Iowa State University Alumni Association| online edition | winter 2007

WINTER 2007
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The power of one

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AROUND CAMPUS

Hoffman named provost
College of Vet Med: Building a solid future
ISU competes for biofuels research lab
Kickin' it for the Kids
Did you know?
A life-changing experience
People in the News
Longhorns' Chizik is Cyclones' new head coach
Class of 1957: Alumni Days Reunion May 17-19
Gifts and Grants

Hoffman named executive vice president and provost (Return to top)
Elizabeth Hoffman, former University of Colorado president and Iowa State University dean, has been named executive vice president and provost at Iowa State.

Most recently a professor of economics and public affairs at Colorado, Hoffman assumed her new role at Iowa State on Jan. 1. President Gregory Geoffroy selected Hoffman following a nationwide search by an 18-member ISU committee.

“Elizabeth Hoffman is an exceptionally talented and experienced academic leader, and we are excited that she is returning to Iowa State,” Geoffroy said. “She cares deeply about this university, our students, faculty, and staff, and she will be a great leader of all aspects of the university’s academic enterprise and our land-grant mission to serve Iowa.”

Hoffman was president of the University of Colorado System from 2000 to 2005. She served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Illinois, Chicago, from 1997 to 2000; and she was dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and professor of economics at Iowa State from 1993 to 1997.

“Iowa State is an outstanding university, known for its excellence in teaching, bold research initiatives, and service to Iowans,” Hoffman said. “It means a great deal to me to return to such a special place. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work with President Geoffroy and the university community.”

Hoffman holds an A.B. in history (’68) from Smith College, Northampton, Mass.; an M.A. in history (’69) from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; a Ph.D. in history (’72) from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in economics (’79) from
the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena.

Former ISU Provost Benjamin Allen left Iowa State last May to become president of the University of Northern Iowa.

College of Vet Med: Building a solid future (Return to top)
The College of Veterinary Medicine broke ground during Homecoming 2006 on the Dr. W. Eugene and Linda Lloyd Veterinary Teaching Hospital, a new state-of-the-art facility scheduled to be complete in fall 2008. The $48 million, 55,000-square-foot facility will include an advanced imaging facility, intensive care unit, new animal in-patient wards, and improved biosecurity – including a new infectious disease isolation area. The project, which will be named for lead donors Gene and Linda Lloyd of Ft. Myers, Fla., and formerly of Shenandoah, Iowa, will increase the college’s total space by 25 percent.

In other vet med news, the two top livestock producing states are teaming up to keep the country’s best and brightest large animal veterinarians at home through the recently approved Agreement in Veterinary
Medical Education, a partnership which
links ISU with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for veterinary education. Through the program, up to 25 University of Nebraska students annually will enter a four-year veterinary medicine program that includes two years in Lincoln and two years in Ames.

ISU competes for biofuels research lab (Return to top)
A partnership of the University of California, San Diego; Iowa State University; and the J. Craig Venter Institute will compete for BP’s $500 million Energy Biosciences Institute. BP, a global energy company, has invited UC San Diego to submit a proposal for a biofuels research institute to be located on or adjacent to that campus. The university has asked Iowa State and the Venter Institute – a non-profit research institute based in Rockville, Md., and dedicated to the science of genomics – to be partners in the proposed institute.

The institute will be dedicated to developing and improving biofuels, inventing new technologies that convert crops into biofuels, and developing plants that produce high yields of biofuels while growing on land not suitable for food production.

BP officials were scheduled to announce the location of the institute by the end of December 2006, with the goal of launching research programs in 2007.

“We are honored to be part of a proposal for a research institute dedicated to developing new sources of transportation fuels and cleaner energy from renewable plant materials,” said ISU President Gregory Geoffroy. “This is a major priority area
for research and education at Iowa State University because it is so important for the future economic prosperity of Iowa and our nation.”

Kickin' it for the kids (Return to top)
This winter, ISU Dance Marathon, the university’s largest philanthropic organization, will be “kickin’ it for the kids” for the 10th time. Dance Marathon 2K7 will be Jan. 20 from 9 a.m. to midnight at the Memorial Union’s Great Hall.

Since its founding in the spring of 1998, Iowa State students have raised more than $900,000 for the Children’s Hospital of Iowa. This year’s goal is to raise $200,000, taking the total to well over $1 million. More than 500 students have signed up to be on their feet in the Great Hall for 15 hours on Jan. 20.

Dance Marathon is affiliated with the Children’s Miracle Network. Find out more about the event at www.dm.stuorg.iastate.edu. There’s special information on the site for Dance Marathon alumni and how anyone can get involved.

