CampusTown

A Newsletter for the Central College Community

 

  Events and Invitations  
 


Kids Day America
Red Rock Chiropractic Center is hosting the second annual Kids Day America in Pella, Saturday, Sept. 18. Pella will join over 1400 other communities worldwide to create an event dedicated to promoting children’s health and safety. The event will again include the following activities:

  • Free child identification cards complete with photograph and fingerprints
  • Free dental screenings
  • Free vision screenings
  • Free spinal and scoliosis screenings
  • Information on library and community activities
  • Electrical safety
  • Information on community organizations dedicated to helping children and families
  • Free food, games and drawings for great prizes

Kinship of Pella will again be this year’s charitable beneficiary. Last year, the Pella community raised $700 for the organization.

Lunch & Learn
A Lunch & Learn is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 29. Session times are 11:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. The sessions will be held in the Boat Moore rooms in the Maytag Center. Lee Vande Voort will give a presentation titled “Central’s Technology Future.” Please call Kristen Parks by Wednesday, Sept. 22, at ext. 7681 for more details on how to sign up.

Style show and tea
The sesquicentennial planning committee cordially invites you to attend the special Sesquicentennial Style Show and Tea “ Central Courture and Culture...Fashion for the First 150 Years” on Saturday, Sept. 25, at 9 a.m. in Grand Central Station. Presented by Val Van Kooten, the show will feature Central students modeling vintage clothing representing different eras in Central’s 150-year history. Bring your friends and enjoy this fun look back as we wrap up our year-long sesquicentennial celebration at Homecoming. Yes, there will be tea and other delectable goodies!

Homecoming weekend, click here for the schedule of events.

Central vs. Coe tailgater
It’s time to tailgate! All are welcome to join us Saturday, Oct. 2, from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the corner of E Avenue and 14th Street, north of the football stadium, in Cedar Rapids. Head coach Jeff McMartin ’90 will make an early appearance and let the crowd in on gameday details for the Central vs. Coe football game at 1 p.m. Tailgate cost is $6 per person payable at the door. RSVP to the alumni office by Monday, Sept. 27. Call x5154 or e-mail alumni@central.edu to RSVP.

Directions: From I-380 take exit 20B. Take 8th Street (a one way) to First Avenue, turn left and after Coe Road/12th Street, get into the left turning lanes and turn left at the next intersection – Center Point Road/College Drive (a one way). Go to E Avenue and turn right at the edge of Coe’s campus. Go one block and look for street parking. The Clark Football Field is right across the street.

Family weekend Oct. 22-24, click here for the schedule of events.

 

 

 

  Campus News  
 


Central College enrollment totals 1750
Missing the all-time record enrollment by two, Central College has 1750 students enrolled for the 2004-05 academic year, the second largest student body in Central’s history.

The record enrollment of 1751 students was set during the fall of 1989. This year’s enrollment pushed last year’s 1699 to third on the all-time list.

After capping the freshmen class at 450 earlier this summer, Central officially has 442 first-time freshmen, the third largest in the history of the school. Central’s all-time high for freshmen was in 1987 when 505 first-year students reported. In 1983, 457 freshmen were enrolled. It is the fourth consecutive year Central has had over 400 freshmen enrolled.

White Privilege Conference to be recognized
The White Privilege Conference at Central College and other Iowa non-profit, governmental, educational, and individual leaders in the area of civil rights will be recognized at the 9th Annual Friends of Iowa Civil Rights Awards Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 14, at the Embassy Club, 801 Grand Ave., in Des Moines.

The Central College A Cappella Choir is a featured guest artist on the Des Moines Symphony’s 2003-04 season CD, Beethoven One to Nine. All nine Beethoven symphonies are featured on the commemorative six-disc set. Cost is $50 for the six-CD set plus $10 shipping and handling. To order, call (515) 280-3332 or go to www.dmsymphony.org.


 
  Faculty/Staff News  
 


Sabbatical leave applications for the 2005-06 academic year are due in the office of academic affairs no later than Monday, Nov. 1. Information about sabbaticals is found in chapter nine, pages 1-3, of the faculty handbook. Eligible faculty who are interested in applying for sabbatical leave are reminded that they must consult with both the department chair and the vice president for academic affairs prior to submitting the application. Forms are available by contacting Marilyn Vrban at ext. 5175. Nominations should be sent to Robert Franks, chair of the personnel committee.

