joyce Tomlinson Brewer Fund for Art Acquisition ensures a future for the purchase of artwork to expand the university’s collection.

Brewer is a 1953 ISU graduate.

3. It’s hard to be humble when you’re on so many lists: Once again, Ames has been ranked No. 1 on the Best Towns in America list

University carillonneur Tin-Shi Tam and her students now can take their show on the road. A one-fifth-scale, fully playable model of Iowa State’s iconic carillon and campanile was unveiled at an Oct. 27 celebration concert, where Tam played “Bells of Iowa State” and a commissioned “Fanfares, Anthems, Peals” that incorporated the ISU Symphony Orchestra and alumni chorus.

The model will be used for special events, guest performances, and educational outreach, a nod to Iowa State’s land-grant mission. Tam said for-hire engagements – for example, weddings – also may be possible.

“This can go anywhere the road can take us, honestly,” Tam said.

The portable campanile-carillon model stands 21.5 feet tall with the tower fully extended, and about 6.5 feet tall when collapsed. The structure’s center compartment contains 19 bells, the keyboard, and a scissor-lift frame for the campanile facade – complete with working clocks on all four sides. Two V I S I O N S W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG W I N T E R 2 0 2 0

4. Diversifying math programs by studying successes: ISU associate professor of mathematics Michael Young has obtained $1.5 million NSF grant a to study the successful experiences of mathematics doctoral students from underrepresented populations. He hopes to identify best practices for diversifying math programs.

5. 33,391: Last fall, Iowa State welcomed the sixth-largest enrollment in school history. Students came from all 99 Iowa counties, all 50 states, and 115 countries, and the 5,597 freshman class was the largest among Iowa’s Regent universities.

ISU carillonneur Tin-Shi Tam examines the campanile model prior to its debut concert on Oct. 27. The $190,000 model, planned and constructed as a multi-year student project, was funded through private donations.

CHRISTOPHER GANNON

Bells of Iowa State… on the move

from 24/7 Wallstreet.com. Ames was ranked six places higher than No. 7 Iowa City, the only other college town in the state to be named.

detachable side sections house four bells each.

The model’s 27 bronze bells range in size from 15 to 140 pounds. In its entirety, the structure weighs about 2,800 pounds.

It takes a team of two to four people about an hour to assemble or disassemble.

– Erin Rosacker, ISU strategic relations & communications 7

Students call for changes

Around Campus

University responds to student concerns regarding racism and sexual assault

Racist vandalism in a residence hall, racist stickers and sidewalk chalking on campus, and a photo of an ISU staff member in blackface makeup prompted Iowa State students to mobilize this fall and make demands for change.

ISU President Wendy Wintersteen (L) (PhD ’88) met with members of Students Against Racism in early November to share a series of actions in response to student protests against the campus acts of racism.

“Students at the recent Student Government Forum and the Campus Conversations event also shared harrowing individual experiences of discrimination,” Wintersteen wrote in a Nov. 8 message to ISU students, faculty, and staff. “It takes courage to step forward and express a painful, personal story in a public setting, and I thank those students who’ve come together to stand against racism and discrimination.”

Wintersteen openly condemned racism, white supremacy, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia. She and her administrative team outlined 10 steps the university would take to address the demands of the students. The actions include expanded training for administrators, faculty, staff, and students; steps to eliminate acts of vandalism in residence halls; and the addition of a one-credit orientation course for students that includes diversity, equity, and inclusion topics. The Division of Student Affairs also implemented a new sidewalk-chalking policy to address the situation.

“Above and beyond these steps, we will continue to evaluate practices and policies and seek to identify those actions that help bring us closer to the goals of a caring, inclusive university community,” Wintersteen wrote.

Students had reported feeling unsafe in their living spaces and said they felt “unheard and silenced” regarding anti-Semitic, racial,

and anti-LGBTQ comments and actions.

Several students were targeted through social media channels.

Campus climate survey In related news, the Association of American Universities (AAU) released in October the results of its March 2019 web-based “campus climate” survey on campus sexual assault and misconduct. Iowa State’s rates of incidence (13 percent of respondents have experienced a sexual assault during their college careers) are lower than the national survey average but higher than its own 2015 numbers.

“Even one incident is too much,” Wintersteen said. “These results provide valuable information that will help us refine our training programs and move us closer to our goal of preventing sexual assault and misconduct on our campus.”

“With its central location and excellent transportation access, the Prairie View Industrial Center is an ideal setting for business growth, either through new companies coming into our state or the expansion of existing companies, such as those in the biosciences – one of the region’s core industries.”

– Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (A)(’16), commenting on a new designated “super park” – a partnership between Alliant Energy and the Ames Economic Development Commission – planned near the intersection of I-35 and Hwy. 30 in Ames; the 730-acre facility is planned to serve as an ag biotech hub

Campus building projects The Board of Regents has requested funding from the Iowa legislature to renovate portions of the Memorial Union and MacKay Hall and to replace LeBaron Hall.

The $10 million renovation to the Memorial Union would focus on the upper floors. The project would convert 14,000 square feet of former hotel rooms to office suites on each floor for student-focused services. If approved, construction would begin in January 2021 and last about 20 months.

ISU leaders also received board permission to begin planning to replace the 61-year-old LeBaron Hall (49,000 square feet) with a new facility (83,300 square feet) for the 8

LeBaron Hall found it to be a poor candidate for renovation.

College of Human Sciences. An estimated six percent of the adjoining MacKay Hall would be renovated. The estimated project budget, $55 million, would be covered with private gifts ($15 million), university funds ($10 million) and state appropriations (a $30 million, threeyear request). The university’s evaluation of

 In other building news, ISU broke ground Sept. 13 to start construction of a $21.2 million Kent Corporation Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex (left). The site will be located on 10 acres of university-owned land southwest of the intersection of Highway 30 and State Avenue in Ames. The complex will include a feed mill tower, feed milling and mixing structures, grain storage bins, warehouse, and an educational building with classrooms.

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InBrief n

ISU seeks new VP for research

ISU vice president for research Sarah Nusser (L)(MS ’87 statistics, PhD ’90) has announced she will leave the VP post she has held since 2014 at the end of this fiscal year. During her tenure, the professor of statistics increased the university’s external research funding and launched the Grants Hub to assist researchers with large-scale proposals and new funding opportunities. A national search for Nusser’s successor is underway. n

Reducing food waste

Iowa State scientists collaborated on a World Resources Institute report, released in October, that seeks to reduce the annual 1.3 billion tons of global food loss and waste by 2030. The report, “Reducing Food Loss and Waste: Setting a Global Action Agenda,” finds momentum to address reducing the enormous amount of food that is lost or wasted each year and proposes a global action agenda to successfully meet the United Nations’ call to halve food loss and waste by 2030.

Nearly a third of all food produced in the world goes uneaten each year, an

amount that costs the global economy $940 billion and emits eight percent of planet-warming greenhouse gases. At the same time, one in nine people is undernourished. Looking across the entire food supply chain, from farm to plate, the report pinpoints prime opportunities for governments and business to reduce such inefficiency and waste. n

Data-driven degree completion

Iowa State leaders learned in late September that the university was accepted into the national “Degrees When Due” initiative sponsored by the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Higher Education Policy. The program identifies and reengages adults who started their college educations but stopped before earning a degree. The goal is to help more students, particularly those from historically underserved communities, complete their studies and compete for new kinds of jobs. n

A more inclusive STEM faculty

Iowa State will join a national network of universities committed to enhancing the recruitment, hiring, and retention of diverse faculty in their institutions.

Aspire: The National Alliance for

Inclusive & Diverse STEM Faculty is a three-year program co-led by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and funded by the National Science Foundation.

“Iowa State has long been interested in creating a welcoming environment for diverse faculty – an environment that not only attracts them to campus, but helps them thrive through their careers,” said Dawn Bratsch-Prince, ISU associate provost for faculty. “Through the Aspire network we will be able to share the best practices at our campus, and learn from our partner institutions so that we can do an even better job in the future.” n

Global Resource major turns 10

This year, the Global Resource Systems major is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Current students, alumni, faculty, staff, program partners, and friends are encouraged to volunteer “10 hours for 10 years” anywhere in the world; the goal is to have 2,019 hours recorded in honor of the anniversary. ISU’s Global Resource Systems education prepares students to become experts in the global economy, dedicate their lives to overcoming challenges, and making a difference in the quality of lives around the world.

Jennifer Drinkwater, an ISU assistant professor of art and visual culture, has embarked on an ambitious new project to celebrate goodness in communities in Iowa and Mississippi. Drinkwater has been interviewing subjects and asking them to identify “what’s good” in their communities. She then turns the stories from the interviews into artwork.

“Culturally, it seems that we are addicted to negativity,” she says.

“This project recognizes that there’s still people doing good things.”

You can follow “What’s Good” on Instagram or see it in person April 4 through May 23 at the Octagon Center for the Arts in Ames.

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CHRISTOPHER GANNON

Good news

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TNotHE LIBRARY: just a collection of books

BY CAROLE GIESEKE

•

PHOTOS BY JIM HEEMSTRA

With three additions, multiple renovations, and an explosion of technological changes in its 150-year history, the reimagined University Library continues to focus on its land-grant mission of access and student success.

T

he crowning service of Morrill Hall is its provision for a most admirable library room.”

Thus proclaimed President William Beardshear in Iowa State’s 14th biennial report in 1891 upon the completion of Morrill Hall. The opening of the new building offered students and faculty a dedicated library space that was “well located, cheerfully lighted, and tastefully furnished, making it one of the most inviting rooms of the kind in the state.”

The young college desperately needed that library. As early as 1870, the board proclaimed that “next to the men that teach its students and to the men that control its affairs, the library…is the most important means of building up a great institution.”

Today, the Iowa State University Library remains a vital part of the university, one of the most vibrant and most-visited buildings on campus. The library is the academic heart and soul of the Iowa State campus, providing support to students, faculty, the Ames community, the state of Iowa, and – through its digital collections – the entire world.

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Chapter IOWA STATE’S FIRST LIBRARIES It’s conceivable that ISU’s first president, Adonijah Welch, brought his own books to the fledgling campus, possibly housing them in the Farm House prior to the construction of Old Main. It was there, in the Main Building, that a college library was established in 1868 and grew in that space until Morrill was opened in 1891.

“Welch, and later [President William] Beardshear, bought books on their travels,” Kevin Hill (’89 history, MA ’94, PhD ’02), associate professor of history, said. “They would buy books and ship them back to Iowa. The early collection of books was in the dozens of volumes, not hundreds, and getting permission to buy books was a struggle. Hands-on experience was valued, and some didn’t see the point of all those books.”

But by 1880, the library collection had grown to somewhere between 4,500 and 6,000 volumes. Library resources were for the time relatively good, and the availability for student use was liberal as compared with the older colleges in the East, according to The History of Iowa State College by Earle Dudley Ross. A report for

1910

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Library history and growth

1876 describes the holdings this way: “The Library…is made up almost entirely of new books, purchased since the opening of the College; they are bound in half calf, library style, and substantially covered with strong brown paper.”

Books were serious business back then.

In that same report, it was noted that it was not the intention of the College to furnish in its library “simply a means of amusement.” Instead, the report said, “As a student’s stay in college is short, and his time consequently of the greatest value, he cannot afford to waste it in reading worthless books, nor even in desultory reading of good books.”

As “admirable” as Morrill Hall’s library appeared to President Beardshear in 1891, concerns for the library holdings in a building not considered fire-proof, as well as increased enrollment and an expanded book collection, led the administration in 1914 to move the library to the Central Building (now Beardshear Hall). Central Building was constructed in 1906, replacing Old Main, which, ironically, burned in 1902. The library would be housed there until 1925, although a large number of

Morrill Hall library

books remained in reading rooms in the agricultural, chemistry, engineering, and veterinary buildings.

CONSTRUCTING A NEW COLLEGE LIBRARY BUILDING Requests for a stand-alone library were made to the state legislature as early as 1902, but the process for funding the much-needed library building would be slow. The legislature allocated funds in 1911, but another four years passed before the project was initiated. In 1915 the architectural firm Proudfoot, Bird and Rawson was identified, and in 1919 a total of $400,000 was allocated for construction of the library building. The project got fully underway in September 1922; excavation began and foundations were finished by spring 1923.

Excitement over the new library building began to grow. The December 1922 Alumnus magazine outlined an early design concept for the building: “Plans call for an H-shaped building of dignified and pleasing appearance,” it said. “The new building will house the library now in Central building and practically all of

1923

Laying the cornerstone of the library building

A R C H I VA L P H O T O S F R O M I O W A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y L I B R A R Y / S P E C I A L C O L L E C T I O N S D E PA R T M E N T

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the books in the divisional libraries now scattered about the campus. On the front of the building will appear the names of prominent scientists, in keeping with the spirit of the institution.”

The “H-shaped” building was designed in the classic revivalist style, with soaring ceilings and a huge main reading room.

When the doors of the new building opened in 1925, the Alumnus ran a multipage story written by the library director, Charles Harvey Brown. In an editor’s note, the magazine breathlessly praised the new library, writing: “This article on the new Library by C.H. Brown, librarian, does not do the building full justice from the standpoint of beauty…. The building must be seen to be appreciated. There is nothing else on the campus to compare with it.

Perhaps that is why Mr. Brown urges each reader of the Alumnus to pay the building a visit, to ‘please use it.’ The carved stone panels on the front of the building, which were done by an Iowa artist, Nellie V. Walker, have already received nation-wide attention. Truly the library is a thing of beauty as well as utility.”

For his part, Brown described the building as “noteworthy” and told Alumnus readers, “The new library building at Ames…is designed to serve students, instructors, and professors at Ames and also the alumni. The library

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belongs to you as much as it did when you were students here.”

Kathy Parsons, associate professor and advisor to the dean on library space planning, has worked at the University Library since 1985 and knows as much about the building as anyone currently on staff.

Her memories of the library go back to when she was a child, toted along to the library with her father, Jerry Parsons (L) (’52 agriculture, MS ’59, PhD ’70), when he was working on his PhD at Iowa State.

She remembers walking up and down the marble staircases and sitting quietly in the tiers. She walks through the rotunda, gazing around with a kind of reverence.

“This part of the building I call our Carnegie Library,” she said. “It’s not technically a Carnegie but it has that flavor of the 1920s big library buildings, with massive high ceilings, massive pillars, and huge windows.”

Original to the 1925 building were the bas relief panels designed by Walker. Names of 14 men famous for their contributions to science, art, education, and government were inscribed in a band above the main floor windows. The new library was formally dedicated on Jan. 21, 1926.

THE FIRST LIBRARY DIRECTORS Early leaders of the library were generally plucked from the faculty, with no specific

The reading room

training for library work. J.C. Arthur, a noted authority on rust fungi who taught classes in botany and zoology, was the first appointed librarian in 1876, for a salary of $200. Arthur, a member of Iowa State’s first class, graduated with a degree in botany in 1872. He also earned a master’s degree in botany (1877), giving him the distinction of being the first M.S. degree recipient at the Iowa Agricultural College.

After Arthur’s brief tenure, physics professor J.K. Macomber took over as the next library director, and after that the duties fell to an assistant in mathematics and a professor of elocution according to Ross’s history book. Between 1886 and 1992, most library directors served from one to four years, with the exception of Vina E. Clark, who held the position for 19 years (1897-1916).

