University of Northern Iowa

University of Northern Iowa
The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a public university in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 90 majors across five colleges. The fall 2023 total enrollment was 9,021 students.
The university was initially founded in 1876 as the Iowa State Normal School, with a purpose of training school teachers and educators. The University of Northern Iowa is one of three public universities in Iowa. The Iowa Board of Regents governs these universities as with the University of Northern Iowa.
History
The University of Northern Iowa was founded as a result of two influential forces of the nineteenth century. First, Iowa wanted to care for orphans of its Civil War veterans, and secondly, Iowa needed a public teacher training institution. In 1876, when Iowa no longer needed an orphan home, legislators Edward G. Miller and H. C. Hemenway started the Iowa State Normal School.
The school's first building opened in 1867 and was known as Central Hall. The building contained classrooms, common areas, and a living facility for most of the students. It was also a home to the college's first principal, James Cleland Gilchrist. The building was the heart and soul of the school, allowing students to study courses of two-year, three-year, and four-year degrees. In 1965, a fire destroyed Central Hall, and school faculty and Cedar Falls citizens donated over $5,000 to start building Gilchrist Hall.
The school has been known under the following names:
Iowa State Normal School, 1876–1909
Iowa State Teachers College, 1909–1961
State College of Iowa, 1961–1967
University of Northern Iowa, 1967–present
From 2014 through 2018 the UNI hosted the Midwest Summer Institute: Inclusion and Communication for All, a two-day conference on facilitated communication sponsored by the Inclusion Connection and Syracuse University's Institute on Communication and Inclusion. Facilitated Communication is a discredited practice, and in 2018 UNI decided to discontinue the conference at the urging of multiple nationwide academics.
Presidents
Since its founding, the university has had eleven presidents.
James Cleland Gilchrist, 1876–1886
Homer Horatio Seerley, 1886–1928
Orval Ray Latham, 1928–1940
Malcolm Poyer Price, 1940–1950
James William Maucker, 1950–1970
John Joseph Kamerick, 1970–1983
Constantine William Curris, 1983–1995
Robert D. Koob, 1995–2006
Benjamin J. Allen, 2006–2013
William Ruud, 2013–2016
Mark Nook, 2017–present
Academics
University of Northern Iowa colleges include:
Wilson College of Business
Education
Humanities, Arts and Sciences
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Graduate College
Study Abroad Center
UNI provides an opportunity for the students to study in 25+ countries and select from over 40 programs. It is also available to all students attending the university. The mission of the Study Abroad Center at the University of Northern Iowa is to provide service and leadership in international education to UNI students, faculty, staff, the community and the State of Iowa.
Culture and Intensive English Program
The Culture and Intensive English Program (CIEP) is an intensive program in English for non-native speakers. It is designed to prepare students for academic work at the undergraduate or graduate degree level. University of Northern Iowa students are also encouraged to participate in the Conversation Partner Program to help foreign students with their English ability and foster cross-cultural relationships while gaining mutual understanding.
North American Review
The university is the publisher of The North American Review (called the NAR), a celebrated literary magazine that began originally in Boston in 1815. Its past editors have included James Russell Lowell, Charles Eliot Norton, and Henry Adams; while among its past contributors are Mark Twain, Henry James, Joseph Conrad, Walt Whitman, Kurt Vonnegut, Joyce Carol Oates, Guy Davenport and Margaret Atwood. In 1968, when the magazine was purchased by UNI, Robley Wilson was appointed editor, a position he continued in until his retirement in 2000. The current editors are Rachel Morgan, Jeremy Schraffenberger, Grant Tracey, and Brooke Wonders.
Teaching and Research Greenhouse
The University of Northern Iowa Teaching and Research Greenhouse is a greenhouse complex incorporating botanical gardens for research and education. It is located on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The greenhouse contains plants from many ecotypes, including 250 tropical plants, an extensive collection of arid climate plants, and the Aquatic Learning Center.
