COLLEGE NEWS
- Washington meetings seek support for ag programs
- Ag alumni event in Washington well-received
- Scanes speaks at North Carolina agricultural summit
- ISU to host NACTA '97 conference in June
- Grant program to enhance international efforts
- Distance education series reaches 600 ag faculty
- New CSREES request for proposals on Web
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- Taking the mystery out of e-mail attachments
INFOGRAZING
- Paying for college gets tougher for poor families
- Enrollment in college, based on family income
- Federal spending on college grants, loans
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Getting the message on research to Congress
MARGINALIA
- Swat's new on mosquito research? A remarkable feet
C O L L E G E N E W S
WASHINGTON MEETINGS SEEK SUPPORT FOR AG PROGRAMS
ISU officials and Iowans in the Council for Agricultural Research,
Extension and Teaching (CARET) recently met with members of Iowa's
Congressional delegation and staff in Washington, DC, to discuss
support for agricultural programs. CARET is a national grassroots
volunteer organization that works to enhance public support and
understanding of the land-grant system's food and agricultural
programs. Iowa's CARET delegates are Donald Latham of Alexander
and Sue Peyton of Sac City. Among the ISU officials were Dean
David Topel and Jerry Klonglan, associate dean for national programs
in the college.
AG ALUMNI EVENT IN WASHINGTON WELL-RECEIVED
On Feb. 25, the College of Agriculture hosted a well-received
event in Washington, DC, for ag alumni in the area. The college's
administrators, several of whom were in the capital for other
meetings, attended. Dean Topel discussed current activities in
the college. The ISU Alumni Foundation helped support the reception.
A few facts and figures from the event:
Number of ag alumni who attended: 50
Span of years between earliest and most recent degrees among alumni:
59
Year in which Harold Fritzel (ag economics) graduated: 1930
Year in which Greg McCarty (agronomy) graduated: 1989
Number of alumni attending who graduated in the 1930s: 3
Number of alumni who had all three degrees (BS, MS, Ph.D.) from
ISU: 3
SCANES SPEAKS AT NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL SUMMIT
Colin Scanes, the college's executive associate dean, was an invited
speaker at the Summit for North Carolina, an annual meeting organized
by North Carolina Governor James Hunt. Agriculture was the focus
of the March 10-11 meeting. Scanes spoke about the future of animal
agriculture in the United States; changes in the structure of
agriculture; the ag export situation; and the issue of animal
waste and what ISU is doing to help solve the problem. Other speakers
included Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman; U.S. Senator Jesse
Helms; Wayne Boutwell, president and CEO of Southern States Cooperative,
the largest cooperative in the South; and Steven Parrish, senior
vice president for Philip-Morris.
ISU TO HOST NACTA '97 CONFERENCE IN JUNE
The National Association of Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture's
1997 conference will be held on campus June 22-25, hosted by ISU's
NACTA group. The theme is distance learning and will feature the
Brenton Center and ISU's other high-tech facilities. The conference
will include tours of agri-industry and the Living History Farm.
Interested faculty in the College of Agriculture may obtain further
information from NACTA members or Victor Bekkum: 4-5145 or vabekkum@iastate.edu.
GRANT PROGRAM TO ENHANCE INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS
ISU's Council on International Programs has announced a $100,000
grant program to fund efforts by faculty members to further the
internationalization goals in ISU's 1995-2000 strategic plan.
Deadline for applications is April 21. For more details and tips
on successful grant applications, contact David Acker, International
Agriculture Programs, 4-8454, or dacker@iastate.edu.
DISTANCE EDUCATION SERIES REACHES 600 AG FACULTY
The last of five satellite programs on agriculture faculty development
in distance education was held March 11. The series reached approximately
600 faculty members at 34 universities in 22 states. Three of
the programs originated from ISU, one from Arkansas State University
and one from Alabama A&M University. An average of 16 ISU
faculty members participated in each program. ISU presenters were
Ricardo Salvador, Mike Taber, Michael Simonson and Allan Schmidt.
The program was supported with a USDA Challenge Grant to the Department
of Agricultural Education and Studies.
