Ag and Life Sciences ONLINE

COLLEGE NEWS



- Telford joins institutional advancement staff



- Schedule Brenton Center classrooms now



- LEA/RN new teaching skills at workshop



- Spring enrollment in the college up from a year ago



- Animal career day set March 30



- Seven of nine state FFA officers are ISU students



- Provost's Workshop on China set in April



- Grants for globalization goals in strategic plan



- International opportunities for students: a discussion



- Deadlines & Reminders



COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK



- Use caution when adding backgrounds to web pages



INFOGRAZING



- Fewer freshmen say they drink



EXTERNAL VOICES



- Colleges must slow rising costs of tuition



MARGINALIA



- Where you born in a computer-simulated barn?







C O L L E G E N E W S







TELFORD JOINS INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT STAFF



On April 1, Mike Telford will join the institutional advancement

staff (formerly "development") for the College of Agriculture.

Telford has been the executive director of the Iowa Pork Producers

Association for 20 years. His responsibilities will include fundraising

and involvement with alumni and agricultural organizations.



SCHEDULE BRENTON CENTER CLASSROOMS NOW



The Brenton Center is accepting requests for scheduling classes

and events for the summer and fall. Regularly scheduled offerings

in the College of Agriculture for ICN or videotape delivery have

first priority, followed by agriculture offerings that use the

capabilities of the classrooms. These priority requests must be

received by Friday, March 13. Forms have been sent to each department.

For more information: Richard Carter, 4-6950 or ricarter@iastate.edu.





LEA/RN NEW TEACHING SKILLS AT WORKSHOP



Agriculture faculty and staff are invited to a workshop on ways

to improve teaching skills and more actively involve students

in learning. The LEA/RN (Learning Enhancement Action / Resource

Network) workshop will be held Friday, March 13, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.,

Scheman Building. Barb Licklider of the College of Education will

facilitate. Pre-register by March 1 by contacting Ann Holtz, 4-1167

or caholtz@iastate.edu. The workshop is sponsored by the Department

of Forestry through an Innovative Teaching Grant from the College

of Agriculture.



SPRING ENROLLMENT IN THE COLLEGE UP FROM A

YEAR AGO



Spring semester enrollment in the College

of Agriculture is 2,630 undergraduate and 630 graduate students.

Spring enrollment a year ago was 2,511 undergrad and 646 grad

students. The numbers include both on- and off-campus students.







ANIMAL CAREER DAY SET FOR MARCH 30



The Block & Bridle Club is organizing an animal science, dairy

science and pre-veterinary career day for March 30. The career

day will coincide with the Experience Iowa State Program, in which

prospective students and parents visit campus. For more information:

Paul Brackelsberg, 4-7235.



SEVEN OF NINE STATE FFA OFFICERS ARE ISU STUDENTS



Seven of the nine state officers for the Iowa

FFA Association are ISU students. During National FFA Week, Feb.

21-28, the officers will travel to many of the state's 234 FFA

chapters to visit with their 11,400 members. The state FFA president

is Lisa Ahrens, a double major in agronomy and ag business. Other

state officers at ISU are: Matthew Chizek, ag education; Mary

Hardy, speech communication; Scott Johnson, ag education; Laura

Denniston, ag education; Robin Simmons, ag education; and Kathleen

Block, animal science.





PROVOST'S WORKSHOP ON CHINA SET IN APRIL



The Provost's Workshop on China will be held

April 10 in the Scheman Building. The meeting will be similar

to the workshop held last semester on Russia and Ukraine. For

more information: Glenn Schrader, 4-0519 or schrader@iastate.edu.







GRANTS FOR GLOBALIZATION GOALS IN STRATEGIC

PLAN



ISU's Council on International Programs seeks

applications for projects that advance the internationalization

aspects of the university's strategic plan. Deadline for the $100,000

grant program is April 13. For more details: Glenn Schrader, 4-0519

or schrader@iastate.edu, or check the web site: http://www.iastate.edu/~cip/Grants/Grants_guidelines.html







INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS:

A DISCUSSION



Phi Beta Delta, the honor society for international

scholars, will host "Great International Opportunities for

Students," a panel discussion, on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 3:45

p.m. in the Gold Room, Memorial Union. For more information: Shelley

Taylor, 4-3803 or szim@iastate.edu.





DEADLINES & REMINDERS



March 1: Pre-registration deadline, LEA/RN Workshop, 4-1167.



March 2: Instructional development project proposals due, 130

Curtiss



March 2-3: "Hello Dolly: The Biotechnology Revolution for

Agriculture Has Arrived," 1998 National Forum for Agriculture,

Des Moines, http://www.ag.iastate.edu/card/agforum



March 13: Foreign travel grant applications due, 138 Curtiss



March 13: Deadline, Brenton Center classroom scheduling, 4-6950



March 13: LEA/RN Workshop, Scheman Building, 4-1167.



April 2-4: MANRRS National Conference, 4-8574







C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I O S K









USE CAUTION WHEN ADDING BACKGROUNDS TO WEB PAGES



Web pages with colorful backgrounds risk lowering readability

and lengthening download time, says C.C. Chamberlain, a web designer

at New Mexico State University. He told an Agricultural Communicators

in Education meeting that choosing a light solid color from the

Netscape Color Palette is usually the best background for a Web

page. But it is necessary to make sure that type can be easily

read over the background. And it's a good idea to test it on several

monitors. How to use the Netscape Color Palette and other "easy

enhancements" for Web pages can be found at: http://horizon.nmsu.edu/webbuild/easytricks.html









I N F O G R A Z I N G







FEWER FRESHMEN SAY THEY DRINK



In a survey of ISU freshmen last fall, 50 percent said they frequently

or occasionally drank beer during the past year. Ten years ago,

that percentage was 71 percent. Fifty percent of 1997 freshmen

said they frequently or occasionally drank wine or liquor, compared

to 69 percent in 1987. Twenty-five percent said they partied six

or more hours per week, compared to 36 percent 10 years ago. (From

ISU's Office of Institutional Research)







E X T E R N A L V O I C E S







COLLEGES MUST SLOW RISING COSTS OF TUITION



"It's plain and simple: It now costs too much to go to college.

While Congress and the Administration can take some steps to help

higher education institutions contain costs, this issue is primarily

in the hands of college and university administrators. They must

take steps now to slow the ever-rising cost of college tuition.

If they don't, the cost will soon be beyond the reach of many

Americans and more and more of our young people will be deeply

in debt." Rep. Bill Goodling (R-PA), chair of the House Committee

on Education and the Workforce, in accepting the report of a national

commission that studied the rising cost of tuition. Recommendations

contained in his response can be found at: http://www.house.gov/eeo/Press/cost21298.htm









M A R G I N A L I A







WHERE YOU BORN IN A COMPUTER-SIMULATED BARN?



Computer-simulated animals (called "animats") may one

day be used for designing barns, pens and livestock-handling facilities

without the trouble and expense of using real animals in research

projects. "We've developed animats that move, compete for

social dominance and are motivated to obtain food, resting sites,

water and other needs," says Ray Stricklin, a University

of Maryland researcher. The result should be facilities that make

animals more comfortable and productive, and more profitable for

farmers. (The Furrow, February)