Athletics
The school's mascot is the Panther. They participate in the NCAA's Division I (I-FCS for football) in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) for most other sports, and the Big 12 Conference for wrestling. The major arena on campus is the UNI-Dome, currently the home of the football team. The Dome also serves as a venue for many local concerts, high school football playoffs, trade shows, and other events. In 2006, the university opened a new arena, the McLeod Center, to serve as the home for several athletic programs, including volleyball and men's and women's basketball.
UNI Athletics has enjoyed great success lately with the men's basketball team competing in the NCAA tournament three consecutive times in 2004, 2005, 2006, again in 2009 and 2010 and in 2015 and 2016. On March 20, 2010, the men's basketball team defeated the heavily favored, top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks to advance to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. It was the school's first appearance in the Sweet Sixteen. The Jayhawks were favored to win the NCAA championship. Their Cinderella potential ended with a loss to Michigan State in the Sweet Sixteen, 59–52. The win over Kansas earned them the 2010 ESPY Award for Best Upset.
Jacqui Kalin helped lead the women's basketball team to consecutive NCAA Tournament berths, as the team won back-to-back MVC Tournament titles. In 2010-11 she was named the Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year. In 2012-13 she led the league in scoring (19.5 ppg; a school record), had the fourth-highest season free throw percentage in NCAA Division 1 history-and the highest of any senior (95.5%), and was again named the Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year. For her career Kalin was first all-time at UNI in scoring (2,081), 3-point field goals made (265), free throws made (484), and free throw percentage (.920) the NCAA Division 1 career record.
The football team has been ranked in the I-AA (FCS) top 25 almost every year for the last two decades. The team appeared in the I-AA championship game in 2005, only to lose a close game to the Appalachian State Mountaineers. During 2007, the team was ranked #1 in the country by the TSN FCS poll for several weeks. The football team went undefeated in 2007 with an 11–0 record, a first for any school in the 23-year history of the Gateway conference. In 2001 and 2002 the volleyball team reached the NCAA Sweet 16 round, and in 2006 made it to the second round, and has competed in the tournament numerous times. The track team is also very successful (usually ranked in the top 25), as are the wrestling and volleyball teams.
The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team won the NCAA Division I national championship as ISTC in 1949 and NCAA Division II national championships in 1975 and 1978. They competed in the Western Wrestling Conference until 2012, when UNI became an associate member of the Mid-American Conference since the MVC is a non-wrestling conference. In 2017, UNI wrestling joined the Big 12 Conference. In 1977 the women's softball team won the AIAW national championship.
Bryce Paup won the Defensive Player of Year Award by the Associated Press in 1995. In 1999 and 2001, UNI alumnus Kurt Warner was named NFL MVP by the AP.
During the 2014–2015 season, the men's basketball team ended the regular season ranked #11 by the AP Poll, the highest ranking in school history, and #9 by USA Today.
Campus buildings
Bartlett Hall - Faculty offices. Formerly a residence hall.
Bender Hall - Coed Residence Hall (Towers Complex)
Begeman Hall - Newly Renovated Physics Building - opened October 5, 2007
Biology Research Complex
Communication Arts Center - Location of studios of Iowa Public Radio stations KUNI-FM (news and music) and KHKE-FM (classical). Houses the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department and the faculty offices of the Department of Theatre.
Campanile - Clocktower on campus built in 1926, landmark of UNI and included in many university logos
Curris Business Building
Center for Energy & Environmental Education
Commons - Event space containing ballrooms and meeting rooms. Also houses the 23rd Street Market (Closed in 2023).
Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center
Gilchrist Hall - Administration building. Closed until 2008 due to arson fire during homecoming, Fall 2005, now reopened
Hagemann Hall - Coed Dormitory (formerly all female, part of Quads Complex)
Industrial Technology Center - Academic Building
Innovative Teaching and Technology Center - Previously known as the East Gymnasium. Former Women's Gym. Remodeling was completed late Spring 2006.
