TC and TK briefly took to the floor of the Iowa State House Monday as the University of Northern Iowa hosted UNI Day at the Capitol, an annual event highlighting UNI’s impact across the state by showcasing its programs, services, students and alumni.
UNI professor Matt Townsley wants to see an education revolution. In his upcoming book “Making Grades Matter,” co-written with Nathan Wear, the UNI educational leadership assistant professor lays out the path for middle and high schools to abandon traditional letter grades in favor of a standards-based grading model. In this conversation, he outlines his case for why schools should rethink the way they think about grades and learning.
What is standards-based grading? Is it the death knell of letter grades?
It’s a classic Iowa story — UNI graduate Cole was raised in small-town central Iowa, where he watched his dad and grandfather work his family’s farm together. At age five, he was sitting on his father’s lap while he drove tractors across the corn fields. Within three years, he started driving the tractors himself. It was a given that he’d grow up to take over the farm’s operations someday.
It was the middle of the afternoon when Phales Milimo saw a pregnant woman go into labor and collapse on the sidewalk.
She was in the Sinazongwe District in southern Zambia, just a five-hour drive from her hometown of Lusaka, the country’s bustling metropolitan capital. Technically, she hadn’t left her country, but it felt like she was in a different world.
The morning of what would eventually be a triumphant day for a team of University of Northern Iowa accounting students was not going well.
The group of five accounting majors was preparing to compete in the 19th annual FanTAXtic competition held last month in Westlake, Texas, having earned their spot in the national competition by winning the regional qualifier in November.
Before Rosie the Riveter ever rolled up her sleeves, there were the women of World War I.
Women like Maria Botchkareva, a Russian Army officer who formed the Women’s Battalion of Death, an all-female combat unit that won respect for their toughness fighting on the front lines. Or Edith Cavell, a British nurse working in German-occupied Belgium who helped hundreds of Allied soldiers escape the country.
The Black Student Union at the University of Northern Iowa launched a celebration Monday of Black History Month with a kick-off ceremony at the Maucker Union, featuring chants, poetry and interpretive dances.
In celebration of Black History Month, the Black Student Union of the University of Northern Iowa will host a month-long series of events to showcase African American culture and provide the campus and community with a glimpse into the unique challenges minority students experience in higher education.
With a theme of “remembering the past while shaping our future,” the February events will feature a mix of performances, exhibits and panels, including several new events, designed to be both entertaining and educational.
Gloria Kirkland-Holmes overcame discrimination and self-doubt to become a valued member of the UNI community, launching a number of on-campus initiatives to promote diversity in her 41-year career at the university.
A new program from the University of Northern Iowa and Green Hills Area Education Agency will help increase student access to mental health services in high-need, rural areas of western Iowa currently struggling to hire school psychologists.
