Hello CALS,
This is a big week with students preparing for exams and everyone feeling the pull of the upcoming holidays. It is a time for reflection and celebration, followed by some rest and relaxation over the holidays themselves. Don't forget - today (Dec. 4) at 4 p.m. we’ll have our CALS Holiday Party in the Sukup Atrium – please come out for this wonderful event! It’ll be great food, music and collegiality. Just fun.
Then, for me, I have a few more gatherings this week – the end-of-year Start Something CALS reception at Bruce Rastetter’s along with Kevin Kimle, Carmen Bain and other faculty, staff and our terrific students; various faculty receptions; the Iowa Turkey Federation (ITF) annual holiday and 75th anniversary celebration banquet (they have asked me to speak on the ITF-Iowa State connection); the Iowa Pork Producers holiday event, and others I am missing or attending next week. While these are truly fun, they are also important events at which to represent the college and have us “counted” among the supporters, partners and recipients of support from these organizations. I know very many of you attend similar events and represent us, as well – thanks for that!
Last week, I posted pictures of the motifs over the entrance to Catt Hall (formerly Agricultural Hall, opened in 1892), with a challenge to figure out the origin of the inscribed quote. This has turned out to be one of the most interesting mysteries to date, as the quote is attributed to M. Carey Thomas, but 16 years after the opening of Agricultural (now Catt) Hall. Allen Knapp, Jianming Yu, Joey Cornelis, Brenda Kutz and Whitney Baxter all responded and worked on solving this mystery. But it remains one. Maybe someone else will be inspired to solve this?
All the best for a great week, and please don’t hesitate to let me know what you’re thinking. Thanks for all you do. - Dan
Scenes from CALS
The core planning and design team for the inspirational CALS mobile and wall art to be installed in the CALS rooms on the fourth floor of the Student Innovation Center have been hard at work! This project is funded by Farm Credit Services of America and the Student Innovation Center to advance the interest in CALS and provide inspiration for more students from every discipline to become interested in agriculture. The team is led by Carmen Bain, with Dior Kelley, Sarah Wehner and Wendy Kisch (FP&M), and public artist and ISU College of Design Assistant Teaching Professor Reinaldo Correa. This core team and final design is the outcome of a CALS and College of Design student design charrette, and multiple student, faculty and staff engagements on the work. Ultimately, this will be a go-to, must-see stop for every visitor to the Student Innovation Center!
Representatives of Iowa Corn were recognized at the Iowa State - University of Iowa CyHawk wrestling meet on Nov. 26. While the final score for the Cyclones was a bit short, it was a great meet and the support of Iowa Corn is always tops!
While in Cresco, Iowa, early last week, I snapped this photo of their Norman Borlaug statue in Beadle Park in the center of town. It’s a beautiful piece, and celebrates Dr. Borlaug’s achievements, as well as the pride Cresco has in its native son! I was there for a family event, as my father-in-law grew up there. (His oldest brother wrestled with a young Norm Borlaug in high school! Lots of great wrestlers out of there.)
