Upcoming tailgaters
Meet Central’s men’s basketball team and coaching staff at a pre-game party before the Dutch take on the University of Northern Iowa Wednesday, Nov. 1, in Cedar Falls.
A football tailgater will be held in Cedar Rapids prior to the Central vs. Coe football game Saturday, Nov. 4.
Join current students, alumni, parents, friends and guests in Northwest Iowa at the Sandy Hollow Golf Course in Sioux Center Tuesday, Nov. 14. RSVP to ext. 5154 or alumni@central.edu by Friday, Nov.10.
For more information, go to the alumni events page.
Health services
Today, Nov. 1, is the last day to register for annual fall blood screening. Registration forms included in the Oct. 27 paycheck envelope need to be submitted to the health service office by 3 p.m. today. Annual fall blood screening will be in the BMW Rooms of the Maytag Student Center Tuesday, Nov. 7, and Thursday, Nov. 16, from 6:30-9 a.m.
Thursday, Nov. 2, from 7-9 a.m. will be the last day for flue shots at the heath service office. Cost is $16, payable to Central College by check only.
Please wear a short sleeve shirt or blouse for these events.
Celebrating Mozart’s 250th birthday
Central College will be celebrating Mozart Festival Week Nov. 6-12, to honor Mozart’s 250th birthday. All events are free and open to the public.
A special performance of Mozart’s Requiem is Sunday, Nov. 12, in Douwstra Auditorium at 4 p.m. This performance will include the Central College A Cappella Choir, the College-Community Chorus and the Central College Community Orchestra.
Wednesday, Nov. 8, the Central Market will have "A Tribute to Mozart" Austrian-themed lunch served from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Chef Don will prepare Austrian cuisine.
Carol lei Breckenridge (music) will present “Mozart’s Keyboard Instruments” from 3-4 p.m. at the Cox-Snow Recital Hall.
Silvia Rode (modern languages) will present “Mozart and his American Contemporaries” in van Emmerik Studio Thursday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. This presentation will be followed by the acclaimed documentary “Searching for Mozart.”
“Mozart’s Requiem — A Case for Sherlock Holmes” will be presented by David Williams, professor emeritus of music, Saturday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. in van Emmerik Studio. His presentation will be followed by the movie “Amadeus.”
Central recognized for distinguished community service
Central College was named to the first President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for distinguished general community service in recognition of extraordinary volunteer efforts by the school and its students to serve area neighborhoods and communities.
Central along with 99 other institutions of higher education were recognized for distinguished service among the nearly 500 schools named to the President’s Honor Roll at the Campus Compact 20th Anniversary Oct. 16. Schools receiving distinguished service recognition provided exceptional community service over the past year, contributing their time, resources, energy, skills — and intellect — to serve America.
Central to Barron’s Best Buys
Central College was named to Barron’s ninth edition of Best Buys in College Education.
Barron’s Best Buys in College Education is a tool for students and parents seeking a first-rate education at an affordable price. Schools in the book range from publicly supported institutions to moderately-priced ones that provide high-quality education at reasonable prices.
Iowa Arts Council gives grant to Central
Central College recently received a $1,500 mini-grant from the Iowa Arts Council to bring an artist in residence to campus.
Central College’s theatre department received the mini-grant in order to host noted theatre professor Tom Isbell from the University of Minnesota-Duluth Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 30-Dec. 2. Isbell will work with students in class and teach improvisation. In addition, he will perform a one-man play “Me & JFK” Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1-2, in the Kruidenier Center at 7:30 p.m. The performances are free and open to the public.
Health tips
Health Wise Eating Well Diet Myths: The 4 biggest “losers.”
- Eating after 8 p.m. causes weight gain. FACT: It’s important to avoid late-night high-calorie snacking. Eating a late dinner won’t sabotage your diet if your total calorie intake is not too high.
- Low fat means low calorie. FACT: Many foods labeled “low fat” are loaded with calories because sugar and starch thickeners are used to add flavor and improve texture. READ nutrition labels and check serving sizes.
- Avoid carbohydrates. FACT: Balanced eating includes carbohydrates, protein, and fats. Carbohydrates are the body’s main fuel source. Choose what nutritionists call “good carbs” such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables and beans.
- Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight. FACT: Going too long without eating may cause you to eat more than you would normally. People who eat breakfast and four or five small meals (every 2-3 hours) during the day tend to be more successful at long-term weight loss and weight control. This keeps metabolism high and blood sugar levels even.
