Mary Rundus, formerly the Director of Advancement Services and Grants at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, has joined the College’s development team to help manage its increasing focus on fundraising and external advancement efforts. “I am very excited to be a part of the ISU team,” said Rundus. “I’m looking forward to being a strong partner with the College of Arts and Sciences as we work together to bring greater resources to the College.” Mary holds a BS in Business Administration from Kansas State University and is a certified public accountant as well as a certified internal auditor. “We are absolutely delighted to have Mary working with us,” said Dean Olson. “She brings substantial experience and sophistication to our advancement efforts, and we expect great things from her.” Mary will help the College raise funds for student scholarships, endowed professorships, the Dean's Awards, and much needed equipment.

This year the Department of History launched Read History, a reading initiative designed to encourage enthusiasm and excitement about reading among history and history-social sciences majors. The initiative began by piloting a summer reading program for education majors in the department. Students were allowed to choose a selection from a list that included a wide variety of titles ranging from works about education and teaching to works more specifically about teaching history and the social sciences. The second phase of the program will include summer reading for incoming first-year students. Discussion groups will meet throughout the summer when students come to campus for Preview, and the groups will be led by selected faculty and students who are members of the history department's honor society, Phi Alpha Theta. “We are excited about getting students connected with the department and its faculty,” said Roger Biles, Chair of the Department of History. “We are setting a tone and expectation that historians read.”

As part of its ongoing commitment to the hearing health care of the community, the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders participated in the annual ISU Wellness Fair held on November 13 at the Bone Student Center. Doctor of Audiology graduate students provided free hearing screenings at the fair. “Part of the mission of our department is to prepare students to be clinicians who excel in their work with a wide range of people who have communication disorders,” said Dr. Joseph Smaldino, Chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. “Therefore, we believe it is very important to give students these real-life experiences, and participating in the Wellness Fair was an excellent way of providing training and service.”

John Kostelnick joins ISU as an Assistant Professor of Geography. He is also affiliated with ISU’s newly dedicated Institute for Geospatial Analysis and Mapping (GEOMAP). His areas of teaching and research include geographic information systems (GIS), cartography, remote sensing, and human geography. His specific research interests include developing GIS methods and techniques for modeling and visualizing the impacts of sea level rise; designing and promulgating new cartographic symbols for landmines, minefields, and landmine removal; and evaluating the design and usability of animated and interactive maps. Kostelnick earned his PhD from the University of Kansas, his MA from the University of Nebraska, and his BA from Iowa State University. He previously held a faculty position at Haskell Indian Nations University, where he managed the campus GIS lab and assisted in the development of a GIS program. In his free time, he enjoys travel, fishing, home remodeling projects, and spending time with family and friends.