Ross writes: “At this time the position was added to that of women teachers in mathematics, modern language, or elocution. Appropriations for books … were correspondingly modest. Until the last years of the period, when special provision was made for cataloging, the total library budget was kept within $1,000.”

It was Brown, library dean from 1922 to 1946, who ushered in the modern library era. Before he came to Iowa State, he had worked for the Library of Congress and

1944

Students studying in the library

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libraryArt

“When Tillage Begins, Other Arts Will Follow” mural by Grant Wood, 1934

the Brooklyn Public Library, among other locations.

“Charles Harvey Brown was a leader in library science,” Hill said. Unlike his predecessors, “he knew about research libraries.”

Brown was president of the American Library Association (1941-42) and is credited with founding the American College and Research Libraries organization. He was on staff during the planning, construction, and first two decades of running Iowa State’s library.

“He brought to the position broad scholarship, an unusually wide professional and administrative experience, and a sympathetic understanding of the library needs,” Ross writes. “Under his direction the accessions multiplied, the classification and administration were fully modernized, and an efficient staff of specialists secured.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF ARTWORK Almost from the beginning, art was an important part of Iowa State’s library.

Walker’s bas relief murals were the first public works of art on campus. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, President Raymond Hughes commissioned Grant Wood to create murals in the library that showed the founding of the state of Iowa as well as the early academic programs at Iowa State Agricultural College.

Titled “When Tillage Begins, Other Arts Will Follow” and “Breaking the Prairie Sod,” much of the work on the murals was done in a temporary studio set up in an Iowa City swimming pool. Twenty-one 14

“Breaking the Prairie Sod” mural by Grant Wood, 1936-1937

Iowa artists worked on the project under the supervision of Grant Wood from his original drawings.

Hughes had envisioned that “the arts would enrich and provide substantial intellectual exploration into our college curricula.” Portraits of distinguished faculty, notable alumni, presidents, and administration were commissioned, and many of them hung in the library.

Hughes also invited Danish sculptor Christian Petersen to campus for a residency, and the library’s much-beloved “Library Boy and Girl” limestone sculptures (1944) were two of the major works that came out of Petersen’s 21-year residency.

The boy and girl, located near the steps of the lower rotunda in the original library entrance, show a male and female student who are studying at the library.

Their sideways glances at each other suggest an awkward flirtation.

“I love the boy and girl statues.

They’re studying, but they’re not necessarily studying their books,” Parsons explains. “One place that women could come after curfew was the library to study, so that’s where they could meet men in a safe environment.”

Tanya Zanish Belcher led the Special Collections Department from 1995 to 2013. She is now the director of special collections and archives at Wake Forest University. “I truly miss the art,” she said recently by phone from her office in North Carolina. “To see the portraits of the presidents, see the Grant Wood murals every day, I really do miss that.”

ENROLLMENT GROWTH AND THE EXPANDING LIBRARY As early as 1928, the library had reached the point where additional space was needed to house its collections – overflow books were stored in buildings across campus, and a steel storage building was constructed on Pammel Drive in 1940 – but it was 1959 before funds to expand the building would be appropriated.

By then, the building was in desperate need of an update. According to Hill, “the old building was cooled by air from the outside. They sometimes left the back door open, and dogs would wander in. Water in the basement was causing moisture damage to the books.”

Robert W. Orr had been hired in 1946 to lead the library. By the early 1950s, new reading rooms had spread across campus, including spaces for physical sciences, engineering, architecture, economics and sociology, and agriculture.

Orr campaigned to expand the library building in two phases. “It is believed the first addition will strengthen the centralized library organization by providing the additional space and facilities that are badly needed,” he said. “A new addition will lessen crowded conditions and problems of where to store the 505,000 volumes the library now owns.”

The first addition, built on the west side of the original building, doubled the book capacity of the library, greatly expanding stack and reader space, and added an elevator. The Sept. 25, 1961 Vinton, Iowa, newspaper wrote that the “three Cs” of the W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG V I S I O N S

“Library Boy and Girl” sculptures by Christian Petersen, 1944 new library were color, convenience, and comfort.

An open stack system, “similar to the supermarket shopping method,” allowed students to go directly to the shelves, select the books they desired, and check out at the circulation desk. Before the expansion, students had to obtain permits to gain access to the tiers, and prior to that the

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1960 books were collected by library workers because students were not allowed to search for books themselves.

A stylized feature of the 1961 addition was a modern, circular entrance rotunda on the south side of the building. The new section featured air conditioning, fluorescent lighting, and “attractive furnishings.”

Breaking ground for the first addition

The Hawkeye-Gazette called the library addition “handy and colorful,” and the Vinton Times concluded that “Iowa State University’s new facility is the latest word in libraries.”

By 1964, the second addition was urgently needed, according to a university report. As student enrollment and knowledge continued to grow, the library

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was still lacking seating space for students to study, room for book stacks, library instruction quarters, an expanded reserve and periodical room, group study rooms, and areas for faculty and graduate students.

The 1969 addition expanded the library’s footprint to the west and north, wrapping around the first addition and greatly expanding the book tiers. Both additions were designed by Brooks-Borg, the successor firm of the original architects.

But the expansion was not without its complications. During the construction of the second addition, a worker named Ralph H. Craven, age 61 of Boone, fell from the second floor and died. Students, who were now actively involved in campus protests, complained that the construction was making it difficult to find anything they were searching for in the library, and too many things had been moved.

THE 1980S ADDITION AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES The first two expansions greatly helped but did not permanently solve the library’s space problems. Not long after the opening of the second addition, as student enrollment continued to grow, headlines shouted, “Money problems cause cramped library facilities.” Since 1967, circulation had increased 138 percent and library holdings had doubled.

Book stacks were again overcrowded,

1961

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collection access and storage was inadequate, and seating for individual and group study was sorely lacking. More than 1.5 million people were using the library on an annual basis.

A university report from the early 1970s drove home the needs: “If it were possible to name the single most important facility at any good university, it would undoubtedly be the Library. It is at the heart of student teaching on both the undergraduate and graduate level, and it is indispensable to research. Few students can complete their university studies successfully without making extensive use of Library resources.

Space for these functions, however, remains the most critical and constant problem facing the ISU Library.”

The library simply could not meet the demands made upon it. Between 25,000 and 40,000 visitors were walking through the doors each week, and circulation continued to grow – up 44 percent from the previous five years. By now, library collections totaled more than a million volumes.

“The Library facilities are simply not large enough to provide for its collections, staff, or services to readers,” the report concluded. State funding amounting to $5.5 million for a third library addition was requested.

In 1978, the Iowa State University

New Library entrance

Foundation created a library fund to meet the library’s growing capital needs.

A report, attached to President W. Robert Parks’s convocation address, had outlined the specific inadequacies of the library building. Some of the specific concerns included inadequate reference desk space, reference reading room space, national and trade bibliography areas, circulation desk facilities, microform and media facilities, staff workspace, computer facilities, and electrical outlets; limited access for handicapped users; excessive building entrance traffic; flooding on the ground floor; lack of emergency lighting; and no room for group study.

The library dean during that time, Warren B. Kuhn, wanted the first floor devoted to public service and saw a need for computers to accommodate the changing technology in library service.

“Dean Kuhn came to Iowa State from Stanford,” Zanish Belcher said. “People didn’t always get along with him, and he was a very demanding dean. But it was like Aristotle had come to run the library. He added to the prestige.”

Kuhn and others hoped that an early 1980s addition would be adequate to take the library into the foreseeable future.

“The Library will continue to call forth every imaginative technique to provide the most effective service possible,” Kuhn wrote. “Library Addition III, together with

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Library study lounge

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substantial renovation of current facilities, will seek to significantly improve the quality of library environment at Iowa State.”

Again, the university hit a roadblock.

“In planning that addition, Kuhn and Parks knew what they needed,” former library dean Olivia Madison (L)(’72 history) said. “The plan was for an addition, with a second addition following it. But they were faced with a difficult choice, because in the end they only got a quarter of the funding they needed. They should have requested the whole amount, and then they would have probably gotten half. Parks was pragmatic and only asked for what we needed for phase I.” Nevertheless, construction of the new addition began in August 1980, and the expansion was completed in August 1983.

Designed by Charles Herbert and Associates, the addition extended to the south of the existing library and blended the new and older portions of the building.

A four-story glass wall allowed visitors a panoramic view of campus and served as a transition between the limestone facades of the original building and the new addition. An overhang on the south entrance protected students from the rain and gave them an outdoor place to sit and study. The design also integrated the traditional architecture of the original building into the interior space of the library. With polished granite desks and a

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circular staircase, the 103,000-squarefoot addition was truly state-of-the-art.

During a tour of the new facility, Kuhn reportedly jumped up and down on one of the new library chairs. “Oh, the state is getting their money’s worth,” he said. He promised that the library would soon be hooked to computers all over campus, the city of Ames, and beyond.

The modern interior featured a color scheme “with tufts of buff, tan, rose, and burgundy,” mixed with red oak tables and chairs, and “super sturdy, student-proof tables.”

The building was dedicated on June 8, 1984. It was named for Iowa State’s 11th president, W. Robert Parks, and his wife, Ellen Sorge Parks. Parks served as ISU’s president for 21 years (1965 to 1986).

“Before, libraries were seen as magnificent, scholarly warehouses,” Kuhn said. “Modern libraries are all that and more. We’re brokers of information, [and] there’s a revolution in the access of that information.”

The 1980s saw the last major expansion of the library, but needs for student study space, collections space, and services continued to grow. In 1997, a climatecontrolled library storage facility was built on the north edge of campus, and the library expanded its reach through technology and digital offerings.

Kuhn, and later Nancy Eaton (library

An overview of the University Library

dean from 1989 to 1997), started working toward a computerized circulation system.

Kuhn, especially, saw the importance of using stored bibliographic information to create a serials catalog generated from keypunch cards. The library purchased access to major indexing tools and created an online catalog.

Madison became dean of library services in 1997 (and held that position until 2014).

“We tried a lot of new things,” she said.

“Not every idea worked out. It was wild.

Some people thought I was crazy. We were integrating all the indexes we had so you could access them from any computer. It was a huge change. Up to that point, you went to a reference librarian and … they would give you a computerized list of everything that matched.”

Hilary Seo, interim dean of library services, credits Madison with many of the technological advancements that students and faculty enjoy today. “One thing Olivia launched was the idea of the e-Library,” she said. “She really moved us down the path of ‘We have a virtual presence as well. We have the physical library and the virtual library.’” The e-Library officially opened in March 2001.

“I was privileged to be in the time in which we changed the library’s whole approach to disseminating information,” Madison said. “Some of our ideas were ahead of their time.”

1984

Library expansion dedication

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Chapter

SERVING THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY In many ways, today’s library hasn’t changed from the library you – or your grandmother – remember.

“Service has stayed the same,” Ed Goedeken (MA ’78 history), collections coordinator, said. Goedeken should know: He’s worked at the University Library 25 years and is one of only six remaining full professors on staff.

“The library’s patron service has never changed at all,” he says. “Fundamentally, we’re here to serve the university community: the researchers, the students, the grad students. That hasn’t changed since the library opened its doors 150 years ago.

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The library today

We’re bigger. There’s more of us. But that mission of serving the community, acquiring the materials they need, helping people find information…the service emphasis has not changed one iota. That’s why we’re here.”

But make no mistake: The library has also changed in many ways. On a typical day, a line of students waits outside the front doors for the library to open at 7:30 a.m. Most of them rush in to print assignments for their 8 o’clock classes.

Others grab coffee at Bookends Café, a small dining venue on the first floor of the library. Many head off to class, but others filter through the main doors throughout the day, with usage peaking between 2 and 4 p.m. and picking up again after dinner.

They study, they socialize, they gather for group projects and tutoring sessions.

They are plugged in; they are connected.

“Go to third floor and look at the group projects and people gathered around the whiteboards,” Goedeken said, eyes wide. “It’s packed with kids as far as the eye can see.”

CAFÉ CULTURE Without a doubt, the first thing you’ll notice when you walk into Parks Library today is the collaboration commons area.

It’s brand-spanking new, and it’s front and center in the library’s entrance space.

Gone are the behind-the-scenes staff offices and the “pre-shelving” book-holding area on the southwest side of the first floor.

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“All sidewalks lead to the library.”

– BETH MCNEIL, FORMER DEAN OF LIBRARY SERVICES

The summer 2019 construction project opened up the whole area, allowing natural window light to flood the space, adding modern seating for students, and giving the main desk a more central location.

The renovated space accommodates more than 200 people in seating and study spaces ranging from café-style booths to sofas with tables to mini-cubicles.

“I like these new chairs and having more comfy work space,” Aimee Burch, a graduate student from Springfield, Ill., said. “I like coming here to sit and kind of chill out.”

Seven new collaborative study rooms are included in the remodel, which was funded by a $200,000 donation from the Roy J. V I S I O N S W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG W I N T E R 2 0 2 0

Carver Charitable Trust, $125,000 from the university maintenance and improvement committee, and private donations. There are computers throughout the new space, and each collaborative room has a presentation monitor, whiteboard, and audio/ video conference capabilities.

“It’s a beautiful space,” Seo said. “It’s a lot bigger than any of us realized until they tore down the walls. It really opened up that front area with all the windows that used to be hidden away. Now there are lots of different types of seating – little pods where two or three students can gather around a monitor to work together, larger tables to sit and study together or do group projects, soft seating where they can just sit by

themselves and read, or stretch out a little bit.”

The remodel also put the main desk in an area where students and other library users can see it when they walk in. It’s a key service point, with library staff there to welcome them and answer their questions.

And, of course, more electrical outlets were added throughout the remodeled space for student connectivity.

THE 21ST CENTURY LIBRARY Libraries have long been on the cutting edge of technology. Online library databases were used before personal computers and the Internet became an everyday tool.

To say today’s library is run by computer is a bit of an understatement.

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“Everything is managed by computer now,” Lisa Smith, head of library information technology services, said, citing a long list of examples. “The library management system, the electronic catalog; all library resources are purchased and maintained; contract renewals, publisher databases, electronic journals; tools that manage the collection; Interlibrary Loan; course reserves; meeting rooms are reserved online, classroom scheduling, computer labs, collaborative spaces, everything.”

She takes a breath and laughs. “But don’t worry: Google is not replacing the library!”

The University Library implemented a tech lending program two years ago in partnership with University IT. The library loans, for a week at a time, laptops, chargers, adapters, cables, headphones, iPads, and other hardware to students.

A total of 8,000 laptops were loaned in 2018, and 2019 was on track to beat that number. To a large extent, technology has allowed many students to attend

college, through the lending program, free textbooks online, and using the e-Library for research.

Students have easy access to technology that stays in the library, too. Computers are located throughout each location; printing is conveniently charged to students’ U-Bills; charging ports and plug-ins are everywhere; the IT Solution Center is housed within Parks; and students can use scanners at no cost.

Technology has also changed the way

NEIL, FORMER

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faculty teach and students learn.

“What the faculty are expecting our students to do, we have to respond to that,” Seo said. “Students are expected to do presentations, they are expected to do group projects, so we need to provide them the space and the technology and the resources to do all of that. It’s not just sitting together and working on a project; it’s being able to plug in their laptops and display on a large monitor.

That was never a thought when we were students. I didn’t even have a laptop. So, it’s exciting.”

HEALTHY CIRCULATION If the library is the heart of the university, the circulation department keeps it pumping. Circulation staff and students loan approximately 60,000 items each year DEAN OF LIBR to Iowa State students, faculty, staff, and other library users.

