News Release Archive

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Sturgis Youth Theatre, an extension program of the University of Northern Iowa Department of Theatre, is offering a variety of youth theatre workshops and a production of "Aladdin."

Students who will enter fourth grade or higher in the fall are invited to participate in a four-week theatre camp that will culminate in six performances of "Aladdin," a classic story about a boy, a princess, a lamp and the Genie who makes it all live happily ever after. There are parts for everyone who wants to participate. The production is directed by Gretta Berghammer, Sturgis Youth Theatre artistic director, professor, and head of drama and theatre for youth at UNI.

Per­formances will be held at 7 p.m., Thursday, July 21 through Friday, July 23; 10:30 a.m., Friday, July 22; and 2 p.m., Saturday, July 23, and Sunday, July 24 in the Strayer-Wood Theatre on the UNI campus. Meeting and rehearsal commitments last from 3 to 5 p.m. and begin Sunday, June 26.

In addition to the "Aladdin" summer production, a variety of workshops are available, including "Magic Lamps and Make Believe" for students ages 4 and 5, "Flying Carpets: Using Your Imagination" for students entering kindergarten and first grade, and "Stories from the Arabian Nights" for students entering second and third grades. A production internship program is also offered to students entering ninth grade and beyond. 

For more information, details and registration information, visit www.uni.edu/theatre/sturgis or contact Gretta Berghammer, Sturgis Youth Theatre artistic director, at 273-2149 or gretta.berghammer@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS -- The deadline for small businesses to submit applications to the John Pappajohn Iowa Business Plan Competition and the chance to win $25,000 is drawing near. Applicants are required to submit business information via AngelSoft by April 30. A link to the AngelSoft submission page is available at the competition website, www.IowaBusinessPlanCompetition.com.

Assistance with business plan development is available at the Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Centers located at Drake University, Iowa State University, North Iowa Area Community College, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa; the Small Business Development Centers throughout the state; and the business accelerators in Ames, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Dubuque, Iowa City, Red Oak and Mason City.

Rules, eligibility, timelines and assistance information are available at www.IowaBusinessPlanCompetition.com.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa's New Horizons Band (NHB) will perform a spring concert at 7:30 p.m., Monday, May 2, in the Great Hall in the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center on the UNI campus. A reception will be held in the lobby immediately following the concert.

The concert will feature the New Horizons Band percussion section. Special guest artists will be Ed Flack, Rick Dunlevy, Tim Nicolas, Dave Moyer and Tom Blankenship, who are members of The Drumslingers. The New Horizons Band will perform a variety of standard band repertoire including "Tribute to Count Basie," arranged by John Moss.

NHB is sponsored by the UNI School of Music and the UNI Community Music School. The group includes members ages 50 and older with various musical backgrounds who travel from all over Iowa to rehearse and perform. The band started in 1999 with 17 members and has a current membership of more than 70. Diana Blake, retired music educator and director of the NHB, said new members are welcome to join the group. 

The event is free and open to the public. For more information on the concert, contact Caroline Boehmer, administrative assistant in the UNI School of Music, at 319-273-2028 or caroline.boehmer@uni.edu. Cindi Mason, instructor in the UNI School of Music, can also be contacted at 319-273-2142 or cynthia.mason@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Registration is now open for the management workshop "Many are Good, Few are Great: How to Go from a Good Organization to a Great Organization" hosted by the University of Northern Iowa Executive Development Center. The workshop is 8:30 a.m. to noon, May 9, in the Business and Community Services Building on the UNI campus. The registration deadline is May 2.

"It takes courage and determination to advance an organization to the next level," said Kim Recker, program manager for the UNI Executive Development Center. "This workshop will teach participants strategies to improve employees' performance at all levels."

Instructor Patrick Langan will use Jim Collins' best-selling book "Good to Great" to evaluate what leaders need to move their organizations forward and make them great. He also will introduce the idea that adjusting expectations can improve employee performance.

The cost is $125 per person. UNI Alumni Association members receive a 10-percent discount. Businesses can purchase a consortium membership for $1,999, which entitles the business to 10 seats to any of the 2011 management training workshops. Half-day workshops count as a half seat.

For more information or to register, contact the UNI Executive Development Center at 319-273-5851 or execdev@uni.edu.

The Executive Development Center is a program of Business and Community Services, a division of the UNI College of Business Administration.    

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The fifth annual Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in the Cedar Valley will take place at 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 3, at the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum (Grout Museum District) in Waterloo.
 
Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremonies in the United States are the result of a bill passed unanimously by Congress in 1980 which, among other things, established an eight-day period -- the Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust -- for civic commemorations and special educational programs to help citizens remember and draw lessons from the Holocaust. The 2011 Days of Remembrance are Sunday, May 1, through Sunday, May 8.
 
This year's ceremony is organized around the theme chosen by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., -- Justice and Accountability in the Face of Genocide: What Have We Learned? This theme is especially appropriate this year, since 2011 is the 65th anniversary of the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal, which brought to justice leading military and civilian Nazi war criminals. This year is also the 50th anniversary of the trial in Jerusalem of Adolf Eichmann, a high-ranking SS officer who played a central role in the so-called Final Solution, the murder of 6 million Jewish men, women and children.
 
The May 3 ceremony will include remarks by officials and members of the clergy, musical performances, multimedia presentations, the reading of original poetry by middle school students and the lighting of candles in memory of the victims of the Holocaust and other genocides.

The event is free and open to the public. Sponsors of the event are the UNI Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education, Sons of Jacob Synagogue, the Cedar Valley Interfaith Council and Catholic Parishes of Waterloo.

For more information, contact the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education at chge@uni.edu, 319-273-3870 or www.uni.edu/chge.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa Department of Physics hosted the Iowa Physics Olympics Competition Wednesday, April 13, in the UNI McLeod Center. Approximately 150 students from 24 different schools participated in the state competition.

Cedar Rapids Washington High School placed first, Dubuque Wahlert Catholic High School placed second and Urbandale High School placed third in the overall school team competition, which included teams with students participating in all events. 

Grinnell-Newburg High School placed first in the self-propelled catapult event; Dubuque Wahlert placed first in the mousetrap car event; Pekin High School placed first in the optical slalom event; Washington High School placed first in the student-powered water heater event; Eddyville-Blakesburg High School placed first in the Material Recovery Facility in the box event; and Center Point-Urbana High School placed first in the challenge problem event. 

For more information, contact Larry Escalada, UNI professor of physics, at 319-273-2431 or Lawrence.escalada@uni.edu. 

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The Yager Exemplary Science and Mathematics Teaching Award, established from the Dr. Robert and Phyllis Yager Science Education Fund for Excellence, will recognize its annual awardees this spring.

The intent of the awards from the Yager Science Education Fund for Excellence Award is to recognize exemplary science and mathematics teaching by University of Northern Iowa graduates. It serves a key role in supporting UNI's leadership of the Iowa Mathematics and Science Education Partnership and reflects the importance of private support as part of UNI's current "Imagine the Impact" campaign.

This year's recipients are Shelly Bromwich, pre-K/kindergarten teacher at Malcom Price Lab School in Cedar Falls; Holly Hinkhouse, secondary school physical science, chemistry and physics teacher at Riverside High School in Oakland; Ben Olsen, sixth-grade teacher at North Cedar Elementary School in Voorhies; and Aaron Spurr, secondary school earth science and physics teacher at Malcom Price Lab School in Cedar Falls. They will meet with science and science education faculty on the UNI campus on Monday, April 25, and each will receive a $2,000 honorarium with the award.

Teachers are nominated by UNI science and math faculty members and are UNI graduates in at least their fifth year of teaching in a K through 12 classroom. Awardees are selected on the basis of teaching materials, nomination letters and student references. Nominees were asked to submit a video of their teaching and a supporting essay.

Bromwich graduated from UNI in 1992 with a B.A. in early childhood and elementary education and a M.A.E. in early childhood education in 1997. Her video highlights how she encourages her students to do "really good science" and "be a scientist" with hands-on activities and explorations. Additionally, she encourages her students to further understand shape and spatial arrangements by posing challenges for them.

Hinkhouse graduated from UNI in 2006 with a teaching B.A. in chemistry and is currently finishing an M.A. in science education. Her video illustrates how she fosters collaborative learning using multiple modes of technology, including Google docs, where students contribute to the same displayed research document and use digital-document cameras to share experimental data, SmartBoards to facilitate and record class discussion and YouTube videos to relate science to the students' everyday life.

