Homecoming, Friday-Sunday, Oct. 7-9
Check out all the fun things going on this weekend http://www.central.edu/alumni/homecomingsch.html.

Fourth annual Central Service Day
In conjunction with National Make a Difference Day, Central will hold its fourth annual Central Service Day Saturday, Oct. 22, in four locations including Des Moines, Pella, Washington, D.C., and Dallas, Texas. Be an honorary member of the Benedict Bat and Shrew Crew and clean up a section of Hwy. 163 in Pella from 8 a.m.-noon. Help Creative Visions in Des Moines paint, clean and prepare for the weekly community meal from 9 a.m.-noon. For more information, go to www.central.edu/alumni.

Tailgater at Wartburg
Saturday, Nov. 5, join the Central College family at a tailgater prior to the Central vs. Wartburg football game from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. Menu includes chili, vegetable beef soup, bread, dessert and drinks. Cost is $6 per person and is payable at the door. RSVP to the alumni office by Monday, Oct. 31, by emailing alumni@central.edu.

Reception in Ottumwa
All Central alumni, parents, friends and guests are welcome at a reception at Hotel Ottumwa, 107 E. Second St. in Ottumwa, Tuesday, Nov. 8, from 6-8 p.m. Hors D’oeuvres are free and a cash bar is available. RSVP to the alumni office by Friday, Oct. 28. Call ext. 5154 or email alumni@central.edu.

Literacy Army
Once again this year, employees of the college are invited to spend 30 minutes to an hour per week reading to students as part of the Literacy Army program. Central employees are allowed up to 26 hours per fiscal year for community volunteer time. For more information about volunteering, contact Mindi Kacmarynski at kacmarynskim@central.edu.

Blood screening for faculty and staff
The annual Blood Screen days are Tuesday, Nov. 8, and Thursday, Nov. 17. Information will be placed in your direct deposit check envelope. Be sure to check those in October so you can register for the screening. Call the Health Service at ext. 5227 from 7 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. with any questions.

Geisler Library and Media Center hours
Geisler Library and Media Center will be open the following hours over fall break.

Wednesday, Oct. 12    8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 13 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 14 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 15 Closed
Sunday, Oct. 16 Library and Media Center open at 5 p.m.

Athletics rummage sale
The athletics department is holding a rummage sale Saturday, Oct. 8, from 9 a.m.-noon in the west lobby of Kuyper Gym. Football jerseys, track, cross country and basketball uniforms and warm-ups, camp T-shirts, long-sleeved shirts and much more will be on sale. Everything is priced to sell. Take advantage and get there early!

Student Ambassador Phonathon update
Student Ambassador Phonathon program this fall:

Approximate number of calls being made:        6,975
Approximate number of hours being logged:     1,428

Most pledges received so far:
Laurie Wooge, junior, Forest City, Iowa
97 pledges for $6,325

Biggest cowboy hat:                                          
Trevor Jones, sophomore, Pleasant Hill, Iowa

Wanting to talk to Harry Smith
the MOST         
Shelley Russell, sophomore,
Waverly, Iowa

Number of times calling someone who is being proposed to:  1

Goal: Helping raise $1,600,000 for the Central Fund

This year, we are raising $1,600,000 for the Central Fund which is helping students reach their highest potential. From providing scholarship aid to enriching the learning environment through various leadership building activities, the Central Fund is providing opportunities.

Huffmans receive Iowa Asian Alliance award
Don (professor emeritus of biology) and Maxine Huffman (professor emerita of English) were selected as Asian Ambassadors (non-Asians advocating on behalf of the Asian community), 2005 AdmirAsian Achievement Awards, as chosen by the AdmirAsian selection committee.

Winners of the AdmirAsian Awards will be honored at a cocktail reception and awards ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 5-8 p.m. at Pioneer Hi-Bred International Carver Center in Johnston, Iowa. An estimated 350 civic, business and community leaders are expected to attend the networking cocktail reception and award ceremony. For tickets to AdmirAsian or more information about IAA, please visit www.iowaasianalliance.com or call the IAA office at (515) 309-6047.

