Student Life Stories & News

A student studies on UNI campus.

How to survive finals week: Study spot edition

Finals week is just around the corner, but warmer weather and a network of outdoor wifi access points mean students can study nearly anywhere on campus. 

InsideUNI asked students (finals week veterans all) for their favorite campus study spots. If you need more than just a great study spot, remember help is also available through the Learning Center and the Counseling Center

The 2021 Lux Service Award winners

Lux award winners leaving a legacy at UNI

The pandemic made this past academic year one unlike any other for University of Northern Iowa students.

But those challenges didn’t stop students from making an impact on campus.

The Lux Service Award is the most prestigious award given to graduating senior students each academic year to acknowledge the culmination of their overall involvement. Recipients consistently go above and beyond, leaving a lasting legacy upon graduation. 

This year, seniors Ayah Al-Durazi, Cassie Hendrix and Zoella Sneed were recognized with the award.

UNI campus

Annual Student Leadership Awards honors campus leaders

For the second year, UNI’s celebrated the annual Student Leadership Awards with a four-part virtual ceremony. The ceremony, which runs from Monday, April 19, through Thursday, April 22, recognizes students from across campus for their contributions to key programs and campus culture.

UNI wins community engagement awards

University of Northern Iowa won several awards for community engagement announced Monday.

A UNI professor who created a community project, a sophomore social work major who works with refugees  and several UNI projects were among the five award winners recognized by the Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact. The awards go  to individuals and organizations whose accomplishments exemplify and celebrate the public purpose at the heart of higher education.

Students Gardening

New UNI program expands community access to fresh-grown vegetables

A new University of Northern Iowa program will help aspiring gardeners start their own home garden at no cost to them.

Starting this spring, A Garden in Every Lot will provide new gardeners in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls metro area with site assessment, tilling, mulching and compost, and planting services as part of a multi-year effort by UNI’s Center for Energy and Environmental Education to improve community access to healthy foods.Garden installation

UNI campus

A virtual international experience

Although COVID-19 brought international travel to a grinding halt, that didn’t stop the University of Northern Iowa’s Study Abroad Center from offering students a chance to explore global cultures.

This past winter break, 42 UNI students spent two weeks virtually touring parts of Panama, Nicaragua, Brazil, and Chile, learning about the drivers of the economy and how COVID-19 has impacted Latin American’s daily lives.

UNI campus

UNI graduate programs ranked among best in the nation

UNI’s Education and Part-time MBA graduate programs were named two of the top graduate programs in the country, according to a new U.S. News & World Report ranking.

Both programs ranked among the top 200 in the country – out of thousands of similar programs at other universities – on the publication’s Best Graduate School for 2022 list.UNI campus

UNI AmeriCorps members install a residential garden in Cedar Falls.

Envisioning A Garden in Every Lot

When it comes to starting a garden, there’s one thing Kamyar Enshayan always hears.

“A lot of people say something like, ‘I’ve always wanted a vegetable garden, but I just don’t know where to start,’” the director of the University of Northern Iowa Center for Energy and Environmental Education (CEEE) said.

But now when he hears this, he has a ready answer, because a new UNI program, A Garden in Every Lot, is getting started this spring that will help aspiring gardeners start their own home garden at no cost.

UNI student Jerrell Bates

UNI Newman Civic Fellow aims to support community

Jerrell Bates arrived at UNI as an introvert wondering whether he’d ever leave his dorm room. Three years later, Bates is a campus leader whose efforts to destigmatize mental health issues were recognized with a national award.  

A wall of complimentary Post-it notes at the CME.

Spreading joy during a pandemic

A string of handwritten inspirational Post-it notes have mysteriously popped up across  campus.

They adorn exterior building doors, light posts, handrails and more. On Thursday morning, the notes were crumbled and damp from the morning showers, but the message during a pandemic is clear.

“You are powerful.” “Smile. You are beautiful.” “You are so loved.”