Olsen graduated from UNI in 2000 with a teaching B.A. in elementary education with a minor in basic science (K through sixth grade) and an M.A. in elementary curriculum and instruction in 2006. His video featured an inquiry-based learning sequence leading the students to discover the mathematical constant pi. While his video illustrates Olsen's talents teaching math, as a sixth-grade teacher, he extends these qualities into science content as well.

Spurr graduated from UNI in 1989 with a teaching B.A. in earth science and an M.A. in science education in 1997 with emphases in earth science and physics. His video featured active class participation and discussion encouraging student-generated hypotheses about plate tectonics and seismic activity. This fosters curiosity in his students and motivates them to participate further.

Robert Yager, professor emeritus of science education in the College of Education at the University of Iowa where he taught for 50 years, received his B.A. in biology from UNI in 1950. Yager went on to earn his M.S. and Ph.D. in plant physiology from the University of Iowa. His research interests have focused on student motivation and attitudes toward science. He currently works on the National Science Foundation-supported IMPPACT research effort studying the effectiveness of science teacher education programs. In addition, Yager received the UNI Alumni Achievement Award in 1982, and in 2008 was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters from UNI.

For more information on this award, contact Dawn Del Carlo, associate professor in the UNI Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and science education, at 319-273-3296 or dawn.delcarlo@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS - The University of Northern Iowa "Writers Talk" Reading Series will host a reading by Lan Samantha Chang, noted award-winning writer, at 8 p.m., Wednesday, April 20, in Baker 161 on the UNI campus. This event is free and open to the public.

Chang is the director of the world-renowned Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa. She has published three works of fiction: "Hunger," a collection of stories and a novella; "Inheritance," a novel; and "All Is Forgiven, Nothing Is Lost," a novel.

Chang's work has appeared in such prestigious magazines and anthologies as the Atlantic Monthly, Story, and "The Best American Short Stories."

Among her many awards, Chang received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2008. She was also the winner of the James-Michener-Copernicus Award and has received fellowships from Stanford University, Princeton University, the Radcliffe Institute, the National Endowment for the Arts, Yaddo and the McDowell Colony.

Vince Gotera, coordinator of UNI's Creative Writing program, said, "Chang's fiction is nothing short of amazing. She's a true literary resource for the state of Iowa."

For more information, contact Gotera at 319-273-7061 or vince.gotera@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa School of Music's Percussion Ensemble, Marimba Ensemble, Winter Drum Line, West African Drum Ensemble and Kaji-Daiko (Taiko Drum Ensemble), conducted by Randy Hogancamp, UNI associate professor of percussion, will perform at 8 p.m., Monday, April 25, in Davis Hall in the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center on the UNI campus.

The Kaji-Daiko and West African Drum ensembles will present traditional Taiko music (featuring guest Taiko artist Andrew Seiffert) as well as Ga and Malinke music. The Marimba Ensemble will perform popular works such as "Up, Up and Away," "Aquarius" from the musical "Hair" and "Got to Get You Into My Life" by Lennon and McCartney, with guest artists Dan Hummel and Dennis Johnson on drum set.

The concert will feature a UNI Percussion Team performance of a piece titled "Ballet for Bouncing Balls" by Montgomery Hatch. The piece, performed by percussionists bouncing various-sized basketballs, will be dedicated to coach Tanya Warren and the 2010-2011 UNI women's basketball team.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information on this or other School of Music events and activities, contact Caroline Boehmer at 319-273-2028 or caroline.boehmer@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa Nonprofit Leadership Alliance student association (formerly American Humanics) will recognized outstanding nonprofit organizations, board members, collaborating businesses and nonprofit professionals in the local area at "Celebrating Those Changing Lives in the Cedar Valley." The Nonprofit Awards Luncheon was Friday, April 15, in the UNI Commons Ballroom.

The award winners include: The Isle Casino Hotel, Nonprofit Business Partner of the Year; the Baby Safety Project, Bob Koob Award for Collaboration; Chris Vadner, Volunteer Center of the Cedar Valley, Nonprofit Board Member of the Year; Kari McCann, Gordon Mack Award for Student Leadership; Glenda Husone, New Nonprofit Employee of the Year; Derius Johnson, YMCA, Family and Children's Council Legacy Award; Julie Hinders, Presbyterian Village, Nonprofit Staff Leader of the Year; and Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity, Exceptional Nonprofit of the Year.

The Veridian Credit Union Community Engagement awards were also presented. These awards are given to honor UNI faculty members who have enriched the quality of life in the Cedar Valley by strengthening relationships and sharing knowledge with local organizations. These award winners are as follows: Francis Degnin, College of Humanities and Fine Arts; Donald Gaff, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences; Christopher Martin, College of Humanities and Fine Arts; Jihwa Noh, College of Natural Sciences; and Erica Voss, College of Humanities and Fine Arts.

The UNI Nonprofit Leadership Alliance is a student-run organization within the Division of Leisure, Youth and Human Services. The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance is a national certification program that prepares the next generation of nonprofit leaders through coursework, service projects, networking and professional development opportunities.

For more information on UNI's Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, visit http://uni-nonprofit.org.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The 2011 recipients of the Veridian Credit Union® Community Engagement Award exemplify how community engagement can help put theory into practice, as well as make their professional lives a little more personal.

The awards honor full-time tenure-track or tenured faculty member from any of the University of Northern Iowa's five undergraduate colleges who combines his or her instructional and scholarly efforts with projects that benefit the greater community. Each recipient receives an award and a check for $1,000 payable to a nonprofit organization of their choice. If the faculty member is involved with a business or more than one organization, funding is awarded to an approved organization of the faculty member's choice.

"These faculty members have inspired meaningful partnerships among students and community organizations," said Jean Trainor, president/CEO of Veridian Credit Union. "Community engagement mirrors our vision of playing a vital role in enriching the community, and these awards are an opportunity for Veridian to express gratitude to those who are engaged in the Cedar Valley.”

The 2011 Veridian Credit Union Community Engagement Award recipients are:

Francis Degnin, associate professor of philosophy and world religions in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts.

Degnin was hired by UNI because of his emphasis on community service and his "public" philosophy. He serves in various roles around the Cedar Valley, but Degnin's largest area of community service has been to Covenant, Sartori and Mercy hospitals, where he serves as their ethics consultant. His role allows him to bring experience back to the community and his students, enabling them to take the results of his classes and apply them to the rest of their lives. Degnin will donate the money to the American Red Cross in support of the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Relief.

Donald Gaff, assistant professor of sociology, anthropology and criminology in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Gaff has focused a lot of his efforts on unearthing some of the Cedar Valley's prehistoric secrets. His archeological surveys have helped the Hartman Reserve rethink how they build and maintain trails, plan for construction projects and maintain utilities. Prior to Gaff's research, there was little consideration for the historical treasures within the park. Gaff has made numerous presentations to draw attention to the potential of archaeology to contribute to a community's understanding of its history. His new discoveries are helping to fill in the archeological record of a poorly understood part of Iowa. Gaff will donate the money to The Friends of Hartman Reserve.

Christopher Martin, interim head and professor of communication studies in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts.

Martin has been involved with the College Hill Partnership since its formation in 2008. He has helped develop marketing materials, draft press releases and has chaired several major events to bring positive attention to College Hill. He works with his students and empowers them to plan and organize events and to get quality, hands-on experience. Much of the College Hill Partnership's growth during the past few years can be directly attributed to the efforts of Martin and his students. Martin will donate the money to the College Hill Partnership.

Jihwa Noh, associate professor of mathematics in the College of Natural Sciences.

Noh has been active in building relationships with schools and math teachers in the Cedar Falls and Waterloo community school districts, fostering learning for both the university and the schools. Along with a colleague, Noh designed a school-based field-experience model that benefitted UNI math pre-service teachers with extended, high-quality field experiences. Noh, along with her students, facilitated math club sessions at Waterloo West High School offering assistance with homework and college entrance exam preparation. Noh will donate the money to Waterloo West High School.

Erica Voss, assistant professor of art in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts.