Source: National Institutes of Health Weight-Control Information Network.
Employee Spotlight - Bryan George
Name: Bryan George
Department: marketing and media relations
Title: sports information intern; volunteer cross country and track coach
About me: Pella native; graduated from Central in 2006, general studies major, studied in London for a summer; continues to run competitively.
Update for Woodward
Tilly Woodward (art) designed a PlayShop logo for Bethany Christian Services in May. In June, she designed a promotional billboard for Bethany Christian Services. The billboard was installed at Rt. 6 and I-235 in Des Moines in September.
This summer, Woodward curated and prepared “Ed LeCocq: Political Cartoonist” for exhibition in the Joan Kuyper Farver Art Gallery. The exhibit was funded by Humanities Iowa and the Iowa Arts Council and explored LeCocq’s influence on the interpretation of local, national and international events.
She installed “The Ribbon Monument” an artwork created to promote healing for victims of rape and sexual assault at the Whispers and Screams Conference organized by the Iowa Department on the Status of Women in Ames in June.
In July, Woodward had three paintings purchased for the Farm Bureau’s corporate art collection.
She was included in Art in America’s 2006 Guide: Sourcebook to the U.S. Art World Museums, Galleries, Artists.
Schanke speaks at conference, published
Robert Schanke (professor emeritus of theatre) was invited to present the keynote address and conduct a workshop at Augustana College Oct. 21 for a conference of all lesbian/gay/bi/transgendered students in Illinois. The title of his speech was “Passing and Covering: Good Choices for LGBT Students?” Also, he gave a lecture to the Augustana theatre students on why he writes theatre history. Oct. 25-27, he presented three lectures at Texas Tech University: “Domestic Violence in Death of a Salesman,” “How to Publish,” and “The History of Theatre Philanthropy.” His new book titled Angels in the American Theater: Patrons, Patronage, and Philanthropy will be available in February through Southern Illinois University Press.
Hibbard presents at conference
Al Hibbard (mathematics and computer science) attended the Wolfram Technology Conference 2006 in Champaign, Ill., Oct. 11-14. While there, he gave a presentation illustrating how mathematica can be used in a multivariable calculus course.
Webber speaks at festival/summit
Phil Webber (modern languages) was a guest speaker at the Cultural Arts Festival and Language Summit presented by the Healthy Henry County Communities and Diversity Action Team at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant Oct. 21. His speech was titled “Speak With Them, Not About Them.”
Hartman wins violin bow
Mark Hartman (music) was the grand prize winner of a professional level carbon fiber violin bow for himself and a student model for the school. The prize was selected from a pool of approximately 2,000 entries by readers of Strings Magazine.
Three attend health meeting
Marge Zondervan and Tracy Dickel (health service) and Michelle Kellar (student life) attended the 2006 North Central College Health Association Annual Meeting “The Many Faces of College Health” Oct. 11-13 in Sioux Falls, S.D. The conference addressed a variety of college health issues including mental health, pandemic flu, stress, sleep disorders (do college students ever sleep?) and alcohol usage plus much more.
Zaffiro at annual conference
Jim Zaffiro (political science/environmental studies) attended the 16th annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists Oct. 25-29 in Burlington, Vt.
Enrollment and Financial Support Council (EFSC)
Summary report of meeting activity Oct. 9 through Oct. 23
Like the Student Learning and Development Council (SLDC), the EFSC has been discussing the implementation of the strategic plan including which administrative and academic departments are responsible for implementation and assessment of the strategies as well as auditing the strategies to determine what practices are currently being implemented that lead accomplishing its four primary goals.
At the last council meeting the transfer student initiative was discussed. The goal is to achieve 100 transfer students per year by fall 2009, to build relationships with community colleges to provide a seamless transfer process and to make Central a welcoming place for transfers.
Other discussions included agendas and goals for EFSC respective board of trustee committee meetings, board debriefing and the RCA initiative. This initiative provides a position dedicated to building relationships with the RCA, recruiting students from RCA congregations and fundraising. This position has been posted.
Also, there were weekly department updates from the council members including a report from the SLDC liaison and a cabinet report.
Strategic Planning Initiatives
Strategic planning at Central
Submitted by Vivian Rippentrop (academic affairs)
Planning is a vital component of programmatic, departmental and institutional excellence.
