ISU News Flash: A service to members of the ISU Alumni Association...thanks for your membership!

APRIL 8, 2005

In this issue:
  • Alumni
    Kooser wins the Pulitzer Prize; Distinguished Awards presented today; alumna makes "Star Wars" fan film
  • On Campus
    Greenlee School gears up for centennial; ISU Extension leader to retire; National Geographic Explorer visits ISU; "Cornhusker" at home in Kansas City gallery; new name for Department of Chemical Engineering
  • Students
    Student pubs earn top honors; a "Spektrum" of fashions at Stephens April 16
  • Alumni Association
    Great golf gifts from the ISUAA; results of the Holiday Rainbow Classic survey; an ISUAA member checks in from her library/ISU recruitment center on Fort Carson, Colo.
  • Athletics
    Spring football game, fan activities set for April 16; gymnasts to NCAA regionals; softball to play on ESPN2; Fennelly is region coach of the year
  • Resources
    Links to campus resources and more information about our stories

ALUMNI (Back to top)

Ted KooserALUMNUS POET WINS PULITZER PRIZE
Less than eight months after being named 43rd poet laureate of the United States , Ames native and ISU alumnus Ted Kooser (distributed studies ’62) has been recognized with another extraordinary distinction: Pulitzer Prize winner. Kooser won the 2005 poetry prize for “Delights and Shadows,” his 10th collection of poems, which are renowned for their profound, beautiful, and amazingly clear depictions of the ordinary. A retired insurance company vice president who is a visiting professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Kooser was born in Ames and currently maintains a 62-acre prairie home in Garland, Neb. His works have appeared in The New Yorker, The American Poetry Review, and Poetry, among others. The 65-year-old Kooser will perform his first Pulitzer reading at 8 p.m. on April 21 in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union at ISU.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI RECOGNIZED TODAY
Iowa State University bestows its highest honors upon alumni and friends today with the presentation of the Distinguished Awards in the Memorial Union’s Sun Room and South Ballroom at 3:15 p.m. The public is invited to attend today’s ceremony, which will honor the following distinguished Iowa Staters:

  • Murray (elec. eng. ’43) and Ruth Harpole; St. Paul, Minn.; Campanile Award
  • Marvin J. Walter (an. sci. ’62; M.S. ’64); Ames, Iowa; Cardinal and Gold Award
  • UGS Corp.; Plano, Texas; Corporate and Foundation Award
  • Lloyd Lee Anderson (an. sci. ’57; PhD ’61); Ames, Iowa; Distinguished Achievement Award
  • Stanley M. Howe (engineering ’46); Muscatine, Iowa; Distinguished Achievement Award
  • Michael T. Nettles (M.S. ’77; M.A. ’78; PhD ’80); Princeton, N.J.; Distinguished Achievement Award
  • Bruce D. Roth (PhD ’81); Plymouth, Mich.; Distinguished Achievement Award
  • Kathryn Engel; Ames, Iowa; Honorary Alumna Award
  • Mary and John Pappajohn; Des Moines, Iowa; Honorary Alumna/Alumnus Award

LUKE, I AM YOUR PRODUCER
Fans of the “Star Wars” movies take their “Star Wars” pretty seriously. But for one ISU alumna, being a “Star Wars” fan is also a labor of love -- especially if you’re producing the ultimate fan film. According to an article by Knight-Ridder Newspapers, Dawn Cowings (telecommunicative arts ’91) and her husband, Shane Felux, maxed out credit cards and took out a second mortgage to finance “Star Wars Revelations,” a fan film that will never make them any money (George Lucas and Lucasfilm own all the rights to Star Wars material) and that will be one -- although likely one of the most ambitious -- of about 100 entries for best fan film at the upcoming Star Wars Celebration III convention. All involved said they did the film simply out of love for “Star Wars” and the fun of making films. “Star Wars Revelations” will be released free over the Internet on April 18 as “Star Wars” fans anticipate the movie release of “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” on May 19. Check out the “Star Wars Revelations” Web site at http://www.panicstruckpro.com/revelations/

ON CAMPUS (Back to top)

 Greenlee School Centennial logoONE HUNDRED YEARS OF JOURNALISM
The longest continuously accredited journalism school in the country and one of the first programs recognized by the Accrediting Council of Education on Journalism and Mass Communication, ISU’s Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication is celebrating its rich history and its 100th birthday in 2005, kicking off with the April 10-16 celebration of First Amendment Days. The week of activities focuses on each of the First Amendment’s five freedoms -- speech, petition, press, assembly, and religion. Keynote speakers will include a pair of noted ISU alumni: former Time magazine White House correspondent Hugh Sidey (journalism ’50, honorary degree ’94) and current Better Homes and Gardens magazine editor Karol DeWulf Nickell (home ec journalism ’79). Lectures, panels, and discussions in the Ames community and on the ISU campus will highlight the week, which will end with a student awards ceremony on Saturday. For a complete schedule of First Amendment Days events, go online to http://www.las.iastate.edu/newnews/greenlee100.shtml  

Stanley JohnsonEXTENSION LEADER TO RETIRE
Stanley Johnson, vice provost for ISU Extension and internationally acclaimed ag economist, announced last week his plans to retire from ISU this year after 20 years of service. Johnson has served as the vice provost since 1996 and has been a professor of economics since 1985. Prior to leading ISU Extension, he was director of the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development. ISU provost Ben Allen says he will soon name a search committee to determine Johnson’s replacement.  