Voss has directed the content in several of her courses towards issues of community engagement and involvement through the arts. She also taught a seminar that focused on the theme "Artists and Community" and presented material on how artists have integrated their work into various community-based projects. Recently, Voss' Sculpture I class collaborated with members of Newel Post, a day facility for adults with mental disabilities or illness. She allows her students to grow by putting art into practice in the community. Voss will donate the money to Newel Post.

The 2011 Community Engagement Award winners were recognized at the seventh annual Cedar Valley Nonprofit Awards luncheon on Friday, April 15. The luncheon was presented by UNI's American Humanics program.

In 2006, Veridian Credit Union partnered with UNI to annually recognize the outstanding contributions of UNI faculty members to community engagement in the state.

Veridian Credit Union®, founded in 1934 in Waterloo, Iowa, is a not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members. The credit union offers a full range of consumer financial services and employs more than 500 Iowans throughout 25 branches, including 13 in the Cedar Valley, Independence and Oelwein. For more information, visit www.veridiancu.org or call 800-235-3228.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- In observation of Earth Week, a group of students at the University of Northern Iowa will present a public forum at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 19, in the auditorium of UNI's Center for Energy and Environmental Education (CEEE), with a poster session preceding the forum at 6:45 p.m. The forum is part of a freshman seminar called "Visioning a Sustainable World in 2050."

"Young people have the most at stake and should be in the vanguard of the sustainability movement," said Bill Stigliani, seminar instructor and UNI professor of environmental science. "The current generation has inherited numerous problems, such as climate change, resource depletion, species extinction and ecosystem degradation. These problems are increasing, while global population expands and newly emerging economies are increasing the demand for energy and raw materials."

The students, who are Presidential Scholars, have been working throughout the semester on a synthesis report that outlines a blueprint for a sustainable society in 2050 as they envision it. Presidential Scholars, who were in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class with composite ACT scores of 29 or above, each receive a four-year renewable scholarship.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Stigliani at 319-273-7150 or william.stigliani@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- An Alliant Energy Bright Ideas grant will allow the University of Northern Iowa to continue its energy education outreach in Iowa K through 12 schools. UNI's Center for Energy & Environmental Education (CEEE) plans to use new equipment and activities to increase the number of schools, teachers and students learning about energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Patricia Higby, energy education outreach coordinator at the CEEE, says today's students are tomorrow's voters, taxpayers and energy consumers. "By educating Iowa's K through 12 students, we can positively impact their future use and production of energy, as well as the present energy habits of their families, schools and communities."

Higby says in order to educate our students, we must first educate their teachers and provide them with the resources needed to teach about energy in their classrooms. "This grant will allow us to provide the materials and professional development teachers need to teach their students about wise energy production and use."

Bright Ideas grants from Alliant Energy are one-time funding opportunities designed to encourage the creation of unique energy-conservation and energy-efficient ideas.

This Bright Ideas grant allowed the CEEE to purchase pedal power equipment for hands-on learning about the benefits of energy efficiency and conservation. Students pedal a bike to generate electricity and learn about the increased work needed to power inefficient equipment. The grant also purchased a small unit featuring a micro turbine and two solar panels that will be available to teachers.

"We’re glad to continue to support energy education in our schools," said Jeanine Penticoff, director of energy efficiency and renewables at Alliant Energy. "By teaching the next generation the importance of energy efficiency, they will grow up making smart energy decisions throughout their lives."

The CEEE will involve students in community-action projects to showcase what they have learned. These projects may include school energy carnivals, video productions for local cable TV, home weatherization and presentations for civic organizations. Another activity is a school energy efficiency contest in which schools compete to have the greatest percentage of energy savings compared to the previous year.

For more information, contact Higby at 319-273-6012.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa's Nonprofit Leadership Alliance is requesting proposals for a one-year service partnership with a local nonprofit organization. Organizations throughout the Cedar Valley are encouraged to apply through a Request for Proposal (RFP), which can be found at http://uni-nonprofit.org/. The RFPs are due to Julianne Gassman, associate professor in the UNI Department of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services, via email at gassman@uni.edu by 5 p.m., Friday, April 29.

The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance is dedicated to transforming today's students into tomorrow's nonprofit leaders. One of the ways the student organization seeks to transform these students is by offering practical experience.

Nonprofit Leadership Alliance students have assisted the Black Hawk County Long Term Recovery Committee in calling families affected by the floods of 2008 to direct them to additional resources. They have also planned and implemented free health screenings and health-education fairs at East and West high schools in Waterloo. This year, they organized "Up with Families," which provided a weekend of fun for families who have children with a disability.

For more information, contact Gassman at 319-273-2264 or gassman@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa will unveil its newest piece of artwork during the intermission of UNI's Jazz Band One concert at 8:30 p.m., Friday, April 22, in the William and Charlotte Hinson Lobby of Russell Hall. The unveiling is free and open to the public.

World-renowned artist Dale Chihuly designed the piece, entitled "Zephyr Blue Persian Set with Tangerine Lip Wraps." Chihuly cofounded Pilchuck Glass School in Washington state and is a leader in developing glass as a fine art. His work is included in more than 200 museum collections around the world. 

The UNI Art and Architecture committee selected the piece and has the role of seeking, commissioning and purchasing art that engages members of the campus community. The committee was founded to meet the requirements of the "Art in State Buildings" program, which was enacted by the Iowa Legislature in 1979 to ensure that the fine arts play an important role in state construction projects. This legislation requires that one-half of one percent of the total cost of state construction projects be used to incorporate the fine arts into state buildings.

The Jazz Band One concert, beginning at 7:30 p.m., is ticketed and open to the public. Guest artist Kenny Wheeler will be featured at the event. To order tickets, call 319-273-4TIX.

CEDAR FALLS, IOWA -- The University of Northern Iowa today announced it's in the final stage of a yearlong effort to study its athletics program as part of the NCAA Division I athletics certification process. Specific areas of study have included governance and commitment to rules compliance; academic integrity; gender and diversity; and student-athlete well-being.   

The public is invited to hear the results of the review and offer opinions on the draft recommendations for UNI Athletics at any of the following open meetings, all on the UNI campus:

8-9 a.m., Tuesday, April 19, in the University Room, Maucker Union

Noon-1 p.m., Wednesday, April 20, in the Alumni Suite, McLeod Center 

4-5 p.m., Thursday, April 21, in the University Room, Maucker Union

"The purpose of athletics certification process is to help ensure integrity in the institution's athletics operations by opening them up to the university community and to the public," said Cliff Chancey, chair of the UNI NCAA steering committee. "UNI has benefited from the review by increasing campus-wide awareness and knowledge of the athletics program, confirming its strengths, and developing plans to improve areas of concern."

The current self-study is the third in the certification process for UNI. The university completed its first certification self-study in 1995 and its second in 2002.

Following public reviews and editorial changes, UNI will submit the self-study document to the NCAA on April 29. An external team of reviewers will conduct a three- or four-day evaluation visit to UNI this fall. The peer-review team will report to the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification. The committee will then determine UNI's certification status and announce the decision publicly. The three options of certification status are: certified, certified with conditions and not certified.

The NCAA is a membership organization of colleges and universities that participate in intercollegiate athletics.  The primary purpose of the Association is to maintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the educational program and the athlete as an integral part of the student body. Activities of the NCAA membership include formulating rules of play for NCAA sports, conducting national championships, adopting and enforcing standards or eligibility, and studying all phases of intercollegiate athletics.

For more information, see www.unipanthers.com/school-bio/niwa-ncaa-certification.html.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- "Panther Village" is the name of the University of Northern Iowa's latest apartment complex. Phase I of Panther Village, which includes room for 204 students, is under construction and will be ready for occupancy in fall 2012. Most of the apartments are designed for four students in single bedrooms sharing living, dining and kitchen space. Phase II, which will include room for 246 students, will be ready for occupancy in fall 2013.

Campus residence halls and ROTH apartments and suites are home to 4,127 students in ten communities. The number of sophomores, juniors and seniors returning to on-campus communities is rising.

"This name embodies UNI pride and a sense of community for the new apartment complex south of Redeker Center. The residence community project was initiated to diversify housing inventory to meet needs of current and future students who are looking for a different level of independence in their housing while retaining all the academic and social advantages of living on campus," says Michael Hager, assistant vice president for student affairs and executive director of residence.

