COLLEGE NEWS
- Ag education senior to speak at convocation
- More ag students apply for study-abroad funds
- MidAmerica International Ag office moves to ISU
- College hospitality for overseas visitors
- Europe and Asia top spots for ag faculty/staff trips
- AgComm web site has resources for instructors
- Forestry Club selling trees through Sunday
- Block & Bridle selling sausage and cheese gifts
- Plant transformation course offered in spring
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- Mind your manners on the Net
INFOGRAZING
- More Iowans expected to enroll in college
- ISU Extension watershed conference coming up
- Vision 2020 course on improving teaching
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Accountability should focus on students
MARGINALIA
- More machines ringing amok
C O L L E G E N E W S
AG EDUCATION SENIOR TO SPEAK AT CONVOCATION
Dan Belzer, senior in agricultural education and former Ag Council
president, will speak at the college convocation for fall-semester
graduates on Dec. 20 at C.Y. Stephens Auditorium. The event begins
with refreshments at 8:45 a.m. and recognition of graduates at
9:30 a.m.
MORE AG STUDENTS APPLY FOR STUDY-ABROAD FUNDS
The International Agriculture Programs office has received 109
applications for study-abroad scholarships, three times the number
received a year ago.
MIDAMERICA INTERNATIONAL AG OFFICE MOVES TO ISU
The executive director's office of the MidAmerica International
Agricultural Consortium has moved to ISU. David Hansen, ag economics,
was named executive director last summer. MIAC, which includes
ISU and four other land-grant universities, was formed in 1977
to establish program links with other countries. Its current emphasis
is Mexico. The MIAC office is located in 1553 Food Sciences, 4-3803.
COLLEGE HOSPITALITY FOR OVERSEAS VISITORS
So far in 1997, the International Agriculture Programs office
has hosted more than 260 visitors from more than 20 countries.
Countries or regions sending the most visitors: France, China,
Africa, Russia and Mexico.
EUROPE AND ASIA TOP SPOTS FOR AG FACULTY/STAFF TRIPS
To date in 1997, agriculture faculty and staff have participated
in 169 trips abroad, according to International Agriculture Programs.
Here's how the trips break down: Europe, 73; Asia, 31; Latin America,
27; Canada, 26; Africa, 9; and Australia/New Zealand, 3.
AGCOMM WEB SITE HAS RESOURCES FOR INSTRUCTORS
AgComm, the college's communication-across-the-curriculum program,
has a web site under development with funding from a USDA Higher
Education Challenge Grant. The site will serve as a clearinghouse
for faculty resources on improving students' communication and
learning in agriculture and food sciences.
FORESTRY CLUB SELLING TREES THROUGH SUNDAY
The Forestry Club is selling Christmas trees through Sunday, Dec.
7, at Reiman Gardens. Hours: 4-7 p.m. today (Friday); 9 a.m.-7
p.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday. During the Sunday hours,
those who want to cut down their own tree can visit the tree site.
From Ontario, take Scholl Road north across the railroad tracks,
then take the second right turn.
BLOCK & BRIDLE SELLING SAUSAGE AND CHEESE GIFTS
The Block & Bridle Club is selling summer sausage (made by
students) and cheese holiday gift boxes. Club members have a table
outside Lush Auditorium in Kildee Hall, or stop in at 119 Kildee
(4-3161).
PLANT TRANSFORMATION COURSE OFFERED IN SPRING
A plant transformation course will begin next semester, organized
by zoology/genetics and several other departments. Students taking
the course for credit will be given preference, but if openings
are available, faculty, staff and others not interested in earning
credits may sign up beginning Jan. 5. The course, offered for
the first time last spring, will be a series of five two-session
workshops. For more information: Gary Polking, 4-1813 or polking@iastate.edu,
or Kan Wang, 4-4429, kanwang@iastate.edu.
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
Dec. 8: Writing Successful Teaching Grants, Gateway Center, 6:30
p.m., 4-9376.
Dec. 20: Graduation. College convocation, 9:30 a.m., C.Y. Stephens.
Dec. 20: Deadline, presentation proposals, 1998 international
conference on animal production systems and the environment, 4-4202.
Jan. 2: Foreign travel grant applications due, 138 Curtiss.
C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I O S K
MIND YOUR MANNERS ON THE NET
Respond to your e-mail within 24 hours. That's one suggestion
of good Internet manners by experts in netiquette (etiquette on
the Internet). Netiquette can get complicated because of the technology
involved. For example, some consider a return receipt on e-mail
rude because it may invade the recipient's privacy. A netiquette
guide in 13 languages can be found at Florida Atlantic University's
Web site. It includes the Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics
(Number 3: Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's files.)
I N F O G R A Z I N G
MORE IOWANS EXPECTED TO ENROLL IN COLLEGE
In the next 10 years, Iowa will see a 5.1 percent increase in
the number of men and an 8.1 percent increase in the number of
women enrolled in higher-education institutions. Those increases
include full-time and part-time enrollees. (American Demographics,
October)
ISU EXTENSION WATERSHED CONFERENCE COMING UP
"Watershed Partnerships: Protecting Our Water Resources," Jan.
20-21 in the Scheman Building
VISION 2020 COURSE ON IMPROVING TEACHING
Vision 2020's three-session cooperative learning course begins
in January. Two-member teams of faculty or graduate students from
ISU and community colleges can enroll to learn how non-cognitive
skills affect cognitive learning; how to involve students in active
learning; and how to make learning fun. For more information:
4-2092.
E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
ACCOUNTABILITY SHOULD FOCUS ON STUDENTS
For legislators, the number-one factor for university accountability
is student success, according to Tony Kinkel, a six-term Minnesota
lawmaker and a doctoral candidate in higher education administration.
Kinkel spoke this fall at a national workshop on developing accountability
programs.
M A R G I N A L I A
MORE MACHINES RINGING AMOK
Machines made an estimated 50,000 wrong-number calls in the past
year in England. Self-diagnosing machines are programmed to phone
home when they need service. In one case, a woman was repeatedly
awakened in the middle of the night by phone calls made by a public
toilet. The toilet was programmed to ring a number if it was overflowing
or running short of supplies. Besides toilets, vending machines,
refrigerators, traffic lights and boilers can be programmed to
make calls. (TechWire, Aug. 19)