Chiarella appointed by Governor
Maria Carla Chiarella (psychology) was recently appointed by Gov. Tom Vilsack to the Iowa Commission of Latino Affairs. The commission serves to coordinate, assist and cooperate with the efforts of state departments and agencies to meet the needs of Latinos in the fields of education, employment, health, housing, welfare and recreation. In addition, Chiarella has agreed to serve on the board for Crossroads of Pella. Crossroads is a local non-profit organization providing free counseling, preschool and a variety of community assistance programs.

Freed speaks at leadership conference
Jann Freed (economics/accounting/business management) was one of the featured speakers at the National Council on Youth Leadership Conference at Drake University on Sept. 19.

Communication faculty at conference
Linda Laine (communication studies) attended the Iowa Communication Association Conference in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Sept. 16-17 where she formally responded to a panel of papers dealing with “Research Explorations in Communication Theory.”

Dennis Doyle (communication studies) participated in the annual meeting. He chaired a panel titled “Research Explorations in Rhetorical/Political Communication.” Kelsey Kaska, senior communication studies and anthropology double-major, presented her original research “ Farenheit 9/11: A ‘new’ Species of Documentary” as part of this panel. Doyle also participated in a round table discussion about adapting oral histories for performance.

Richard McGrath (communication studies) also attended the conference.

Eastin receives research grant from the National
Science Foundation
Matthew Eastin (mathematics and environmental studies) received a three-year, $155,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study the impact of externally and internally modulated convection on tropical cyclone evolution. The grant includes modest stipends for Central College students assisting with the research. The project is a collaborative effort between Central College, Florida State University, the University of Miami and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hurricane Research Division.

Weare at WebSearch
William Weare (library) attended WebSearch University in Arlington, Va., Sept. 19-20 and a pre-conference Sept. 18 on teaching Web search skills.

Martin at annual library conference, Bucharest
Robin Martin (library) attended the American Library Association’s (ALA) annual conference in Chicago, Ill., June 24-28. Martin is a member of ALA’s college section leadership committee and also attended sessions on public affairs research, library building design and library data collection and analysis.

Martin was invited to attend the George Enescu International Music Festival in Bucharest, Romania, Sept. 7-14. On Sept. 10, she gave a presentation titled “The Library Connection: The George Enescu Collection of Romanian Music at Central College” at the U.S. Embassy’s cultural section symposium: “George Enescu in America.” She also interviewed the directors and key staff of the National Library of Romania, the Library of the Academy of Romania, the Central University Library of Bucharest and the National University of Bucharest’s Conservatory of Music Library.

Doane facilitates panel
Cheri Doane (academic affairs) recently facilitated a panel discussion for leaders who represent nongovernmental organizations in Smila, Ukraine. The panel took place in Newton and was part of a cultural and educational exchange organized by the congressionally sponsored Open World Program. The discussion joined non-profit leaders in Iowa with Ukrainans who direct similar organizations in that nation. Topics included strategic planning, fund development, capacity building, needs assessment, governmental relations and advocacy.

George on accreditation review team
Phil George (education) served on the accreditation review team for Kaplan University’s teacher preparation program.

Webber gives lecture
Phil Webber (modern languages) recently gave a lecture to the Iowa State University College for seniors on historical and current bilingualism in Iowa using Pella as a case study.

Knickerbocker attends Peace Ceremonies
Timothy Knickerbocker (anthropology) attended the 60th anniversary Peace Ceremonies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki Aug. 6 and 9, respectively. In addition to participating in the ceremonies, he and his wife interviewed atomic bomb survivors (hibakusha) and other attendees of the ceremonies. They visited museums in and around Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Schanke guest lecturer at SIU, Missouri, North Dakota
Robert Schanke (professor emeritus of theatre) was a guest lecturer Sept. 28-31 at Southern Illinois University. He met two classes and gave the keynote address at a major celebration for the 40th anniversary of the theatre department’s building. Last spring semester, he was a guest lecturer for three days at the University of Missouri as well as at the University of North Dakota.  

Cannon published
Walter Cannon’s (English) poem “Salome at the Seward High Reunion” was published in the Blue Earth Review (summer 2005).

Vande Voort at conference, elected president
Pamela Vande Voort (education) attended the 96th annual American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences conference and expo June 23-26 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minn. The theme of the conference was “Sizing Up America: Obesity Causes, Effects and Solutions.”

Vande Voort was elected the Iowa Association of Family and Consumer Sciences president for 2005-06.

Susan Schippers (dining services) has been promoted from The Café supervisor to manager of The Café.