Did you know? (Return to top)
This fall, ISU enrolled its largest freshman (3,983) and transfer (1,461) class since 2002.

A life-changing experience (Return to top)
ISU students who study abroad experience exhilaration, disappointment, passion, and a newfound awareness of who they are as Americans. For most of them, it’s a life-changing experience. Read the 2006 Year of Study Abroad essay contest winners, posted at www.studyabroad.iastate.edu/YOSA/YOSAwinners.html

People in the news (Return to top)

Dione Somerville: ISU dean of students
Dione Somerville, whom ISU Vice President for Student Affairs Tom Hill describes as a proven leader who has experience serving both two-year and four-year higher education institutions, is ISU’s new dean of students. Somerville has served as the director of enrollment services and registrar at Lorain County Community College in Elyria, Ohio, since 2001. Somerville replaces Pete Englin, who became director of the Department of Residence in July 2005.

Scott Stanzel: White House press corps
Scott Stanzel (journalism ’95) is trading in his job in Microsoft’s public relations office for a place on the hot seat (or hot podium, as it were). The former Bush-Cheney ’04 national press secretary was appointed
to the position of deputy White House press secretary to Tony Snow. Stanzel will be a spokesman for President Bush on issues dealing with homeland security, education, and agriculture.

Stanzel’s career started in Iowa politics as a Dole for President field representative in 1996. He later worked on Rep. Jim Ross Lightfoot’s campaign for Senate and for Sen. Charles Grassley before joining the Bush presidential campaign in 1999. Stanzel, 33, received the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award from the ISU Alumni Association last year, and his family was named ISU Family of the Year in 1994.

Nancy Cox: Federal Employee of the Year
An Iowa State alumna who was recently named one of Newsweek magazine’s “15 People Who Make America Great” and one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People of the Year” has added a new distinction to her impressive resume: 2006 Federal Employee of the Year. Nancy Cox (bacteriology ’70), who grew up in Iowa, is the chief of the Influenza Division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

With avian flu making headlines worldwide, Cox’s task in the past year has been no small one: helping control and prepare the response to a potential influenza pandemic in the United States, including researching possible vaccines, devising systems for tracking an outbreak, and mobilizing the U.S. government to think about how to prepare for potential disaster.

Cox, who received her Ph.D. in virology from Cambridge University in England, has devoted her entire career
to influenza research, working for both the CDC and the World Health Organization.

Rosmann family: Spencer Award for Sustainable Agriculture
A Shelby County family with deep ISU roots has been honored with one of the state’s most prestigious awards in sustainable agriculture.

Ron and Maria Vakulskas Rosmann, along with their sons David, Daniel, and Mark, received the 2006 Spencer Award for Sustainable Agriculture in November. The Rosmanns farm 600 acres, all certified organic, near Harlan.

The family holds several degrees from ISU: Ron graduated in ’73 in biology; Daniel received an agronomy degree in ’05; and David graduated in ’04 in public service and administration in agriculture. Mark is currently a junior in agronomy and history at Iowa State.

Maria Rosmann has been experimenting with Cyclone popcorn: breeds of red and yellow popcorn that should be “pop”ular with ISU fans.

Clayton Anderson: Cyclone in space
Two astronauts and two cosmonauts will make up the next International Space Station crew, and we’re happy to report that Expedition 15 will see a Cyclone in space. Clayton C. Anderson (MS aero eng ’83) will ride to the station aboard Space Shuttle Endeavor in June 2007 and return to Earth on shuttle Atlantis. The Nebraska native has forged an impressive technical career in mission operations at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Anderson formerly managed the Emergency Operations Center at Johnson before becoming an astronaut in 1998.

Iver Anderson: Iowa Inventor of the Year
The Iowa Intellectual Property Law Association has named Iver Anderson, a senior metallurgist at Ames Lab and an ISU adjunct professor of materials science and engineering, as its 2006 Inventor of the Year. Anderson developed a lead-free solder alloy consisting of tin, silver, and copper. Licensed to more than 50 companies worldwide, lead-free solder has generated royalties for ISU in excess of $10 million.

Don Voelker: Cy’s Favorite Alum
Don Voelker (’43 ag ed, MS ’50) has held season tickets for Iowa State football and men’s basketball since 1947. He’s missed just one home football game in 60 years. All five of his children have degrees from Iowa State. He worked as an ISU Extension dairy specialist for 37 years. Voelker’s Cyclone loyalty earned him the special distinction of “Cy’s Favorite Alum” last October. The award has been given annually since 1955.