I sat down with Angie Brown (A) and Denise Wolf in room 197, the emeritus office of President Parks that’s now used as a meeting room. Brown is circulation coordinator and has worked in the library since 1990; Wolf is the assistant circulation coordinator. Her office is at the main desk, the hub of the library, where she oversees student staff.

The conversation is lively, jumping from how books were checked out in the past (very manually) to the weird questions people ask (“What is Chuck Grassley’s email address?”). Brown and Wolf volley answers back and forth: Wolf: “We have to be a jack of all trades.

Phone calls, walk-ins, we have to know a little bit about everything – and not just about the library.”

Brown: “We work very hard at customer service. We try our best to complete every transaction.”

Wolf: “Circulation is always the first line of response. We answer questions about computer access problems, trouble shooting.”

Brown: “Trouble shooting all day, every day.”

They talk about the changes they’ve seen in the library.

Brown: “Food and drink in the library is a major change. There used to be NO food in library. Now it’s OK everywhere but fourth floor. FOOD IN A LIBRARY? That’s a major change.”

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Wolf: “Now we have more of a café setting.”

Brown: “We’ve changed from a library to a destination with everything we offer. We do a lot more email for communications, although we still do walk-ins and take questions by phone. Some patrons treat us like a public library; they ask questions way out of the realm of academic research.”

Wolf: “But even if it’s off the wall, we take these calls seriously.”

The main desk in the library is a convenient relay station for so many things: lost and found items, course reserves, library passwords, picking up books that have been ordered online, group study room key retrieval, security issues, billing for late materials, answering basic research questions, giving directions, helping people find where they’re going on campus. And, of course, checking out books.

Brown and Wolf say people often lose things in the library – skateboards, wallets, term papers, winter coats – and they always go to the main desk in hopes someone turned the items in. The night staff deals with the occasional theft or fight or student who’s had too much to drink or staggers into the library, bleeding from a bicycle wreck.

The circulation team is the only professional staff working in the library at night; student workers supply the rest of the manpower to run the library in the evening. The library closes at 2 a.m., but rest assured, people will be standing in line the next morning.

STUDENT SERVICES From Interlibrary Loan to personal help with research projects, the staff of the University Library make it their mission to provide services that lead to student success.

“Student success has always been one of our most important missions. I just don’t know that we’ve ever talked about it so clearly and so passionately,” Seo said.

Lorrie Pellack, head of the research services department, says that library users are often surprised when they get a real, live person when they click on the “library chat” icon on the website.

“We’ve been doing live chat for about 10 years,” she said. “People are still surprised when they get a real person; they expect an automated system.”

T H E I O W A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y L I B R A R Y

By the numbers • Annual number of visitors: 2.3 million • Average daily users: 11,000 • In-person library use has more than doubled since 2006 • Volumes held: 2.9 million • Books purchased annually: 13,000 • Photo/slide collection: 1.08 million • Journals received annually: 142,624 • General collection: 24.4 miles of books • Manuscripts and archives: 23,433 linear feet • Seating for patrons: 2,794 • Items on e-reserve: 396 courses, 1,989 electronic files/links • Year first free-standing library was built: 1925 • Number of library directors/deans: 18 • Parks Library space: 325,488 gross square feet • Volumes stored at the Library Storage Building: 600,000

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Graduating seniors Graham Taylor and Haley Bodensteiner take a break from their last finals to play with Rosie, a poodle mix, during a Barks@Parks event last spring.

Twelve librarians take turns with the research chat function, each spending five hours or so every week helping patrons with their research questions. Live chat is available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Each research librarian or “subject liaison” has a specific area of expertise, but all of them are knowledgeable with basic research functions of the library.

Every day, questions come in: When did the town of Nevada get started? Do you have information about food insecurity?

How many accidents are caused by cell phones? Where can I find statistics on rape?

“I love data questions,” Pellack says.

“We are a land-grant; we take questions from anyone.”

Jeff Alger is a subject specialist for design, music, veterinary medicine, and animal science. His office, in 150 Parks, is covered with thought-provoking clippings like this one: “Be decisive! The road of life is paved with flat squirrels who couldn’t make a decision.”

“We try to train people to find their own information and come to us when they hit a roadblock,” Alger says.

Beyond services for research and collections access, the University Library provides group and individual study areas, computer labs and classrooms, spaces for group tutoring, and portable whiteboards.

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Two special areas have recently been established for students: the International Nest, a dedicated space for international students and those interested in getting to know them; and the Mindfulness Room, a space for students to step away from their hectic lives to meditate, sit quietly, or do yoga.

Alec Mahoney is a senior in chemical engineering from Rockford, Ill. Hired by Iowa State’s Academic Success Center, he tutors a group of students in organic chemistry twice a week on the third floor of Parks.

“It’s nice to do tutoring here,” he said.

“There are whiteboards and a place for everybody to sit.”

Regular hours at Parks Library are 7:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. most days, with shortened hours on the weekends. Expanded hours during dead week and finals week offer round-the-clock library access. Dawn Mick (A), access services department head, took over staff scheduling for 24/7 hours in 2018.

During those days, the library is open all night for students to write papers and study for final exams.

“It’s a popular service,” Mick says.

“Students appreciate the flexibility. Some wish we were open 24/7 all the time.”

Students can sleep in the library, too, she says, but “tents and hammocks are not allowed.”

The library partners with ISU Student Affairs units to offer student wellness programs, stress reduction, and other activities. As final exam week nears, the library offers Barks@Parks, a popular event where students can interact with specially trained dogs in the library rotunda.

“Everyone needs a little stress relief,” McNeil said during the event last spring.

“Students love the puppies.”

During the lead-up to final exams, the library staff also offers puzzles, coloring books, and craft projects as well as providing healthy snacks.

Students I talked to last fall were enthusiastic about the services provided by the library.

Abderrahmane Darouich is a graduate student from Morocco. “I basically come here every day except the weekends. I do all sort of things here: homework, projects, and independent research for myself, like applying for jobs and looking up stuff online. It’s kind of my favorite place on campus. I like to sit next to the windows because I like looking outside when I’m studying. It gives me peace of mind.”

Grace Crapson was sitting across from Darouich on the fourth floor. A senior in elementary education from College Springs, Iowa, Crapson said she has come to the library frequently during the fall semester W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG V I S I O N S

because she’s carrying a 22-credit load.

“I come here probably three, four times a week,” she said. “It’s a quiet place to do my readings and write my papers and work on projects. If I want to go downstairs and get food, that’s available, but being up here is more secluded.”

LIBRARY 160 As part of their teaching mission, the library has provided education about library usage for nearly 130 years. Library 160 was offered as “Library Work” starting in 1891. Today Library 160 is called “Information Literacy” and is a one-credit university course required for all undergraduate degrees.

The course examines the use of research libraries and information resources, with an emphasis on finding, evaluating, and using scholarly information.

Cara Stone, an instruction librarian, teaches Library 160.

“The thing I like most about teaching is helping people,” Stone says. “I tell students, ‘When in doubt, come to the library. You can get help. It’s a large, intimidating building, but just come and ask. I promise

I will: 1) offer you chocolate, 2) show you pictures of puppies, and 3) work with you to get answers to your questions. We’re all rooting for our students.”

THE COLLECTION The amount of information available at the University Library is staggering. Here are just a few statistics: • Volumes held: 2,801,438 • Journals received annually: 142,624 • E-books in collection: 460,516 • Books purchased annually: 142,624 Most of the collection is held in Parks Library – on the main floors and in seven levels of book tiers. Other holdings are in Special Collections/University Archives on Parks’s fourth floor, in the Media Center on the lower level, and in the Veterinary Medical Library and Design Reading Room. A huge number of books (librarians call them “monographs”) and bound journals can be found in the Library Storage Building on Stange Road, north of campus. And 5,000 magazine titles can be browsed in the library’s grand periodicals room. Not to mention global collections resources via e-Library, digital

assets, and materials accessible through Interlibrary Loan.

The collection is always growing.

Pellack buys books and, she says, “There’s an art to it. We have to buy what we need and stay within the budget.”

Many new materials are sent automatically from vendors. Other orders are initiated by a request from Iowa State faculty.

“The trick is to balance all the subject areas,” Pellack said.

Goedeken says he tries to order materials to enhance the collection, focusing on rural agriculture in the U.S., books published by university faculty, and Iowa fiction.

“We’re a land-grant, so I keep my eyes open for things on the history of Iowa,” he said.

Parks Library’s small collection of “leisure” reading is kept primarily in the fireplace reading room on the first floor.

It includes fiction, nonfiction, and other popular books.

Oversized and miniature books are not open for browsing but are available for patrons to view and check out. Some are as small as three by five inches; others are

SCENES FROM THE LIBRARY

Year 2 veterinary medicine students Kayla Peck, Calie Peterson, and Kara Robbins study in the Veterinary Medical Library.

Iowa artist Rose Frantzen’s “Faces of Iowa State” portraits of Iowa State faculty, students, and alumni are located on Parks Library’s second floor.

Cynthia Kapteyn, contract conservator in the library’s preservation department, mends an item from Special Collections.

Alex Tuckness, professor of political science, works on a book in his faculty study space in the library.

Junior marketing major Mimi Duong locates a book at the Library Storage Building.

The library’s main desk is a one-stop shop for Iowa State students.

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as big as tables. Neither size lends itself to standard shelving.

Worn out and duplicative books go to ISU surplus for sale.

OPEN ACCESS Spend any time with a librarian and you’ll eventually hear them talk about three things: The new, improved Parks Library bathrooms (so much better than the old ones!), the library’s land-grant mission, and open access.

The first two things are pretty easy to understand. Open access is a little bit tricky. According to the library website, open access is the “free, immediate, online availability of research articles, coupled with the rights to use these articles fully in the digital environment.”

But that’s a bit restrictive, Seo said.

“We like to say ‘open initiatives,’ because we believe in the open availability of information. We’re talking about OERs (Open Education Resources) on campus and how that can help defray costs for students. Instead of having to buy expensive textbooks, our faculty are coming up with ways to provide materials for their courses that are free and open.”

Abbey Elder, open access and scholarly communications librarian, was hired by the university two years ago to coordinate open access and OER for the library.

“Open access and OERs are information for the public good,” she explained. “It’s information provided free to anyone, anywhere.”

Forms of open access includes fully open-access journals, hybrid open-access journals with a subscription, and openaccess digital repositories.

Elder says open access and OERs are still such a new thing that undergraduates, and even many faculty members, don’t know about it. Each October the university celebrates Open Access Week with workshops and lectures to help explain the concepts.

“Open access and OER are great to push access to education, especially in developing countries,” Elder said. “It’s not just free, it’s openly licensed. It can be translated. It really pushes innovation.”

At Iowa State, 19 courses currently use OER to replace traditional textbooks, up from 10 courses last year. This is only the second year of the program.

“OER can be a great impact piece for 24

faculty,” Elder said. “You never know how far it can go. This is a big land-grant thing.

It makes higher education more accessible and affordable.”

The library’s digital repository is heavily used by researchers around the world searching theses and dissertations written

by Iowa State alumni. Currently more than 26,000 such documents are housed in the repository, and the library is in the process of digitizing all of its historic theses and dissertations in order to expand the collection. Documents in the digital repository have been downloaded more than 15 million times, accounting for about 70 percent of the library’s total downloads.

ART IN PARKS If art was important to President Raymond Hughes and the library directors of the early 20th century, the effort has redoubled in recent years. Murals and art installations have been added throughout the life of the library. And in spring 2019, 50 works of art were installed in a new Art in Parks collection.

The project was spearheaded by thendean of library services Beth McNeil, and it grew out of a discussion about the importance to utilize art to bring diverse voices to campus spaces.

“These works of art will expose students, faculty, and staff who visit Parks Library to new perspectives, artists, and stories,” McNeil said in May. “Adding these works is integral for growth, and it responds to student requests for broader representation in our art: more women and people of color.”

Three of the new artists joining the murals of Grant Wood and Doug Shelton and the sculptures of Christian Petersen are Elizabeth Catlett, who studied under Wood at the University of Iowa and likely worked with Petersen in the early 1940s; Molly Scannell, whose print “Big Heart” depicts a pregnant, female African-American prisoner; and Emily Arthur, whose “Cherokee By Blood” ponders questions of displacement and a sense of home.

McNeil worked with Lilah Anderson, educator of visual literacy and learning for University Museums, to bring art from the university’s permanent collection and new acquisitions into the library.

Anderson says artist Rose Frantzen’s “Faces of Iowa State” portraits of Iowa State

faculty, students, and alumni present a “nice parallel to the presidential portraits” near the circular staircase on second floor.

“We want to make sure that our students see themselves here,” Seo says. “We wanted to bring in some other voices, and that meant women and artists of color. And then beyond that, I think Beth was looking for pieces that might get students talking.”

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES Many of the University Library’s most unique and precious items are housed in Special Collections and University Archives on the fourth floor of Parks Library.

When you visit Special Collections, you’ll notice several things. First, there are rules. You must relinquish all personal property, storing coats and bags and pens and notebooks in a small locker. You must sign in. You may use only pencils and paper provided by the staff. You may not check out materials. You mustn’t bring in food or drink.

But the view! The main room is flooded with natural light and offers one of the most panoramic vistas anywhere on campus. And – here is the best part – Special Collections is a treasure trove of Iowa State-specific documents, artifacts, and photographs, many of which can’t be found anywhere else in the world. If you are an ISU history geek, this is the place for you.

Rachel Seale is interim head of Special Collections and University Archives. She gives a tour of the collection, which is housed in a climate-controlled vault filled with archival-quality boxes upon boxes upon boxes of the rarest, coolest stuff ever.

People come to Special Collections for a variety of reasons, she says. They’re doing research about something Iowa State- or state of Iowa-specific, like agricultural history or aerospace engineering or the Atanasoff-Berry Computer. They’re researching the history of a department or program for a special anniversary.

They’re looking for unique subjects for term papers, like the farm crisis or the 1953 Homecoming riot. They’re looking for pictures for retirement parties. They want to see Margaret Stanton’s death mask. They want to flip through The Bomb yearbook.

They want to look through President Parks’s papers.

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U N I V E R S I T Y L I B R A R Y S TA F F

‘WE’RE HERE TO HELP’ “We are a sanctuary.

The library is a learning center, not just a collection of books.”

Ed Goedeken, collections coordinator

“We have more personal services here than people realize. People who use our services are stunned – maybe they’ve been struggling for two hours, and I can cure it immediately. If they would just ask!”

Lorrie Pellack, head of the research services department

“Open educational resources are a big land-grant thing: making higher education more accessible and affordable, getting students through the first couple of years of college without the high cost of textbooks.”

Abbey Elder, open access and scholarly communications librarian

“I helped with some research on grief for hog farmers who have to euthanize pigs – the psychology of bereavement.

That’s the thing I like about this job. You do things you never thought of.”

Special Collections has “a unique record of the institution that can’t be found anywhere else. You never know what people will want to research.”

Rachel Seale, interim head of Special Collections and University Archives

“I’m excited by what we can offer people. The space is great, and we have a lot of services. I want to take away the road blocks for people, make study rooms easier to book, use technology better.”

Dawn Mick, access services department head

“Being someone who did not come from the library world, I have a really great respect for the work that people do here.”

Nacuya Rucker, external relations director

“I like the research part. If you can’t get it resolved, it can be frustrating. We want students to get what they need.”

