University of Northern Iowa

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University of Northern Iowa
Image:UNI-Logo.gif
Motto: Students First
Established: 1876
Type: Public
Endowment: $51.6 M [1]
President: Dr. Benjamin Allen
Faculty: 800
Undergraduates: 12,607
Postgraduates: 1,600
Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA
Campus: Urban, 900 acres (3.6 km²)
Athletics: 16 Varsity Teams
Colors: Purple      and Gold     
Nickname: Panthers
Mascot: TC Panther
Website: www.uni.edu
The Campanile, a major university landmark at the center of UNI's campus.
The Campanile, a major university landmark at the center of UNI's campus.

The University of Northern Iowa, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, is a state-supported university with a commitment to putting “Students First." UNI has a firmly established reputation for providing first-rate educational experiences in more than 120 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.

The Fall 2007 enrollment is 12,609, including 11,010 undergraduate students and 1,599 graduate students. Ninety-two percent of its students are from the State of Iowa, in the United States.

UNI has consistently been named one of the "Best in the Midwest" in the Princeton Review Best 351 College Rankings guide, and has ranked second in Midwest top public comprehensive universities by U.S. News and World Report for eleven consecutive years. UNI's accounting program has consistently ranked in the top 10 universities in the nation for the pass rate of first-time candidates on the CPA Exam. Additionally, the Economics Department has been named most outstanding department on campus for the past decade.

At UNI class sizes are generally small (fewer than 30 students) and are mostly taught by faculty, not teaching assistants. Tenured and tenure-track faculty teach 75 percent of UNI's classes, providing excellent academic quality to its students.

For students interested in studying abroad, UNI is ranked fourth in the nation for the total number of students who study abroad among master's degree institutions, according to Open Doors 2002, the annual report on international education published by the Institute of International Education.

Contents

[edit] Athletics

Main article: Northern Iowa Panthers

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 and in the Missouri Valley Conference for Women's and Men's Basketball and all other sports. 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 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 and 2006. 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, as is the wrestling team.

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. In 1977 the women's softball team won the AIAW national championship.

[edit] Name history

  • Iowa State Normal School, 1876-1909
  • Iowa State Teachers College, 1909-1961
  • State College of Iowa, 1961-1967
  • University of Northern Iowa, 1967-present

[edit] Traditions

"Campaniling"

There are many traditions at UNI but none as popular as the famous campaniling. The UNI campanile comes alive Friday night of Homecoming week each year. At the stroke of midnight, students flock around the tower to sneak a kiss from a long time lover or someone you just met. This tradition has lived on since shortly after construction had finished with the tower. Back in the 1920s and beyond, there were very few men on campus. The tradition then was that the men would call a random woman to come meet them at the campanile. The men would hide in the bushes and if he did not like what he saw, he would leave her waiting and go back and call another random woman instead. A second tradition has to do with the women. It was said if you did not get a kiss at midnight by a guy, you were not considered a full-fledged co-ed. This trend faded out for a little while but made a comeback in 1979 by the Alumni Association.

[edit] UNI Presidents

# President Start of term End of term
1 James Cleland Gilchrist 1876 1886
2 Homer Horatio Seerley 1886 1928
3 Orval Ray Latham 1928 1940
4 Malcolm Poyer Price 1940 1950
5 James William Maucker 1951 1970
6 John Joseph Kamerick 1970 1983
7 Constantine William Curris 1983 1995
8 Robert D. Koob 1995 2006
9 Benjamin Allen 2006 present
Schindler Education Center
Schindler Education Center
The oldest building at UNI, Lang Hall.
The oldest building at UNI, Lang Hall.

[edit] Campus Buildings

  • Baker Hall - Faculty offices. Formerly an all male dormitory
  • Bartlett Hall - Coed Dormitory.
  • Bender Hall - Coed Dormitory(Towers Complex)
  • Begeman Hall - Newly Renovated Physics Building - opened October 5th 2007
  • Biology Research Complex
  • Communication Arts Center - Location of radio station KUNI (FM)'s studios.
  • Campbell Hall - Coed (formerly female only) dormitory
  • Curris Business Building
  • Center for Energy & Environmental Education
  • Center for Educational Technology
  • Central Intermediate School - Located in Waterloo
  • Center for Urban Education - Located in Waterloo
  • Dancer Hall - Coed Dormitory (Towers Complex)
  • Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center
  • Gilchrist Hall - Administration building. Closed until 2008 due to arson fire during homecoming, Fall 2005 [2]
  • Greenhouse Annex - Part of the McCollum Science Hall
  • Hagemann Hall - All Female Dormitory (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
  • Latham Hall - Academic Building
  • Lawther Hall - All female dormitory
  • Rod Library
  • Lang Hall - Academic Building housing the communication departments.
  • Maucker Student Union
  • McLeod Center - Home of UNI Men's and Women's Basketball, Volleyball, and Wrestling
  • McCollum Science Hall - Academic Building housing the science departments.
  • Museum
  • Native Roadside Vegetation Center
  • Noehren Hall - Coed Dormitory (Part of Quads Complex)
  • Price Laboratory School - K-12 School Run in Conjunction with the University
  • Redeker Center - Center of Quads Complex. Houses UNI Department of Residence and Piazza Dining Center
  • Residence on the Hill (ROTH) - Coed Suite Style Residence Hall for Upperclassmen
  • Rider Hall - Coed (formerly male only) Dormitory (Part of the Quads Complex)
  • Russell Hall - Academic building and auditorium housing the Music departments (Currently under renovation until Fall 2008)
  • 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
  • Shull Hall - Coed (formerly male only) Dormitory, recently remodeled for upperclassmen only (Part of Quads Complex)
  • Student Services Center - Attached to Bartlett Hall, formerly known as East Bartlett
  • Strayer-Wood Theatre - Theatre that also houses the theatre department of UNI. Home of Theatre UNI
  • Towers Center - Home of the Rialto Dining Center
  • UNI-Dome - Stadium with seating for 16,000+. Home of UNI Football
  • Wellness Recreation Center
  • Wright Hall - Academic Building housing the Mathematics and Computer Sciences Departments.
  • West Gymnasium - Former home of UNI Women's Basketball. Women's volleyball and Men's Wrestling. Current Practice Facility

