New faculty and staff don’t always have a chance to explore different parts of Iowa during the school year.

They will this Friday and Saturday — with all expenses paid by Iowa State.

The ISU Road Scholars tour will depart at 7:30 a.m. Friday to visit various points of interest in southeastern Iowa. The tour will stop overnight in Keosauqua and return to Ames at 6:15 p.m. Saturday.

John Anderson, associate director of University Relations, said about 33 new faculty and staff members will be on the tour. Over the years, about 300 have participated in the Road Scholar tours.

“The Road Scholar program was started in 1992 as a way to introduce new faculty and staff to the state of Iowa,” Anderson said. “So, twice a year, [ISU] President [Martin] Jischke leads a busload of new faculty and staff on a two-day tour of part of Iowa.”

Some cities on this weekend’s tour include Knoxville, Oskaloosa, Pella and Newton, Anderson said. Destinations include William Penn College, Knoxville High School, an Amish saw mill, Bonaparte’s Opera House, a hog farm and Dumont Museum.

“We really like to show off the variety of Iowa: people, places, culture,” he said. “We usually visit a high school, a farm, an industry, another college or university, maybe a historic place of interest or a recreational facility and communities of various sizes.”

Rollin Richmond, ISU provost, said he has been in Ames for a only a few weeks and is excited to participate in this year’s tour.

“I like to get a sense of the area that I’m working in and certainly the state I’m a part of,” he said.

It would be difficult to find the time on his own to tour the state, Richmond said.

“I wanted an opportunity to see a part of the state I hear is quite beautiful and an opportunity to meet new people,” he said. “Plus, someone else is driving.”

Nancy Gruden-Schuck, assistant professor of agricultural education and studies, said she is taking the tour because she is from New York and wants to get a feel for the new state.

“To me, the connection to the different communities in Iowa is very important,” she said. “I want to go out and meet people, see the diverse communities and see how some of the extension educators in the state perform.”

Gruden-Schuck said she is especially looking forward to the tour because of Jischke’s involvement.

“The president and other officials at the university will be attending; that seems a special part to me,” she said. “Also, meeting people from different colleges at the university is something I’m looking forward to.”

Invitations were mailed to all new faculty and staff members earlier this fall, Anderson said. All spots on the tour have been filled.