Denise Wolf, assistant circulation coordinator

Jeff Alger, subject specialist

“I love figuring out how to solve the puzzle. If you’re curious about something, the library is a great place to work.

You learn something every time you talk to someone.”

Cara Stone, instruction librarian

“The new space is more interactive, and it gives students an open view to the south, an open connection with nature.

Those are wonderful windows.”

Kathy Parsons, associate professor and advisor to the dean on library space planning

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“The University Library and Ames Public Library are both centers of the community – a place to meet, eat, and collaborate.”

Susan Jasper, community engagement specialist

“If you’re physically in the library you can use all the resources, [and thanks to technology] if you’re off campus you still have access to almost everything.”

Lisa Smith, head of library information technology services

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’TWAS THE WEEK BEFORE FINALS The days and nights before finals begin, Parks Library is filled with students. They’re studying alone and in groups, reading, and taking advantage of last-minute tutoring sessions. But they’re also playing giant chess, drinking cans of Monster, and watching baseball on their laptops. One non-traditional student, sitting on a couch with a friend, admitted, “My kids think I’m at the library studying, but really I’m eating cake.”

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1. Third floor of Parks Library is used for tutoring and group study.

2. Elizabeth Lee, a PhD student in applied linguistics, looks at a history book that she says has nothing to do with her dissertation, which she is supposed to be writing.

3. Jaclyn Stiller, a junior industrial engineering major, studies in a quiet corner of Parks Library.

4. Electrical outlets are provided throughout the library for students to plug in their electronic devices.

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5. Jennifer Ly and Steven Nguyen take a study break and play with the library’s life-size chess set.

6. Two brothers, Tomosu and Michielu Menning, study together in Parks Library.

7. The fireplace reading room offers leisure reading materials, and a place to sleep at 4:58 a.m.

8. Students utilize every space in the library to study for final exams.

9. Roommates Morgan Allen and Courtney DuBois, both ISU juniors, just want “to color and be happy” in the library rotunda.

10. Sunday before finals: 4:43 a.m. Parks Library is open 24/7 during finals week.

11. Aubrey Rohde conducts a tutoring session on calculus.

12. The periodicals room is one of the few places in the library where quiet study is enforced and conversations are not allowed.

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ne category of materials that is consistently requested

by Iowa State alumni is The Bomb, the Iowa State yearbook that was published from 1894 to 1994.

A full series of yearbooks is available in the Special Collections reading room, and in 2016 a project was completed to digitize the publication. Volunteers are currently working to transcribe the yearbook so that it will be in a searchable format.

(Do you want to help with this project? Go to https://yearbook. lib.iastate.edu for information.)

Seale says they get weird questions sometimes, like, “When did the barbershop in the Memorial Union close?” or “When did Iowa State start a draft-horse breeding program?”

The collection houses about 3,000 artifacts and a million photographs in addition to a gazillion books and papers, including the historical records of Iowa State. Collection space is overflowing, even with its modern, fire-protected, spacesaving compact electronic shelving. More space for Special Collections seems to be on everyone’s wish list.

“Special collections is out of collection space,” Kathy Parsons says. “That’s our growth area – things unique to the university.”

Seale has worked in Special Collections and University Archives for a little over three years, and she describes herself as a generalist. Has she looked in every box?

“No!” Seale says, laughing. “I’ve barely scratched the surface.”

PRESERVING THE MOST VULNERABLE ITEMS Tucked away in a large, quiet lab on the fourth floor of Parks Library, Sonya Barron and her staff take some of the oldest and rarest items in the library and preserve them for the future.

Barron is the library’s head conservator, and she oversees not just the preservation of rare books and papers but also historic photographs, optical media, film, tapes, records, and other media. It’s meticulous work.

Today she’s working on a book titled History and Present State of Electricity published in 1767. The cover is falling off, it’s badly damaged, and it’s already V I S I O N S W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG W I N T E R 2 0 2 0

been repaired at some point in the past.

A student intern will use tissue on the spine and rebind it, hoping to protect it from further damage. It’s estimated that the work will take about 40 hours.

“It’s not about dollar amount; it’s about how rare the item is, how often it’s used, how important it is to the collection,” Barron explained. The goal is not to restore the item to its original condition but to stabilize the structure of the paper and binding with unobtrusive-looking repairs.

Sometimes, repair is not possible. Paper becomes brittle and acidic. Repairing these books would take too long, so often they’re stored in archival boxes hand-made by the preservation staff.

“Brittle, fragile books live out their life in a box,” Barron said.

Rosie Rowe, audiovisual preservation specialist, oversees the library’s digital preservation activities in Special Collections. Old WOI television shows, video recordings of Iowa State’s lecture series, old home economics films – they’re all vulnerable to deterioration over time. Rowe’s team ensures that items are preserved on the latest, longest-lasting media available.

At home, Rowe suggests families preserve their most precious items in a dry, cool area of their home. “A frostless freezer is good,” she says. “Digitize your records and make three copies. Oh, and don’t write on your CDs with a Sharpie.”

A SPECIAL SPACE FOR FACULTY Alex Tuckness has 140 library books checked out this semester, and dozens of them line his small faculty study space in Parks Library. He’s working on a book about morality and legislation. A professor

of political science, Tuckness has taught on campus for 20 years, and he’s had a study space in the library most of those years.

Though he does much of his work at his office in Ross Hall, he likes the seclusion and lack of distraction provided by the 7-by-9-foot concrete block room.

“It’s nice to have all the books in one place,” he says. “I also like having the option of going someplace where nobody is going to disturb me.” He looks around suspiciously. “My colleagues and students don’t know where this is. Please don’t publish the room number.”

Tuckness likes to work with actual, physical books, and he often request books from storage and Interlibrary Loan. He also uses the library’s online journals and electronic books.

“To do research, you just need time and a library card.”

COMMUNITY OUTREACH As the University Library’s community engagement specialist, Susan Jasper (’88 speech communication) wears two hats that often merge into one in a variety of creative ways.

Jasper was hired in 2018 to help both the University Library and the Ames Public Library maximize opportunities for students and the community. As a half-time employee with each library, she spends full days in each facility, roughly splitting her time between the two locations.

“My calendar is very colorful,” she says.

“I rarely go anywhere that I’m not networking. Sometimes I have to look down and see which color lanyard I’m wearing.”

Collaborations between the two libraries often take the form of events and lectures.

Jasper started “Monday Monologues” in Parks Library in the fall of 2018 to tackle topics like climate change and offer performances by poets and theatre students.

“We were noticing missed opportunities, like genealogy research, which can not only be done at Ames Public Library, but also in Special Collections,” she said. A bookmobile makes checking out books from Ames Public Library easier for Iowa State students; they can pick up or return books at the Bookmobile every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. During those hours, the bookmobile sits conveniently outside Parks.

“Libraries serve our community and offer such rich resources that it would be 27

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o interact with the photographs in this story online and to view a video that brings the library to life, go to www.isualum.org/visions.

a shame if these opportunities weren’t known,” Jasper said. “Together, we have twice as much energy and it’s a great way to share the resources with a wider audience.”

SPECIALTY LIBRARIES Tucked inside one of Iowa State’s original colleges – Veterinary Medicine – and one of its newest – Design – are two specialty reading rooms, both part of the University Library.

Kristi Schaaf has headed up the Veterinary Medical Library for the past 19 years. She said that in the past, the space was mostly used for reference and research but today it’s divided into two areas: one for individual study and one for groups.

A “Vet Med Express” service shuttles books to and from Parks Library, and the staff is tasked with answering technical questions.

“I’ve had calls where someone needs to know a dosage or procedure,” Schaaf said.

“And I got a question once from a man in a bar wanting to know what mammals live in the ocean.”

Across campus, the Design Reading Room holds 10,000 books – on topics ranging from urban sprawl to public bathroom design – and 70 journal titles.

Tim Panages manages the library, which is open every day of the week.

“Students like having this here,” he says.

“It serves a purpose.”

THE LIBRARY STORAGE BUILDING Vicki Woolley likes to describe the multitude of materials housed in the Library Storage Building by how far they’d stretch when laid spine-to-spine. Right now, the books would stretch from the storage facility north of campus to roughly Hobby Lobby on Lincoln Way in Ames.

And the shelving that fills the storage building? Heck, you line that up and it will stretch 11 miles – all the way to Boone!

The storage facility, constructed in 1997, is, indeed, a big place filled with lots 28

and lots of books and journals – about 600,000 volumes, all told. The building is not without its problems – there have been water issues, for example – but it’s a palace compared to the old metal storage building that used to house library overflow. The new facility is climate controlled to a chilly 60 degrees and 40 percent humidity, and books are stored in modern compact electronic shelving.

Woolley, library assistant for the Library Storage Building and space and stacks management, runs the place with the help of four students who have worked together for a long time. Their current project is to shift all the books in the building to make room for books coming from Parks. They also retrieve books needed by Interlibrary Loan and fulfill other requests for digital scans and physical materials.

Woolley pulls out some of the more unique holdings: Dyers Guides from Germany from the early 1900s, with yarn samples that are still bright and beautiful; engineering drawings from the Erie Canal; magazines with fabric samples. The Toll House Cookie recipe book is out here, along with a copy of the Ruth Bader Ginsberg court case featured in “On the Basis of Sex,” musical scores, and materials that need to be out of “general hands.”

The storage facility has a different, casual vibe, probably because it’s off limits to the public. “I have a wonderful crew of students,” Woolley says. “We all like classic rock. We crank it up and dance in the aisles.”

THE LIBRARY CONTINUES TO EVOLVE Iowa State has requested from the state legislature $26 million over two years to complete the next phases of Parks Library renovation that would transform spaces for study, research, learning, and collaboration by increasing study seats by 30 percent and boosting collaboration/study spaces to 30 rooms. In addition, it would provide

much-needed space for Special Collections and University Archives as well as create flexible user-defined and high-tech spaces throughout the library.

Former library dean Beth McNeil said the $26 million request would repurpose current space and add 600 student seats, but not expand the footprint of Parks Library. Currently, the HVAC system takes up 8,000 square feet on the fourth floor; renovation would move it to the roof of the building, freeing up considerable space for special collections, administrative processes, and staff. Additionally, the installation of compact shelving would allow even more space for students.

The long-term wish list goes beyond the $26 million plan.

“We would love to expand to the north to create a north entrance to the building and create a couple of classrooms,” Parsons said. “We also want to create a larger space for Bookends Café. It is small, and we are one of the highest-grossing locations on campus.”

Those plans are still in the future, but Seo says she’d “like to get it done tomorrow.

There are so many more services we’d like to provide. We are continuing to change, and that’s a good thing.”

Nacuya Rucker is the University Library’s external relations director. “I’m putting an idea on paper now about what it is to be a 21st century library, where we came from, and how we evolved over the years,” she said. “We’re a very modern library; it’s a hub for study and part of the university culture. We have this really cool, high-tech stuff and librarians who are well-equipped to help you. There’s a wealth of knowledge here.” n

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Q&A

with interim Dean Hilary Seo

VISIONS sat down last summer with Hilary Seo, associate dean for curation services and interim dean of library services, in her office in Parks Library. Two floors down, final touches were being put on the new collaboration commons area in preparation for students to return for the fall semester. Seo, who has been with the University Library for 16 years, talked about her priorities for the library, how the library can be more welcoming and service-minded, and what the future holds. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

With the recent departure of Beth McNeil, you were named interim dean of library services. What would you like to accomplish in this position?

We’re trying to draft a framework for the next two years since we’re kind of in a transition period. Really, we’re just trying to articulate what we’re already moving forward on. So the associate deans and I sat down and brainstormed what it is that we’re really trying to accomplish. What V I S I O N S W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG W I N T E R 2 0 2 0

are some of the major projects in the works? Boiling it down, it really came into focus. The two initiatives are open access initiatives and student success.

With student success, we’re talking a lot about the physical space. Beth had brought us back around to that. It’s not just about a place to store books; it’s really a place for us to engage with students, for the students to engage with each other, for them to find inspiration through collaboration, or just

being in the library having access to the librarians and resources and seeing this great collection of art. We want to make sure it is a welcoming environment for them. Our student demographics have changed so much; we just want to make sure that everyone kind of sees themselves here.

As technology changes, access to materials changes; we have a lot more electronic resources. And that’s what everyone expects now. Taking advantage of that, leveraging that opportunity, has given us the ability to free up space for our students. We can actually create some spaces that our students are now more interested in. Generations have changed, and this is not the library that we had when we were students. The expectations are completely different, and it’s not a bad thing. They push us, and the faculty push us, too.

Tell us more about open access initiatives.

In this new space, we’re talking about digital scholarship: How can we support students and faculty around creating these digital projects? We’re talking about OERs [Open Education Resources] on campus and how that can help defray costs for students. Instead of having to buy expensive 29

textbooks, our faculty are coming up with ways to provide materials for their courses that are free and open. We want to support more of that type of work, to show faculty new ways they can incorporate this technology in the classroom. These open educational re sources will help our students financially and help them learn the materials.

We are trying to live our values. We believe in open availability of information, which includes supporting things like open-source software and other platforms or systems. Trying to use less-proprietary systems that kind of lock down our information and prevent us from sharing things out. When we talk “open” we are talking very broadly about open initiatives.

A new area for us is our digital press – that’s another way we are supporting this concept of “open.” We’re hoping we can attract more attention and support more conference proceedings and journals by providing a service where we can actually publish these types of materials open-access. We can create open-access monographs as well. It’s getting our research out to the global community, not restricting who can have access to research.

Open access is a cost savings for students but also better service, right? More convenience, more information?

That’s true. And I would add on the social justice piece of it. It’s much more democratic. Everyone should have access.

That’s how we grow. There’s no point in doing research if someone else then

doesn’t build onto that. Here at the library we are start-to-finish. We draw you in; we hopefully inspire you…however we do that, whether it’s the space, the opportunity to collaborate, the resources we have, the collections and Special Collections, innovations from centuries ago, decades ago, whatever, that then inspire you to create something. Or taking data from one discipline and using it in another way.

There’s data here that can be repurposed, that can give insight, that can lead to new research and conclusions.

What else are you working on?

One of the things in Special Collections that we’re all focusing on is filling in the gaps. Libraries and archives have always been seen as a very white environment.

They don’t represent other cultures, other voices. And oftentimes what gets captured is what is institutionalized.

Events on campus pop up, and there is really no way to capture that. Social media has made it a lot more difficult.

People aren’t thinking, “Oh, I should print this out and send it to the archives.” So, their part of the story gets lost. What you’re going to see is what is in the newspaper, or an official response from the university.

You’re not going to see what the students talked about or what they experienced. So, an area we know we need to develop is oral histories. We want to capture the voices that weren’t heard in the past. A lot of those were the students, and a lot of them are underrepresented groups.

There’s so much university history that

we need to capture that we just can’t do through waiting for records to show up.

It might be interesting for us to find some students, interview them, then five years from now, once they’ve kind of settled into their first job, interview them again.

Maybe even a day in the life of a student.

It would be interesting to see how the students interpret their own lives as they go through it.

We want to talk about some of the difficult issues on this campus. We want to talk about what life was like before African American students were allowed to live on campus. What did they do?

What was it like? What happened around the Jack Trice Stadium naming? What was this campus like during Vietnam? It’s our job to document and capture the student experience. n

What are YOUR memories of the library? Send us a note at cgieseke@ iastate.edu or mail to Carole Gieseke, ISU Alumni Center, 429 Alumni Lane, Ames, IA 50011.

The library as a social venue “Everyone has a story about the library.”