Meal plans will be optional for residents. Dining delivery systems in Redeker are being evaluated to assess the potential for expansion to serve additional students in Panther Village who may choose to purchase a meal plan.

The project webcam is linked to the DOR Web page under "What's Happening" at www.uni.edu/dor. For more information, contact Pat Beck, assistant director marketing and conferences, at 319-273-7438 or pat.beck@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa Gallery of Art will present three exhibitions featuring recent work and research by students and faculty, Monday, April 25, through Saturday, May 7. A reception for the exhibitions will be held at 7 p.m., April 25, at the UNI Gallery of Art.

Jay Raabe of Cedar Rapids is pursuing a master of arts degree with an emphasis in studio art, multi-media. An artist and educator living with his wife, son and a plethora of pets, Raabe says his work "looks at simple truths that are readily available to everyone." The exhibition is titled "FGMT" and examines "objects and experiences of our lives, revealing bits and patterns that make us whole."

Sarah Deppe of Maquoketa is pursuing a bachelor of fine arts degree with an emphasis in sculpture. Deppe's exhibition, titled "Ruination," seeks to "inspire the viewer's interest in the earth, change their view of the environment and inform them of critical problems humans are causing to the environment, in a way that doesn't waste the world's resources, but rather borrows or reuses them. My sculptures reflect my concern for the earth; for example, the impact of human overpopulation and the destruction of forests. All wood in the exhibition has been found on the ground, and no standing trees were harmed."

"Headshot" is a print folio curated by UNI associate professor of art Tim Dooley and Bill Fick of Cockeyed Press. According to Dooley, the exhibition is "a dynamic all-star roster of 15 established print artists engaging the theme of headshot and all that topic might imply: militaristic, fashion, celebrity, self-portraiture or parody, etc. Each of these artists chose two artists whose work they admired to allow for a kind of viral curating. In addition, the 22-by-30-inch fine-art prints were photographed and published as a set of postcards packaged in a slipcase designed and hand-printed by UNI alumnus BJ Alumbaugh."

All events are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday; and noon to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. The gallery is located at the northeast corner of Hudson Road and West 27^th Street on the main floor of Kamerick Art Building South.

For more information, call 319-273-3095 or visit www.uni.edu/artdept/gallery. 

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – In response to the earthquake/tsunami disaster in Japan, the Department of History at the University of Northern Iowa will hold three events to raise funds for those affected.

Reinier H. Hesselink, UNI professor of Japanese history who is familiar with the devastated area, will present a slideshow-lecture presentation about the three communities on Japan's Iwate Coast most impacted by the disaster: Miyako, Yamada and Taro. Hesselink's presentation will also include an analysis of a comparable disaster that occurred nearly 1,200 years ago and images of life in the three coastal communities before, during and after the earthquake/tsunami.

The presentation will be held at 7 p.m., Friday, April 15, at Cedar Heights Presbyterian Church, 2015 Rainbow Dr. in Cedar Falls. A second showing will be held at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 20, in 115 Seerley Hall on the UNI campus.

The film "Hura Garu" ("Hula Girls") will be shown at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 27, in 115 Seerley Hall. This award-winning Japanese film based on real-life events shows how a group of girls learned to hula dance to save their small mining village. Their efforts also helped create the Joban Hawaiian Center (now known as Spa Resort Hawaiians), one of Japan's most popular theme parks.

The lectures and film screening are free and open to the pubic. The history department established an account to collect donations for relief efforts, and the public is encouraged to donate when they attend the events. In addition, Cedar Valley Japan Club members made ornaments from Japanese paper. The ornaments will be sold at both the lecture and film screening, with proceeds going toward UNI's Japan Relief Fund.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Registration is now open for the management workshop "Superstar Hunt: Finding and Grooming Tomorrow's Leaders," hosted by the University of Northern Iowa Executive Development Center. The workshop is 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday, May 3, in the Business and Community Services Building on the UNI campus. The registration deadline is April 26.

During this workshop, instructor Jim Hogan will discuss the role a retiring manager plays in successful succession planning and how managers can assess staff and identify high-performers who will be ready to lead. Participants will develop transition plans that include training employees for new responsibilities, and they will review tools that will help assess, prepare and expedite the implementation of a succession plan.

The workshop cost is $249 per person. UNI Alumni Association members receive a 10-percent discount. Businesses can purchase a consortium membership for $1,999, which entitles the business to 10 seats to any of the 2011 management training workshops. Half-day workshops count as a half seat. After the 10 seats are used, additional seats can be purchased at a discounted rate of $175 per person.

For more information or to register, contact the UNI Executive Development Center at 319-273-5851 or execdev@uni.edu.

The Executive Development Center is a program of Business and Community Services, a division of the UNI College of Business Administration.     

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa's comedy improv troupe, Half-Masted, will present unscripted shows at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 28, through Saturday, April 30, in the Bertha Martin Theatre in Strayer Wood Theatre on UNI's campus. There will be a family-friendly show at 3:30 p.m., Saturday, April 30, in the same location.  

The troupe is directed by Doug Shaw, professor of mathematics at UNI, and involves UNI students, alumni and members of the community. The troupe also does private shows and seminars throughout Iowa.

Shaw has performed with several improv troupes throughout the Midwest, including the Impossibles and Look Ma, No Pants!

The event is open to the public. Tickets are $3 for adults and $1 for students, payable by cash or check only. Children are admitted free. For reservations or more information, contact Shaw at 319-273-6805 or doug@half-masted.com.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Malcolm Price Laboratory School is set to host the 43^rd annual Elementary Literacy Conference. The conference will be held Friday, April 15, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Schindler Education Center on the University of Northern Iowa campus.

Marc Brown, author and illustrator of the Arthur and Aardvark book series, will give the conference's keynote address. Brown is also executive producer of the PBS television show "Arthur," as well as the new series "Postcards from Buster." "Arthur" has won six Emmy Awards and remains the most watched children's show on PBS. Brown and his wife are the creators of the critically acclaimed nonfiction Dino Life Guides for Families series, which includes “When Dinosaurs Die,” “Dinosaurs Divorce,” "How to Be a Friend: A Guide to Making Friends and keeping Them” and "What’s the Big Secret: Talking About Sex with Girls and Boys.”

Brown will autograph his books, which will be available for purchase during the conference. There is a limit of two autographed books per person.

Brown will also visit with students at MPLS from 8:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., Thursday, April 14.

The cost of the conference is $90. For more information and to register, visit www.pls.uni.edu/read or contact Clare Struck at 319-273-6189.

New this year are two pre-conference sessions --  Information for Reading Recovery Institute and Institute for Administrators on Thursday, April 14.  These sessions will provide information about the Reading Recovery program and the new Richard O. Jacobson Center for Comprehensive Literacy. For more information and to register, visit www.pls.uni.edu/read.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa and its College of Education will offer a free webinar as part of their "Hot Topics in Education" professional development webinar series. "The Achievement Gap - Going Beyond Socioeconomic and Cultural Factors" will be held from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., Thursday, April 28. The webinar will be presented by Dewitt Jones, associate professor of educational leadership and postsecondary education. 

Students in the U.S. are falling behind in student achievement compared to other countries. There are many issues that affect student achievement beyond socioeconomic and cultural competence. This presentation will discuss the roles schools, teachers, administrators, parents, government and researchers play in improving student achievement.

The Hot Topics webinar series allows educators to learn from UNI experts in the comfort of their classroom, office or home. To learn more about the "Hot Topics in Education" series or to register for this free webinar, visit www.uni.edu/coe/webinars.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Priya Shahani, program coordinator of the Monarch Joint Venture at the University of Minnesota, will speak at 4 p.m., Wednesday, April 20, at the University of Northern Iowa's Tallgrass Prairie Center. Her lecture, titled "Monarch Biology, Conservation Needs, and the Monarch Joint Venture" is part of the Natural Resources Research and Management Seminar Series, sponsored by the Tallgrass Prairie Center.

Over the past few decades, monarch butterflies have become the focus of increasing conservation concern. Recently, a number of agencies and organizations teamed together to form the Monarch Joint Venture (MJV), a partnership effort to conserve the monarch and its migration across the nation. Shahani will introduce the basics of monarch biology and their migration, as well as the conservation challenges that face monarchs. She will also discuss recent efforts of the MJV to understand monarch population trends using citizen science data.