Longhorns' Chizik is Cyclones' new head coach (Return to top)
University of Texas assistant head coach Gene Chizik, who won the Frank Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach at Auburn in 2004 before helping lead the Longhorns to a national championship in 2005, has been named Iowa State’s new head football coach. Chizik and ISU Athletics Director Jamie Pollard agreed to a six-year, $6.75 million deal with bonus incentives that include $1.5 million for nine assistant coaches.

Chizik, a 44-year-old Florida native whose past coaching stops include positions as defensive coordinator at Texas, Auburn, Central Florida, and Stephen F. Austin, was introduced to a crowd of about 2,500 ISU fans and members of the press at a special event at Hilton Coliseum Nov. 27.

“The institutional commitment being made by Iowa State was critical in my decision. I value integrity, loyalty, and leadership,” said Chizik, who was cited by many experts to be the nation’s top head coaching prospect at the time of his hiring.

Chizik succeeds Dan McCarney, whose 12-year tenure ended when he was carried off the field by his players Nov. 18 following a 21-16 win over Missouri. “What this football program has done in the last 12 years to me is phenomenal, and [McCarney’s] responsible for that,” Chizik said.

Under McCarney’s leadership, ISU won its first bowl championship in school history and defeated archrival Iowa five years in a row, making the instate series competitive again. The Cyclones earned a total of five bowl berths under Coach Mac, more than all other previous coaches combined.

Class of 1957: Alumni Days Reunion is May 17-19 (Return to top)
Join your 1957 ISU classmates May 17-19 for your golden 50-year class reunion. You will have the opportunity to visit Reiman Gardens, tour the Knoll, experience “modern” residence hall dining,
and be inducted into the Gold Medal Club during the Gold Medal Dinner on Friday, May 18, where you will receive your 50-year class medallion and Golden Diploma.

Current members of the Gold Medal Club (alumni who graduated before 1957) are also invited to attend Alumni Days 2007. Special recognition will be given to the classes of 1952, 1947, 1942, 1937, 1933, and 1927.

A detailed brochure will be mailed to members of the class of 1957 in February and to those in other classes who request information. A schedule of Alumni Days activities and a list of reunion attendees will be posted online at www.isualum.org/AlumniDays/2007

Special activities and mini-reunions

• Class President Tom Twetten (’57 psychology), former deputy director of operations for the CIA, will speak at Alumni Days 2007. Twetten retired from the CIA in 1995 after serving 34 years in its clandestine services. He spent the majority of his career in Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East.
• A reunion is planned May 18 (noon-3 p.m.) for the men who lived in Alumni Hall prior to 1958. RSVP to Dick Snyder (515-597-2240), John O’Connell (815-895-6905), or Ken Cook (641-497-5484), and encourage your Alumni Hall friends to attend.
• If you are interested in gathering members of your residence hall, greek house, or other group for a mini-reunion during Alumni Days, call the Alumni Association toll-free 1-877-ISU-ALUM (478-2586) or Bruce Alexander at bgalex@mcleodusa.net.

Gifts and Grants (Return to top)

Craig estate gift among largest ever to ISU
ISU alumna Frances Craig (home economics ’49), who died in November 2005 at the age of 79, has left behind a lasting legacy. Through a bequest in her will, Craig gave ISU one of its largest-ever gifts: the $12 million Craig Family Fund, an endowment with earnings directed to strategic priorities at the president’s discretion. A portion of the fund has already been used to establish the Frances M. Craig Chair in Chemistry.

Elings supports new home for agricultural
and biosystems engineering
With his $5 million gift, alumnus Virgil Elings (mech. engr. ’61) of Santa Barbara, Calif., has ensured a strong future for the country’s oldest and largest agricultural engineering program. His generous contribution will be used to help construct a new building for ISU’s Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and kick-start fundraising efforts for what will be a 166,000-square-foot research and teaching facility for the department.

“I was happy to provide the momentum that a project like this needs to get started,” Elings said. “Iowa State students and faculty deserve state-of-the-art facilities to educate our future agricultural and biosystems engineers.” In Elings’ honor, the university will propose that part of the $63.3 million complex, which will also house the ISU Office of Biorenewables, be named Elings Hall.

NSF grant will help advance women’s careers
The National Science Foundation has awarded a five-year, $3.3 million grant to Iowa State to focus on institutional transformation in advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, and math – the so-called “STEM” fields. The grant will fund research, development, and implementation of programs that will support the recruitment, promotion, and retention of women scientists at ISU.

“This grant recognizes Iowa State’s leadership role in and commitment to improving the representation of women in STEM fields,” said Susan Carlson, ISU’s interim provost. “The project’s innovative approach to institutional change will make ISU a model for other universities facing similar challenges.”

According to the NSF, women comprise only about 25 percent of the science and engineering workforce and less than 21 percent of science and engineering faculty in four-year colleges and universities.