CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Two Iowa teachers earned recognition for their service to the field when they recently received the University of Northern Iowa Dr. Robert E. and Phyllis M. Yager Exemplary Teaching Recognition Award.

The award is designed to highlight UNI graduates who have gone on to excellence as K-12 teachers in Iowa and identify a UNI faculty member’s contribution to their success.

Recipients of this year’s award include:

• Jessica Dunnick, music specialist at Bowman Woods Elementary in Cedar Rapids
• Kate Degner, secondary mathematics coordinator at Iowa City Community School District in Iowa City

The awards were conferred during a ceremony on Oct. 27, held on the UNI campus. This award is sponsored by the family of the late Dr. Robert Yager, a UNI alum and nationally recognized science educator.

“The Yager Award is very important to our college, faculty, alums and students,” said John Fritch, dean of the UNI College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences. “Dr. Yager was an influential figure in the field of education – dedicated to high-quality teaching. The impact our graduates, these teachers, have on students is profound.”

Currently, more than 10,000 educators in Iowa can track their path back to a UNI education. UNI-educated teachers are employed in all 99 counties in Iowa and in 99% of Iowa’s school districts.