Distinguished Alumni Awards Recipients

Jim Wiese has exemplified a “can-do” work ethic throughout a lifetime of service and leadership with the University of Iowa, most notably for the UI Alumni Association and the Henry B. Tippie College of Business. 

After four years as an active undergraduate and fraternity member, Wiese began a 34-year career with Arthur Andersen & Co. in Chicago. Within a few years, he became one of the youngest partners ever. In 1972, Wiese transferred to Cleveland, where he became indispensable as an audit partner specializing in the manufacturing industry.

Wiese always maintained strong ties with his classmates and the UI. Since 1958, he has been an outgoing spokesman for the UI’s accounting program and the Iowa Alumni Association. He recruited accounting graduates from Iowa, served on the Tippie College of Business’ Professional Accounting Council, and joined the Iowa Alumni Association Board of Directors. Wiese guided and advised professional accounting organizations as well as community nonprofits that support youth, disability services, and mental health. In 1991, the UI Accounting Department honored him with its Outstanding Accounting Alumnus Award.

When Wiese retired in 1992, he and his wife, Nancy (Baker) (58BA), returned to Iowa City, where he joined the steering committee for what is now known as the Pappajohn Business Building. Throughout his life, Wiese has embodied the motto, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” The Wieses are the proud parents of four UI graduates, and they have generously supported Hancher, the Tippie College of Business, and Hawkeye Athletics for many years. 

With a career that began and ended at the University of Iowa, John Kundel has acted with a spirit of service in everything he does. The inspiring higher education professional helped hundreds of students achieve their college dreams while lifting the morale of the teams he led with positivity and a rally cry of “Good hustle!”

After completing his degree and U.S. Army deployment to Vietnam, Kundel returned to Iowa City to work in the UI Office of Student Financial Aid while pursuing a master’s degree. In 1984, he departed Iowa and rose through the ranks of financial aid, admissions, and enrollment departments at three other Midwestern universities.

After retiring from the University of Missouri as associate vice provost for student affairs and enrollment management in 2007, Kundel volunteered for the University of Iowa as an alumnus admissions representative, attending college fairs to help St. Louis-area students see the value in an Iowa education. From 2016 to 2024, Kundel worked as a regional admissions counselor in the St. Louis area for the UI.

Kundel received a Combat Infantryman Badge and an Army Commendation Medal with “V” device for valor for his active duty in Vietnam. He continued serving 20 years in the Army Reserve, including roles as a battalion commander and assistant professor of military science at Western Michigan University. Kundel also contributed many hours to youth sports, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and advisory councils and committees on and off campus.

With 50 years of unflagging enthusiasm for higher education, and especially Iowa, Kundel has made a lasting impact on so many students in Iowa City and beyond.

Morgan Jones, associate director of bands and director of the Hawkeye Marching Band from 1973 to 1990, encouraged leadership and musicianship in thousands of students. Through the decades, he has nurtured excellence and camaraderie in true Hawkeye fashion.

Jones played trumpet in the Hawkeye Marching Band at the Rose Bowl in 1957 and 1959 and was a graduate teaching assistant at Iowa in 1960 and 1961. He taught high school band before returning to the UI to direct. He grew the Hawkeye Marching Band to 280 members and added graduate assistants to enhance quality. Many went on to become successful music educators, directors, and composers. 

Jones was at the helm when women were integrated into the band, and he selected the first Black drum major. Jones was known as “Dr. Jones” to many, and his uncompromising standards for musicianship and precision marching culminated in the Hawkeye Marching Band receiving the 1990 Sudler Trophy from the John Philip Sousa Foundation. Jones returned to help restore stability in the band in 1996 and 1997 as interim director.

In 1988, Jones founded the Iowa Ambassadors of Music, a program he led for three decades that provides opportunities for high school music students and directors statewide to travel and perform concerts across Europe. Jones also entertained local audiences as conductor of the Cedar Rapids Municipal Band from 1994 to 2010.