And when you’re the library director, everyone wants to tell you those stories. Olivia Madison, dean of library services from 1997 to 2014, has heard them all.

“It’s easy to have a conversation with anyone, because you can always tie [their college experience] to the library,” she says. “Stories always come out: ‘I met my wife / I met my husband in the library.’ Or: ‘We had a table for my sorority.’ There are so many different ways that the library – to this day, no matter what has changed in delivering information – has a social side.”

30

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31

PHOTOS BY JIM HEEMSTRA AND FACHEL MUMMEY

Jeff Johnson at work… and play.

Peggy and Jeff Johnson at the ISU Alumni Center.

‘

’

A growing love affair

A

s a young alumni relations professional, Jeff Johnson admired from afar the work being done by Iowa State’s alumni association. “[Former alumni director] Jim Hopson was a quiet but impactful alumni relations professional, and Iowa State was always on the cutting edge,” Johnson said. “I just used to sit and marvel, because it was a small staff, but they were just in rhythm with each other, with the profession, and with Iowa State.”

Johnson entered the alumni relations profession at his undergraduate alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi. He then held back-to-back leadership roles at the University of Kansas and the University of Illinois alumni associations before coming to Iowa State.

Last fall, Johnson celebrated his 20th year as head of the ISU Alumni Association.

32

Talbot endowed president Jeff Johnson celebrates 20 years of service to the ISU Alumni Association

“Not a lot of things scare me,” he said recently. “But my greatest fear coming into this job was that I would ruin the great work Jim and his staff had been doing.

And 20 years later, it’s just really, really exciting to know we built on it.”

In the past 20 years, Johnson and his staff have a combined list of achievements that could fill several pages. Growth of the organization, in terms of membership, revenue, and services, has been extraordinary.

Under his guidance, the ISUAA became the second-largest dues-based alumni association in the Big 12 Conference, and Johnson himself became the first endowed president of any alumni association in the nation and holds the first endowed non-academic position at Iowa State.

But his crowning achievement is the ISU Alumni Center. Conceived during Hopson’s tenure, Johnson says he was in the right

place at the right time to make the building a reality. Today the Center, dedicated in 2008, is a showplace for the university and a welcoming “forever home” for Cyclones everywhere.

“I’m proud of this building,” Johnson said. “And I’m proud that it’s more than a building, that it really captured the look and feel of central campus. It reminds alumni of their college experiences, and it has simply created a wonderful storyline that engages people with Iowa State’s history, its presentday work, and its future aspirations.”

Johnson (whose official title is the Lora and Russ Talbot Iowa State University Alumni Association endowed president and chief executive officer) earned his PhD in educational leadership at Iowa State in 2014. Since arriving in Ames in 1999, he and his wife, Peggy, have raised two children, Krystal (’14 child, adult, and fam svcs) W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG V I S I O N S

Leadership roles and community service

Key personal and professional achievements

ISU Alumni Association highlights 1999-2019

• Member of CAAE (Council of Alumni Association Executives), CASE board of trustees (Council for Advancement and Support of Education), Big 12 alumni directors, and Self-Governing Alumni Forum • Served on CASE commission on alumni relations • National and international alumni relations consultant, including in South Africa, Canada, Kenya, and Nigeria • President of Ames Boys & Girls Club • President of Ames Chamber of Commerce • Served on Ames Planning & Zoning Commission • Led the Vision for Ames Task Force • President of Mary Greeley Medical Center Foundation • Secretary to the Stanton Memorial Carillon Foundation • Served on Ames Public Library expansion committee

• First endowed president of an alumni association in the nation, and first non-academic endowed position at Iowa State (2015) • Earned 2014 PhD in educational leadership from ISU • Communicates regularly to students at Destination Iowa State, commencement ceremonies, and through the Office of Admissions • Created Cyclone Power cheer for ISU Athletics • Served with four ISU presidents and two interim presidents, four ISU Foundation presidents and two interim presidents, three athletic directors and one interim AD, and 20 volunteer chairs of the ISUAA

• Constructed ISU Alumni Center, along with the Center’s gardens, Wall of Alumni and Friends, bronze Cy sculpture, and other works of art • Celebrated 125th anniversary of the ISUAA • Expanded the awards program with the creation of the Impact Award, James A. Hopson Alumni Volunteer Award, Alumni Service Award, Iowa STATEment Makers, and the Faculty-Staff Inspiration Award • Created The Circle and Leadership Guild organizations • Became 2nd largest dues-based alumni association in Big 12 • Established Cardinal & Gold Gala and first-generation scholarships • Formed the Young Alumni Council • Expanded the Traveling Cyclones program • Increased marketing and promotional efforts • Enhanced alumni communications via ISU News Flash and other specialty e-newsletters, social media, the isualum.org website, the online alumni directory, mobile app, and VISIONS Across America • Acquired OLLI at ISU and ISU Retirees as programs of the ISUAA • Initiated the Loyalty Guild, recognizing donors with lifetime giving to the ISUAA of $2,500 or more • Expanded outreach to select major metropolitan areas, including Des Moines, Kansas City, Omaha/ Council Bluffs, Twin Cities, Denver, and Chicago • Created, with ISU Athletics, the Cyclone Alley student spirit section for men’s and women’s basketball • Expanded LegaCY Club for children • Strengthened the Alumni Relations Council, brought back the single ring program, developed special interest societies, and initiated the Black College Reunion program

Awards • 2003 USM Alumni Hall of Fame • 2008 ISUAA Impact Award • 2017 Story County Alliance for Philanthropy Outstanding Philanthropist (with his wife, Peggy) • 2018 IFC Chapter Adviser of the Year (served as the chapter adviser for Beta Theta Pi since 1999) • 2019 Friend of FarmHouse Award

The ISU Alumni Association 1999-2019

Alumni Center; and sustaining the financial health of the organiza-

and Kristopher, gained a son-in-law, Cole Martin (’10 indust engr), and now have two grandchildren, Tony and Emmy.

At the first-ever Loyal Leaders Celebration Weekend in November 2019, Johnson outlined his goals for the future.

He told the group of current and former board members, staff, and young alumni leaders that his top priorities are improving staff pay and job satisfaction; providing enhancements to key programs and services, such as an alumni well-being initiative and the creation of a Grandparent University program; expanding diversity and inclusion initiatives, including the implementation of an Alumni Diversity Council; physically expanding the ISU V I S I O N S W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG W I N T E R 2 0 2 0

tion.

“The Association will continue to always review programs for relevancy, for service to constituents, and ask ourselves, ‘What are the opportunities on the horizon that we just need to take advantage of?’” Johnson explained. “Through our programs, we want to provide people the opportunity and the knowledge to live their best lives.

It’s also important that we take time to understand the experiences, the aspirations, and the needs of our diverse alumni base.

The first step in that journey is really learning how to listen.”

ISUAA Board of Directors chair Tom Connop (L)(’76 history) sang Jeff’s praises during the Loyal Leaders weekend.

“He has been a tireless cheerleader for Iowa State and the Alumni Association –

and he’s LITERALLY been a cheerleader, standing front and center at Cyclone Central tailgates, spirit rallies, graduations, and Cyclone football games,” Connop said.

“He’s been a relentlessly enthusiastic leader, and he’s been a friend to each and every one of us.”

Johnson, a native Mississippian, said he didn’t plan to spend the majority of his career in the upper Midwest, but it worked out that way.

“I didn’t set out to be an alumni director,” he said. “I didn’t even set out to be in higher education. I also didn’t set out to be in Iowa. But Iowa State has solidified that this is where I am supposed to be and this is what I am supposed to be doing.

I found here at Iowa State a place that deeply spoke to my soul, and so this really has been a growing love affair; it’s the only way I can put it.”

33

2020 Distinguished Awards Celebration The following alumni and friends will receive Iowa State University’s highest awards administered by the ISU Alumni Association and the ISU Foundation.

The ceremony will take place on campus April 17, 2020.

Awards administered by the Iowa State University Alumni Association

Awards administered by the Iowa State University Foundation

Distinguished Alumni Award

Order of the Knoll Campanile Award

Kathleen Howell **

Virgil Elings**

James Linder, MD*

Order of the Knoll Cardinal and Gold Award

’73 aerospace engineering Hsu Lo Distinguished Professor of Aeronautics & Astronautics, Purdue University West Lafayette, Ind. ’76 biochemistry / microbiology CEO of Nebraska Medicine / professor of pathology & microbiology Omaha, Neb.

Jack Shere, DVM

’81 biology, DVM ’87, MS ’88 prof. studies in education Associate administrator for emergency preparedness, response, and security service for Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services Charlotte Hall, Md.

Honorary Alumni Award Mary Jo Mente**

Homemaker / volunteer Ames, Iowa

Blair Van Zetten

President, Oskaloosa Food Products Corporation Oskaloosa, Iowa

’61 mechanical engineering Retired president, Digital Instruments, Inc. Santa Ynez, Calif.

Stephen Watson**

’67 engineering operations Chairman, Supporting Strategies, LLC Weston, Mass.

Order of the Knoll Faculty and Staff Award Diane and Larry McComber**

Diane: ’60 food science, MS ’65 Retired ISU associate professor

Larry: ’58 industrial engineering Retired president, Marshalltown Company Scottsdale, Ariz.

Order of the Knoll Corporation and Foundation Award Galloway Foundation Atlanta, Ga.

You are invited to attend

2020 Distinguished Awards Ceremony Friday, April 17, 2020 Benton Auditorium, Scheman Building Reception to follow ceremony For more information: www.isualum.org/dac Nominate alumni and friends for spring 2021 ISUAA awards Distinguished Alumni Award / Honorary Alumni Award Nomination deadline is Aug. 1, 2020 For information, go to www.isualum.org/dac * * ISU Alumni Association life member Note: Only ISU degrees are listed

34

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Click on “Near Me” icon Search for your state Select your local club Scroll to find your area’s official gamewatch location • Show up during game time and cheer on the Cyclones!

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35

2018-2019 Year in review 298 173 268

4,010 571

510

18,405

1,985 787

343

683

7,440

11,249 4,478

4,069 1,000

852

2,507

2,643

5,509

840

1,413

6,228

1,758

9,182

113,632 16,969 5,741

2,415

1,953

2,589

734

135

2,701

1,468

992

866 495

2,887

133 723 1,316 241 1,939 333

281

678

2,183 4,972

328

379

Traveling Cyclones • 53: Number of trips in FY19 • 741: Total number of Traveling Cyclones • Most popular destinations: #1: Mediterranean Collage cruise #2: Panama Canal cruise #3: Tie between Australia/New Zealand cruise and Portrait of Italy land tour RACHEL MUMMEY

CyclonesEverywhere

Total ISU alumni living in the U.S.: 259,462 ISU alumni living outside the U.S.: 7,375 Total ISUAA members: 51,905 ISUAA life members: 25,166

Homecoming fun facts • 850 pints of blood were donated during the Homecoming blood drive • 4,000 Homecoming buttons were sold • 3,000 people attended the Homecoming parade on Oct. 21 • More than 50 applications were received for Cardinal Court • Nearly 1,300 students participated in the annual Yell-Like-Hell competition

The ISUAA staff, Board of Directors, and Board associates, August 2018.

MCPARTLAND PHOTOGRAPHY

• Dates: Oct. 20-27, 2018 • Theme: This is State!

• New this year: Family Festival and Cyclone Sweethearts • 43 members of the Class of 1968 attended their 50-year reunion • 46 awards were given at the 87th annual Honors & Awards ceremony • 265 meals were served at Cyclone Central tailgate before Saturday’s game

CARDINAL & GOLD GALA

Game time!

• Theme: A Cardinal & Gold Casino • Feb. 15 at Prairie Meadows Casino in Altoona, Iowa • More than $120,000 was raised • 750 attendees (a new record!)

• Co-chairs Julie (’88) & Jay (’89) Jacobi** and Kent (’78) & Sarah Johnson** • 12 student scholarship recipients

36

Alumni Center events • Number of university events in FY19: 107 • Number of public events: 81 (15 weddings) • Number of student events: 41 • Number of internal events: 154 • Total: 383 W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG V I S I O N S

 IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REPORT JULY 1, 2018 – JUNE 30, 2019

Dear ISU Alumni and Friends,

As we set goals for last year, we knew we were once again at a tipping point in the history of the Association. We had seen several years of budget success and celebrated the effective launch of many new engagement programs.

We recognized that this organizational stability would permit us to think about future success differently. Like leaders who came before us, it was now our responsibility to ensure the Association was planning for its future success.

With this future-focused outlook, and using the Association’s strategic plan as our guide, we developed organizational goals that pushed the status quo. We challenged our staff, our key volunteers, and our stakeholders to consider what we could do to serve our alumni family better.

We focused on three critical areas for the Association: 1. Increasing the quality and value of mutually beneficial collaborative partnerships 2. Intentionally supporting diversity training

and education for staff, and championing stewardship with our alumni of color 3. Improving efficiencies and programmatic return on investment to maintain successful programs of the Association and create opportunities for new engagement programs that align with evolving alumni needs As I reflect on these goals, my heart swells with pride in having seen first-hand the hard work, creativity, and seriousness with which the Association’s staff and our key volunteers leaned in to build a strong foundation for the future.

I could point to many metrics of success from the past year. The newly formalized partnership with the Department of Athletics to provide an exceptional travel experience for alumni and fans for post-season bowl travel.

The many hours staff committed to training to better understand how to steward and support our diverse populations of alumni.

The fact that staff exceeded our expectations of a $100k net increase in our financials.

However, I’d instead leave you with this quote from Warren Buffett that guided our efforts this year. “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” As alumni and friends of Iowa State University, you should be proud of the efforts of your Alumni Association for their commitment to supporting all alumni, now and in the future. They continue to plant trees that will provide shade for future generations.

With a thankful heart,

FY19 by the numbers • 25,371 downloads of the ISUAA mobile app • 4,934 members of the Future Alumni Network • 596 children newly enrolled in the LegaCY Club • $120,345 saved by members using ISUAA national discounts • 15 alumni reunions

Lawrence Cunningham ’02 liberal studies 2018-19 ISU Alumni Association Board of Directors Chair

Donors • Total number of donors during FY19: 2,031 • Total amount raised during FY19: $966,840

JIM HEEMSTRA

Programs & services audit

“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren Buffet V I S I O N S W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG W I N T E R 2 0 2 0

Since July 2017, the ISUAA staff has worked with the Board of Directors to do a deep dive into the programs and services offered by the ISUAA to engage constituents and to finance the organization. As part of this effort, key Association programs and services were analyzed to determine their relevance to constituents and profitability to the organization. By the end of June 2019, it was determined that these programs engaged close to 225,000 ISU constituents, and, collectively, yielded a profit for the organization.

The latter aids the Association with needed revenue to reinvest in programs, services, and staff salaries. Through this analysis, no programs were deemed necessary for cutting, and the following top-performing programs and services received additional focus in FY19 to further enhance their relevance with current constituents and support the objectives of the Association’s strategic plan: • Cardinal and Gold Gala • OLLI at ISU • ISUAA Mobile App • Traveling Cyclones • Merchandise The process helped inform the ISUAA’s FY20 increased engagement goal of 14%.

