University of Northern Iowa



The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a college located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 90 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities, Arts, and Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.

UNI has consistently been named one of the "Best in the Midwest" in the Princeton Review Best 351 College Rankings guide, and has ranked second in the category "regional universities (Midwest)" by U.S. News & World Report for twelve consecutive years. UNI's accounting program has consistently ranked in the top 10 universities in the nation for the pass rate of first-time candidates on the CPA Exam.

Class sizes at UNI average around 32 students; they are mostly taught by faculty, not teaching assistants. Tenured and tenure-track faculty teach 75 percent of UNI's classes. The Fall 2011 enrollment is 13,165. Ninety-two percent of its students are from the State of Iowa, in the United States.

For students interested in studying abroad, UNI is ranked fourth in the nation for the total number of students who study abroad among master's degree institutions, according to Open Doors 2002, the annual report on international education published by the Institute of International Education.

History
The University of Northern Iowa was founded as a result of two influential forces of the nineteenth century. First, Iowa wanted to care for orphans of its Civil War veterans, and secondly, Iowa needed a public teacher training institution. In 1876, when Iowa no longer needed an orphan home, legislators Edward G. Miller and H. C. Hemenway started the Iowa State Normal School.

The school's first building opened in 1869 and was known as Central Hall. The building contained classrooms, common areas, and a living facility for most of the students. It was also a home to the college's first principal, James Cleland Gilchrist. The building was the heart and soul of the school, allowing students to study courses of two-year, three-year, and four-year degrees. In 1965, a fire destroyed Central Hall, and school faculty and Cedar Falls citizens donated over $5000 to start building Gilchrist Hall.

The school has been known under the following names:
 * Iowa State Normal School, 1876–1909
 * Iowa State Teachers College, 1909–1961
 * State College of Iowa, 1961–1967
 * University of Northern Iowa, 1967–present

Student newspapers:
 * Students Offering, 1888–1889
 * Normal Eye, 1892–1911
 * College Eye, 1911–1967
 * Northern Iowan, 1967– present

Academics
University of Northern Iowa Colleges include:
 * Business
 * Education
 * Humanities, Arts and Sciences
 * Social and Behavioral Sciences
 * Graduate College

Student Statistics
For the class entering in Fall 2009, 3505 of 4133 applicants were admitted. The mean ACT composite and mean SAT total (critical reading + math) for admitted freshmen were 23.3 and 1035 respectively. That same year, 1470 of 1822 transfer applicants were accepted.

Educational Opportunities
The University of Northern Iowa has a very active program of allowing students to pursue educational opportunities outside the state of Iowa and also the country,

Liberal Arts
UNI has implemented a Liberal Arts Core (LAC) in order to provide a common liberal-arts foundation for all undergraduate students.

Study Abroad Center
UNI provides an opportunity for the students to study in 80+ countries and select from over 1,000 programs. In addition to semester and academic year programs students may choose to take part in summer, faculty-led, and short-term programs abroad. Over 50 study abroad programs are exchanges in which students continue to pay UNI tuition to attend international partner schools. UNI also offers research, internship, and student teaching opportunities abroad. All exchange programs offer courses in English as well as training in the local language, if desired. Students interested in improving foreign language skills have many program choices available to them through UNI Study Abroad programs. UNI Study Abroad Center also offers scholarships to qualified students studying overseas.

Study Abroad participation is rapidly increasing at UNI as more financial support is being offered by individual campus colleges. Internationalization has been integrated into the most recent draft of UNI's Strategic Plan. Additionally, the program has been recognized by Abroad101 as one of the best in the nation.

Culture and Intensive English Program
The Culture and Intensive English Program (CIEP) is an intensive program in English for non-native speakers. It is designed to prepare students for academic work at the undergraduate or graduate degree level. University of Northern Iowa students are also encouraged to participate in the Conversation Partner Program to help foreign students with their English ability and foster cross-cultural relationships while gaining mutual understanding.