Shahani is the national program coordinator for the MJV. Previously, she worked as a natural areas ecologist for a system of conservation lands managed by Washington state's Department of Natural Resources, designing habitat restoration projects and conducting research focused on protecting the endangered species and ecosystems of Eastern Washington. She holds a doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of California-Santa Cruz, where her research focused on pollination and population biology of rare and sensitive plants.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Ryan Welch, outreach coordinator at the Tallgrass Prairie Center, at 319-273-3828 or rwelch@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa will celebrate environmental efforts during Earth Week, kicking off Monday, April 18, and culminating on Thursday, April 21.

Earth Week is a campus-wide event that aims to involve the campus community in environmental action and celebrate the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day. According to www.earthday.org, more than 1 billion people in 190 countries celebrate the day each year.

UNI's Earth Week activities are listed below.

Monday, April 18

-Wetland Clean up: 4 p.m., north of the WRC parking lot

Tuesday, April 19

-Camping Under the Campanile: 5 p.m. till 8 a.m.

-Visioning a Sustainable World: 6:45 p.m. in the Center for Environmental Energy and Education Auditorium. Students and faculty will participate in an open forum, taking place after a poster presentation.

Wednesday, April 20

-Monarch Biology, Conservation Needs and the Monarch Joint Venture: 4 p.m. at the UNI Tallgrass Prairie Center. A lecture will discuss the importance of conserving the monarch and its migration across the nation.

-Becoming a Locavore: 6:30 p.m. at the Center for Multicultural Education in Maucker Union. A showing of the movie "Food, Inc.," which offers an unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry, will follow a brief lecture. 

Thursday, April 21

-UNI Earth Day Celebration: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., outside at Maucker Union Plaza will include educational displays promoting energy conservation, waste reduction, recycling, pollution prevention, renewable energy sources and other environmental initiatives.

-UNI Sustainability Forum: 2 to 4 p.m. in the Maucker Union Ballroom

-Ride the Trails: 5:30 p.m., starting at the Maucker Union fountain. A bike ride throughout Cedar Falls' miles of trails will end at Mulligans Brick Oven and Pub on E. 18^th Street.

Full details of all the events are available at www.RRTTC.com. 

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa Panther Speakers series will offer a free webinar, "Living Within Our Means Energy Wise," presented by Kamyar Enshayan, director of UNI's Center for Energy and Environmental Education (CEEE). The webinar will be held from noon to 12:50 p.m., Wednesday, April 20.

As we teeter at the peak of global oil supply, there are claims that this fuel is renewable, that it will run forever and that the ultimate energy source is just around the corner. From the end of an era awash with "cheap" energy to the kind of community planning necessary to live within our energy means, this presentation will highlight the conversations that need to take place in our communities and educational environments.

Enshayan has helped develop several community-wide programs, including Buy Fresh, Buy Local, which makes it easier for residents to find and purchase locally grown foods, and Yards for Kids, a health education program aimed at reducing the use of lawn weed killers to decrease children's exposure to these toxins at schools, parks and home.

To learn more about the UNI Panther Speakers series or to register for this webinar, visit www.uni.edu/pantherspeakers.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Registration is now open for the management workshop "Building Win-Win Relationships" hosted by the University of Northern Iowa Executive Development Center. The workshop is 8:30 a.m. to noon, April 29, in the Business and Community Services Building on the UNI campus. The registration deadline is April 22.

Instructor Patrick Langan will teach participants the importance of building relationships that benefit both parties. Workshop participants will explore the skills necessary for building those relationships, including respect and appreciation for people with differing backgrounds and viewpoints, and will learn to blend persuasion, assertiveness and negotiating skills to produce win-win results.

The workshop cost is $125 per person. UNI Alumni Association members receive a 10-percent discount. Businesses can purchase a consortium membership for $1,999, which entitles the business to 10 seats to any of the 2011 management training workshops. Half-day workshops count as a half seat. After the 10 seats are used, additional seats can be purchased at a discounted rate of $175 per person.

For more information or to register, contact the UNI Executive Development Center at 319-273-5851 or execdev@uni.edu.

The Executive Development Center is a program of Business and Community Services, a division of the UNI College of Business Administration.     

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa will offer "Introduction to Sustainability" (TECH 1059:12) in the fall of 2011. The 3-credit course will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. in Room 115 in the Center for Energy and Environmental Education (CEEE) on the UNI campus.

The course will begin with a survey of the environmental status of the planet, including climate change, ocean acidification, ecosystem degradation, and water quality and quantity. Students will then focus on opportunities for sustainable solutions, such as sustainable energy systems, communities and agriculture, and how we can learn from nature.

According to Bill Stigliani, course instructor and professor of environmental science, "Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Our hope is that this course will provide skills, insights and inspiration to help students make sense of our rapidly changing world and the opportunities to recreate a world built on a sustainable vision."

The course has no prerequisites. For more information, contact Stigliani at 319-273-7150 or william.stigliani@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa's International Dance Theatre (IDT) will present its spring concert at 2 p.m., Saturday, April 16, and 6 p.m., Sunday, April 17, in Lang Hall Auditorium on the UNI campus.

This year's show is titled "Tango, Tap and Tevye: The Broadway Show" and features multicultural and ballroom dances from Broadway and movie musicals. The troupe will perform the Bottle Dance from "Fiddler on the Roof," El Tango de Roxanne from "Moulin Rouge" and Hand Jive from "Grease." The dances are choreographed by both students and faculty. Professional ballroom dancers will perform choreography by current World Ballroom Dance Champion, J.T. Thomas.

Tickets are $3 for students and $6 for the general public.  Tickets can be purchased at the door or by calling Daniel Wells, director of the IDT, at 319-273-3560.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa's chapter of Pi Sigma Epsilon marketing fraternity and University Mills Apartments will host the 10^th annual Sprint into Spring 5K Run/Walk at 9:30 a.m., Saturday, April 30, beginning and ending at the West Gym on the UNI campus.

There will be a raffle and a short awards ceremony following the race. Prizes will be awarded to the top overall male and female winners, along with the top two finishers in each age division.

To register, visit https://www.wepay.com/xsbmo8 or send registration forms to Pi Sigma Epsilon, Marketing Department, CBB 336, Cedar Falls, IA 50614. The race registration fee is $15 and includes a T-shirt, water, bagels and fruit. The registration fee after April 16 is $20. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross Hawkeye Chapter.

The event is open to the public. For more information, contact Leah Schulte, committee member, Pi Sigma Epsilon, at 563-608-1215 or lschulte00@gmail.com; or Kathryn Tietz, vice president of marketing, Pi Sigma Epsilon, at 563-357-2780 or tietz.kathryn@gmail.com.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Registration is now open for the management workshop "Survival Skills for First-Time Managers" hosted by the University of Northern Iowa Executive Development Center. The workshop is 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., April 26, in the Business and Community Services Building on the UNI campus. The registration deadline is April 19.

This workshop is boot camp for first time managers, according to Kim Recker, program manager for the UNI Executive Development Center.

Instructor Jim Hogan will introduce the management skills and tools needed to put a new leader on the right path. He will help workshop participants identify their natural leadership style and how to adapt their communication style based on the person and the business situation. Practical conflict resolution skills and ways to reward good performance will be covered, along with when and how to take corrective action.

The workshop cost is $249 per person. UNI Alumni Association members receive a 10-percent discount. Businesses can purchase a consortium membership for $1,999, which entitles the business to 10 seats to any of the 2011 management training workshops. Half-day workshops count as a half seat. After the 10 seats are used, additional seats can be purchased at a discounted rate of $175 per person.

For more information or to register, contact the UNI Executive Development Center at 319-273-5851 or execdev@uni.edu.

The Executive Development Center is a program of Business and Community Services, a division of the UNI College of Business Administration.     

CEDAR FALLS, IOWA -- Annually, each department within the University of Northern Iowa's College of Business Administration (UNIBusiness) and the MBA program selects an alumnus or alumna to serve as its Alumni in Residence and bring his or her experience and expertise "back home" to connect theory to practice for students.

The 2011 UNIBusiness Alumni in Residence: 

Department of Accounting

Greg Engel, CPA, is a partner at KPMG and the national service line leader for the federal tax services and tax sector leader for insurance tax practices at the firm. Engel advises global companies in all areas of taxation, including insurance structures and products, mergers and acquisitions, and disposition planning. Many of his clients are Fortune 1000 companies. Engel joined KPMG in 1985 and was admitted to partnership in 1994. In 2010, he was elected to the KPMG Board of Directors.