37

From shirts and ties to purple scrubs

By Lindsey Davis, ’17

W

hen Madison Fitzgerald, a firstyear veterinary medicine student, and Dr. Nolan Hartwig, a 1964 veterinary medicine graduate and retired extension veterinarian, sat down together to talk about their experiences in Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, you would have thought they were lifelong friends. Their conversation seemed as if it picked up right where they had left off some time before, although they’d previously met only once at the college’s scholarship banquet. Fitzgerald is a 2019-20 recipient of the Veterinary Medicine Class of 1964 Fund, to which Dr. Hartwig is a class representative and donor. Here, the two new pals chat about how the veterinary college has evolved over time – including the dress code.

Nolan Hartwig: In my class, we had the first female student since the late 1930s, and now your class is more than 80 percent women.

Madison Fitzgerald: That’s right. I’m part of the Student American Veterinary Medical Association, an organization that gives us scrubs for being members, and we recently voted on the color of the scrubs. All the guys voted for blue,

and the girls voted for purple, so now the guys get to wear purple scrubs because the girls had the most votes.

Hartwig: Another thing back then was that we had to wear a white shirt and tie to class.

Fitzgerald: Every day?

Hartwig: That’s quite the change. The veterinary school used to be in what’s now Lagomarcino Hall – which we called the Quadrangle – and the clinic was across the street to the north. They didn’t have women’s restroom facilities there, so Phyllis, the only female in our class, had to walk to the entomology building to change her clothes and use the restrooms.

Fitzgerald: Sounds like that’d be a cold walk in the winter!

Hartwig: Every day.

Fitzgerald: Things are definitely more casual now. We can wear jeans, but no leggings or sweatpants, although on Thursdays we do have to dress in business professional attire, like blazers and suits.

Hartwig: They just weren’t set up for it – veterinary medicine was a men’s profession at that time.

Fitzgerald: I can’t imagine what that would’ve been like. Coming to vet school has been a big adjustment, even from my time as an undergraduate. I’ve had to get used to all the studying and not having as much of a social life.

Hartwig: We had 42 contact hours a week, because back then everyone had Saturday class.

Fitzgerald: Yeah, we have class every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Wednesday, when we’re off at 4 p.m. That extra hour means a lot to us!

Hartwig: I’m glad to hear that. Something else that has drastically changed is tuition.

When I graduated veterinary school in 1964, tuition was $99 a quarter.

Fitzgerald: Tuition now for one semester in the vet college is more than $12,000 – and more than $26,000 for out-of-state students.

Hartwig: That’s why our class started the Veterinary Medicine Class of 1964 Fund.

And we wish we could do more.

Fitzgerald: It’s because of your support that I can attend veterinary school, so I’m incredibly grateful! 

PAUL GATES

Hartwig: Our class graduated with 62 people, and we were all extremely close. We still have a reunion every summer. A lot of my classmates were married and in the military. A bunch were part of the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps, although I don’t think any had to go to Vietnam. We did have three former fighter pilots in my class who served in the Cold War and came to Iowa State to finish their veterinary degrees.

We also had an honor code. Do you still have that?

Fitzgerald: Yes, we do!

38

TRUE INSPIRATION When you support Iowa State University, you help foster innovation, you inspire learning and you uplift lives.

Because the world needs more Cyclone spirit.

To learn how you can be forever true to Iowa State, visit ForeverTrueISU.com.

 FROM THE PRESIDENT

‘The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.’

Dear Alumni and Friends: This quote is being used by our current Board chair Tom Connop (L)(’76 history) to shape his year of service to the Association and its membership. The phrase has really caused many of us to be reflective and appreciative of finding our calling in life.

The last part of the quote, “the day you find out why,” is the part that stood out to many of us. Many of Iowa State’s alumni and friends found their “why” at this treasured institution in a number of different ways – academics, extra-curricular activities, and social interactions.

The quote is credited to Mark Twain. It serves as a reminder to the Board of whom we serve: the alumni, students, and friends of Iowa State who share the love for this unique place and responsibility to help make it better, more inclusive, and forever relevant. With the help of VISIONS editor Carole Gieseke, chair Connop gave life to this quote by sharing the following stories of some fellow alumni who found their “why” at Iowa State: • Mitchell Harger (’16 aero engr) parlayed his Cyclone football experience and his aerospace engineering degree into a dream job with NASA. • Vanessa McNeal (’15 child, adult & fam svcs), found her voice at Iowa State, and she is using it to create documentary films that shine a spotlight on survivors of sexual abuse.

• Lee Lee Ann De Reus (L)(’86 pol sci) found her true calling in a refugee camp in Chad. Her work involves telling the stories of survivors of gender-based violence, and she also specialized in legal appeals for domestic-abuse survivors.

• Sandy Anderson (DVM ’03) took a leap of faith in 1999 when, at the age of 35, she moved to Ames to attend Iowa State – even though she had not yet been accepted into the veterinary medicine program.

• The “lightbulb moment” came for Ken Sufka (L) (’86 psychology, MS ’88, PhD ’90), in a psychology 40

class at Iowa State. He went on to share his love of learning to students at Mississippi State, where he is a psychology professor.

• At Iowa State, Ike Harris (L)(’74 indust admin/acct) says he achieved three things, in this order: He found a lifelong partner in his wife, Charlene. He received a strong educational foundation that allowed him to compete with anyone, anywhere. And he had an opportunity to play sports after graduation. Ike played pro football and eventually became CEO of BellSouth in Atlanta.

• Joe Joe Ford’s (L)(’66 an sci, PhD ’72) work with Professor Robert Melampy, his Iowa State mentor, set the stage for a lifetime career in animal research.

• Fangqui Sun (MS ’97 stat/econ) made Ames, Iowa, her first choice when she decided to go to America. Her degree led her to a rewarding life in the U.S. and a successful career in banking.

• Donna Donna Miles (A)(’81 craft design) lives in Vermont but will always stay true to her Iowa heritage.

• As a grad student, John Arends (L)(’77 journ/ mass comm) started writing a play about Jack Trice. “It’s such a great story,” he said. “It’s a coming-of-age story: taking a stand as a young man on the football field.”

The experiences of each of these individuals and the experiences of countless other alumni, students, and friends are a testament to the treasure of this 160-year-old institution.

I stumbled onto my “why” while attending community college during the middle of my freshman year back in 1981. I was tabbed by the dean of students to run for student body president.

I won the election, becoming the first African American student, first commuter student, and first student from the “technical side” of campus to be

elected to this role. Since that day, I’ve been tabbed by eight other higher education leaders to take the next steps in my career. Each time it has happened over the past 34 years, I felt humbled – but I also have loved continual learning and getting to be creative. They said that they saw leadership skills in me; I simply wanted to serve. Somehow, I think God married these two characteristics so I’d fit the calling He had for me. I truly feel that I am in my calling here at Iowa State.

Yours for Iowa State,

#

Jeff Johnson** Lora and Russ Talbot ISUAA Endowed President and CEO PhD ’14 education

W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG V I S I O N S

 C A M PA I G N P R O F I L E S

‘Why I give’ ISU launched its $1.1 billion campaign, Forever True, For Iowa State, in fall 2016.

For the ISU Alumni Association, the campaign will help position the Association to better serve and showcase Iowa State and Cyclones everywhere. Meet these donors who are contributing to the Alumni Association’s campaign priorities.

Lifelong connection “Iowa State University has been a part of us throughout our entire lives. Each of our parents either has a degree from Iowa State and/or worked for the university. So, we were born into the Cyclone family and grew up attending Cyclone sports and performing arts events. We actually met while working as ushers at the Iowa State Center during college. The breadth of our experiences at ISU is one reason we chose to support every facet of the Alumni Association’s priorities during the Forever True, For Iowa State campaign.

After graduation, we appreciated feeling connected to Iowa State while we were away from Ames through VISIONS magazine and the ISU Alumni Club of Indianapolis. Since moving back, we have been able to witness firsthand the phenomenal work the Alumni Association is doing to connect alumni throughout the country to each other and to Iowa State. We continue to marvel at the success of the student leadership programs. Both our children participated in the LegaCY program, and we will be proud if either (or both) of them choose Iowa State for their college experience. We are proud to be connected to Iowa State University and look forward to that connection for the rest of our lives!”

David & Bonnie Beer Orth** David: ’87 journalism & mass comm Bonnie: ’88 biochemistry Ames, Iowa Donated $25,000 to the ISUAA Alumni Programs Endowment

V I S I O N S W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG W I N T E R 2 0 2 0

Helping others achieve their goals “When we graduated from ISU in 1971 and moved to the Chicago area, it was a major change in lifestyle and we knew no one there. Through the Alumni Association Club of Chicago, we were connected to other Cyclones and enjoyed events that made us more comfortable with our new home. The ISUAA was our connection to the ISU campus as well, so it became very important to us. Through Association programs we became aware of needs and desires of the Association and elsewhere at the university. We were raised with the idea that philanthropy is not a number but a desire to help someone else and show appreciation for what we have been fortunate to achieve.

So, while our early contributions to ISUAA were small, they were no less heart-felt. We feel very blessed to have attained ISU educations, which have opened doors of opportunities and equipped us with knowledge to have a level of success. It only seems right that we should help others achieve their goals, too.

To this end, we have tried to help in several areas of the university, mostly in the way of scholarships since we feel that an education is the basis for all college participation. We appreciate what the Iowa State Alumni Association achieves as a connection between the university setting and personal development, and we feel fortunate to have the Association available to all who want and need their help and guidance.”

Ron & Pam Nelson Hallenbeck** Pam: ’71 textiles & clothing Ron: ’71 industrial admin Ames, Iowa Committed $25,000 to the ISUAA Alumni Clubs Endowment

Promoting the ISU story “We support the ISUAA campaign to help enhance the experience of students and future alumni through the opportunities offered at ISU. We met at Iowa State and cherish the wonderful memories and lifelong friendships made there. From our involvement in campus groups and activities as students to our participation as alumni on the Board of Directors, CEO search, ISUAA representative, event attendance, Cyclone Club, ISU athletics support, and leading local Iowa State groups, we are proud to promote ISU and its offerings. We are fortunate that our children, Erick and Jackie, are ISU alumni, as are many of our family members who continue to promote the ISU story. Everyone we associate with through ISU is so committed and dedicated to providing such positive relationships and an inspiring environment on campus.

Our lives are enriched by our associations with ISU; we want those great adventures and experiences to be available to students and alumni to help them create lifelong memories and enhance their lives as ours have been. By supporting the Forever True campaign we hope the Iowa State story is shared broadly and opportunities are accessible to many future Cyclones.”

Phil & Martha West Krone** Martha: ’78 family environment Phil: ’78 industrial admin Sioux City, Iowa Pledged $18,000 to the ISUAA Alumni Programs, Awards Program, and Young Alumni Programs Endowments

*Annual member of the ISU Alumni Association **Life member of the ISU Alumni Association

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Below: Talbot ISU Alumni Association endowed president and CEO Jeff Johnson (L)(PhD ’14) and ISU president Wendy Wintersteen (L)(PhD ’88) with Alumni Medal awardee Julie Larson (L)(MS ’84) at the Honors & Awards event.

 HOMECOMING The Green Hills entry in the Homecoming parade.

Members of the class of 1969 returned to campus for their 50-year reunion.

It’s a wrap! From the parade to Yell-Like-Hell to the (rather chilly!) Food on Campus, Homecoming 2019: Cy’s the Limit (Oct. 20-26) was an unqualified success.

Take a look at these stats:

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW! Homecoming 2020 is Saturday, Oct. 17.

23 RETURNING HOMECOMING COMMITTEE MEMBERS 743 BLOOD DONORS 18,107 LIVESTREAM VIEWS 2,352 INCREASE IN SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS 1,395 YELL-LIKE-HELL PARTICIPANTS 15 OFFICES DECORATED 17 RESIDENCE HALLS DECORATED - NEW 23 PAINTING VICTORY LANE PARTICIPANTS 80 CYCLONE SWEETHEART APPLICANTS 77 CARDINAL COURT APPLICANTS 60 PARADE ENTRIES

PHOTOS BY JIM HEEMSTRA AND ERIN HINRICHSEN

280 GOLD TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANTS 35 GOLD TOURNAMENT TEAMS 14 CYFACTOR ENTRIES 3 LAWN DISPLAYS 1,350 DAY OF SERVICE PARTICIPANTS - NEW $1,625 RAISED FROM CYLENT AUCTION 2,353 BLUE SKY REGISTRANTS $79,208 RAISED FOR LSI 3,000 PEOPLE ATTENDED THE PEP RALLY 1,000 PARADE PARTICIPANTS 8,800 PEOPLE SERVED AT FOOD ON CAMPUS 3,500 BUTTONS SOLD

Sweet on

CY

Something for everyone Homecoming activities included the parade in downtown Ames, Yell-LikeHell competition, pep rally, and Cyclone Central.

The 2019 Cyclone Sweethearts, who were honored during Homecoming, are Craig (’68 ag, MS ’77) and Kathryn (’69 home ec ed, MS ’77) Harris (L) of Shenandoah, Iowa. The Harrises are the parents of two ISU legacies and were the 1999 Family of the Year. This is the second year the ISU Homecoming Central Committee has chosen “Cyclone Sweethearts” to be honored at Homecoming. The honor was created to collect Cyclone love stories and recognize annually a special couple who were brought together by Iowa State. “It was January 1967 when Craig called me for our first date,” Kathryn wrote in her nomination letter. “He asked me to the Van Cliburn concert. And for a Coke date at the Memorial Union. I still remember – and still have – the sweater he wore that day...”

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 NEWSMAKERS & CY STORIES

After 60 years, these college friends still stay in touch

David Montgomery: PERSONAL BEST

I

In the spring of 1956, the sisters of Iowa State’s chapter of Gamma Phi Beta sorority pledged to stay in touch. Sixty years later, they have maintained this promise to one another – through the long-lost art of letter-writing. The group’s “Round Robin” letters have continued for six decades, as documented in a recent Wall Street Journal feature by Clare Ansberry published on Sept. 30, as well as through additional national media attention. The women have maintained ties over time and distance, the article says, “sharing life’s passages from the birth of children to the death of parents and more recently spouses, many college sweethearts.” Nineteen sorority sisters were in the Round Robin when it started. Five have died, and one no longer sends letters. The remaining 13 are in their mid-80s and scattered among 11 states.

100 miles in every state

Dave Wedemeyer (L)(’86 graphic design) of St. Louis, Mo., recently achieved a cycling milestone by completing a century ride (100 miles) in every U.S. state. On Aug. 27, Wedemeyer completed the Mt. Washington Century in New Hampshire, marking his 50th state. He has ridden in 120+ century rides in his lifetime, and has also ridden Iowa’s own RAGBRAI 29 times.

Alumni Awards Five Des Moines-based alumnae are on the Iowa Restaurant Association’s first-ever “40 Women to Watch in Hospitality” list showcasing hospitality professionals who are blazing new trails, leading by example, or impressing their peers, customers, and managers daily: Gwen Page (’99 hotel, restaurant, instit mgmt), co-owner and founder of Fong’s Pizza; Christina Moffatt (’02 liberal studies), owner of Creme Cupcake & Dessert; Karla Walsh (’10 journalism & health), a freelance food and lifestyle writer; Lauren Doll Sheeder (A)(’12 marketing & mgmt), sales and marketing specialist for Doll Distributing; and Natasha Sayles (’11 marketing), executive director of WinefestDes Moines.

Ames resident George Belitsos (L)(’12 honorary doctorate) was presented with an LGBTQ Legacy V I S I O N S W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG W I N T E R 2 0 2 0

n 2019, for the first time in 17 years, an Iowa State athlete was named the Big 12 Conference Sportsperson of the Year. David Montgomery, only the fourth multi-year All-America selection in Iowa State football history, was recognized by the conference June 25 with the 2018-2019 annual award reserved for outstanding athletes who also display an extraordinary degree of sportsmanship and/or community service.