North American Review
The university is the publisher of The North American Review (called the NAR), a celebrated literary magazine that began originally in Boston in 1815. Its past editors have included James Russell Lowell, Charles Eliot Norton, and Henry Adams; while among its past contributors are Mark Twain, Henry James, Joseph Conrad, Walt Whitman, Kurt Vonnegut, Joyce Carol Oates, Guy Davenport and Margaret Atwood. In 1968, when the magazine was purchased by UNI, Robley Wilson was appointed editor, a position he continued in until his retirement in 2000. The current editors are Grant Tracey and Vince Gotera.

In S. Duperray and R. Vidaling, Front Page: Covers of the Twentieth Century (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2003) the NAR is featured with Paris Match, The New Yorker, Vogue and twenty-four other famous magazines, and is described as being "a real institution in the United States, as much for its quality as its longevity." Since its acquisition by UNI, that book continues, the magazine has "distinguished itself" by winning a long list of prizes, both in literature and design. It has twice won the National Magazine Award for Fiction and was a finalist for that award five times; placed stories in the annual O. Henry anthologies four times, in the Pushcart Prize annuals nine times, in Best American Short Stories eight times, in Best American Essays twice, in Best American Sports Writing and Best American Travel Writing. As for its graphics, the NAR has three times been represented in Communication Arts illustration annual, twice in the Society of Publication Designers' annual, four times in the Print regional design annual, and twice won the "Ozzie" gold award for best cover among consumer magazines with a circulation of less than 100,000.

Teaching and Research Greenhouse
The University of Northern Iowa Teaching and Research Greenhouse is a greenhouse complex incorporating botanical gardens for research and education. It is located on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

The greenhouse contains plants from many ecotypes, including 250 tropical plants, an extensive collection of arid climate plants, and the 1200 sqft Aquatic Learning Center

Athletics
The school's nickname is the Panther. They participate in the NCAA's Division I (I-FCS for football) in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the Missouri Valley Conference for most other sports, and the Mid-American Conference for wrestling. The major arena on campus is the UNI-Dome currently the home of the football team. The Dome also serves as a venue for many local concerts, high school football playoffs, trade shows, and other events. In 2006, the University opened a new arena, the McLeod Center, to serve as the home for several athletic programs, including volleyball and men's and women's basketball.

UNI Athletics has enjoyed great success lately with the Men's basketball team competing in the NCAA tournament three consecutive times in 2004, 2005, 2006, and again in 2009 and 2010. On March 20, 2010, the men's basketball team defeated the heavily favored, top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks to advance to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. It was the school's first ever appearance in the Sweet Sixteen. The Jayhawks were favored to win the NCAA championship. Their Cinderella potential ended with a loss to Michigan State in the Sweet Sixteen 59-52. The win over Kansas earned them the 2010 Espy Award from ESPN for Best Upset.

The football team has been ranked in the I-AA (FCS) top 25 almost every year for the last two decades. The team appeared in the I-AA championship game in 2005, only to lose a close game to the Appalachian State Mountaineers. During 2007, the team was ranked #1 in the country by the TSN FCS poll for several weeks. The football team went undefeated in 2007 with an 11-0 record, a first for any school in the 23 year history of the Gateway conference. In 2001 and 2002 the volleyball team reached the NCAA Sweet 16 round, and in 2006 made it to the second round, and has competed in the tournament numerous times. The track team is also very successful (usually ranked in the top 25), as are the wrestling and volleyball teams.

The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team won the NCAA Division I national championship as ISTC in 1949 and NCAA Division II national championships in 1975 and 1978. They competed in the Western Wrestling Conference until 2012, when UNI became an associate member of the Mid-American Conference since the MVC is a non-wrestling conference. In 1977 the women's softball team won the AIAW national championship.

The University of Northern Iowa should not be considered one of two schools to have a NFL Offensive and Defensive MVP. It has for many years confused the Cedar Valley and UNI alumni. Bryce Paup won the Defensive Player of Year by the associated press, in 1995 (Not the NFL Most Valuable Player). In 1995, The National Football League "Most Valuable Player" went to one man; Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers. Notre Dame is the only school to have both an offensive and defensive NFL MVP. Joe Montana (Quarterback), Joe Theisman (Quarterback), and Alan Page (Defensive Lineman). Alan Page won the 1971 National Football League "Most Valuable Player Award, and "AP Defensive Player Award" in 1971.