The most fundamental purpose of planning is the translation of the mission, vision and strategic directions into clear goals and action (operational) plans. Central’s strategic plan is a plan for improving the academic and personal experiences for students, employees and all who give or receive in any way from Central College.
Identifying the most important components of moving Central College from good to great is challenging, but implementation and follow-through is an even greater challenge. As we implement the plan, prioritizing is essential. We cannot, given human and other resources, do all things are the highest level and receive equal results from them. We must establish some criteria for determining priorities. Brent Rubin, Ph.D., in Excellence in Higher Education Workbook and Scoring Instructions, 2005, suggests the following criteria for consideration:
Impact makes the most difference for Central’s future;
Urgency is most time important;
Within your control and capability — financially and within area of accountability;
Prerequisite to a larger initiative — foundations to achieving something else;
Organizational support available — financial, resources, talents and community buy-in;
Cost — unexpected costs beyond budget and impact of trade-offs.
In addition, we must consider what we are currently doing to achieve the goals in the strategic plan. Both councils have prepared an audit of current initiatives they are accomplishing to presently fulfill the strategic plan. We must check the audit against the criteria for setting priorities to determine if we are applying our energies in the most appropriate direction. Those audits are posted in room 99 in the library. If you would like an electronic copy, please e-mail your request to Vivian Rippentrop (rippentropv@central.edu).
Next steps: Individuals and groups charged with leading and fulfilling a portion of the strategic plan will develop goals to accomplish within three years. What do we want to have accomplished by that time? How will those goals result in a better college? How can we break those goals into one-year incremental steps toward improvement, which will result in workable and reasonable work loads while achieving the ultimate goals of the plan within three years. How will we know when we have achieved these goals? These questions and answers also will be posted in room 99 as they become clearer.
The strategic planning process has moved into the implementation phase. Each employee and group needs to plan and evaluate their work on a day to day basis to determine that it helps move the college toward an improved future. Our goals drive our priorities, plans and guide our actions. It is an inspiring time!
Students Doing Interesting Things
Mock trial competes
Central competed in its first mock trial competition at Luther last weekend. Christina Thompson ’08 and Jessica Zachary ’08 each won outstanding attorney awards. The team placed seventh out of 16 teams with three students competing in their first collegiate mock trial competition.
Class of 2006 gives disc golf course
The class of 2006 raised over $1,700 in the senior class challenge to help fund a disc golf course for campus. This amount was matched by the President’s office.
A generous gift from the capital account from the Student Senate ensured the course would be built. Weitz Construction has generously donated their labor for the pouring of concrete tee pads. A temporary 7-hole course has been installed on the athletic complex, near the cross country course and football practice fields. The course will be completed this spring for the Central community to use.
Race for the Cure 
Claire Anderson (student life) and Marge Zondervan (health service) along with students Lyndi Beeman ’08, Sarah Heaberlin ’08, Andrea Luetje ’09, Holly Pope ’08, Heather Richtsmeier ’08, Amanda Scott ’10 and Amanda Zook ’07 and her mother Tammy Zook participated in the Race for the Cure in Des Moines Oct. 28.
Angi Arkema joined the student life office as administrative assistant for intercultural life/total success/early alert.
Carol Geil joined campus services as office coordinator.
No news.
We extend our sympathy to Deb Kiehl (facilities management) in the passing of her father Gerald Rosenbalm.
Upcoming holidays
The campus will be closed the following days for the holidays:
Thursday-Friday, Nov. 23-24;
Friday, Dec. 22 (close at noon);
Monday-Tuesday, Dec. 25-26 and Jan. 1-2.
Staff Christmas Banquet is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 14. Please reserve this date on your calendars.
Support staff paycheck info
The paycheck during Thanksgiving break will be administered as follows: direct deposits will be Friday, Nov. 24. For those not enrolled in direct deposit, checks will be mailed Friday, Nov. 24. If you would like to sign up for direct deposit, please contact the HR office for a form. The form will need to be completed and returned to Jana Sietstra in payroll by Monday, Nov. 13, in order to be eligible for the Nov. 24 payroll.
Open Positions
Administrative Staff Openings
Educational Talent Search/Upward Bound coordinator
Educational Talent Search coordinator
Support Staff Openings
Please click on the position that interests you to see a detailed description. If you would like to download an application, click here or visit the college Web site at www.central.edu for more information.
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 those who 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.
News items should be submitted to Abby Gonzales by noon Friday, Nov. 10.