TUNE IN FOR TWISTERS
National Geographic Explorer’s film crew was on campus last week to pick the brains of ISU’s wind whizzes -- Partha Sarkar, Fred Haan, and Bill Gallus -- gurus of the tornado/microburst simulator in Howe Hall, for an upcoming program called “Operation Tornado” that will appear on MSNBC in late summer or early fall.  

A KANSAS CITY CORNHUSKER FROM ISU
What do a Cornhusker and Kansas City have to do with ISU? (And here’s a hint: it has nothing to do with Big 12 athletics…) It’s celebrated former ISU artist-in-residence Christian Petersen, whose campus landmark “Cornhusker” sculpture now appears in a bronze casting form at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City as part of an exhibit entitled “Bingham to Benton: The Midwest as Muse?” that showcases 100 years of Midwest-inspired art. Iowa State has now given bronze casts of the sculpture to two museums: the American Museum of Art at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., and the Nelson-Atkins. “Cornhusker” is part of ISU’s collection of public art -- which is the largest of any college’s or university’s in the United States.  

BANANA, FANNA, FO, FEMICAL ENGINEERING
The Department of Chemical Engineering at ISU has changed its name to the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, effective July 1. Department chair and professor Charles Glatz says the new name reflects a growing national trend and better represents the type of research and teaching that is going on in the department.

STUDENTS (Back to top)

SOME GOOD READS
For the first time in ISU history, both the university’s independent student-run magazine (ethos) and newspaper (The Iowa State Daily) captured Gold Crown awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, presented March 19 at the College Media Advisers’ Spring Convention in New York, N.Y. Over the past four years, ethos and the Iowa State Daily have received Gold and Silver Crown awards, but this is the first time both publications have been crowned with gold in the same year. The Iowa State Daily is online at http://www.iowastatedaily.com and ethos magazine is online at http://www.ethosmagazine.com

FASHION FORWARD
The ISU Textiles and Clothing Fashion Show is moving up. For the first time in 23 years, the show will take place at C.Y. Stephens Auditorium on the ISU campus. “Before, we were having [the show] in Fisher Theater, which only seated 400 people, and we’d sell out right away. Now anyone who wants to see it, can,” said Liz Jaster, co-director of public relations for the show and a senior in marketing from Arden Hills, Minn. Jaster said the new location will also allow the students to showcase their designs at an industry-show level. “There are going to be some higher quality technical things going on with lighting, and one thing that will help the audience see the garments up close is the fact that the runway is going to extend off the stage and into the audience,” she explained. Tickets to the April 16 event, entitled “Spektrum,” are available through Ticketmaster or the Iowa State Center Ticket Office at (877) THE-CENTER. The show will feature student-created casual, collection, and evening wear designs, and Jaster said the experimental design category (which features designs made from unusual materials) is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. More on “Spektrum” on the Web at http://www.fcs.iastate.edu/tc/news/fashionshow/

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION (Back to top)

Pique poloAPRIL FEATURED MERCHANDISE: GREAT GIFTS FOR THE GOLFER
Hit the links this spring with our ultra-comfortable polo. Made of 100 percent cotton pique, this shirt is the coolest way to show your ISU pride. Order online at http://www.isualum.org/store/ap010.html

And if you’re buying golf accessories, don’t forget to check out our ISU golf gift set…with everything Cyclone! Buy it online for our discounted member price at http://www.isualum.org/store/ac315.html

THE RESULTS ARE IN: HOLIDAY RAINBOW CLASSIC TRIP
To determine fan interest in a travel package to the Holiday Rainbow Classic men’s basketball tournament in Hawaii this December, the Alumni Association and athletics department recently sent an e-mail survey to which you may have responded. Based on the results of the survey, we have determined there is not enough interest to justify offering the travel package. However, the ISUAA will work with the athletics department on any events that may occur. If you have questions about the survey or our decision not to offer travel packages, please contact Jan Breitman at (515) 294-6526 or jbreitman@alumni.iastate.edu.

