College of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences Stories & News

NAR cover

All-women team produces the North American Review for the first time in its history

Those outside the field of literature may not know, but The North American Review, America’s oldest literary magazine, is housed right here at UNI. The magazine is over 200 years old, living a varied and colorful life — featuring work by presidents, famous poets, artists, as well as notable prose writers of the nonfiction and fiction types. One thing it has never done though, is feature women as its production team from end to end. Til the Fall 2021 issue, that is.
UNI alum Cassandra Hayne overcame cancer to become a biochemist.

After overcoming rare cancer, UNI alum wins prestigious fellowship

Cassandra Hayne (‘11) overcame a rare jaw cancer and years of reconstructive surgeries to achieve her goal of becoming a biochemist.
Storm Lake classroom

UNI future teachers, Storm Lake schools and students benefit from new agreement

Future teachers studying teaching English to students of other languages (TESOL) at University of Northern Iowa (UNI) have a new opportunity for their field experience: working with emergent bilingual students in the Storm Lake Community School District (SLCSD). 

A UNI alum

UNI alum helping produce COVID-stopping drug

Named one of America’s top young chemists, UNI Alum Patrick Fier leverages his research expertise to lead Merck’s efforts to produce a COVID-stopping drug.
Preserving a lifetime of research

Preserving a lifetime of research

A group of UNI students is curating a collection of preserved crabs for the American Museum of Natural History in New York City that will help future researchers study the species and the human impacts on its habitat.
UNI students in the field studying monarch butterfly habitat.

Helping save the monarch butterfly

Four UNI students are taking part in field research operated out of UNI’s Tallgrass Prairie Center this summer to help prevent the rapid decline of the monarch butterfly.

Recent UNI Art graduate awarded space at Hearst Red House Studios

The UNI Alumni Studio at the Red House Studios – a partnership between the Hearst Center for the Arts and the UNI Department of Art – was awarded in July to a recent graduate of UNI’s studio art program.

Andrew Dickerson (BFA Photography, 2019) will be using the space, located on the Hearst property, to further his art practice over the next year. 

Gallagher Bluedorn receives $2 million gift for renovation and expansion

The Pauline R. Barrett Charitable Foundation has invested $2 million in the renovation and expansion of the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center. 

“Pauline was known throughout the Cedar Valley for her philanthropy and volunteerism,” said UNI President Mark A. Nook. “During her lifetime, the university was fortunate to have her support for student scholarships as well as various capital projects across campus. UNI and the Cedar Valley are stronger because of Pauline’s transformational support of her community.”

Students participate in a theatre workshop at UNI.

Teaching through theater

A new partnership between UNI’s Department of Theatre and its Classic Upward Bound program is helping prepare low-income and first-generation Waterloo high school students for college, by using the skills gained through acting and improvising.
UNI art professor Jeffery Byrd

Art professor creates a more inclusive reality

Growing up in a small town in Alabama, UNI professor and art department head Jeffery Byrd dreamed of a world that would be more accepting of his LGBTQ identity. At UNI, he made that dream a reality, co-founding UNI’s first LGBTQ studies course and acting as a role model for LGBTQ students — while building community and finding love in the process.