Engel graduated from UNI in 1985 with a degree in accounting. He resides in Katy, Texas.

Department of Economics

Katie (MacDonald) Hesse is a residential real estate broker with Oakridge Realtors. Hesse has seven years of experience with $20 million in sales and more than 160 transactions in the Cedar Valley real estate market. She is a mentor and trainer to peers in her industry and has been active in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Board of Realtors and the Iowa Realtors Leadership Institute.

Hesse has earned Accredited Buyer Representative, Graduate REALTOR Institute and Certified Residential Specialist designations, and was honored as the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Board of Realtors Rookie of the Year in 2005. In 2009, her sales volume put her in the top 10 percent of agents in the Cedar Valley market.

Hesse graduated from UNI in 2001 with a degree in economics. She and her husband, Matt, live in Cedar Falls.

Department of Finance

Jason Hutcheson, is the director of economic development at the Greater Burlington Partnership. As the director of economic development, Hutcheson oversees business recruitment, retention and entrepreneurial development programs in southeast Iowa. He also is responsible for marketing and developing Flint Ridge Business Park, a 315-acre mixed-use development owned by the organization.

Hutcheson graduated from UNI in 2004 with a degree in finance and real estate and earned his MBA from St. Ambrose University. He and his wife, Jaime, reside in Morning Sun, Iowa, with their two children.

Department of Management

Jill Hemphill, CPA, is a real estate tax practice partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers  (PwC). Hemphill specializes in in-bound and out-bound real estate tax planning. She also works extensively in the areas of carried interest plan structuring and taxation and REIT planning and structuring. Prior to joining the real estate group, Hemphill specialized in global executive compensation planning with PwC.

Hemphill graduated from UNI in 1991 with a degree in management and received a Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota. She resides in New York.

Department of Marketing

Grant Leese is the retail lead director for target major account at Kraft Foods. Immediately after graduation, Leese began his professional career with Kraft as an entry-level sales representative in Des Moines. Throughout his 29 years of service to the company, Leese has held positions that include region director of retail, customer business manager and senior retail sales manager. Leese also serves on UNI's Department of Marketing Advisory Board.

Leese graduated from UNI in 1982 with a degree in marketing. He and his wife, Jane, reside in Edina, Minn., with their three children.

MBA

Monte Berg is the senior vice president of finance at Veridian Community Credit Union, a position he has held for the past 18 years. Prior to this position, he was an examiner with the Iowa Credit Union Division. Berg currently serves on the Iowa Corporate Central Credit Union board of directors as treasurer and the Cedar Valley United Way Finance Committee, is a member of the Iowa Society of Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Berg received his MBA from UNI in 2001. He resides in Cedar Falls.

For more than 20 years, UNIBusiness has honored its distinguished alumni as part of its annual recognition of student and faculty excellence. The 2011 Alumni in Residence for the undergraduate departments will be on campus April 14 to meet with students and faculty during the day and participate in the Class of 2011 Celebration. Each will present during a forum, "Experience Speaks: Life after Graduation," at 6 p.m. in the Curris Business Building John Deere Auditorium.

Berg, the MBA Alumni in Residence, will join this year's MBA students for their final presentations in June.

For more information about UNIBusiness, visit www.cba.uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Julie Dash, an acclaimed African American movie director, will speak about her work at the University of Northern Iowa at 8 p.m., Wednesday, April 20, in the Maucker Union expansion as part of the Hearst Lecture Series.

Dash has toured internationally with her work and has received numerous awards. With the debut of "Daughters of the Dust" in 1992, Dash became the first African-American woman in the nation to have a full-length general theatrical release. The Newark Black Film Festival honored "Daughters of the Dust" as being one of the most important cinematic achievements in Black Cinema in the 20th century. Dash received the Life Time Achievement Award from the Images of Black Women Film Festival in the United Kingdom. In 2010, Howard University honored Dash with the Paul Robeson Award for Excellence in Writing and Directing. Other films she has directed include "Brothers of the Borderland" and "The Rosa Parks Story," an NAACP Image Award-wining CBS television movie.

Dash earned her M.F.A. in Film & Television production at UCLA; received her B.A. in Film Production from CCNY and was also a Fellow at the American Film Institute’s Center for Advanced Film Studies, the AFI conservatory at Greystone Mansion.

In anticipation of Dash's visit, there will be screenings of two of her films at the Center for Multicultural Education (CME). At 10 a.m., Thursday, April 14, and Monday, April 18, "Daughters of the Dust" will be shown and immediately followed by "The Rosa Parks Story." The same films will be shown again at 1 p.m., Tuesday, April 19.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Christopher Martin, professor of communication studies, at 319-273-6188 or christopher.martin@uni.edu.

- END -

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – "Waste Reduction: Addressing the Overlooked 'R,'" a one-hour University of Northern Iowa graduate-credit course, will be held near Dubuque as a two-part course in June and November.

Part I of the course will be held Wednesday, June 8 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday, June 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., locations to be determined. The Part II workshop will be held Friday, Nov. 11 from 6 to 9 p.m., locations again to be determined.

"A limited number of free registrations will be available to kindergarten through 12^th-grade teachers, thanks to the generous support of local solid waste agencies," said course instructor Susan Salterberg, UNI Center for Energy and Environmental Education. A $50 fee will be charged to those not receiving free registration.

Visit www.ceee.uni.edu/wastereduction/workshops.aspx for course details, a list of counties offering free registrations and to register. The courses are offered through Science Education and the Center for Energy and Environmental Education in UNI's College of Natural Sciences. 

UNI is able to offer graduate credit, free books and lesson plans, thanks to funding support from the Resource Enhancement and Protection Conservation Education Program and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Solid Waste Alternatives Program. Other supporters include the East Central Iowa Council of Governments, the Boone County Landfill, the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency, and other solid waste agencies and landfills.

For more information, contact Susan Salterberg at 319-337-4816 or salterberg@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The UNI Jazz Band One will perform at 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 22, at Bengtson Auditorium in Russell Hall on the University of Northern Iowa campus as part of the 2010-2011 Spotlight Series. Guest artist Kenny Wheeler will be featured at the event.

Wheeler, a noted jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger and educator, is one of Europe's most sought-after trumpet and flugelhorn players. Guest vocalist Rachel Price (UNI '08) will also perform, along with Chris Merz, UNI associate professor of jazz studies and jazz division chair; Bob Washut, professor in the UNI School of Music; Bob Dunn, instructor in the School of Music; and David Dunn, piano maintenance technician and coordinator in the School of Music.

The concert, under the direction of Merz, will feature Jazz Band One performing Kenny Wheeler's "Sweet Time Suite" in its entirety. The band will also premiere a new composition by UNI School of Music graduate student Peter Roberts titled "Let Go." The faculty jazz combo will accompany Wheeler on his compositions "Everybody's Song But My Own," "Mark Time" and "The Jigsaw."

A champagne toast at intermission and a post-concert reception will honor the 60^th anniversary of the first ever UNI (Iowa State Teacher's College) jazz band. Alumni from the original band will be present and honored throughout the evening. New artwork by Dale Chihuly will be unveiled at intermission, and artwork by Emanuel Vardi will be on display for viewing as well.

UNI's Jazz Band One is one of the longest running jazz programs in the United States and hosts one of the largest high school jazz festivals in the country each year. 

The concert is ticketed and open to the public. To order tickets, call 319-273-4TIX. For more information about the concert or other UNI School of Music events, contact Caroline Boehmer at 319-273-2028 or caroline.boehmer@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa will host Relay For Life from 6 p.m., Friday, April 8, to 6 a.m., Saturday, April 9, in the McLeod Center. The theme this year is "Imagine a Whole New World Without Cancer." Currently, 86 teams are signed up to walk around the McLeod Center to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

The event will begin with cancer survivors walking the first lap. There will be many activities going on during the relay, including a scavenger hunt, an inflatable jousting game and a performance by UNI's Half-Masted improvisation troupe. There will also be performances by the bands Fourth Floor Orange and I'm Prettier Than You. Jordan Hobson, a popular local solo artist, will play as well. At 4 a.m., a dance party will begin with UNI's famous Interlude Dance. There will be food available to attendees throughout the night.

