Marion, Iowa, and Rawalpindi, Pakistan are separated by a distance of over 7,000 miles. Mahlia Brown grew up dreaming of a career in human resources, while Farhan Amjad’s interest in technology led him to study computer science with a desire to make his own impact on Silicon Valley. Their paths converged at UNI as the 2020 Lux Service Award recipients.
Each year, hundreds of students pack Lang Hall Auditorium for the annual Catwalk fashion show. The show is run by students in UNI’s textiles and apparel program (TAPP) and showcases their original designs. Students dive into planning and creating pieces for the event at the start of every spring semester. Senior TAPP major Jenna Vermost had already made six pieces, including four elaborate wedding dresses, for this year’s show when COVID-19 threatened to end the event altogether.
It started as a pilot project to provide about 50 University of Northern Iowa students with remote access to specialized software.
But with the dawn of the coronavirus and the wave of campus closures and remote learning that followed, demand for the small pilot project surged to serve more than 1,000 students in just two weeks.
Welcome to the new normal for UNI’s IT Department.
The University of Northern Iowa has been named to Phi Theta Kappa’s Transfer Honor Roll for the second time in three years.
Only the top quarter of the regionally accredited institutions that applied made the international honor society’s list, which recognizes excellence in helping community college students successfully transition to institutions offering four-year degrees. UNI is one of 112 colleges nationwide - and the only public university in Iowa - to make the cut this year.
When about a dozen students in University of Northern Iowa professor Justin Holmes’ political science senior seminar joined their first online class last week, they couldn’t help but smile.
Holmes greeted them before a Zoom background of a famous meme - a cartoon of a dog sitting down to a cup of coffee in a room engulfed with flames. The thought bubble reads “This is fine.”
For UNI senior Cassidy Flory, public health is a calling. Two of her sisters are nurses, her mother works with disabled adults and Flory, a public health and gerontology major, hopes to work in a public health department someday.
Nothing - not even a global pandemic - is going to change that.
After suffering the most devastating loss of his esports career, Ty DeBondt woke up the morning of Jan. 26 a defeated man.
The junior University of Northern Iowa physical education major, who specializes in the video game NBA 2K20, had surpassed about 1 million players in the second annual MyTeam Unlimited Tournament to make it to the top 16. He had a 10-point lead on his semifinal opponent with just minutes left to play. The $250,000 grand prize beckoned.
Most days, first-year UNI student Jacey Meier doesn’t have the luxury of waking up late. Not only does she have to get ready herself, but before she heads out the door, she needs to grab a leash, fasten a vest, and pack up her dog’s lab gear, which includes a protective sweater and goggles.
You read that right — her dog’s lab gear.