Traditions
There are many traditions at UNI, but perhaps none as popular as campaniling. The UNI campanile comes alive Friday night of Homecoming week each year. At the stroke of midnight, students flock around the tower to steal a kiss from a long-time lover or new acquaintance. This tradition began shortly after the tower was constructed in the 1920s. At that time, there were many more women on campus than men. It is said that a male student would call a random female student to meet him at the campanile. The male student would hide in the bushes and if he did not like what he saw, he would leave the girl waiting and go back and call another one instead. It was also "common knowledge" at one time that if a female student was never kissed during campaniling, she was not a true female. The campaniling tradition faded out over the decades but has since been revived with the efforts of the Alumni Association.

There is also a tradition of wearing purple on the Friday of Homecoming. The entire city of Cedar Falls is encouraged to show support for UNI, along with wearing "UNI: Purple For Life" buttons, or any others they have. It promotes a sense of unity and school pride in the community.

A more recent trend, The Interlude, is a dance that is performed to the band "Attack Attack!"'s song of the same name. The Interlude is an all inclusive dance that was started by a small group in the student section at basketball games during the 2010-2011 season. Many attempts at recreating The Interlude have popped up all over YouTube, and the dance has been featured on ESPN as well as regional media outlets, and was mentioned by First Lady Michelle Obama in her May, 2011 commencement speech at UNI.

Campus Buildings

 * Baker Hall - Faculty offices. Formerly an all male dormitory
 * Bartlett Hall - Faculty offices. Formerly a coed dormitory.
 * Bender Hall - Coed Dormitory (Towers Complex)
 * Begeman Hall - Newly Renovated Physics Building - opened October 5, 2007
 * Biology Research Complex
 * Communication Arts Center - Location of radio station KUNI (FM)'s studios.
 * Campbell Hall - Coed (formerly female only) dormitory
 * Curris Business Building
 * Center for Energy & Environmental Education
 * Center for Educational Technology
 * Center for Urban Education - Located in Waterloo
 * Dancer Hall - Coed Dormitory (Towers Complex)
 * Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center
 * Gilchrist Hall - Administration building. Closed until 2008 due to arson fire during homecoming, Fall 2005, now reopened
 * Greenhouse Annex - Part of the McCollum Science Hall
 * Hagemann Hall - All Female Dormitory (Part of Quads Complex)
 * Industrial Technology Center - Academic Building
 * Innovative Teaching and Technology Center - Previously known as the East Gymnasium. Former Women's Gym. Remodeling was completed late Spring 2006
 * Kamerick Art Building - Academic Building; houses the University of Northern Iowa Gallery of Art
 * Latham Hall - Academic Building
 * Lawther Hall - All female dormitory
 * Lang Hall - Academic Building housing the communication departments.
 * Maucker Student Union- home of UNI's student-run radio station, KULT 94.5 FM
 * McLeod Center - Home of UNI Men's and Women's Basketball, Volleyball, and Wrestling
 * McCollum Science Hall - Academic Building housing the science departments.
 * Museum
 * Native Roadside Vegetation Center
 * Noehren Hall - Coed Dormitory (Part of Quads Complex)
 * Price Laboratory School - K-12 School Run in Conjunction with the University
 * Redeker Center - Center of Quads Complex. Houses UNI Department of Residence and Piazza Dining Center
 * Residence on the Hill (ROTH) - Coed Suite Style Residence Hall for Upperclassmen
 * Rider Hall - Coed (formerly male only) Dormitory (Part of the Quads Complex)
 * Rod Library
 * Russell Hall - Academic building and auditorium housing the Music departments
 * Sabin Hall - Academic Building
 * Schindler Education Center - Academic Building housing the education departments
 * Seerley Hall - Home of the Office of the President. Also an Academic Building, home to the History department
 * Shull Hall - Coed (formerly male only) Dormitory, recently remodeled for upperclassmen only (Part of Quads Complex)
 * Student Health Center-Student Health Clinic, Counseling Center, Student Disability Services, Violence Intervention Services.
 * Student Services Center - Attached to Bartlett Hall, formerly known as East Bartlett
 * Strayer-Wood Theatre - Theatre that also houses the theatre department of UNI. Home of Theatre UNI
 * Towers Center - Home of the Rialto Dining Center
 * UNI-Dome - Stadium with seating for 16,000+. Home of UNI Football.
 * Wellness Recreation Center
 * Wright Hall - Academic Building housing the Mathematics and Computer Sciences Departments.
 * West Gymnasium - Home of the UNI Military Science program (ROTC) and men's wrestling practice facility. Former home of UNI Women's Basketball, Women's Volleyball, and Men's Wrestling.