SOME ISU RECRUITING NEWS FROM OUR FRIENDS IN COLORADO…
School librarian Jonie Fitzsimmons’ group of “helpers” assembles each Friday in the library at Mountainside Elementary on Colorado’s Fort Carson military base to participate in the helpful activity of, well, eating a box of her doughnuts. (But of course not before Fitzsimmons, ever the enthusiastic ISU supporter, makes the students say that Iowa State -- the school featured on her supply of napkins -- is the best university in the world.) But last Friday, the gang had two boxes from which to choose: the coveted doughnuts, or a big mystery package from the place of which their librarian so fondly spoke. Perhaps there were some red clothes in the box, they guessed. Books about Iowa? Another box? Working in cahoots with ISU Alumni Association president Jeff Johnson, Fitzsimmons, wife of ISU alumnus John Fitzsimmons (chem. ’71) arranged for ISU recruitment letters to be delivered to each student, along with a Cyclone gym bag filled with Cardinal and Gold pom pons, which the students wildly enjoyed. “The custodians will be sending their regards as well after a day of picking up red and yellow streamers,” Fitzsimmons wrote in a thank-you note to Johnson.

Enjoying their present from the ISU Alumni Association

ATHLETICS (Back to top)

FOOTBALL: SPRING GAME SET FOR APRIL 16
The Iowa State football team is gearing up for its spring game April 16 at 1 p.m. at Jack Trice Stadium; admission is free. The athletics department, Cyclone Gridiron Club, and the Iowa State Letterwinners Club will sponsor pre-game activities for fans. Plan to gather at the Cyclone Gridiron Club/Letterwinners Club tent at the northeast corner of Jack Trice Stadium beginning at 11 a.m. and get the opportunity to meet former Cyclone players and coaches, enjoy a children’s carnival, register to win an iPod Shuffle, and purchase a cookout meal to help raise funds for the ISU football program. After the game, there will be a 20-minute autograph session with current Cyclone players. For more information about the spring game festivities, check out http://cyclones.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/033005aab.html

K.J. KindlerGYMNASTICS: SQUAD HEADS TO NCAA REGIONALS THIS WEEKEND
The ninth-rated Iowa State gymnastics team heads to NCAA regional competition this weekend in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where the Cyclones will take on No. 16 Utah State, No. 21 Auburn, No. 23 Kentucky, Kent State, and No. 4 Alabama for the opportunity to advance as a team to the national championships in Auburn, Ala., April 21-23. Head coach K.J. Kindler (pictured, left), who recently received Big 12 coach-of-the-year honors, has led ISU to the regional competition in each of her five seasons. The top two teams at regional competition will advance to the national championship, as well as the top two all-around performers and top two individual event performers who did not qualify as part of a team.

SOFTBALL: TEAM TO MAKE FIRST NATIONAL TV APPEARANCE
The ISU softball team, currently 12-20 overall and 0-6 in the Big 12 after a home loss to Northern Iowa Tuesday and a pair of losses to Missouri Wednesday, will compete at No. 9 Texas A&M this weekend with Saturday and Sunday games in College Station. Coming up, the Cyclones will play a game on national television for the first time in program history when they face Texas April 24 at McCombs Field in Austin. The game will be televised by ESPN2, an opportunity that senior associate athletics director Calli Sanders hopes will be of benefit to ISU’s recruiting and visibility. “Not only will it give our fans the opportunity to see us play on the road,” she said, “it will bring our softball team national exposure.”

Bill FennellyWOMEN’S HOOPS: FENNELLY IS REGION COACH OF YEAR
The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) named ISU’s Bill Fennelly the Region 5 coach of the year last week. Fennelly, who was also a Naismith finalist this season, guided ISU to its seventh NCAA tournament appearance and a 23-7 overall record. First-year LSU head coach Pokey Chatman, the Region 3 coach of the year, took home the WBCA’s national coach-of-the-year honors.

RESOURCES (Back to top)

Arts and Entertainment: http://www.las.iastate.edu/newnews/arts/isuarts.shtml
Campus Calendar: http://event.iastate.edu
ISU Alumni Association: http://www.isualum.org
ISU News Service: http://www.iastate.edu/~nscentral
ISU Daily: http://www.iowastatedaily.com/
Sports: http://cyclones.ocsn.com/
Iowa State Center: http://www.center.iastate.edu/
Library: http://www.lib.iastate.edu/
Continuing Education: http://www.lifelearner.iastate.edu/
ISU Foundation: http://www.foundation.iastate.edu/
Extension: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/
ISU MBNA Credit Card: http://www.isualum.org/services/creditcard.html

COLLEGES
Agriculture: http://www.ag.iastate.edu
Business: http://www.bus.iastate.edu/
Design: http://www.design.iastate.edu/
Education: http://www.educ.iastate.edu/
Engineering: http://www.eng.iastate.edu/
Family & Consumer Sciences: http://www.fcs.iastate.edu/
Liberal Arts and Sciences: http://www.las.iastate.edu/newnews/home.shtml
Veterinary Medicine: http://www.vetmed.iastate.edu/default.aspx

NEXT NEWS FLASH is Friday, April 22nd.

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