Tenure and Promotion Nominations
(Nominations for post-tenure promotions will be solicited at a later date.)
The personnel committee is soliciting nominations from faculty for candidates for tenure, tenure and promotion or non-tenured promotions. Faculty should review the criteria and process for tenure and promotion in the faculty handbook prior to submitting a nomination. Information regarding tenure and promotion is found in chapters six and seven of the faculty handbook. Persons making nominations should make sure to discuss your nomination with the person being considered before submitting it. Nominations should be sent to Robert Franks, chair of the personnel committee, and are due no later than Friday, Oct. 1.

Roe to be inducted into high school hall of fame
David Roe
(president’s office) will be inducted into the Topeka, Kan. High School Hall of Fame Oct. 10. The THS Hall of Fame was started in 1982 to recognize outstanding Topeka High School graduates and to share with the community and current students of the school the success of other graduates. Prior THS Hall of Fame inductees include Dr. Karl Menninger; Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum; Chancellor John Slaughter; Tom Barret, president of Goodyear; Dean Smith, retired basketball coach of North Carolina University; Joe Anderson, Jr., president of General Motors-Pontiac Division; Balfour Jeffrey, chairman of the board, Kansas Power and Light Co.; Lt. General Frank Petersen, U.S. Marine Corps; Rex Tod Hunter Stout, author; Kirk Mechem, musician/composer; Michael Torrez, major league baseball pitcher; and Denise McCluggage, journalist/race car driver.

The Florida Foreign Language Journal has accepted an article by Pat Westphal (modern languages) and Antonia Pérez-Franco (formerly of Central’s modern language department). It will appear in the October issue of the journal, which will be distributed at the annual Florida Foreign Language Conference in Orlando. The article, “A Different Role for Language Assistants,” describes how the department’s use of language assistants began and evolved.

Carol Wallace (Spanish) has published an article, “Reading Across the Puerto Rican Divide: Colonialism and the Politics of Humor in Three Stories by Ana Lydia Vega,” which appears in a volume titled Essays in Luso-Hispanic Humor, edited by Paul W. Seaver and published in August by the Edwin Mellen Press.

Bob Schanke (theatre professor emeriti) received the national American Theatre in Higher Education award for excellence in editing. ATHE has about 2000 members from North America who teach at major colleges and universities. His book That Furious Lesbian received book of the year and was the gold medal winner in gay/lesbian nonfiction as selected by ForeWord magazine. Schanke was elected into the College of Fellows and American Theatre and was awarded the Association for Theatre in Higher Education’s Award for Sustained Achievement in Editing at the annual meeting in July.

New faulty members for the 2004-05 academic year
Central College welcomes 11 new faculty members for the 2004-05 academic year. The following is a brief introduction to each new faculty member.

Xi Chen has been named assistant professor of mathematics and computer science, as well as assistant professor of physics. Chen earned a bachelor’s of science degree in physics from Nakai University in Tianjin, China, and also studied as a graduate student at Peking University in Beijing. She holds a master’s degree in computer science and engineering and recently completed a doctorate degree in physics, both from the State University of New York, Buffalo. Chen teaches software design and thermodynamics.

A 1995 Central graduate, Maria Carla Chiarella is assistant professor of psychology. Chiarella served as a visiting psychology professor during the 2003-04 academic year, and as a visiting instructor during the spring 2001 semester. She holds both a master’s degree and doctorate degree in counseling psychology from Colorado State University, Fort Collins. During the fall 2004 semester, Chiarella is teaching general psychology, psych investigations, service-learning in psych and gender/multicultural issues.

Matthew Eastin has joined Central as assistant professor of mathematics and environmental science. Eastin earned both a master’s and doctorate degree from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and studied tropical cyclone structure for the National Research Council before coming to Central. Eastin earned a bachelor’s degree in earth and atmospheric science from Purdue University, Ind. He is teaching introduction to statistics.

Teresa Finken has been named assistant professor of education. Finken holds a doctorate degree in elementary education with mathematics specialization, curriculum and instruction from the University of Iowa, Iowa City. Most recently, she has served as a lecturer in the mathematics education department at the University of Iowa. Finken teaches family, school and community relations, middle school methods and curriculum, teaching of mathematics, as well as advising several student teachers.