Notable alumni

 * LJ Fort, Cleveland Browns Line Backer
 * C. Edward McVaney, Co-founder and former CEO of the JD Edwards Corporation, a pioneering Enterprise Resource Planning company purchased by PeopleSoft in 2002.
 * John R. Dinger, former U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia (2000–2003)
 * Bess Streeter Aldrich, novelist
 * Terry Allen, Missouri State head football coach
 * Eddie Berlin, former NFL player
 * Michael Boyd, painter
 * Bruce Charlesworth, filmmaker and photographer
 * Joe Fuller, former NFL player
 * Mike Furrey, NFL player
 * Charles Grassley, current U.S. Senator
 * Gil Gutknecht, former U.S. Congressman
 * Mike Hawker, Alaska State Representative, 2002-present
 * Robert John Hibbs, Medal of Honor recipient, 1966, Vietnam war.
 * John Hall, Founder and President of Goose Island Beer Company, Chicago, IL
 * Ryan Hannam, former NFL player
 * Roger Jepsen, former U.S. Senator
 * Bonnie Koloc, vocalist, recording artist
 * Pamela Levy, American-Israeli artist
 * Jason Lewis, nationally syndicated talk host
 * Greg McDermott, currently Creighton University head men's basketball coach
 * Brad Meester, former NFL player
 * Abinadi Meza, performance artist
 * Brian Mitchell, Arena Football drop kick record holder.
 * Nick Nurse, basketball coach
 * Bryce Paup, 1995 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, 4-time Pro Bowler
 * Tom Pettit, television news correspondent for NBC
 * Chris Pirillo, former host of TechTV's "Call for Help" show, founder of Lockergnome
 * Steve Proffitt, senior producer, National Public Radio
 * Dorothy Jean Ray, anthropologist
 * William P. Robinson, President of Whitworth University
 * Dean Schwarz, ceramic artist
 * Warren Allen Smith, writer
 * Mary Ellen Solt, poet
 * Phyllis Somerville film, theatre and television actress
 * Mark Steines, co-host of Entertainment Tonight
 * Bill Stewart, jazz musician
 * Tyree Talton, former NFL player
 * Krista Voda, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series announcer
 * Kurt Warner, two-time NFL MVP, MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV
 * Joey Woody, national champion U.S. hurdler
 * Will Wilkinson, political writer and policy analyst
 * Paul Emerick, professional rugby player and three-time Rugby World Cup veteran
 * Jim "Milboy" Miller, Coaching Legend (Wrestling), and Hall of Fame inductee, and 2 Time National Champion.
 * Scott Herkelman, was CEO of now defunct computer company, BFG Technologies.

Notable faculty

 * Donna Alvermann, former professor of education, now distinguished professor and researcher in education at the University of Georgia
 * Jeremy Beck, composer, Associate Professor of Composition & Theory (1992–98)
 * Herb Hake, television personality
 * James Hearst, poet and former professor
 * Miguel Franz Pinto, vocal coach, conductor, and pianist
 * Loree Rackstraw, literary critic and memoirist
 * Leland Sage, former professor
 * Norm Stewart, former men's basketball coach who went on to become a legendary coach at the University of Missouri
 * Robert James Waller, alumnus, former professor and Dean of College of Businesses Administration, author of The Bridges of Madison County