This event is free and open to the public. There will be a special dinner and reception area for cancer survivors, who are encouraged to R.S.V.P. to Sarah McCarty, co-president of Colleges Against Cancer and Relay For Life. For more information, contact McCarty at 712-260-1157 or mccartys@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- UNI's Department of Physics will host the State Physics Olympics competition at 9 a.m., Wednesday, April 13, in the McLeod Center on the UNI campus.

More than 100 high school students who qualified in their AEA regional competition will test their skills. These students qualified in teams at regional competitions, and these teams represent the top teams from various AEAs. Student teams will use their understanding of physics to design and construct devices or setups within required specifications to perform specific physical tasks or procedures in a variety of events. Events include the mouse-trap car, self-propelled catapult, student-powered water heater and a challenge problem.

A special challenge event -- material recovery facility (MRF) in a box -- will be introduced and exhibited by the Iowa Recycling Association. In this event, students construct an MRF -- a conveyor system that sorts recyclable materials.

For more information, contact Larry Escalada, UNI professor of Physics, at 319-273-2431 or lawrence.escalada@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – "Waste Reduction: Addressing the Overlooked 'R,'" a one-hour University of Northern Iowa graduate-credit course, will be held near Boone as a two-part course in June and November.

Part I of the course will be held Monday and Tuesday, June 13 and 14, at the Des Moines YMCA Camp near Boone. Part II will be held Friday, Nov. 4, from 6 to 9 p.m., at a location to be determined.

"A limited number of free registrations will be available to kindergarten through 12^th-grade teachers, thanks to the generous support of local solid waste agencies," said course instructor Susan Salterberg, UNI Center for Energy and Environmental Education. A $50 fee will be charged to those not receiving free registration.

Visit www.ceee.uni.edu/wastereduction/workshops.aspx for course details, a list of counties offering free registrations and to register. The courses are offered through Science Education and the Center for Energy and Environmental Education in UNI's College of Natural Sciences. 

UNI is able to offer graduate credit, free books and lesson plans, thanks to funding support from the Resource Enhancement and Protection Conservation Education Program and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Solid Waste Alternatives Program. Other supporters include the East Central Iowa Council of Governments, the Boone County Landfill, the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid Waste Agency, and other solid waste agencies and landfills.

For more information, contact Susan Salterberg at 319-337-4816 or salterberg@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Strayer-Wood Theatre and the University of Northern Iowa Department of Theatre will present "Urinetown: The Musical" at 7:30 p.m. in UNI's Strayer-Wood Theatre. Performances will be held on Friday and Saturday, April 15 and 16, and Thursday through Saturday, April 21 through 23. A matinee will be held at 2 p.m., Sunday April 17.

"Urinetown" is a tale of greed, corruption, love and revolution in a time when water is scarce. In a Gotham-like city, a 20-year drought led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets, forcing citizens to pay to use public amenities. Amid the people, a hero decides he's had enough and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom. The musical is inspired by the works of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill.

Tickets are $20 for general admission, $12 for youth and free for UNI students with a student ID. Tickets can be purchased from the Strayer-Wood Theatre lobby box office from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and one hour before curtain.

For more information, call the Strayer-Wood box office at 319-273-6381 or visit www.uni.edu/theatre.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa Department of Physics hosted the UNI/Area Education Agency 267 Regional Physics Olympics Competition Wednesday, March 23, in the McLeod Center on the UNI campus.

St. Ansgar High School placed first, led by instructor Devin Schwiesow; Jesup High School placed second, led by instructor Ann Rigdon.

Individual event winners were Grinnell High School in the self-propelled catapult, Christopher Molitor instructor; St. Ansgar High School in the mousetrap car and student powered water heater; Denver High School in the optical slalom, Pamela Hartman instructor; and Jesup High School in the challenge problem.

The two teams with the highest total scores qualified for the state competition, which will be held Wednesday, April 13, at UNI. In addition, event winners from non-team-winning schools were invited to the state competition.

For more information, contact Larry Escalada, UNI professor of physics, at 319-273-2431 or lawrence.escalada@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The UNI Textile and Apparel Association will hold its 19^th annual fashion show titled, "UNI Catwalk," at 7 p.m., Saturday, April 9, in Lang Hall Auditorium on the University of Northern Iowa campus. During the show, donations will be taken for Oxfam America, an international relief and development organization that creates solutions to poverty, hunger and injustice.

The theme for this year's show is "Mixtape" and will feature five sections of designs inspired by music: hip-hop, rock 'n' roll, classical, indie and pop. The sixth section will be a tribute to British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, featuring designs inspired by her.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the event is free and open to the public. A reception will follow in Lang Hall. For more information, contact Annette Lynch, professor in the School of Applied Human Sciences, at 319-273-3054 or annette.lynch@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The vital issues of racial equity in local communities will be the topic of a conference at the University of Northern Iowa. "Community and Inequality: Moving Towards Racial Justice in Local Communities" will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m on Friday, April 15, in the Georgian Lounge in the UNI commons.

The conference will feature two distinguished scholars on urban affairs. Todd Swanstorm, from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, will speak at 9 a.m. on the overall impact of inequality on community decisions and life. Gregory Squires, of George Washington University, will speak at 1 p.m. on housing discrimination, in particular as it relates to Internet housing searches.

Each presentation will be followed by a reaction panel consisting of individuals knowledgeable about local problems. The panels will feature Buck Clark, mayor of Waterloo; Jon Crews, mayor of Cedar Falls; and Abraham Funchess, director, Waterloo Commission on Human Rights.

Registration for the conference, which includes lunch, is $15. The keynote addresses are free and open to the public. The UNI Graduate Program in Public Policy, UNI Department of Political Science and the Waterloo Commission on Human Rights are sponsoring the event. The Waterloo Commission's sponsorship is in honor of April being National Fair Housing Month. For more information, contact Allen Hays at 319-273-2910.

Enrollment deadline is April 7 

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Registration is now open for the management workshop "Only as Strong as Your Weakest Link: Building a Strong, Effective Team" hosted by the University of Northern Iowa Executive Development Center. The workshop is 12:30  to 4 p.m., April 14, in the Business and Community Services Building on the UNI campus. The registration deadline is April 7.

"Working in a team can be difficult, especially with so many different personalities and ways of accomplishing a goal," said Kim Recker, program manager for the UNI Executive Development Center. "Often good ideas are diluted in order to keep peace within a team."

Participants will learn how to use conflict in a constructive way and encourage creativity and ingenuity within a working group. Instructor Vickie Robinson will show how to harness a team's power by identifying team members' strengths and weaknesses.

The cost is $125 per person. UNI Alumni Association members receive a 10-percent discount. Businesses can purchase a consortium membership for $1,999, which entitles the business to 10 seats to any of the 2011 management training workshops. Half-day workshops count as a half seat.

For more information or to register, contact the UNI Executive Development Center at 319-273-5851 or execdev@uni.edu.

The Executive Development Center is a program of Business and Community Services, a division of the UNI College of Business Administration.     

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Juliet B. Schor will speak at the University of Northern Iowa as part of the Hearst Lecture Series on how millions of Americans are transitioning to a sustainable economy. Schor will discuss her most recent book, "Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth," at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 6, in Lang Hall Auditorium.

"Plenitude" offers a statement about the economics of how the environment is treated today and suggests a change in how we think about consumer goods, values and ways to live. The book advocates sustainability, but suggests that sustainability does not necessarily mean sacrifice. Instead, "Plenitude" argues that through a shift to new sources of wealth, green technologies, and different ways of living, individuals and the country as a whole can be better off and more economically secure.

Schor is a professor of sociology at Boston College. Before joining Boston College, she was a professor in the Department of Economics and was a member of the Committee on Degrees in Women's Studies at Harvard University. Her research during the past 10 years has focused on issues pertaining to trends in work and leisure, consumerism, the relationship between work and family, women's issues, and economic justice. Schor is a board member and co-founder of the Center for a New American Dream, an organization devoted to transforming North American lifestyles to make them more sustainable. She has had 11 books published and has been profiled in scores of magazines and newspapers, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek and People.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Christopher Martin, interim head, communication studies, at 319-273-6118 or christopher.martin@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa is pleased to announce that first lady Michelle Obama will speak at UNI's spring commencement ceremony at 11 a.m., Saturday, May 7, in the UNI-Dome. The university will consolidate three ceremonies into one to provide all graduates the opportunity to be addressed by the first lady.