NEW CSREES REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS ON THE WEB
Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service is
seeking proposals for Food and Agricultural Sciences Awards. Applications
are due May 15 for a Graduate Fellowship Grants Program for Fiscal
Years 1997 and 1998 and Oct. 15 for 1997 Supplemental Grants for
Special International Study or Thesis/Dissertation Research Travel
Allowances. The Experiment Station notes that the funding schedule
has been changed to every other year, and the next competition
will be in 1999. Review the RFP on the college website.
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
March 17: Foreign travel grant applications due, 138 Curtiss
March 20: Weed Management Systems: High-Tech Solutions or Education
to Protect Water Resources? Roger Becker, University of Minnesota,
7:30 p.m., Brenton Center (sustainable ag seminar)
March 29: ISU Farm Programs and Environmental Policy in the 21st
Century, Bruce Babcock, CARD, 9 a.m., Brenton Center; Concerns
and Support of the Public Regarding Surface and Groundwater Quality
in Iowa, Linda Applegate, Iowa Environmental Council, 10 a.m.,
Brenton Center (sustainable ag seminars)
C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I O S K
TAKING THE MYSTERY OUT OF E-MAIL ATTACHMENTS
Attaching files to e-mail messages can be a convenient way of
exchanging information, but sometimes the process doesn't deliver
a readable document. "Foolproof File Enclosures" is
a guide that may help solve some of the problems. The guide, found
on MacUser magazine's Web page, covers popular e-mail programs
for both Mac and Windows users. It includes advice for sending
files to Unix-based computers and tips for sending attachments
through on-line service providers, like America Online and Compuserve.
The guide can be found online.
I N F O G R A Z I N G
PAYING FOR COLLEGE GETS TOUGHER FOR POOR FAMILIES
Public four-year colleges have raised tuition 256 percent between
1980 and 1996 . . . Using Census Bureau data, Harvard economist
Thomas Kane figures an 18- or 19-year-old from a family with income
in the top 25 percent is three times as likely to be in college
as one from the bottom 25 percent. The disparity is widening as
income inequality widens. "One of the things we hope education
will do is encourage mobility so that your fate isn't necessarily
the same as your parents," said Michael McPherson, president
of Macalester College. (Wall Street Journal, Dec. 30, 1996)
ENROLLMENT IN COLLEGE, BASED ON FAMILY INCOME
Below, listed by family income, are the percentages of dependent
18- and 19-year-olds enrolled in college:
Richest 25 percent -- 75 percent in 1991-93; 69 percent in 1977-79.
Middle 50 percent -- 50 percent in '91-93; 45 percent in '77-79.
Poorest 25 percent -- 26 percent in '91-93; 25 percent in 91-93
(Wall Street Journal, Dec. 30, 1996; see item above)
FEDERAL SPENDING ON COLLEGE LOANS, GRANTS
The federal government makes available $35 billion a year in grants
and loans for college students, twice its spending on welfare.
(Wall Street Journal, Dec. 30, 1996; see items above)
E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
GETTING THE MESSAGE ON RESEARCH TO CONGRESS
On Feb. 11, Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) spoke about university
research to a group of college engineering deans. He emphasized
efforts to inform Congress of the importance of research funding.
"What you need to do . . . is to invite members of Congress
and their staffs to spend part of a day on your campus. Don't
focus on lobbying on specific issues or programs, but on emphasizing
the importance of university research to the national and local
economy and the vital role the federal government plays in supporting
that research . . . Make sure that these members get to meet with
students. Sometimes if you listen to college administrators, it's
possible to forget their campuses even admit students on their
grounds . . . And, finally, get some local business leaders for
the meeting, especially heads of small businesses that work with
your campuses." (The
full text of Boehlert's speech is available from Ag Information,
4-0706.)
M A R G I N A L I A
SWAT'S NEW IN MOSQUITO RESEARCH? A REMARKABLE FEET
In looking for a mosquito attractant, scientists at Wageningen
Agricultural University in The Netherlands exposed the insects
to a wide variety of odors to learn what they liked best. The
clear winner? Foot odor. Feet didn't even need to be particularly
smelly; mosquitoes were just as attracted to well-washed feet.
The scientists say they hope to mimic foot odor for use in trapping
mosquitoes. (The Furrow, March)