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As the new academic year begins, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences administration has been reorganizing several positions in Catt Hall to increase efficiency and better support college programs and initiatives.

“We’re confident these changes will improve the college administration’s overall efficiency and will focus our efforts to better serve the college and its constituents,” said Arne Hallam, associate dean for operations. “These changes were made based on increasing enrollments and student credit hours, a desire to recruit more high-quality students to LAS, renewed emphasis on retention and placement, and a desire to increase grant and contract activity in the college.”

Jane Jacobson, formerly director of LAS Student Academic Services, now administers three student-related programs: Student and Academic Services, Undergraduate Recruiting, and Career Services. Three current LAS staff members now oversee the daily operations within those programs: academic adviser Jennifer Owens manages Student and Academic Services, academic adviser Dan Rice manages Undergraduate Recruiting, and LAS Career Services director Taren Crow remains in her present position. Jacobson, Owens and Rice will also continue to advise some students.

“We believe we will see immediate benefits from combining these three student-related areas under one administrator,” Hallam said. “We will now be able to coordinate student services in the college from the time students are ISU prospects until they are seniors seeking careers or additional education.”

Mark Imerman has been named the college’s new director of Business Relations. In this role he will develop partnerships between the college and the business community to create internships for LAS students and opportunities for engagement with faculty and staff. He will also work to develop closer relationships with government and nongovernmental organizations, seeking to bring more public and private sector leaders to campus, to increase off-campus funding of on-campus activities, and to engage more ISU faculty and staff with off-campus entities. Imerman formerly directed the college’s undergraduate recruiting activities.

LAS’s new human resources officer is Rachele Kugel. She oversees all of the college’s HR services and programs and provides HR assistance to LAS departments. She most recently worked as director of human resources at BH Management Services Inc. in Des Moines.

A new position was filled when Stephanie Hamilton was hired as a program coordinator working with the associate dean for academic programs. Her responsibilities include experimental course and course catalog processes, learning community development, report preparation and external review coordination. She formerly managed social science initiatives for the National Center for Women and Information Technology, based at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

The college is currently seeking a director of Alumni Relations to create more opportunities for alumni to be involved in and support LAS educational and research programs.

Two current program coordinators in the LAS office have expanded duties. Mary Ullestad-Heneke now serves as the LAS Scholarship Coordinator and is working with the LAS Computational Advisory Committee program. She will also have responsibilities in the LAS Study Abroad scholarship program and LAS Student and Academic Services, Career Services and the Catt Center for Women and Politics.

Kristin Doerder is providing support for the associate dean overseeing research activities and graduate programs. In addition to supporting new research initiatives and providing research data analysis support, her responsibilities include the approval of C- and D-base EPAs (electronic personnel action), LAS “goldsheets” for external funding proposals, indirect cost waivers, and graduate tuition scholarship and graduate college forms. Doerder also will handle LAS Small Grant, Foreign Travel Grant and Signature Research Initiative submissions.

The college also has formed an External Relations Team to better integrate efforts to build relationships between LAS and off-campus constituents, including alumni, donors, parents, businesses, nonprofits and others. Team members are Michael Gens, senior director of development, Mark Imerman, director of Business Relations, Laura Wille, communications specialist and events planner, Steve Jones, communications director, the new director of alumni relations, and LAS Dean Beate Schmittmann.

Office moves
As part of the ongoing reorganization within the college, the LAS Career Services Office staff, Taren Crow and Jennifer Meier, have moved offices from Catt Hall to 129 and 131 Carver Hall. Also, Nancy Guthrie, director of the LAS Study Abroad Office, has moved from the second floor of Catt Hall to the first floor, room 107. All phone numbers will remain the same.

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About Liberal Arts and Sciences
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is a world-class learning and research community. Iowa State’s most academically diverse college, LAS educates students to become global citizens, providing rigorous academic programs in the sciences, humanities and social sciences within a supportive personalized learning environment. College faculty design new materials, unravel biological structures, care for the environment, and explore social and behavioral issues. From fundamental research to technology transfer and artistic expression, the college supports people in Iowa and around the world.

NEWS RELEASE
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Iowa State University

Contact:
Steve Jones, Liberal Arts & Sciences Communication, (515) 294-0461, jones@iastate.edu