JUGGLING LEADERSHIP, SCHOLARSHIP AND FUN

Group juggling is one of many learning tools Beth Foreman, student services specialist, uses to teach students communication and leadership skills.

Tossing rubber chickens, stuffed pigs and numerous balls is a group activity Beth Foreman uses to illustrate teamwork and communication skills.

The activity is one of many experiential learning tools Foreman, student services specialist, uses with agricultural ambassadors. The students are college volunteers who give tours to prospective students and parents, host new student programs and work at various alumni and recruitment events.

In the group juggling exercise, students shout a name and toss a ball or stuffed item. As the activity continues, more items are added making it tougher to keep everything moving. To reflect, Foreman asks students what techniques made it easier to pass the ball to others in the group and keep the balls from dropping.

Foreman emphasizes how the rubber chicken, which is introduced near the end, represents the problems students encounter.

“It’s a teaching strategy that combines mental and physical challenges. It’s a simple and effective concept—you play the activity, review what worked and reflect on how it applies in other situations,” says Foreman.

She oversees the student-run ambassador program that is an essential part of the college’s recruiting efforts. Foreman says prospective students visiting campus want to talk to students who are here on campus.

Molly Heintz, a senior in animal science, says talking to students was a big selling point when she visited Iowa State. Once she enrolled, she also joined the ambassadors.

“We do a lot of fun things, and you gain something at the end of every activity,” Heintz says. “You always pick up a little piece of information that helps us communicate with students visiting the campus.”

For the past 10 years Foreman has balanced a fulltime job while pursuing her doctorate degree. She coordinates group and individual visits for the college and advises and trains student ambassadors. Her doctoral research is focused on the connection between student experiences and the development of leadership skills.

“I’ve gained a better understanding about how student involvement influences leadership and it’s made my work with students more effective,” says Foreman.

A Cyclone herself, with degrees in child, parent and community services and human development, she understands the importance of a positive student experience.

“I didn’t grow up an Iowa State fan,” Foreman says. “I became a fan because of my positive experiences as a student.”

She’s also seen evidence that her teaching strategies are working. Last year she overheard one student refer to a last minute problem as a “rubber chicken.”

Foreman, the ambassadors and her colleagues in student services are a large part of what has driven the college to record enrollment. In the fall of 2009 the college’s enrollment hit a 30-year high of 3,082 undergraduate students. Last fall the college surpassed that record with an enrollment of 3,298.

BEITZ KNOWS STUDENT ADVISING

Matthew O'Neil, graduate student in nutritional sciences, chats with Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor Don Beitz. Beitz, co-creator of the agricultural biochemistry major, is known for creating a warm and welcoming environment and tailoring his advising style to meet students' unique needs.

After his first semester at the University of Illinois, freshman Don Beitz walked into his adviser’s office to register for second-semester classes. His adviser pointed a finger at him and said, “Beitz! You’re going to graduate school!”

Beitz, who described himself as a rather timid new college student, said: “What’s graduate school?” His adviser told him; it meant he’d be taking a lot more math, chemistry and physics. Beitz liked the sound of that; he excelled in all those.

Then his adviser pointed his finger again. He pointed down the hallway, where he told Beitz to go see a colleague and ask for a job working in his research lab.

Beitz listened and took both suggestions. He also learned a lesson in advising students that he’s used many times in his 45 years on the Iowa State faculty.

“My adviser got to know me, took me under his wing and helped me. He was relatively forward in making his suggestions, which I needed. And he knew I needed that. It’s a style I’ve tried to mimic. After I get to know a student, I’ll throw out some ideas. With some students, you just try to stay out of their way. With others, you need to lead more.”

“I try to motivate students for excellence,” says Beitz. “I always tell them: Good grades have never hurt anybody. Be the best you can be while you’re in college. You’ve got to be totally honest with them and have the highest integrity possible. I’ve never had locked office doors. I do whatever I can to ensure I don’t spoil anyone’s trust in me.”

