Enrollment up
Enrollment for the 2003 fall semester totals 29,745,
an increase of 48 students from the fall of 2002,
according to the registrar. The number of new first-year
students, however, is 4,083, down 101 from 4,184
in 2002.
“We believe that the small decline in freshmen
reflects our efforts at enrollment management, which
will help us maintain our commitment to ensure that
these students can get the classes they need to graduate
in four years,” says Lola Lopes, associate
provost for undergraduate education.
The fall enrollment figures are available online
at www.uiowa.edu/registrar/profile/census_20033.pdf.
Fire
to cause slight delay
A fire at the construction site of the Myron and
Jacqueline Blank Honors Center on Aug. 29 caused
minimal structural damage but not enough to cause
a major delay in opening.
The building was originally scheduled to open in
late December or early January. Now it is expected
to open by Jan. 20, 2004—
the first day of the spring semester.
The building, constructed along the T. Anne Cleary
Walkway east of the Chemistry Building, will house
the Connie Belin and Jacqueline N. Blank International
Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development
and the Honors Program. By bringing the two programs
under one roof, Iowa will become the first school
in the nation to offer programs, services, and support
for academically gifted and talented students all
the way from kindergarten through college.
Short fiction winners published
The University of Iowa Press will publish in October
two collections of award-winning fiction.
American Wives by Beth Helms is the winner of the
2003 Iowa Short Fiction Award.
Bring Me Your Saddest Arizona by Ryan Harty, a graduate
of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, is the winner
of the 2003 John Simmons Short Fiction Award.
Both awards are given annually to a first collection
of fiction in English and are administered through
the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
The books are available at local bookstores, by
calling 800-621-2736, or by visiting www.uiowapress.org.
Staff Council funds available
Staff Council is accepting applications for the
Staff Council Scholarship for the spring semester.
Applicants must be P&S, merit supervisory exempt/confidential,
or merit staff at the University, must hold a regular
appointment of 50 percent time or more, and must
have completed one year of employment prior to the
application deadline.
The scholarship, made possible by Coca-Cola funds,
covers the cost of in-state or resident tuition for
up to five credit hours. All UI-sponsored courses
are eligible. Courses must be for the purpose of
changing career direction or for career development.
The scholarship does not cover the cost of fees,
books, or non-UI courses.
Deadline is Nov. 3. Applications are online at www.uiowa.edu/~stafcnsl.
For more information, contact Colleen Martin at (33)5-3600.
Operations
Manual revisions due
Faculty and staff members responsible for policies
are being asked to participate in an annual review
of the Operations Manual (www.uiowa.edu/~our/opmanual),
the University’s official statement of policy.
Because the Operations Manual has legal force, it
is critical that it accurately reflect current policy.
DEOs should forward any policy and procedure changes
to Eileen Bartos, University Relations, 300 PCO,
(38)4-0050, or eileen-bartos@uiowa.edu, by Oct. 31.
Revisions exceeding one paragraph in length should
be submitted in both hard copy and electronic form.
Assistance also is sought in assuring that policies
within the manual are linked, as appropriate, to
web sites containing relevant supplementary departmental
or unit procedures.
For more information about the approval process,
see the Protocol for Approval of University Policies
at www.uiowa.edu/~our/opmanual/i/protocol.htm. In
addition, the Offices of the General Counsel and
of the Vice President for Finance and Operations
are available to assist with policy development and
review.
Benefits enrollment now online
This fall University staff and faculty will be able
to use the Human Resources self-service web site,
https://hris.uiowa.edu/portal, to choose their benefit
options for 2004 without having to use any paper
forms. The 2004 enrollment period begins Oct. 29
and ends Nov. 21.
The new process will save the University tens of
thousands of dollars in materials and staff time,
and save a huge amount of paper, says Richard Saunders,
manager of University Benefits. Staff and faculty
currently use the self-service site for many other
Human Resources services, including time reporting,
payroll deductions, year-end tax information, changes
of address, and charitable giving through the combined
campaign.
In previous years at open enrollment time, University
Benefits assembled, stuffed, and mailed individualized
packets to each staff and faculty member. Employees
then made their choices and returned enrollment sheets
to the benefits office, where staff members manually
entered those choices into the computer system. This
enrollment process required many hours of staff time
and used in excess of half a million pieces of paper
each year.
Staff and faculty who are unable to access the web-based
system will be able to pick up a printed version
of the benefits enrollment options and submit their
choices on a paper form.
Tuition help available
Interested in taking a class this fall? Applications
for two tuition programs sponsored by UI Human Resources
are due Nov. 1.
Faculty and staff members in a degree program that
is in support of institutional goals that are work-related
at The University of Iowa may be eligible for the
Tuition Assistance Program. This program pays for
up to 4 semester hours of course work each semester.
Staff members who are not in a degree program—but
who would like to take a course that is in support
of institutional goals that are work-related—may
be eligible for the Staff Tuition Grant Program.
This program pays $200 toward a class either at The
University of Iowa or other eligible institutions.
For
more information, go to www.uiowa.edu/~fusstfdv or
e-mail Barb Simon at barbara-simon@uiowa.edu or
call (33)5-5464.
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