Class Notes

A Bachelor of Fine Arts degree was awarded Charles McGavren at commencement exercises in December, 2023 from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. After a successful career in journalism he retired then returned to school studying art and art history. His practice is primarily figurative painting in oil and watercolor.

Post graduation I officially began her journey in veterinary medicine! I now attend Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine! I am so grateful for my ISU education that helped me reach this next level!

Nile Mills ('70 industrial ed and graduate work in industrial education and electrical engineering from 1978-1979), graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary on May 8, 2021, with a master's degree in Biblical and theological studies. Nile is a retired U.S. Navy captain. Mills currently lives in the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey.

Peter Myers ('17 finance) graduated summa cum laude from Drake University in May 2021 with a master's degree in education.

Rick Tett** is graduating at age 69 with an MS in innovation and entrepreneurship from the Jindal School of Business at UT Dallas in May 2021. He was honored to receive recognition as a scholar with high distinction and membership in Phi Kappa Phi. Writes Tett, "I was pleased to make up for my dismal undergraduate grade point. At the same time, my daughter, Dr. Emily Levy, will receive a PhD in mechanical engineering from UTD's Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science."

Rakibul Ahasan (MCRP '19 community & regional planning, MS '19 transportation) received the Lechner Scholarship from Texas A&M University at College Station for the 2019-2020 academic year. He has begun Ph.D. studies in geography with a focus on urban dynamics and land-change modeling as part of the Urban Dynamics and Sustainability (UDAS) research group.

Lindsay Tigue (MFA '14 creative writing & the environment) has graduated with her Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. Her Ph.D. dissertation was a linked collection of short fiction entitled "With Love From All of Us: Stories." She began a tenure-track position as an assistant professor of English and Creative Writing at Eastern New Mexico University in August 2019.

Joe Webb ('16 nutritional sci), an ISU graduate student in food science and human nutrition, received a Young Investigator Award from the American Egg Board’s Egg Nutrition Center to study the role of long-term egg consumption on inflammation in the brain. He will be examining if whole egg consumption modifies neuroinflammation in the prefrontal cortex, using next-generation sequencing techniques.

On May 24, 2019, Laura Catherine Burnett ('11 civil engr) was honored as a Distinguished Naval Graduate of the Officer Training Command in Newport, Rhode Island. At the conclusion of four months' training at Civil Engineer Corps Officer School in Port Hueneme, California, ENS Burnett will then go to her first duty station at NAS Corpus Christi. ENS Burnett is a licensed professional engineer (PE) in her home state of Colorado and received her MSCE at Colorado State University in 2016.

Dr. Craig Cunningham ('12 biology) has graduated from residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine -- Wichita Family Medicine Residence Program at Ascension Via Christi Hospitals.

Mouhamad Diallo ('19 materials engr & mech engr) has been accepted into the University of California-Berkeley's highly selective graduate engineering program. Diallo graduated from Iowa State in May 2019 having already been published in research journals three times -- twice at ISU and once at Des Moines Area Community College, which he attended before Iowa State. He is a former Boeing Company Scholar and ISU McNair Scholar.

Ken Isley ('84 ag and life sci ed), head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreigh Agricultural Service, will present Iowa State University's 2019 Carl and Marjory Hertz Lecture on Emerging Issues in Agriculture. The lecture will be held April 9 in the Dolezal Auditorium, 127 Curtiss Hall. As administrator of the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, he leads offices around the world in expanding trade and export opportunities for American agriculture. Additionally, Isley chairs USDA’s Intra-Departmental Coordination Committee on International Affairs.

Michele (Lambing) Adkins (BS ’92 Family & Consumer Sciences) recently graduated from the College of Saint Mary with a Master’s of Science degree in Organizational Leadership.

Genna Tesdall ('15 biology & global resource sys) has been selected by the U.S. Department of State as 2018-2019 Fulbright student program award recipient. She will conduct research at the Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany as part of a project to investigate the influences on decision making of farmers and policy makers in management of the invasive species spotted wing Drosophila, which is invasive to Germany and the U.S. Tesdall is currently pursuing her master's degree at Penn State University.

Darrin Rahn ('12 ag business) has been accepted to Harvard University's master's of business program.

Trey Kellner (MS ’14 an sci), an ISU graduate student, received the Stahly-Peo Outstanding Swine Nutrition Midwest Graduate Student Award from the American Society of Animal Science.

Hannah Phillips (’14 an sci), a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, was awarded first place in the Organic Research Forum Poster Session at the 2017 Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service Conference.

Glenda Bivens (’14 interdisciplinary) has received the Council for the Study of Community Colleges’ 2016 “Dissertation of the Year” award for her work on “Retention and Persistence through the Lens of Black Women Community College Students.”

Iowa State University student Madison Dierks (’16 landscape arch & env studies) is one of 75 Americans selected to participate in the 2017-2018 Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX), a year-long U.S. Department of State-funded fellowship for study and work in Germany.

Kayla Lichty (’12 ag business) recently graduated from Kansas State University with a master’s degree in agricultural business.

Corrine Stoffel (’13 animal science) graduated with a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and will begin her career as a swine herd veterinarian for The Maschoffs LLC.

Andrew Lauver (L)(’12 ag studies) recently graduated from Kansas State University with a master’s degree in agricultural business.

Andrew Lauver (L)(’12 ag studies) has been accepted into the Drake Law School, beginning fall semester. He plans to specialize in Drake’s agricultural and legislative certificate programs.

Class of 2021!

An Iowa State University alumnus who is a world-class cattle geneticist has established an endowed undergraduate scholarship for students in animal science with an interest in genetics. Robert Walton Sr. (L)(PhD '61 an sci), of DeForest, Wis., is the retired CEO of American Breeder Service (ABS) and an agribusiness leader known for his contributions to genetics research in the dairy, beef and plant breeding industries. While at ABS, Walton developed a mathematical formula for evaluating bulls that revolutionized the animal genetics industry and was adopted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Walton made gifts in the memory of family and friends, including his late wife, Janice Graning Walton who he met at Iowa State; his brother Chuck Walton, who had a successful career in professional football after being a member of the Iowa State football team in the early 1960’s; fellow graduate student and internationally honored educator, Tom Sutherland; and graduate professor Jay Lush and his wife, Adaline. Jay Lush was an animal science professor who is considered the father of modern animal breeding. “The ISU experience under Dr. Lush played a major role in my life and career. He and his wife were the best teachers I ever had,” he said. Known as a visionary, progressive and selfless leader, Walton served 38 years on the board of the World Dairy Expo and holds the honor of the longest serving director. Walton also has served on the boards of the National Association of Animal Breeders, Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association, Wisconsin 4-H Foundation, Wisconsin Rural Opportunity Foundation and the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce. He recently was presented the Henry Wallace Award, from the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, which honors an alumnus who has achieved notable professional achievements nationally or internationally and brought distinction to themselves, the college and the university through significant contributions.