Central welcomes Mark Hartman as assistant professor of music, director of orchestra and music connection teacher. Hartman earned a doctorate degree in violin performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and taught at Houghton College in Houghton, N.Y., before joining Central.

Kris Kilibarda has joined Central as instructor of education. Kilibarda holds a doctoral cohort in educational leadership and curriculum design from Drake University, Des Moines, and served as a science instructor at Des Moines Area Community College and Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs. She is teaching human relations and teaching of science and social studies.

Dennis Pedrick serves as assistant professor of business management. He graduated from the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tenn., with a doctorate in business administration and worked as assistant professor of marketing at Drake University, Des Moines, from 1998-2002. Pedrick instructs principles of marketing, consumer behavior and operations management.

Brian Peterson holds a doctorate degree in economics from Indiana University-Bloomington and has been named associate professor of economics at Central College. Before joining Central, Peterson was associate professor of economics at Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind. He teaches principles of microeconomics, environmental economics and econometrics.

As assistant professor of chemistry, James Shriver teaches chemistry in context and organic chemistry II. Shriver received a doctorate degree from the University of Texas-Austin and participated in a post-doctoral research project at the university prior to coming to Central. He also heads several independent studies and senior honors projects.

Linda Laine is the newest addition to Central’s communication studies department. Laine previously served as assistant professor in the department of speech communication at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. She holds a doctorate degree in communication from the University of South Florida-Tampa. At Central, Laine instructs introduction to communication studies, intercultural communication and communication in organizations.

William Weare, Jr., comes to Central as a librarian and is responsible for developing the collection at the Geisler Library. Weare recently earned a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Iowa, Iowa City. Previously, Weare worked in libraries at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, and Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa.

 

 
  Personally Speaking  
 


Dick and Barb Bowzerwish to thank the campus community for the cards, flowers and kind words following Barb’s mother’s death. Barb and Dick appreciate the support by such a caring community at all times but especially at difficult times.

 

 
  Welcome to Central  
 


Kathryn Burns has joined the athletic department as an assistant women's soccer coach.

Galina Olkova has joined facilities management as a night custodian.

Janet Wales has joined facilities management as a night custodian.

Matt Ploeger has joined the chaplain's office as worship/ministry team leader.

Benjamin Whitmore has joined dining services as the catering/cook coordinator.

Cindra Visser has joined the econ/accounting/management department as the temporary office manager.

Barb Oscarson has joined the student life office as the administrative assistant.

Laura Steensma has joined international education as the temporary office assistant.

 


   
 


No update this issue.

 

 

  Students Doing Interesting Things  
 


Lynch elected student body president
Matt Lynch
(junior) was elected student body president last week by his peers. Lynch is a social science major and a resident adviser for 2nd floor south Scholte. With his position as student body president, Lynch will represent the Central student body at functions and is a member of the board of trustees. He is in his third year as a member of the student senate and is also involved in a cappella choir, history club and intramurals among other things. Last spring, Lynch studied in London.

Schultz Iowa's NCAA Woman of the Year
Raegan Schultz
(a 2004 May graduate) has been named Iowa’s NCAA Woman of the Year and has been invited to Indianapolis, Ind., Oct. 31, for the 14th NCAA Woman of the Year dinner. This prestigious award honors outstanding female student-athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics and community leadership, and have completed their collegiate athletics eligibility. The state-level winners include 30 student-athletes from Div. I, 11 from Div. II and 11 from Div. III. Schultz was the NCAA Div. III national champion in the heptathlon this spring and was a four-time track and field all-American. She majored in business management and held a minor in communication while participating in volleyball and indoor and outdoor track and field at Central.

Students in Holt International
Peter Howard
(junior), Nate Forsythe (sophomore) and former Central student Kevin Owens along with Matt Diehl and son Benjamin (Omkar) and Jacob and Emi Diehl have their photo in the family tree section of the Sept./Oct. issue of Holt International Families magazine. Holt International Children’s Services, Inc., is a nonprofit Christian child welfare organization that serves children and families in Bulgaria, China, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Korea, Mongolia, the Philippines, Romania, Thailand, the United States, Uganda and Vietnam

 

 
  Human Resources  
 

Annual Professional Development Fall Retreat will be held on Oct. 21 from 1:30 – 3 p.m. Please reserve this date on your calendars. You will receive an invitation in the mail that details the program and events.