“Dr. Jones’ significant and lasting contributions to the Hawkeye Marching Band exemplify the university's core values of creativity, community, excellence, inclusion, and integrity,” says Arlene Houk, president of the Alumni Band Leadership Board.

Jones’ positive influence on individuals across campus, and in bands nationwide, will be felt for generations.

Jon Lensing co-founded OpenLoop in 2019, when he was a medical student at the University of Iowa. As CEO of the telehealth company, he has applied his leadership, research, and technology skills to grow the company nationwide with the vision to bring healing anywhere.

Lensing was planning to become a plastic surgeon when he and Christian Williams, OpenLoop’s chief operating officer and co-founder, saw a need for improved telehealth access for all and launched their startup. During the pandemic, OpenLoop evolved to deliver connected and seamless clinical support to virtual care companies, growing to more than 180 employees in five years.

OpenLoop is the latest of Lensing’s startup successes. In 2015, he co-founded GR Drone, an aerial imagery company. From 2016 to 2019, he led research for SwineTech, an Iowa startup that develops piglet-saving technology.

Lensing was named the University of Iowa Young Alumni Entrepreneur of the Year in 2022 and was listed on the 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30. OpenLoop has received millions in funding as well as many awards, including the Technology Association of Iowa’s 2022 Prometheus Award for Software Development Company of the Year.

Driven to help as many people as he can, Lensing also volunteers to address hunger and opioid crises.

Richard L. Ferguson, the board chair for OpenLoop, says, “I rank Jon among the strongest leaders with whom I have been associated, and he continues to grow and impress. He has conducted himself in a manner that honors the spirit of the university’s core values.”

Kathy Edwards is a world-renowned physician, teacher, mentor, and researcher who has made significant contributions to life-saving advances in vaccines. Throughout her career, she has designed and executed clinical trials and educated others on their conduct to ensure the safety and efficacy of vaccines for influenza, pertussis, pneumococcus, and many other pathogens.

Since 1980, Edwards has delivered care to children with infectious diseases and has conducted vaccine research at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She was awarded the Sarah H. Sell and Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Pediatrics in 2008, and her prolific research there has resulted in more than 630 publications and numerous NIH- and CDC-funded initiatives. Edwards’ teaching and mentoring have had an immeasurable ripple effect as her students make their own discoveries and contributions to public health.

As a vaccinologist, Edwards has counseled the World Health Organization and national governmental agencies while participating on numerous advisory committees, including the American Board of Pediatrics’ Committee on Infectious Disease and the FDA’s Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. She also reviewed scholarly publications for 15 major medical journals. 

Edwards’ relentless contributions have led to many honors. In 2008, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Edwards has also received the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine’s Distinguished Alumni Award, the American Academy of Pediatrics Award for Lifetime Contribution to Infectious Disease Education, and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases’ 2018 Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement.

From classrooms and research labs to pediatric clinics and hospitals, few individuals have enhanced global public health and the safety of immunizations as profoundly as Edwards.

Throughout the past four decades as an educator and Iowa legislator, Mary Mascher has aspired to make her community and state a better place. She has left an indelible legacy of advocacy for education, mental health, family housing, and other issues important to her constituents.

Mascher attained bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the UI College of Education and taught in the Iowa City Community School District for 33 years. She influenced the lives of thousands of students and families as a teacher and counselor before retiring from teaching in 2009.

Midway through her career as an elementary educator, Mascher felt compelled to run for office. In 1994, she was elected to represent Iowa House District 46, a position she retained until 2023. Mascher was a compassionate advocate for education, mental health, youth, and families. In this role, she connected the founders of Iowa Mental Health Advocacy to key stakeholders in the early days of their organization.

Mascher has been recognized as an outstanding legislator by diverse organizations, including the Girl Scouts of Mississippi Valley, Heritage Area Agency of Aging, and the Iowa Counseling Association. She was named an influential woman by the Cedar Rapids Gazette and Corridor Business Journal.

Mascher has volunteered for the Iowa City Education Association, community theatre, local parks commissions, and other causes. To honor her support for affordable family housing, Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity dedicated a 2023 project as the Mary Mascher Women Build home. From the classroom to the community, Mascher’s breadth of accomplishments exemplify a life of service.