Beitz is a Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture and Life Sciences in animal science and in biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology. When he won the prestigious Morrison Award for outstanding research from the American Society of Animal Science in 2010, Beitz estimated he’d taught more than 11,000 students and directed 94 advanced degree programs. Those numbers have grown in two years and continue to grow.

Beitz has sustained a remarkable enthusiasm for education, research and establishing lifelong ties with his students. He thinks of his students, past and present, as extended family.

One of those “family members” is Kim Buhman (’92 ag biochemistry), an associate professor of nutrition scienc eat Purdue University.

“From Dr. Beitz, I learned a lot about the importance of being active, enjoying life and being inquisitive in whatever you do,” Buhman says. “But his role as a lifelong mentor is what I treasure most. He continues to introduce me to new people, helps me to identify opportunities I haven’t imagined before and offers suggestions and support when I need it most. His strong passion for people, science and knowledge created this network that has served so many. Dr. Beitz is a gem.”

Beitz says it’s simply a joy to help students find something they’re excited about and will love to do after college. “It makes me feel good at heart.”

For more than 25 years, Beitz has taught a seminar for freshmen with a focus on science, biotechnology, DNA and biochemistry. Near the start of the freshman seminar, he talks about defining life on chemistry terms.

“I tell them the difference between life and death is a sodium pump. Students just look at me. So I explain how our bodies take fuel, burn it and make ATP. We use ATP to keep sodium out of our cells so we have a gradient. As long as that sodium pump is working, the brain functions. As soon as that gradient disappears, the brain dies. We have some great discussions. It’s amazing how much interest you generate when you start talking about whether you are what you eat.”

Beitz considers himself the most fortunate guy in the world. As he was completing his graduate degree at Michigan State and about to accept a job offer in another state, he got a phone call from Norm Jacobson at Iowa State. Jacobson, a dairy nutrition physiologist, invited him to interview for a faculty position that was half animal science, half biochemistry. After the interview, Beitz was offered the job and accepted immediately.

“It was a perfect fit. We had a great set of faculty members in the nutritional physiology program. We started the agricultural biochemistry major. I believe strongly that we need to train students in the fundamental sciences so they can apply them to agriculture. It’s what I’ve loved about my own research.”

His research has covered cholesterol issues in animals and humans; nutritional and genetic control of the composition of milk and meat; and a deeper understanding of the causes and potential treatment of fatty liver and ketosis in dairy cattle.

Beitz says his biggest contribution to research has been on what animal scientists can do to improve animal products for humans. “Animal scientists should think more about the composition of products. We need to think about producing the desired composition for the consuming public.”

But Beitz’s pride and joy has been all the students he’s known, worked with and kept track of after they leave ISU.

“My freshman seminar meets in a room in Kildee Hall that has portraits of past animal nutrition faculty. I like to talk about each person and what they did. Students should know about the people looking down on them from the walls. One day, a student told me, ‘I want my picture up there someday.’ That was just great to hear. It really was.”

STORIES ONLINE EXTRA: Alumni share their thoughts on Beitz http://www.ag.iastate.edu/stories/2012/06/beitz-caring-mentor-contagious-positive-spirit/

TEACHING, SERVING AND GIVING FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS

Linda Hugelen, Sitting Bull College project coordinator, and Howard Crawford, an emeritus professor of agricultural education and studies, greet powwow dancers at Standing Rock Reservation.

When the 9/11 tragedy unfolded, Harold Crawford was visiting faculty at Sitting Bull Tribal College in the middle of southern North Dakota. It was a warm, clear day when Ron His Horse Is Thunder, the college’s president, stopped in the dean’s office to tell Crawford he wasn’t going anywhere and invited him to stay at his home.

Crawford, an emeritus professor of agricultural education and studies, vividly recalls that day. Like many across the nation, Crawford paused to reflect on the events at hand. He also reflected on the purpose of his visit to a college located on the northern plains.

