The University of Northern Iowa campus is once again alive.
After a long layoff due to COVID-19, the first day of class on Aug. 17 unfolded with the everyday sights and sounds of college life. Masked students walked to and from class or lounged in the Adirondack chairs in the shade of elm and ash trees.
With just under a week to go until the fall semester was set to begin, UNI senior and Marion native Blake Allington was focused on settling into his new home in Cedar Falls. When a late morning thunderstorm hit Cedar Falls with torrential rain, he didn’t think much of it other than hoping he’d stay dry. Everything changed when storm reports started coming out of the greater Cedar Rapids area.
University of Northern Iowa President Mark A. Nook’s annual address to campus was a little different this year, and not just because he was speaking to his audience virtually.
This year, Nook eschewed the traditional topics of budgetary and legislative issues to focus on two of the most pressing concerns facing the university: dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and addressing problems with UNI’s diversity and inclusion.
From their home in Punta Gorda, Florida, Annette and Bob Morden watched the memorial service for George Floyd, whose May death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers sparked a national protest movement that drew millions into the streets.
When students begin classes at the University of Northern Iowa next week they’ll notice not only a new culture of wearing masks but also physical spaces that have been changed since COVID-19 emerged last spring.
There was good news for the University of Northern Iowa in the budget adopted by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds. UNI's request for a major renovation and expansion of the Industrial Technology Center was fully funded over the next four years.
International students and campus administrators at the University of Northern Iowa breathed a sigh of relief after the federal government rescinded a policy decision Tuesday that could have forced thousands of international students across the country to return home amidst a global pandemic.
Elected five years ago as the first African-American mayor in Waterloo’s 147-year history, UNI graduate Quentin Hart has focused ever since on building bridges.
