Iowa State University
College of Human Sciences


News Releases

Judy Nissen will share perspectives on becoming "rich" at Human Science graduation event

December 11, 2007

Judy Nissen will share perspectives on becoming "rich" at Human Science graduation event

By Kathryn Strother and Cathy Curtis

Approximately 108 students in the Iowa State University College of Human Sciences will receive bachelor’s degrees this weekend. The College of Human Sciences Graduation Celebration will begin with a procession at 4:30 p.m. in C.Y. Stephens Auditorium in Ames. A commencement ceremony for all Iowa State students receiving bachelor’s degrees will be held on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum.
 
Students in the College of Human Sciences earning masters and doctoral degrees will be recognized in the Graduate College ceremony on Friday at 8 p.m. in Stephens Auditorium.
 
A reception for all graduating students in the College of Human Sciences, as well as family, friends, faculty and staff, will also be held on Friday in the first floor lobby of the Scheman Building. The reception begins immediately following the undergraduate celebration and runs until 7:30 p.m.
 
Judy Nissen will talk about becoming rich in her keynote address at the College of Human Sciences Graduation Celebration event. Nissen, who has a Ph.D. in higher education from Iowa State University, is an expert investor who is highly regarded for her leadership and integrity. As chair of Iowa State’s College of Human Sciences Campaign Committee, Nissen has helped plan a campaign to raise $25 million dollars in private gifts to support student scholarships as well as teaching, research, and outreach initiatives.
 
Her career has spanned the fields of education, consumer economics, and economic development. She has served as director of the Center for Public Higher Education in Sioux Falls, SD, director of the Small Business Development Center at Iowa Valley Community College District in Marshalltown; a vocational home economics teacher in LeMars; a substitute teacher in Seoul, South Korea; and a member of a teaching mission team in Lithuania.
 
Nissen’s interests have taken her to Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, Bangkok, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mexico, among other nations.
 
Genya Coffey, a graduating senior in elementary education, will deliver the student address at the College of Human Sciences event. She will also serve as the Human Sciences student marshal at the all-university ceremony.
 
Coffey, who is graduating Summa Cum Laude, has been active in a variety of activities at Iowa State. As president of the Iowa State chapter of Kappa Delta Pi international honor society in education, she presented a listening library to first grade teachers at Edwards Elementary School in Ames.  Coffey is also the cofounder of Ames’ newest professional actors troupe, the Prism Theatre Company; she has applied for grants from the Iowa Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts to support the multicultural performance group.
 
As a learning strategist for Iowa State athletics, Coffey helped student athletes refine their study skills.  She also volunteered as a supervisor and homework aid for children in an after-school program.
 
Anna Letsche, a graduating senior in family and consumer sciences education and studies, will lead the student procession in the Human Sciences event. A native of Remsen, Letsche has developed survey tools and data sets through her work as a Rosenfeld intern.  She has worked as an intern for the Operation Military Kids youth development program and served as a community advisor in the ISU residence halls. An active volunteer for United Way of Story County, she recently provided leadership within that organization’s allocations committee.  She also collaborated with ISU faculty to improve course offerings in her major.
 
Michelle Jebsen, a graduating senior in nutritional science, will receive the Dean’s Recognition Award. During her Iowa State career, Jebsen developed extensive research experience through independent study, assistantships, internships, and service learning projects. As a Borlaug intern in 2006, she traveled to Texcoco, Mexico, to help test the protein retention of maize hybrids. Last summer, she helped students in Uganda learn more about agriculture and nutrition.
 
Carrie Nichols will receive the Graduating Student of the Year award from the College of Human Sciences Student Council. Nichols, who is from West Des Moines, is a graduating senior in elementary education. While at Iowa State, she student taught in West Des Moines and Alexandra, New Zealand. She has served as an intern in Iowa State’s government relations office in Washington, D.C., coordinated an eight-week physical fitness course in ISU’s Summer Youth Fitness Program, and counseled young campers in Taipei, Taiwan. She managed university wide events as vice president of the ISU Senior Class Council and a member of the Homecoming Central Committee, served as president of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority, and represented students on the teacher salary advisory workgroup of the Iowa Institute for Tomorrow’s Workforce. Through volunteer work, Nichols also helped Hurricane Katrina victims, children with juvenile diabetes, and children with disabilities.
 
Alyssa Ericson, a senior in music from West Des Moines, will sing the National Anthem and lead the audience in singing “The Bells of Iowa State.”

Contacts:

Jackie Blount, associate dean for undergraduate education, 515 294-6937.

Tara Fisher, administrative assistant, 515 294-7002.

Cathy Curtis, communications specialist, 515 294-8175.