Staff Christmas banquet is scheduled for Dec. 9. Please reserve this date on your calendars.

Christmas/New Year Holiday Schedule – The campus will be closed Thursday–Tuesday, Dec. 23-28. Offices will be open Wednesday-Thursday, Dec. 29-30 and again be closed on Friday, Dec. 31.

Travel Policy and Purchasing Policy
Copies of Central College’s travel policy and purchasing policy can be viewed by clicking on the following links:

http://www.central.edu/businessoffice/Travel%20Procedures.pdf

http://www.central.edu/businessoffice/Purchase%20Policy.pdf

Please print or save these links for future reference.

Professional Activities
Tuition Exchange – Central College is beginning its 13th year as a member of the Tuition Exchange (TE) program. The TE program provides the opportunity for eligible dependents of faculty and staff to receive undergraduate scholarships at one of the participating member institutions. A list of about 465 colleges and universities that participate in the TE program can be found on the TE Web page www.tuitionexchange.org. Applications for new and returning dependents for the TE program must be submitted to the human resources by Monday, Nov. 1, for the following academic year. In addition to the application form, you will also need to submit a copy of your 2003 tax return showing verification of dependent status. TE eligibility is limited to full-time employees, and may be limited based on point criteria established by the college in 2003.

Tuition Reduction – Tuition Reduction benefits are available for spouses and dependent children commencing in the academic period following two years of continuous employment for a full-time employee, or 3,328 accumulated hours for other than full-time employment, or if you are an employee of the college, you receive this benefit immediately upon employment. The form to submit for Tuition Reduction can be found on the HR Web site at www.central.edu/humanresources. Please submit this form for new and returning students to human resources by Monday, Nov. 1, for the following academic year. In addition to the application form, you will also need to submit a copy of your 2003 tax return showing verification of dependent status.

The Employee Assistance Program – For Your Benefit!

As an employee of Central College, you have the benefit of direct access to the services of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), a comprehensive assistance program for you and members of your family.

Central College is committed to providing quality problem assistance to help you find the best approach to your personal concerns. We carefully selected this EAP to serve you independently and confidentially.

Any Central College employee or immediate family member can access EAP services any time, day or night, by calling 1-800-327-4692. The human resource office has wallet cards available to you that are designed to serve as a handy reminder of the EAP services. While you may not be in need of these services now, please obtain and keep this card as a resource.

What can EAP do for you?

The services offered by the EAP consist of counseling, evaluation, consultation and referral, and are available to you at no cost. Up to three sessions of counseling, evaluation and referral services are offered on a confidential basis (within strict legal limits) and can assist you in finding solutions to a wide variety of personal, family and work-related problems including:

  • Marital and other relationship problems
  • Stress
  • Depression or grief
  • Anxiety or panic disorders
  • Alcohol or other drug use and abuse
  • Parenting worries and concerns
  • Dealing with change
  • Divorce or separation

Any employee or family member with Internet access can go to our Web site: www.efr.org/eap for additional information. Please enter Central College when prompted for company name.

EAP services are available to you now! 1-800-327-4692


New Position:
Department: Facilities Managment
Description: Athletic Facilities Operation Coordinator
Budgeted hours: Full time.
Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Grade: TS 4 (minimum hiring range $9.20 - $10.62/hr.)
Qualifications: Responsible to the manager of grounds/utility for maintaining outdoor athletic facilities, indoor athletic facilities and related equipment. Assist manager of ground/utility in interviewing, training and leading athletic grounds/utilities staff. Assist in maintaining the health and beauty of the athletic turf grass from the perspective of the need for a functional and manicured turf. Perform minor repairs at the direction of the grounds supervisor. High school diploma required, plus 1-2 years experience in landscaping and equipment. Ability to lift, pull or push 50 lbs., and climb and use a ladder. Must possess the ability to operate trucks, tractors, mowers and snow blowers.
Effective: Immediately
Deadline: Review of candidates will begin immediately.

If interested in the above position, please send an application, cover letter, resume and the names, addresses and telephone numbers of three professional references to Human Resources, (located in the lower level of Central Hall, next to campus services) or by e-mail to employment@central.edu. If you have any questions, please call (641) 628-7981. For additional information on Central College or to print off an application, view our Web site www.central.edu/humanresources.

 

 

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