In 2018-2019, the Cincinnati, Ohio, native was active with Big 12 Champions for Life, helped lead team tornado cleanup efforts in Marshalltown, and served as a mentor for a 6-year-old boy with pulmonary vein stenosis. He excelled in the classroom, earning Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll recognition and second-team academic all-league honors. He was also a finalist for college football’s prestigious Jason Witten Man of the Year Award.

“He will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the all-time greats to wear the Cardinal and Gold,” ISU head coach Matt Campbell (A) said. “But his legacy will extend far beyond the field. He truly led the culture change within our walls.”

Montgomery was drafted by the Chicago Bears last spring as the 73rd DAVID MONTGOMERY overall pick.

Chicago, Ill. #CyclonesEverywhere

 READ MORE CYCLONE STORIES AT ISUALUM.ORG/CYCLONESEVERYWHERE

Leader Award by One Iowa and DSM magazine in October.

The award is designed to honor those who demonstrate leadership in their communities, serve as role models and mentors to others, and contribute to the appreciation and recognition of cultural diversity in Iowa. Belitsos was selected specifically for his leadership work in child welfare reform and promotion of human and civil rights.

Belitsos is the founder and CEO emeritus of the youth services organization YSS and chair of the Iowa Network Against Human Trafficking and Slavery.

Jeff Joniak (’84 journ/mass comm), radio playby-play voice of the Chicago Bears, was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame in September.

Paul Mugge (A)(’74 aero engr) has been selected as the 2019 winner of the Spencer Award, preented by Iowa State’s Leopold Center for Sustain-

able Agriculture. Following a career with Boeing in Seattle, Mugge returned to Sutherland, Iowa, to take over his family’s 300-acre farm after his father retired.

Frederick H. “Fritz” Raab (A)(’68 elect engr, MS ’70, PhD ’72) has received the Pioneer Award from the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society. The award was given in recognition of pioneering contributions to the theory, development, and practical use of high-efficiency power amplifiers. Raab has owned and operated Green Mountain Radio Research near Boone, Iowa, since 1980.

Carlie LaLone (PhD ’09 genetics) is a research bioinformaticist for the EPA in Duluth, Minn. Her work focuses on understanding the toxic effects of chemicals across species that may encounter those chemicals in nature – from humans to fish to insects to plants – by using predictive computational methods to 43

 NEWSMAKERS & CY STORIES

evaluate complex biological information. Notably, LaLone has developed the Sequence Alignment to Predict Across Species Susceptibility (SeqAPASS) tool, which uses genetic information to identify species similarities for binding different classes of chemicals. Her work on SeqAPASS recently earned her the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. Government to outstanding scientists and engineers who are beginning their independent research careers and who show exceptional promise for leadership in science and technology.

TOP JOBS Daphne Christensen (A)('98 sociology & journalism), a marketing professional with more than 20 years of experience, has launched Prep Marketing Co. in Des Moines, Iowa. Christensen said her goal as a boutique marketing firm is to provide personalized, cost-effective service to small businesses.

Eric Koppelman (L)(’95 advertising) is the new CEO of Portland, Ore.-based Ruby Jewel Ice Cream. He has 25 years of leadership experience in the consumer products food industry.

Iowa Sports Foundation executive Kevin Bourke (L)(’83 phys ed) has been named the next president and CEO of the Ames (Iowa) Convention & Visitors Bureau. Bourke, a former track and cross-country coach at Iowa State, had been with the sports foundation for 20 years, most recently as chief operations officer.

After more than 38 years, Al Jennings (L)(’58 engineering) is stepping aside from his post as chief executive officer of EFCO Corp. in Des Moines.

The 84-year-old Jennings, who has spent a total of 63 years with the company, will retain his role as chairman of the board. EFCO provides products and services to the construction industry for the forming and shoring of concrete.

Jenn Plagman-Galvin (A)(’96 journ/mass comm, PhD ’18 education) and her husband, Jeremy Galvin (A)(’97 el ed, MS ’09), are both

Madison Tuttle: FLYING HIGH

T

his year’s nominees for the 71st Emmy Award for Outstanding Interactive Program featured some pretty heavy hitters in the comedy industry: Conan O’Brien, John Oliver, Trevor Noah, James Corden, and Stephen Colbert. And then there was the nominee that won: NASA and SpaceX, whose collaborative, interactive March coverage of the SpaceX Demo 1 launch captivated the nation.

One member of the five-person team that received the award is Madison Tuttle (A) (’18 public relations), a public affairs specialist at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. As an ISU student, Tuttle interned in the public affairs department of the Johnson Space Center and participated in NASA’s Pathways Program. And now, a year after graduating, she’s an Emmy winner. The award was presented during the Creative Arts Emmys Sept. 14.

“I am forever grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given to work with a talented team who is sharing the U.S. return to human spaceflight story,” Tuttle tweeted. “I am so humbled that MADISON TUTTLE I get to live my dream and share the Merritt Island, Florida NASA story every day.” #CyclonesEverywhere  READ MORE CYCLONE STORIES AT ISUALUM.ORG/CYCLONESEVERYWHERE

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serving on the national leadership boards for their respective Greek organizations. Jenn is serving her second term as grand vice president community relations on Grand Council for Pi Beta Phi. Jeremy is currently serving as national president of Pi Kappa Phi. Both work at Iowa State, Jenn as director of operations for the College of Human Sciences and Jeremy as vice president for development of the ISU Foundation.

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) has named Terry L. Allers (L) (’70 BArch) as the organization’s president. The inauguration took place at NCARB’s Centennial Annual Business Meeting. Allers has been an NCARB Certificate holder since 1974 and is licensed in Iowa and Minnesota. As president, he will lead the organization in supporting each of the 55 U.S. architectural licensing boards in their mission to protect the public health, safety, and welfare.

Lindsay Tigue (MFA ’14 creative writing & environ) has graduated with her PhD in English with a creative writing dissertation from the University of Georgia. Her PhD dissertation was a collection of short fiction titled With Love From All of Us: Stories. Tigue began a tenure-track position as assistant professor of English and Creative Writing at Eastern New Mexico University in August 2019.

Zachary Helmers (’04 BArch), a senior project manager at NYC-based design and architecture firm Workshop/ APD, was recently promoted to associate. Helmers has been with Workshop/APD for 15 years and opened its Minneapolis studio in 2012.

Calvin Guyer (L)(’84 elect engr) is the new CEO of QualiTru Sampling System.

Guyer assumed the role on Sept. 1, 2019. Prior to his role at QualiTru, Guyer completed a distinguished military career and successfully transitioned into the private sector specializing in financial services, business consulting, and leadership coaching. Guyer was an adjunct faculty member at the University of St. Thomas and chief energy officer at The Carpe Diem Coach.

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DES MOINES, IOWA

IMPACT. ENGAGEMENT. COMMUNITY. Top 10 State for Volunteerism — MSN, 2017

#DSMUSA

liveDSMUSA.com

Greater Des Moines (DSM) has a storied history of community leaders driving the community toward positive change. Whether a seasoned professional or taking the first step in your career, there are endless opportunities to make a difference through nonprofit boards, committees and programs in DSM. Live life without compromise in DSM.

 NEWSMAKERS & CY STORIES

Barbara J. Dawson (L)(’85 speech comm & psych), a partner in the Phoenix office of Snell & Wilmer, is the 2019-20 chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Litigation. In this role, Dawson leads the nearly 40,000 litigators, judges, and arbitrators who comprise the largest section of the ABA. Dawson recently served as one of 16 members of the ABA’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary that vets and rates federal judicial candidates for the U.S. Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal, and District Courts. Dawson received her J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law.

ALUMNI BOOKSHELF Iowa State graduate Joe Siple’s (’00 journ/ mass comm) debut novel, The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride was named 2018 “Book of the Year” by the Maxy Awards and first place winner by the PenCraft Awards. Other awards include the American Fiction Awards, Cinematic Book Award, National Indie Excellence Awards, Independent Author Network Awards, and the Wishing Shelf Award.

Mary Dickens Johnson (L)(’76 anthro, intl studies & indep African studies) has recently published two books. The first, A Collection of Articles on Procurement Topics, is a compendium of articles she has published on the subject of procurement and related topics. The second, A Long Weekend at Maryland Shore, is an autobiography of sorts about Ocean City, Md., where Johnson lived off and on for 16 years.

Jane Coletti Perry (A) (’67 English/speech) has published a frontier fiction novel, Marcello’s Promise, inspired by events in the life of her father, Anthony Coletti (MS ’35 dairy science), Iowa State’s Dairy Farm Superintendent from 1941 to 1971. The story is the heartfelt journey of a husband’s promise to his wife for the American dream from the hills of Italy to a Wyoming coal-mining town in the early 20th century.

Curt Liljedahl (A)(’83 agronomy) recently published a book, Fix the Problem and Other Life Lessons from a Pragmatic Dad, a collection of advice he began writing down when his daughters were growing up.

Jocelyn Jackson: 10K BY 2025

A

n Iowa State alumna has been appointed chair of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), taking over leadership of the organization’s charge to graduate 10,000 black engineers from U.S. colleges and universities annually by 2025. Jocelyn Jackson (’18 mech engr) says she wouldn’t be an engineer today – currently pursuing her ISU master’s degree – if it weren’t for the steadfast support of NSBE, so this opportunity to give back is something she readily embraced.

Today, the six-year graduation rate for black engineering students is 36 percent, and about 4,500 black engineers graduate annually nationwide. The numbers represent a 28 percent increase since NSBE launched its “10K by 2025” campaign, but there is still much work to do.

“It’s a complex issue,” Jackson tells Cyclone Engineering Alumni News.

“It’s hard because I don’t want to fail. If I fail, I don’t lose – but others would, and they are counting on us. I believe engineering is a way of life and a lot of our members are first-generation students or first-generation engineers who need NSBE’s support.”

A native of Davenport, Iowa, Jackson has participated in ISU’s Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program to conduct research on graduate students of color, and she interned with John Deere and Land O’Lakes. Her graduate research will focus on tribology (the study of interacting surfaces in motion) and superhydrophic/ icephobic surfaces, and she plans to pursue a PhD in the field of engineering education and management science.

“There may not be a lot of students of color [at Iowa State],” Jackson said in an interview with the Iowa State Daily, “but [the community feels like a family].”

JOCELYN JACKSON Ames, Iowa

#CyclonesEverywhere

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 EVENTS & CY STORIES

CATCH CYCLONE FEVER

Annice Fisher: GAME-CHANGER

at the Iowa State University Alumni Association’s

A

mong the game-changing Cyclones everywhere who were honored at this year’s ISU Homecoming Honors & Awards ceremony is a leader who is on the cutting edge of education and advocacy. Annice Fisher (A)(MEd ’06) is the founder of Developing Capacity Coaching and The BEE FREE Woman, both of which work to blend social justice, adaptive leadership, and adult development strategies to help others succeed. She is also a member of the faculty at American University, where she is designing the personal leadership and coaching strands of the school’s first-ever doctoral program in educational leadership and policy.

Fisher’s background is extensive and diverse. She has worked as a strategic adviser and doctoral resident with Harlem Children’s Zone and as a White House Graduate Fellow working with the Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans; she has also received numerous awards for her work and scholarship. But it is her personal spirit and desire to give back that made her stand out as a nominee for the 2019 ISU Outstanding Young Alumni Award. Fisher’s faculty adviser from Harvard Graduate School of Education, where ANNICE FISHER she earned her doctorate, says, Chicago, Ill. “Annice is just so much sunshine #CyclonesEverywhere to the square inch.”

February 14, 2020 6 p.m.

Prairie Meadows Casino & Hotel, Altoona Have a groovy time and help raise critical funds for student and alumni outreach programming and scholarships for first-generation college students from Iowa.

Visit www.isualum.org/gala for information and to make a reservation.

Chris Ladner: ZEROED IN

I

owa State entrepreneur and engineer Chris Ladner (A)(’88 indus engr) has made headlines for his unprecedented leadership in the world of sustainability. The headquarters of his Little Rock, Ark.-based sustainability and energy services company, Entegrity, recently became the first building in the United States, and just the second in the world, to achieve LEED Zero certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED Zero means exactly what it sounds like: the building consumes the same amount or even less energy than it generates – meaning it uses zero net energy.

Ladner is no stranger to the sustainability movement. He is a former commissioner of the Arkansas Governor’s Commission on Global Warming, a consultant on the Clinton Climate Initiative, and helped design energy systems for the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock. He is a LEED Fellow who has served the U.S. Green Building Council in a variety of capacities.

CHRIS LADNER Little Rock, Ark.

#CyclonesEverywhere

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 READ MORE CYCLONE STORIES AT ISUALUM.ORG/CYCLONESEVERYWHERE

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 A S S O C I AT I O N N E W S

‘Iowa State literally touches everything’ For 16 years, Kate Bruns has been proud to tell rare, beautiful, ordinary, and extraordinary Cyclone stories MATT VAN WINKLE

– Talbot ISU Alumni Association endowed president and CEO Jeff Johnson (L)(PhD ’14)

Kate Bruns remembers the first story she ever wrote for VISIONS magazine.

It was a feature about two Iowa State families whose lives intersected in a time of grief.

A young boy named Mark Conrad gave away his prized possession – a real Cyclone football helmet worn by a real Cyclone football player – to the family of the helmet’s original owner, who had died tragically in a car accident.

The player’s name was Matt Grosserode, and Bruns told the story of young Mark’s unselfish act of quietly mailing the helmet to the grieving family, where they could touch it and feel it and remember their son.

“I was really scared to call Joann Grosserode for that story,” Bruns said. “I was young; I really hadn’t written a lot of stories, and then on top of that the subject matter – it was hard for me to pick up the phone and call her. But she was just so grateful that I did and that she could talk about her son Matt. And so, yeah, that was the first story that I wrote for VISIONS. That was a tragic thing that happened, but it showed how interconnected Iowa Staters are. It taught me a lot about the Iowa State family and made me proud to represent it.”

Since that first story in the spring 2004 issue of VISIONS magazine, Bruns (L)(’99 journ/ mass comm) has represented the Iowa State family as a member of the ISU Alumni Association’s 50

“Kate has been the consummate professional during her tenure with the Alumni Association. We’re going to miss her and her many talents.”

marketing communications team and as associate editor of VISIONS. “Iowa State literally touches everything,” she said. “It touches all areas of research, subjects, activities, and alumni. Cyclones are everywhere.”

She memorably and creatively suggested “37 things” Iowa State fans could do on an ISU football weekend, and later put together a comprehensive list of “150 moments in Cyclone sports history” for the university’s sesquicentennial. She took VISIONS’ sports department to new levels with profiles of Iowa State’s extraordinary athletes, alumni, and coaches.

She took on cover stories about athletes and academics (fall 2005) and alumni with culinary careers (spring 2013) and the magic that is Hilton Coliseum (winter 2016). She kept readers up to date on what was happening at ISU through the “Around Campus” section for many years.

She also corresponded with alumni in a very personal way: For 16 years, her ISU News Flash has dropped into readers’ inboxes every other Friday. And in recent years she’s created specialty e-newsletters for young alumni, travelers, and students.