Crawford says his work to help tribal colleges is one of the highlights of his nearly 50-year career at Iowa State University. The programs were funded through a U.S. Department of Agriculture Initiative and brought in more than $4 million to enhance natural resource education at four tribal colleges in Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

He came to Iowa State as a transfer student in 1946, after serving in WWII. After graduation, Crawford (’50 agricultural education, MS ’55, PhD ‘59) taught high school agriculture before becoming an instructor at Iowa State in 1965. He soon became a professor and head of the department of agricultural education.

In 1983 he became the associate dean of international programs and put his innovative technological ideas to work. He developed a mobile microcomputer lab for off-campus instruction. He and two instructors loaded a dozen large suitcase-sized microcomputers in a mobile lab and traveled throughout Iowa.

Wade Miller, chair of agricultural education and studies and the first director of the Brenton Center for Agricultural Instruction and Technology Transfer, describes Crawford as a visionary, who believes in outreach and is dedicated to agricultural education.

“Lots of people have good ideas, what distinguishes Harold is that he acts on his ideas,” Miller says. “The Mobile Microcomputer Van helped teachers learn the ‘new’ technology of computers.”

Crawford saw the need to provide distance education and understood the importance of making classes available to potential students who couldn’t make it to campus. Today, distance education is seen as an essential service and the college provides classes for students working on both bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

“Dr. Crawford has done everything at every level,” says Robert Martin, professor of agricultural education and studies. “Throughout his career he’s always had the best interest of each student in the forefront.”

Crawford continued his focus on educational technology after he became associate dean and director of international agriculture programs in 1989. He retired in 2007, after collaborations brought in nearly $17 million in funding for various projects. He currently keeps an office in Curtiss Hall and continues to write proposals for grants and work on historical projects.

Crawford and his wife Rachel continue to support agricultural education and studies programs and students. Their support helped renovate a suite of Curtiss Hall classrooms—the same classrooms in which Harold both learned as a student and taught as a professor.

BEITZ: CARING MENTOR, CONTAGIOUS POSITIVE SPIRIT

Alumni on Beitz: Caring Mentor, Contagious Positive Spirit

Steve Johnston

Steve Johnston (’90 ag biochemistry , MS ‘91 biochemistry biophysics), professor and chair of biology, and the Roger and Nadeane Hruby Professsor in the Liberal Arts and Sciences, at North Central College, Naperville, Ill.

“Many years ago, Don and I were traveling to a meeting in Florida in the middle of winter. The weather was terrible. We ended up spending all night either in airports or on airplanes. Instead of arriving in early evening, we arrived in Florida at dawn. I complained that I felt greasy and needed a shower. Instead of joining my complaining, Don wondered aloud what lipids we had secreted that we were now feeling on our skin. Even when exhausted, Don never stopped being amazed by the natural world. And he never stopped passing that enthusiasm on to his students.”

Andrew Brown

Andrew Brown, (’07 ag biochemistry), postdoctoral fellow, Molecular and Cellular Pathology and Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama, Birmingham.

“Dr. Beitz has a knack for finding the mentoring strategy a student needs to grow. His mentoring provided a unique, strong foundation for my personal and professional lives. He helped me learn a deep, broad understanding of biochemistry with an integrated, physiologically relevant focus. He is open and honest, with a caring attitude. One way he helped me grow was by sharing some of his personal and professional mistakes so that I would not make them myself. Even today, he provides mentoring for me.”

Kimberly Buhman

Kimberly Buhman, (’92 ag biochemistry), associate professor of nutrition science, Purdue University.

“Dr. Beitz’s ‘can do’ positive spirit is certainly contagious. When I was a freshman, I wasn’t sure what to major in. Between classes one day I decided to stop by and visit Dr. Beitz to see if he had any advice. His door was open and he welcomed me in. He told me about a major and field of study I really knew nothing about, but certainly fit my interests and goals. I ended up choosing agricultural biochemistry and couldn’t have been more fortunate to have Dr. Beitz as my academic and honors project advisor. This was really the beginning of a professional relationship that continues today.”

Back to story: Beitz Knows in Student Advising, One Size Does Not Fit All http://www.ag.iastate.edu/stories/2012/06/beitz-knows-student-advising/