In a time when opportunity was scarce for African American women, Vivian Smith and Murda Beason opened the doors of higher education — and walked through them together.
The morning after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, teacher Jane Elliott walked into her classroom determined to confront hate head on — and the lesson she gave would impact her students and the nation forever.
Before “The Bridges of Madison County” became a literary phenomenon, Robert James Waller was shaping minds as the founding dean of UNIBusiness and a celebrated scholar.
Irene Eaton knew everyone at UNI by name — and everyone adored her for it. Crowned “Most Favorite Girl” and welcomed into the l-Club alongside the top athletes, she was the heart of campus life.
As university carillonneur, a role he held for more than 30 years, Byrnes filled the air with music. At the same time, he took the helm of the UNI Men’s Glee Club, transforming it into a vibrant, flourishing ensemble.
Bedros Apelian traveled 10,000 miles from Syria to UNI in 1908, becoming one of its first international students, leaving a legacy of resilience, service and global impact.
Long before his name was officially added to the UNI wrestling mat, Bill Smith was a wrestling standout, a two-time NCAA champion, and became UNI’s first Olympic wrestling gold medalist.
Every time the crowd roars inside the UNI Dome, it reverberates through a vision that Stan Sheriff turned into a reality. What some viewed as an impossible dream, turned into a campus icon.
