UNI will formally recognize the sesquicentennial milestone later this month, with a day of celebrations honoring the university’s 150-year history and its tradition of public service.
For the Schmidt Brothers, performing at this year’s UNI Homecoming Bash isn’t just another stop on their busiest touring schedule yet — it’s a return to the campus all three brothers once called home.
The 150-year history of the University of Northern Iowa is featured in the September/October 2026 issue of Iowa History Journal, thanks to an article submitted by Assistant Professor of History Kevin Mason. You can read an excerpt of the story here on Inside UNI!
Throughout the spring semester, one group of 28 students worked on a research project about the history of UNI. By the semester’s end, they shared their findings in the form of a podcast, broadcasting their lessons to the masses.
A new six-part digital exhibit traces nearly 150 years of general education at UNI, exploring how changing ideas about citizenship, higher education and what every college graduate should know have shaped the university’s curriculum.
For decades, a bronze plaque on UNI’s Campanile claimed that the historic tower clock mechanism had won the “World’s Grand Prize” at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. There was just one problem… the prize had never existed.