Mike Michener has had an extraordinary career in foreign relations and global food security. The Iowa native generously shares his extensive knowledge and unwavering support with the University of Iowa and its students.

In 1983, Michener transferred to Iowa but withdrew to join the U.S. Army, where he served seven years and received multiple military commendations. Thus began a 35-year career advising on democracy, agriculture, and foreign policy in the U.S., Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and most recently, Ukraine. Michener has worked with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of State, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and numerous public and private sector organizations on human rights, agriculture, economic growth, and biotechnology. Recently, he represented the Inter-American Foundation at the 2023 Borlaug Dialogue and World Food Prize in Des Moines, where he happily introduced visitors to his home state.

On campus, the UI Department of Political Science has welcomed Michener as a guest lecturer on populism and crisis response topics. He has mentored students and is working with leaders in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to establish a multidisciplinary center within the college. 

“Mike has created a better learning environment for our students through his engagement with them directly and through the classes he has been a part of,” said Brian Lai, associate professor and DEO of the UI Department of Political Science.

Michener’s tremendous impact on international trade and food security and his enduring friendship with the University of Iowa are beyond measure and deeply appreciated.

For more than 40 years, Lou Crist’s unmistakable voice has echoed across Kinnick Stadium and at bowl games, parades, and other events.

As the inspiring voice of the Hawkeye Marching Band, Crist’s pregame cue, “It’s time to get ready for the BOOM!” rouses every home game crowd. He also supports the band as a mentor and donor.

Crist received both of his degrees at Iowa, where he and his brother, Lyndon (66BM, 90MA), were Hawkeye Marching Band members. Crist marched in the 1959 Tournament of Roses Parade and at the Rose Bowl. Following graduation, the Des Moines native was a radio announcer for 22 years before moving to Iowa City to work in health care, retiring from the UI Carver College of Medicine in 2007.

In 1981, Crist became the announcer of the Hawkeye Marching Band, and he’s announced every performance since then. Crist has added his familiar voice to pre-season shows, the Band Extravaganza, and more. This included virtually announcing the 2022 Citrus Bowl halftime show from Iowa when he was unable to travel due to COVID concerns. He also mentors band members interested in helping with the group’s public relations and social media.

Crist and his wife, Jan Olson Crist (61BSN, 77MA), have established the Lou Crist Legacy Fund to support the band’s future. Eric Bush, associate director of bands and director of the Hawkeye Marching Band, says, “The Hawkeye Marching Band will feel the positive impact from Lou and his family for as long as the band is in existence.” 

Chad Greenway and Jenni Capista Greenway have translated their leadership as top Hawkeye student-athletes into a legacy of community service. The couple is passionate about children’s health and youth sports, creating and nurturing Chad Greenway’s Lead the Way Foundation while juggling careers, family, and a business.

During their time at Iowa, Jenni ran cross country and track and field, while Chad was an All-Big Ten linebacker. Jenni became certified as a personal trainer and has excelled as a fitness instructor. Chad organized and leads the Wayzata Girls’ Basketball Association; they are both coaches.

In 2006, Chad became a first-round draft pick for the Minnesota Vikings, where he remained for his 11-year career. Chad’s peers recognized his service leadership by naming him the 2015 “Whizzer” White NFL Man of the Year and as the Vikings’ Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee. After retiring in 2017, Chad co-founded Gray Duck Spirits. He is also a sports consultant.

In addition to raising four daughters, the Greenways have focused on directing the Lead the Way Foundation and its mission to support families of seriously ill children. Whether building accessible playgrounds at hospitals, fulfilling children’s wishes, or serving respite luncheons for mothers of ailing children, the foundation has touched thousands of lives. The UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital is one beneficiary of Chad’s Locker, a program that supplies video games and other electronics to engage kids during treatment.

Jenni’s former coach, Layne Anderson, says giving back is in their DNA.

“They have displayed the Hawkeye spirit through their incredible spirit, love for others, and willingness to step up and support others with their time and resources."