"We are pleased to host the first lady, someone whose commitment to service, children and healthy communities, reflects UNI's commitment to serve our community, our state and our nation," said UNI President Ben Allen. "We welcome this opportunity for our students to hear the first lady's inspiring story of how higher education impacted her life and her passion for service."

Approximately 1,900 students who will complete their degrees this semester are eligible to participate in the ceremony. "We apologize for any inconvenience this change in schedule may cause," said Allen.

All graduating students participating in the commencement ceremony will be allotted eight tickets for guests. Tickets are free, but all guests must have a ticket. All commencement seats will be general admission. Graduating students must order and pick up their tickets between April 4 and April 20. Tickets are subject to availability.

UNI staff and faculty not participating in the ceremony, and all other UNI students, can receive up to two tickets and can order tickets April 21 through 22. Beginning April 25, any remaining tickets will be made available to the general public. Orders will be limited to a maximum of two tickets and are subject to availability.

Tickets can be ordered by phone at 319-273-4TIX, or they can be picked up in person at any UNItix location. No online orders will be taken. Students, faculty and staff must present their UNI I.D.

More details about commencement, the ticket-ordering process, UNI-Dome access and the day's schedule is posted at http://www.uni.edu/commencement/. The commencement ceremony will be streamed live over the Internet.

Additionally, the UNI Department of Military Science will host its annual spring commissioning ceremony at 8 a.m., Saturday, May 7, in the Lang Hall Auditorium. Four cadets will be commissioned as U.S. Army second lieutenants. 

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Michelle Alexander, author of "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of colorblindness," will discuss how the "War on Drugs" targets black men and how the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control. Her lecture will be at 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 30, at the Center for Multicultural Education on the University of Northern Iowa campus.

Alexander is a graduate of Stanford Law School and Vanderbilt University. She holds a joint appointment at The Ohio State University with the Moritz College of Law and the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. Prior to joining the OSU faculty, she was a member of the Stanford Law School faculty, where she served as director of the Civil Rights Clinic.

In "The New Jim Crow," Alexander argues that we have not ended racial caste in America – we have simply redesigned it. She discusses how it is legal to discriminate against criminals in nearly all the areas in which it was once legal to discriminate against African-Americans, such as employment, housing, education, public benefits and the right to vote. She challenges the civil rights community – and all of us – to place mass incarceration at the forefront of a new movement for racial justice in America.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Kolby Knupp, graduate assistant in UNI's Center for Multicultural Education, at 319-273-2250 or kolby@uni.edu. 

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- "These are a Few of My Favorite Things," a lecture by University of Northern Iowa mathematics professor Joel Haack, will explore the connections between math and the arts and humanities. Haack's presentation, which is part of the Hari Shankar Memorial Lecture, will be held at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 31, in Lantz Auditorium in McCollum Science Hall on the UNI campus. 

During his presentation, Haack, who is also dean of the College of Natural Sciences and the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, will raise and explore such questions as How could the four-dimensional tessaract in Madeleine L'Engle's Newbery Award-winning book "A Wrinkle in Time" allow space travel? What are golden rectangles, and why would they appear in the art of UNI emeritus professor John Page? The lecture is intended for general audiences.

Haack is an active member of the Mathematical Association of America. He earned his B.A. in mathematical sciences, his M.S. in mathematics, his M.S. in statistics and his Ph.D. in mathematics, all from the University of Iowa. Prior to arriving at UNI, Haack served on the faculty of Oklahoma State University for 12 years.

Haack's lecture is made possible through a donation from Hari Shankar with additional support from UNI's Department of Mathematics. Shankar, who died in June 2008, taught at Ohio University for more than 30 years before joining the UNI Department of Mathematics as a visiting professor.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Refreshments will follow the presentation.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa will host the UNI Entrepreneurship Symposium and Financial Literacy Kick-off from 1 to 4:45 p.m., Friday, April 1, in the Maucker Union University Room.

From 1 to 2:15 p.m., a panel of three UNI graduates and one current student will discuss the successful businesses they ran while part of the entrepreneurship program at UNI. One of the panelists, Nick Cash, founder of BookHatchery.com, was recently featured in Inc magazine's "America's Coolest College Start-ups 2011."

The Financial Literacy Month Kick-off will feature a session on banking, credit and loans with J. Scott Johnson, regional president for Well Fargo Bank; a session on insurance with Kellie Clarke of PDCM Insurance in Waterloo; and a session on investments with Christian Brown and Jesse Meehan of Financial Decisions Group in Waterloo. These presentations will begin at 2:15 p.m. and will conclude at 4:45 p.m.

Sponsors for the event are Wells Fargo Bank, UNI Entrepreneurs, UNI's Office of Student Financial Aid and the UNI John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center. For more information on the conference and biographies of the presenters, visit www.jpec.org/symposium.htm or the UNI Entrepreneurship Symposium page on Facebook.

This event is free and open to the public. The UNI John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, a division of UNI's Business and Community Services, provides a range of innovative educational programs and support services designed for student entrepreneurs. The center provides expertise in all stages of business planning and development and serves as a vehicle to bring new products and technologies to market. For more information about JPEC at UNI, visit www.jpec.org, call 319-273-JPEC (5732) or email jpec@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa  -- Miller Hybrids, Inc. of Kalona was chosen as this year's recipient of a $10,000 market research project provided by University of Northern Iowa Strategic Marketing Services at the recent EntreFest! small business conference in Dubuque.  Miller Hybrids is an independent seed company providing a unique offering of elite corn and alfalfa varieties coupled with a large research component.  Led by owner and research director Bob Miller, the company works with growers to understand limitations of individual fields, and matches the right genetics and traits to specific fields to enhance production capabilities.

According to Miller, "We applied for the award because we are in need of market research prior to expanding our efforts of product development assistance to independent seed companies.  We have developed a new sales distribution method that we believe will benefit those companies, and we are trying to determine if the methodology is feasible, who our target customer is, and what the best marketing techniques would be."

All attendees of EntreFest! have an opportunity to vie for the award through a competitive application process.  Ron Padavich, director of UNI's Strategic Marketing Services (SMS) said "We are pleased to have the opportunity to provide market research to a small entrepreneurial business such as Miller Hybrids.  Market research can help companies make wise decisions and avoid costly mistakes."  Last year's winner told Entrefest! attendees that SMS' market research saved the company thousands of dollars and caused them to rethink the direction of their company.

Strategic Marketing Services is located on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa's College of Business Administration in Cedar Falls.  They offer a full range of qualitative and quantitative marketing research and analysis services to respond to a wide variety of business challenges.  For more information, contact Ron Padavich at 319-273-6942, Ronald.padavich@uni.edu, or visit the website at www.bcs.uni.edu/sms.

For more information on Miller Hybrids, Inc., visit the company website at www.millerhybrids.com, or call 319-656-2532.  For more information about EntreFest!, visit www.entrefest.com or contact Amy Kuhlers at 319-273-4328 or amy.kuhlers@uni.edu.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa will continue it's mission to enhance sustainability through a film series focused on environmental challenges and healthy living. The UNI Faculty, Center for Energy and Environmental Education (CEEE), Recycling and Reuse Tech Transfer Center (RRTTC) and the Healthy Cedar Valley Coalition (HCVC) are sponsoring the series. They hope it will bring students and community members together to discuss issues facing society in regards to the environment.

On April 4, the RRTTC will show "Big Bucks, Big Pharma" at 7 p.m. in the CEEE auditorium. The film is a documentary on how pharmaceutical companies have manipulated the concept of health and disease to maximize profits. Additionally, it poses the question of how this has changed people's outlook on their well-being and doctor-patient relationships.

Catherine Zeman, associate professor at the UNI Recycling & Reuse Tech Transfer Center, says faculty and the HCVC are excited to be able to work collaboratively to offer this film series. "It challenges us to learn more about sustainability issues and to envision and discuss solutions to those issues, helping all of us move toward a sustainable society in a fun and interesting way."

The series will continue this fall with such movies as "Vanishing of the Bees," a film that explores the mysterious drops in population numbers of honeybees across the planet.