Iowa State University Alumni Association| online edition | winter 2004

WINTER 2004
Home
Read back issues

Cover Story:
Bridges: Designing, Building, Preserving

Feature Story:
Celebrating 125 Years

Departments:
Getting Started
Letters
>>Around Campus
Alumni Profiles
Association News
Giving
Sports
Viewpoint

AROUND CAMPUS

In this issue:
Doing More with Less
Ask an Expert: Traveling Abroad
Return to Sender
Software for the Real World
When in Rome
Marginalia

Doing More with Less (return to top)
Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack’s reduction of Iowa State’s annual appropriation by 2.5 percent ($5.8 million) due to shortfalls in the state’s tax collections, combined with the impacts of a tuition income shortfall ($1.5 million) and a shortfall in reimbursement costs associated with large research contracts ($1 million), resulted in an announcement by ISU President Gregory Geoffroy in early November that a total of $8.3 million will be trimmed from the university’s current fiscal year budget.

As the university works through the latest rounds of budget cuts, Geoffroy said that every effort would be made to minimize the impact of the cuts on students.
The university has experienced the loss of more than $63 million in state appropriations since 2001. The current fiscal year appropriation is $227 million, less than the university’s appropriation for 1996-97. During that time, enrollment has increased by nearly 2,500
students.

“Through previous budget cuts, we have maintained our focus on meeting the needs of students,” Geoffroy said. “And we will continue to make that our highest priority, but that requires cutting other university services – all of which are important to the people of Iowa. I regret we have no choice but to make these reductions if we are to maintain the excellence of our educational programs.”

Meanwhile, Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost Ben Allen said a review of the organization of academic units would be conducted, with a possible end result of academic units and/or colleges being combined. A complete list of budget cuts is available online.

Ask an Expert: Traveling Abroad (return to top)
Our expert is Jan Breitman, travel director for the ISU Alumni Association.

Q: How safe is international travel today?

A: It’s really very safe. Just use common sense and don’t plan to travel to countries where there is active terrorism or war.

Q: What about airline security? How has it changed since the Sept. 11 attacks, and how has that affected air travel?

A: Airline security is much tighter today. There are more baggage searches, which make travel less convenient perhaps, but much safer. To get through security, bring as little carry-on luggage as possible, and don’t pack any of the items that could cause alarm, such as duct tape, scissors, or nail files.

Q: Do I really need to get to the airport two hours
prior to my flight? That seems awfully early.

A: It often doesn’t take two hours, but sometimes it’s necessary to allow that much time to get through security, especially in major airports. Also, flights have been cut back, so be prepared for a full flight when you travel overseas. If you’re not there early, the airlines can give away your seats.

Q: How can I get the best deals on airfare?

A: There are lots of Internet sites out there that offer bargain flights, especially last-minute deals. But before you buy, be sure you’re really getting a bargain, and get written confirmation from the company. Also, traveling off-season reduces airfare and hotel costs. In Europe, November through May is considered the off-season, except for the holidays. And you can get good off-season bargains on tropical destinations during the summer.

Q: Which is better, independent or group travel?

A: It’s a matter of preference. When you travel with a group, you’ll be with people you know and may have things in common with. Group travel is hassle-free: Everything is planned for you. You don’t have to be
concerned about tours, hotels, or carrying your own
luggage. There’s always someone else worrying about the details and always a tour guide who knows the
language.

Independent travel can be less expensive, and you can determine where you want to go and how much time you want to spend there. It’s much more flexible, but you have the responsibility of organizing and planning the whole tour. You might also find you have to stand in more lines as an independent traveler than you would if you were part of a group.

Q: What’s the best way to deal with money? Are travelers’ checks still the best way to go?

A: Not anymore. I think it’s best to use your ATM card. You’ll get a better exchange rate, and it’s really simple. You can also use credit cards. And the euro has made it easier to travel in Europe because about a dozen countries use the same currency.

Q: You’ve traveled to more than 30 countries. Give us some insider’s advice on international travel.

A: Most people make the mistake of bringing too many clothes. Don’t think you have to wear something new every day; just mix and match and dress conservatively.
• Make a copy of your passport and put it in your
suitcase.
• If you plan to rent a car, be sure you have an
international drivers license.
• Get a guidebook for the country you’re going to and
familiarize yourself with the local customs. I person- ally like the “Eyewitness Travel” series, but your local bookstore will have a variety of different travel guides from which to choose.
• Take a long-distance phone card.
• Buy travel insurance – the peace of mind is well
worth the cost.

The ISU Alumni Association has sponsored a travel program for its members since 1972. Breitman has directed the program since 1991.

Return to Sender (return to top)
A birthday card that arrived 60 years late had connections to Iowa State
In April 1943, Evangeline Maxwell sent a birthday card to her husband, Daniel, at Ft. Leonard Wood in Missouri, where he was stationed during World War II. It never arrived.

Recently the long-forgotten card was found at the U.S. Post Office in Springfield, Mo., and postal officials began to search for the letter’s intended owner. It was a journey that would bring them to Iowa State.