Mark Stanton (dining services) has been promoted to head a.m. cookin the Central Marketfrom the regular cook position.

Lee Vande Voort (IT services) was named chief information officer in March.

We extend our sympathy to Gloria Van Kooten (dining services) in the passing of her sister Harriet Traxler on Sept. 17. Harriet was from Ottumwa, Iowa.

We extend our sympathy to Nancy Sinnett (dining services) in the passing of her mother Wilma McKim on Sept. 20. Wilma was from New Sharon, Iowa.

Congratulations to Ed and Vivian (academic affairs) Rippentrop on the birth of their first grandchild. Pieter James was born Sept. 22 to Jon and Betsy Rippentrop of Swisher, Iowa.

Denise Barnard joined the athletics department as assistant athletic trainer.

Shilpi Gupta joined international student services as coordinator.

Trisha Van Wyk joined facilities management as custodian.

Deanne DeKoning joined facilities management as custodian.

Michael Hammond joined facilities management as custodian.

No report.

 
Students help at Elk Rock State Park
Students from Intersections took a service-learning trip to Elk Rock State Park, a unique sand prairie, on Lake Red Rock recently. Students and faculty worked with park rangers to cut down a couple of invasive species of trees including Honey Locusts.

Travel and purchasing policies
Copies of Central College’s travel policy and purchasing policy can be viewed by clicking on the following links. Please note the purchasing policy has been expanded and now includes a section on awards, incentives, bonuses and gifts. If your department gives gift certificates or gift coupons as an incentive or reward to an employee (including student workers), it is important that you read and understand this policy.

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

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

These links can be found on the resources page of my.central.edu. Or, they can be accessed from the accounts payable Web site http://www.central.edu/businessoffice/AccPay.html. Please print or save these links for future reference.

Annual Professional Development Fall Retreat will be held Oct. 27 from 10-11:30 a.m. Please reserve this date on your calendars. You will receive an invitation in the mail that details the program and events.

Winter holiday schedule
The campus will be closed Thursday-Tuesday, Dec. 22-27. Offices will be open Wednesday-Friday, Dec. 28-30, and again be closed Saturday-Monday, Dec. 31-Jan. 2, 2006.

Staff Christmas banquet is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 15. Please reserve this date on your calendars.

Professional Activities
Tuition Exchange
Central College has been a member of the Tuition Exchange (TE) program since 1991-92. 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 over 570 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 human resources by Tuesday, Nov. 1, for the 2006-07 academic year. The form to submit for tuition exchange can be found on the HR Web site at www.central.edu/humanresources. In addition to the application form, you will also need to submit a copy of your 2004 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 2004.

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. Minority-time employees (<1,000 hours or less than .50 FTE) are eligible only for tuition reduction benefits for child dependents as stated in the most recent policy (April 2005). Temporary employees are not eligible for this benefit. 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 Tuesday, Nov. 1, for the 2006-07 academic year. In addition to the application form, you will also need to submit a copy of your 2004 tax return showing verification of dependent status.

Please click on the following link to see the Tuition Reduction/Tuition Exchange policy online
http://www.central.edu/humanresources/handbooks.html

Open Positions
Central College invites applications for the following positions to begin August 2006:

Assistant or associate professor of French,

Assistant professor of economics,

Assistant professor of environmental studies.

Please access the college Web site at www.central.edu/humanresources/jobs.html to view full position descriptions for these appointments.

To apply for the above administrative positions, please send a completed Central College application, cover letter, resume and the names and contact information for three professional references to: Human Resources Office, Central College, Campus Box 6000, 812 University St., Pella, IA 50219 or by e-mail to employment@central.edu. Visit the college Web site for an application and additional information regarding the position at www.central.edu/humanresources.

If interested in any of the above support staff positions, please send a completed Central College application to: Human Resources Office, Central College, Campus Box 6000, 812 University St., Pella, IA 50219 or by e-mail to employment@central.edu. Visit the college Web site for an application and additional information regarding the position at www.central.edu/humanresources.

Central College is strongly committed to creating a diverse community. In furtherance of that commitment, the college encourages candidates from diverse backgrounds, under represented groups, and/or have had experience working with and/or interacting with individuals from diverse populations to apply. Central College is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and actively seeks a diverse pool of candidates.