“It’s funny how many relationships I have with people that I’ve never met because of doing electronic communications,” she said. “There was a 100-plus-year-old woman who would always write and thank me for the News Flash. And then the emails stopped coming, and then I saw the obituary. I didn’t know her, but there are just certain people you build a relationship with over email.”

Bruns’s fingerprints have been on so many alumni communications: The ISU Alumni Association websites, on years of awardee biographies, on the Alumni Center’s wall of ISUAA history, and on social media. She has worked to connect alumni to Iowa State and to each other, and one of her lasting legacies was, ironically,

written for the LegaCY Club. Writing Cy’s Surprise, a colorful storybook created to connect even the youngest children with Iowa State, was one of Bruns’s favorite projects.

“To be able to finally see it in living color was a highlight for me,” she said of the book that was published in 2017.

Bruns says the project was perfect for her, a self-described “Iowa Stater from birth.” Her father, David Adams (L)(’73 metallurg engr) took her to Cyclone basketball and football games as a young girl, and her mom, Deborah Adams (L), introduced her to VISIONS magazine.

“I’ve been reading VISIONS since before I was even in high school, so it’s something that’s important to me,” she said. “It was an honor to be part of the staff. Going forward, I want to see VISIONS continue to be successful, because at the end of the day it’s our flagship publication.

It’s the best place to tell all the great stories about Iowa State.”

At the end of 2019, Bruns officially ended her employment for the Alumni Association – husband Ben Bruns (L)(’01 constr engr) has joined general contractor The Boldt Company in Appleton, Wis., as executive vice president for Boldt’s Northern Operations group – but she won’t lose her connections to Iowa State. She’s already finding Iowa Staters who live in her new neighborhood, and she’s working with an alumna who lives in Green Bay to put together an Iowa State gamewatch group in the area. She also hopes to continue to work for Iowa State as a freelance writer, and Ben will continue to be the sideline reporter for Cyclones radio. Their second-grade son, Clayton, is a LegaCY Club member.

She says she’ll miss the far-flung Traveling Cyclones tours and unique alumni events and unlimited storytelling opportunities and wacky office Olympics. And the staff will miss, literally, everything about her.

– Carole Gieseke

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 A S S O C I AT I O N N E W S CATCHING UP Marc Mores (L)(’95), current board vice chair of records; Michelle and Steve (’67, 1990-91 board chair) Mores; and 2008-2013 board member Mores Kay Kretschmar Runge (L)(’69) reminisce during the Friday night social.

Matt Van Winkle (A)(’13 journ/mass comm) is the ISU Alumni Association’s new visual content specialist.

Van Winkle is a former media services analyst for Des Moines University; photojournalist at Fox 21 News in Duluth, Minn.; and video production specialist for Essentia Health in Duluth. In his new role, Van Winkle will produce video and photography content for the ISU Alumni Association’s social media channels, website, advertising, and marketing publications, as well as manage the Association’s YouTube and Instagram channels.

A weekend to celebrate The ISU Alumni Association’s first-ever Loyal Leaders Celebration Weekend, Weekend held Sept.

13-14, was created to embrace, connect, celebrate, and engage current and former Alumni

JIM HEEMSTRA

Welcome, Matt!

Association volunteer leaders and staff, as well as celebrate the five-year anniversary of the Lora and Russ Talbot Endowment. Event co-chairs Julie Larson (L)(’84) and Martha Krone (L)(’78) planned weekend events including a Friday-night social at the ISU Alumni Center.

ISU President Wendy Wintersteen (L)(PhD ’88) participated in the Lora and Russ Talbot Endowed ISUAA President & CEO Medallion

Ceremony for Jeff Johnson (L)(PhD ’14) that evening. A trio of former board chairs and their spouses – Carole (’71, board chair 1980-81) and Roger Custer (L), Steve (’67, board chair 1990-91) and Michelle Mores (L), and Sandy and Roy (’57, board chair 1984-85) Uelner (L) – and the Lora and Russ Talbot (L)(’17 honorary) Endowment helped fund the event.

PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT 1. Publication Title: VISIONS 2. Publication Number: 1071-5886 3. F iling Date: 9/30/19 4. Issue Frequency: Quarterly 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 4 6. Annual Subscription Rate: Annual membership dues ($57) 7. Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: Iowa State University Alumni Association, 429 Alumni Lane, Ames, IA 50011-1403.

8. Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: Same as No. 7 above 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Jeffery W. Johnson, Publisher; Carole Gieseke, Editor;

Kate Bruns, Managing Editor / 429 Alumni Lane / Ames, IA 50011-1403 10. Owner: Iowa State University Alumni Association (same address as No. 9 above) 11. Known Bondholders, Mortages, and Other Security Holders Owning 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None 12. Tax Status: The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes has not changed during

the preceding 12 months 13. Publication Title: VISIONS 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: Fall 201 9 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation:

Average No. Copies Each Issue No. Copies of Single Issue

During Preceding 12 Months Published Nearest to Filing Date

a. Total Number of Copies: 35,290 35,378

b. Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (1) Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscribers: 33,746 33,778 (2) In-county Paid/Requested Mail Subscribers: 0 0 (3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside USPS: 0 0 (4) Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS: 252 249

c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 33,998 34,027

d. Nonrequested Distribution (1) Outside County Nonrequested Copies: 0 0 (2) In-County Nonrequested Copies: 0 0 (3) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS

by Other Classes of Mail: 0 0 (4) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail: 850 850

e. Total Nonrequested Distribution: 850 850

f. Total Distribution: 34,848 34,877

g. Copies not Distributed: 442 501

h. Total: 35,290 35,378

i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 97.56% 97.56%

V I S I O N S W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG W I N T E R 2 0 2 0

51

Sports WRESTLING IS A FAMILY BRAND

DAVID CARR’S WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP SEALS THE LEGACY

W

BY TOM KROESCHELL

hen David Carr stepped onto the mat Nov. 17 in Iowa State’s 2019-2020 wrestling dual opener against Bucknell, he was already a known quantity. Despite not having previously worn an Iowa State singlet for an official match, his name and his accomplishments had preceded him.

Carr, the reigning World Junior Champion at 74kg (163 pounds), brings an Olympic and NCAA Championship legacy to Iowa State. The achievements of his father, Nate Carr, rank on the top shelf of a wrestling program long on Olympic medals and NCAA titles. Nate won NCAA crowns at 150 pounds in 1981, 1982, and 1983. He went on to win a bronze medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.

David Carr seems to wholly accept the family mantle, which is without peer. His father was one of 16 children. In addition to his father’s triumphs, four uncles earned All-America honors as collegiate wrestlers. His uncle Jimmy Carr was also an Olympian.

David’s eldest brother, Nate Jr., was a two-year starter for the Cyclones after a sterling high school and junior college career. Wrestling is a family brand, only superseded by deep personal faith.

David is the youngest of Nate and Linda Carr’s seven children. Nate and Linda met at Iowa State.

Despite the family’s wrestling accomplishments, David did not immediately dive headlong into wrestling at an early age.

“He started late,” Nate said. “I was running a gym in Ohio and we had everything there: martial arts, weightlifting, judo, and wrestling. He was just a little kid running around. David was good on the 52

unicycle – he really liked that. For a while he was leaning toward basketball.”

When David decided to give wrestling a shot as a youth, he was starting from scratch. Linda took him to his first tournament. There were some tears early.

“Because he was Nate Carr’s son they moved him from the beginners’ bracket where he belonged to a more advanced group,” Linda Carr said. “I told them he was a beginner but they insisted. At first

David Carr’s first Cyclone win came 40 years to the day after his father, Nate Carr, won his first match in an ISU singlet. he didn’t even know what the ‘down position’ was.

When they saw that, I said, ‘See, I told you.’ He was kind of embarrassed that his mother was his coach at that meet.”

“He got out there and didn’t even know where to put his hands,” Nate said. “It took some time.

But growing up in the gym, he saw how champions trained and lived every day.”

There was epiphany, but David was soon climbing the wrestling ladder.

“I saw the attention that state champions received and said, ‘I want to do that.’ I watched

how they worked,” he said.

It was not long before David was attracting the interest of the nation’s best collegiate programs.

ALL of them.

Nate knew the recruiting drill, having experienced the process as a high schooler and as a coach.

His personal recruiting story bears repeating.

Nate, a Pennsylvania high school champion, would win 117 of his 122 prep matches. He had chosen Dan Gable’s Iowa program for his collegiate career. When his mother Luella had a dream that he would go to Iowa State, he was still focused on Iowa City. Then, she had the same dream again.

“I was like, forget it,” Nate said. “I was going to Iowa State.”

David’s college decision came down to Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Ohio State. After meeting new Cyclone head coach Kevin Dresser, David, like his father, turned toward Iowa State.

“What he did at Virginia Tech, taking a program from almost being dropped and turning it into a national contender, caught my eye,” David said.

“When I met him, [assistant coach Derek] St. John, and [assistant coach Brent] Metcalf, and the guys on the team, I knew this was the right place for me.”

David spent the 2018-19 season as a redshirt.

But his presence was immediately profound.

“David is a very good communicator,” Dresser said. “His skills as an ambassador are beyond his years. He is mature for his age. He’s still young and has that passion, but he loves to be around people and that makes him a great representative of Iowa State in general and Cyclone wrestling in particular.”

Dresser sees qualities that have been passed from father to son. With Nate in Ames as the W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG V I S I O N S

EDWIN KURGAT: 10K DOMINANCE The No. 5 Iowa State men’s cross country team in November advanced to its fourth consecutive NCAA Championships with a second-place team finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships. All-American and reigning Big 12 champion Edwin Kurgat, a senior from Eldoret, Kenya, continued his dominant season on the course, capturing his second-straight NCAA Midwest Regional title. Kurgat finished the 10K course in 30:38.3.

“David’s skills as an ambassador are beyond his years. He’s still young and has that passion … and that makes him a great representative of Iowa State in general and Cyclone wrestling in particular.”

Nate and David Carr in 2013

V I S I O N S W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG W I N T E R 2 0 2 0

David Carr” five times in his notebook. It paid off.

Carr outscored his opponents 33-11 en route to finishing the tournament 4-0.

Linda finds watching David wrestle a little easier than her days rooting for her husband in the stands.

“With David, I am a mom. I can focus on being a mother.”

Nate can relate.

“As a father, I just want all my kids to do their best and I think [David] is doing that,” Nate said.

David’s opening night debut before an expectant Iowa State crowd was memorable as he won by technical fall (15 points) over his Bucknell opponent

in Hilton Coliseum. His first Cyclone win came 40 years to the day after Nate won his first match in an ISU singlet.

The torch has been passed.  Tom Kroeschell is director of programming for digital media / Cyclones.tv in the ISU Athletics Department.

FATHER-SON PHOTO BY JIM HEEMSTRA

associate director of the Cyclone Regional Training Center, where athletes train for international competition, he and Linda have also returned to their Cardinal and Gold roots.

When David beat Japan’s Jintaro Motoyama, 5-4, in the gold-medal match of the World Junior Championships Aug. 14 in Tallin, Estonia, he was Iowa State’s first world junior champion – a significant feat considering Iowa State’s storied wrestling history. Nate was there in his corner.

It was Nate who demonstrated the power of visualization for his son. Each night during the summer, David wrote “junior world champion

53

Calendar  Cyclones Everywhere:

Greater Des Moines

Say YES to new adventures with the Traveling Cyclones!

For more information on 2020 trips, go to www.isualum.org/travel

 Arts and entertainment Jan. 17: The Color Purple, Stephens Jan 17-18: Madrigal Dinners, MU Jan. 18: Dwight Yoakam, Stephens Jan. 31: HERoines – Barjché 2020, Fisher Theater Feb. 12: Dancing with the Stars Live!, Stephens Feb. 13: Russian National Ballet presents Swan Lake, Stephens Feb. 14: Finding Neverland, Stephens Feb. 21: Arts Midwest World Fest: CHOOR, Stephens March 2: Siberian State Symphony Orchestra, Stephens March 12: Waitress, Stephens

Feb. 14: Cardinal & Gold Gala, Prairie Meadows

 Cyclones Everywhere Feb. 1: Iowa State Night at the Moda Center (Portland Trail Blazers vs Utah Jazz), Portland, Ore.

 At the ISU Alumni Center Feb. 13-14: ISUAA Board of Directors winter meeting

 Awards

 On campus &

Feb. 15: Nomination deadline for Homecoming 2020 awards April 17: Distinguished Awards Celebration

around Ames

Jan. 13: Spring semester begins Jan. 24: Dance Marathon Feb. 10-14: LAS Week March 16-20: Spring Break

 Careers Feb. 11: Engineering Career Fair Feb. 12: Business, Industry & Technology Career Fair Feb. 20: Design Career Fair

 Cyclone Athletics March 11-14: Men’s Big 12 Basketball Tournament, Kansas City March 12-15: Women’s Big 12 Basketball Tournament, Kansas City For all Cyclone sports schedules, go to www.cyclones.com

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 Alumni Travel Dec. 28 – Jan. 2: New Year’s Eve on Cloud 9 (young alumni trip) Jan. 3-22: Sunny Islands & Andes Jan. 14-28: Egypt & the Eternal Nile Jan. 18-28: Costa Rica’s Natural Heritage Jan. 23 – Feb. 7: Classic Safari: Kenya & Tanzania Feb. 1-17: Outrageous Outback Feb. 4-15: Astounding Antarctica Feb. 11-24: Radiant Rhythms Feb. 14-23: Morocco: Marrakech Feb. 22-29: Cruising the Windward Islands March 8-13: Great Trains & Grand Canyons March 15-25: Legends to Lagoons March 28 – April 5: Historic South & Golden Isles March 31 – April 15: Portrait of Italy April 7-22: Portrait of Italy April 14-22: Windmills, Tulips & Belgian Delights April 19-27: Southern Grandeur April 28 – May 9: Cloisters of Culture April 28 – May 11: Classic China & the Yangtze River

For criteria and to submit a nomination for ISUAA awards: www.isualum.org/awards

 Lifelong learning Jan. 14: OLLI at ISU first day of winter classes Feb. 20: OLLI at ISU spring open house March 23: OLLI at ISU first day of spring classes

 Find more events online Campus Calendar: http://event.iastate.edu/ ISU Alumni Association: www.isualum.org/calendar Cyclone Athletics: www.cyclones.com Reiman Gardens: www.reimangardens.com Iowa State Center: www.center.iastate.edu University Museums: www.museums.iastate.edu Lectures: www.lectures.iastate.edu/

W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 W W W . I S U A LUM . ORG V I S I O N S

Iowa State University Alumni Center 429 Alumni Lane Ames, Iowa 50011-1403

VISIONS magazine is published four times a year by the Iowa State University Alumni Association, which serves more than 262,000 living alumni as well as ISU students and friends. VISIONS reaches nearly 53,000 Alumni Association members and is just one benefit of membership; details can be found at isualum.org/join.

THE PERFECT PLACE FOR YOUR CYCLONE WEDDING

Cyclones everywhere come together at the ISU Alumni Center…forever!

When you and your fiancé love Iowa State almost as much as you love each other, make it official by hosting your Cyclone wedding at the ISU Alumni Center!

With ample parking, beautiful grounds, and elegant interiors that celebrate the Iowa State campus, the ISU Alumni Center is the perfect place to celebrate your love. Book your shower, rehearsal dinner, wedding ceremony, reception – or all four!

To learn more about celebrating your love Cyclone-style, call Brooke, Bry, or Angela at (515) 294-4625 or visit www.isualum.org/weddings today.