[edit] School Songs

[edit] UNI Fight

Hail our Panthers, we are ever loyal,
Showing strength and unity.
As you rise, we firmly stand behind you,
Urge you on to victory.
Rah! Rah! Rah!
As you lead us on to fame and honor,
Fight! Fight! Fight! will be our cry.
So give us a yell, OH!!!
The Purple and the Gold,
Victory for UNI!

(Bridge)
U-N-I Fight! U-N-I Fight!

Hail our Panthers, we are ever loyal,
Showing strength and unity.
As you rise, we firmly stand behind you,
Urge you on to victory.
Rah! Rah! Rah!
As you lead us on to fame and honor,
Fight! Fight! Fight! will be our cry.
So give us a yell, OH!!!
The Purple and the Gold,
Victory for UNI!

[edit] Alma Mater

UNI O Alma Mater
Hear our voices now in song;
Hail to thee, O state of plenty,
Thou has raised it proud and strong.

True in spirit, strong in knowledge
UNI, we sing our homage.
Hail to thee, O Alma Mater
Our tomorrows shall be thine.

From the hallowed halls of learning,
Rising from the fertile land;
Guide to fame thy sons and daughters,
In the pattern on thy hand.

[edit] Notable alumni

See also: Cedar Falls, Iowa#Notable_natives

Academics:

  • Joseph Michael Enderlin, acclaimed educator at Spencer High School 1972-2008
  • Dorothy Jean Ray, anthropologist
  • William P. Robinson, President of Whitworth University
  • Donovan L. Hofsommer, Author, Historian
  • Dan Sullivan, Inorganic Chemist, mentor of Martin Chin
  • Dan Rhodes, Military Officer

Military personnel:

coaches:

Business people:

  • Steve Proffitt, senior producer, National Public Radio
  • Richard Devin, Producing Artistic Director, Colorado Shakespeare Festival
  • Denise O'Bleness, senior art director, Grey Advertising (NYC)
  • Phillip J. Pirages, antiquarian book dealer
  • Elise Plakke, senior art director, L.L. Bean
  • Stan A. Askren, Chairman and CEO of HNI Corporation Chairman

Creative arts:

Politicians:

[edit] Notable employees

[edit] 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 1,200 square foot Aquatic Learning Center.

  • Aquatic Learning Center - native and tropical plants, fish, mosses and ferns.
  • Orchid House - orchids from around the world.

[edit] 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 Grant Tracey and Vince Gotera.

In S. Duperray and R. Vidaling, Front Page: Covers of the Twentieth Century (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2003) the NAR is featured with Paris Match, The New Yorker, Vogue and twenty-four other famous magazines, and is described as being "a real institution in the United States, as much for its quality as its longevity." Since its acquisition by UNI, that book continues, the magazine has "distinguished itself" by winning a long list of prizes, both in literature and design. It has twice won the National Magazine Award for Fiction and was a finalist for that award five times; placed stories in the annual O. Henry anthologies four times, in the Pushcart Prize annuals nine times, in Best American Short Stories eight times, in Best American Essays twice, in Best American Sports Writing and Best American Travel Writing. As for its graphics, the NAR has three times been represented in Communication Arts illustration annual, twice in the Society of Publication Designers' annual, four times in the Print regional design annual, and twice won the "Ozzie" gold award for best cover among consumer magazines with a circulation of less than 100,000.

[edit] 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.

The CIEP was established at the University of Northern Iowa in 1982. The program has 5 8-week sessions (two sessions per semester and one in the summer). These sessions begin in August, October, January, March and June every year.

The CIEP has two purposes: 1. To help students improve their abilities to use English in the classroom, the CIEP instructors help the students with a variety of skills. There are many opportunities to practice these skills outside the classroom with roommates, conversation partners, and other university students. 2. To introduce students to North American life and culture and to acquaint them with classroom procedures in the United States.

The two purposes of CIEP are very closely related. You cannot use a language well if you do not understand its society and culture. You cannot study and work in the U.S. if you cannot use its language well.

A new student takes a placement test at the beginning of the term. This includes a reading test, an oral interview, a note-taking test and an essay. The results form the basis for the selection of an appropriate level of study for each student. Under normal circumstances a student can progress one level in each class within an 8-week session.

Each full-time CIEP student receives 4 hours of classroom work daily (Monday through Friday) in one of 8 levels of instruction:

Bridge - Beginner Level 2 - High Beginner Level 3 - Low Intermediate Level 4 - Intermediate Level 5 - High Intermediate Level 6 - Advanced Level 7 - Academic

Image:students.jpg

Classroom instruction combines instructor presentation, group work, and individual projects. The CIEP tries to limit its class size to 14 students.

Culture and Intensive English Program website

[edit] External links

[edit] History

[edit] Students and Alumni

[edit] Online Communities

[edit] Maps and Aerial Photos

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Missouri Valley Conference
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Missouri Valley Football Conference