Kamerick Art Building - Academic Building; houses the University of Northern Iowa Gallery of Art
Latham Hall - Academic Building
Lang Hall - The oldest academic building on campus, constructed in 1900. Houses the Department of Communication and Media. Also houses the Interpreter's Theatre. This space often produces original work written and directed by faculty and students.
Maucker Student Union - home of UNI's student-run radio station, KULT 94.5 FM and the Northern Iowan newspaper.
McCollum Science Hall - Academic Building housing the science departments.
Redeker Center - Center of Quads Complex. Houses UNI Department of Residence and Piazza Dining Center
Rod Library - Library, UNI Museum, Special Collection & University Archives
Russell Hall - Academic building and auditorium housing the Music departments
Sabin Hall - Academic Building
Schindler Education Center - Academic Building housing the education departments
Seerley Hall - Home of the Office of the President. Also an Academic Building, home to the History department
Student Health Center-Student Health Clinic, Counseling Center, Student Disability Services, Violence Intervention Services.
Strayer-Wood Theatre - Theatre that also houses the theater department of UNI. Home of Theatre UNI. The theater was named after Hazel Strayer and Stanley Wood, two influential former faculty members. Also houses a black box, the Bertha Martin Theatre.
Wellness Recreation Center - Contains an aquatic center, climbing wall, track, and racquetball courts.
Wright Hall - Academic Building housing the Mathematics Department
Gallery
Student life
Student newspapers
Students Offering, 1888–1889
Normal Eye, 1892–1911
College Eye, 1911–1967
Northern Iowan, 1967–present
Fraternity and sorority life
Fraternities
Kappa Sigma
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Chi Phi
NPC sororities
Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Xi Delta
Alpha Phi
Gamma Phi Beta
Alpha Sigma Tau
Transportation
UNI students may ride public transportation provided by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Black Hawk County for $0.75 a ride with a student ID. Routes 6, 7, 9, and 10 connect campus to downtown Cedar Falls, downtown Waterloo and various other destinations.
Notable people
Alumni
William R. Clabby – journalist and editor for The Wall Street Journal, winner of a Gerald Loeb Award, and an executive at various Dow Jones news subsidiaries.
Brittni Donaldson, professional basketball coach
David Glawe, former Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis
Jane Elliott, American antiracist and diversity educator
Carolyn Hunt, First Lady of North Carolina
David Johnson, professional football player
Bryce Paup, former professional football player
Jacqui Kalin (born 1989), American-Israeli professional basketball player
Chris Klieman, current Kansas State head football coach
Brian Meyer, member of the Iowa House of Representatives
Nick Nurse, professional basketball coach
Duane Slick, fine art painter and professor at Rhode Island School of Design
Ed Thomas, high school football coach
Carter F. Nordman, alumnus, member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 19th district
Eric Keller, current Wartburg Knights wrestling head coach, 8 time NCAA DIII national champion coach
Faculty
Donna Alvermann, former professor of education, now distinguished professor and researcher in education at the University of Georgia
Jeremy Beck, composer, associate professor of Composition & Theory (1992–98)
Harry Brod, former professor
Herb Hake, television personality
James Hearst, poet and former professor
Miguel Franz Pinto, vocal coach, conductor, and pianist
Mildred Hope Fisher Wood, faculty and prior alumnus of same college
Loree Rackstraw, literary critic and memoirist
Leland Sage, former professor
Norm Stewart, former men's basketball coach who went on to become a coach at the University of Missouri
Robert James Waller, alumnus, former professor and Dean of College of Business Administration, author of The Bridges of Madison County
Norma Wendelburg, composer
References
External links
University of Northern
Educational institutions established in 1876
Education in Black Hawk County, Iowa
Buildings and structures in Cedar Falls, Iowa
Tourist attractions in Black Hawk County, Iowa
1876 establishments in Iowa