The card was addressed to Sgt. Daniel H. Maxwell.
The Springfield Post Office contacted Ft. Leonard Wood, who joined in the search. Their detective work led them to an Internet site – the computerized
database of the Plaza of Heroines, located at Iowa State’s Catt Hall. The Plaza contains more than 3,500 bricks sponsored by individuals honoring women who have influenced their lives. Each brick is recorded on the Web, and one of the bricks recognizes Evangeline Maxwell. Maxwell, a 1939 ISU home economics education graduate, was honored by her daughter, Denise Maxwell (’79 journalism).

Iowa State officials contacted Denise, and the long-lost letter was soon on its way to her father – 60 years late.

Evangeline Maxwell died in March 2003, and her husband, a retired postmaster from Spencer, Iowa, had relocated to Texas.

Denise says the arrival of the birthday card was “quite an event” for her family.

“In a period of mourning my mother’s passing, the
letter has been a powerful re-connection with her.”

More on the Web on the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Web site

Software for the Real World (return to top)
EDS, a global outsourcing services company, this fall donated a $282 million in-kind software grant that will prepare Iowa State engineering graduates to more quickly and productively enter the corporate world.

EDS PLM Solutions provided Iowa State with industry-leading software tools for product lifecycle management (PLM). The in-kind grant is the largest in ISU history.

The software will allow students to gain practical experience with the full range of PLM technologies, including computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, computer-aided engineering, visualization, digital manufacturing, collaboration, product data management, and engineering process management.

James Oliver, associate professor of mechanical engineering, worked with EDS PLM Solutions and the ISU Foundation to secure the grant. Oliver characterized the software as a “concept-to-completion solution,” meaning that it can be used to create products and manage the product lifecycle from concept through design, analysis, testing, manufacturing, service and retirement.

“Iowa State students will have the same computer tools used by contemporary engineers in Fortune 100 companies such as General Motors, Ford, Lockheed Martin, Deere & Company, and Boeing,” Oliver said. “This grant will allow us to build entire programs around state-of-the-art software, the tools our students will use to make a living.”

When in Rome (return to top)
For 12 years, ISU students from the College of Design have immersed themselves in the culture and history of Rome, taking courses on such topics as art history and Italian language, and traveling throughout the region on extended field trips.

The College of Design Rome Studio has become a “non-stop beehive of creative activity for Iowa State students” according to art history professor John Cunnally.

Each semester, at least three College of Design faculty take up residence in Rome to teach the courses, aided by a pool of local scholars and practitioners.

“It’s like a dream to be able to introduce students to the great masters, letting them see and study these masterpieces firsthand instead of from books,” said Brenda Jones, associate professor of art and design.

For 10 days in the summer, alumni join the students and faculty for an in-depth study of the historical sites of Rome. Last summer, 15 alumni participated in the Rome study tour, led by Cunnally and organized by the Alumni Association and the College of Design Rome Studio. Mornings were spent attending lectures, followed by guided tours of the lecture sites. The study tour will be repeated this summer, May 24-June 4, 2004.

The Rome Program is directed by Patricia Osmond
de Martino.

For more information about the Rome study tour for alumni, visit our travel site, or call Jan Breitman at (515) 294-6526.

Marginalia (return to top)

Changes at the top

Four of Iowa State’s eight colleges are undergoing changes in top management. Searches are currently underway to replace Liberal Arts and Sciences dean Peter Rabideau, who left Iowa State in August, and Veterinary Medicine dean Norm Cheville and Engineering dean Jim Melsa, who will both retire in June. A search has been halted to identify a new dean of Family and Consumer Sciences until a study of the university’s academic structure can be completed. We’ll let you know how it all turns out.

Atanasoff legacy continues

An estate gift from John Atanasoff II will enhance Iowa State’s academic programs through an endowed faculty position, fellowships, or scholarships. The John V. Atanasoff Family Academic Endowment was announced during Iowa State’s International Symposium on Modern Computing, held last fall in recognition of the 100th anniversary of John Vincent Atanasoff’s birth.

50 years of diversity

Iowa State is celebrating a yearlong observation of the 50th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, Brown vs. Board of Education. The 1954 ruling ended racial segregation in public schools and laid the groundwork for the civil rights movement. “The last 50 years have shown that diversity and education go hand in hand,” said ISU President Gregory Geoffroy. Speakers and diversity discussions will highlight the
year.

Roadwork ahead

A plan to realign Knoll Road with Union Drive and create a new south entrance to campus will temporarily close roads on central campus this spring and summer. Knoll Road will be closed from mid-March to mid-July. Union Drive immediately east of the Memorial Union will be closed following Veishea through mid-August. The MU parking ramp will remain accessible from Lincoln Way throughout the project; the east exit will close temporarily, with ramp exits allowed only north onto Union Drive.

Water, water everywhere

Hundreds of gallons of water poured into the southwest end of Reiman Gardens Nov. 16, causing thousands of dollars of damage to the Marge Hunziker House, Lake Helen, walking paths, outdoor garden areas, and irrigation and drainage systems. The flood occurred when a city water main burst. Exact damages have yet to be calculated.