John Callaghan is a leading expert in hip and knee surgery with hundreds of research and grant credits. Driven by a continual pursuit of knowledge at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Callaghan dedicated himself as a faculty member, volunteer, and role model to make a positive global impact in his field.

Callaghan completed his residency at Iowa in 1983, before practicing as a surgeon and educator at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He returned to Iowa City in 1990, serving as a faculty member in the UI Departments of Orthopedics and Biomedical Engineering. An innovative educator and researcher, Callaghan mentored many orthopedic medicine specialists while providing surgical care at the university and the Iowa City Veterans Hospital.

In 2002, Callaghan was named the Lawrence and Marilyn Dorr Chair of Hip Surgery & Research in the UI Department of Orthopedics. He received millions of dollars in grants, collaborated with colleagues to produce more than 475 peer-reviewed articles, and gave hundreds of presentations.

Callaghan has served as president for the International Hip Society, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons. The Carver College of Medicine and other organizations have recognized him with fellowships and honors. In 2019, Callaghan received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hip Society, and in 2020, he received the Distinguished Contributions to Orthopaedics Award from the American Orthopaedic Association. Callaghan has also helped design successful hip and knee replacements which have been implanted in hundreds of thousands of patients throughout the world.

Through his integrity, work ethic, surgical skills, and academic output, Callaghan has made a lasting impact in orthopedics.

Thomas “T.J.” Johnsrud is a visionary in health care, business, and service to others. For the past 50 years, he has cultivated a pharmacy in Conrad, Iowa, into a multifaceted organization serving thousands of patients daily in the upper Midwest and Texas. In addition, Johnsrud has maintained involvement in the pharmacy industry at the local, state, and national levels and served as a lifelong advisor to the UI College of Pharmacy.

As president of NuCara Management Group, Johnsrud oversees more than 39 community pharmacies specializing in traditional, compounding, and infusion therapy.  NuCara also includes 10 medical equipment locations and two LTC pharmacies serving multiple nursing home facilities.

“He has achieved success based on an inclusive, motivational approach that values innovation and elevating others,” says NuCara CEO Brian Wegmann.

Johnsrud authorized NuCara pharmacies to participate in pilot programs that advance pharmacy practice, and he innovated the “tech check tech” program that freed up pharmacists to provide more direct patient care. He continues to enhance health care through the Iowa Pharmacy Association and other industry organizations.

“It brings him joy to bring everyone to the top with him,” says Pamela Wiltfang (08BA, 12PHR, 12MPH), director of clinical services and innovative practice at NuCara. “T.J. always puts family, friends, colleagues, employees, and patients, first.”

A lauded alumnus and constant champion of the UI College of Pharmacy, Johnsrud has served as a guest lecturer, donor, and advisor. He shared ideas and support for the development of the new pharmacy building and currently serves as chair of the Executive Leadership Board. The college honored him with distinguished alumni and lifetime achievement awards.

Johnsrud is a pillar in his profession and an alumnus who advances the careers of Hawkeye pharmacists while improving health care nationwide.

Bob Mitchell is renowned across Iowa for his human resources expertise as well as a lifetime of volunteerism to UI alumni organizations, Kiwanis, and other endeavors near and dear to his heart.

Mitchell is president of Bob Mitchell and Associates, a human resources and management consulting firm. Before that, he was a human resources professional in education and financial services and co-founded a nationally recognized job fair sponsored by Iowa’s state universities. A longtime member of the Polk County I-Club, Mitchell served on the UI Alumni Advisory Board and Alumni Leadership Council. He was named 1999 Co-Volunteer of the Year for his service.

Mitchell has channeled considerable energy into the Des Moines Kiwanis Club for more than 35 years. Most notably, he led a campaign to develop the Kiwanis Miracle League at Principal Park—an accessible facility where children and adults with disabilities can enjoy playing baseball. Opened in 2000, it was the first of its kind in Iowa. It has since hosted hundreds of games at which Mitchell can be found doing whatever requires attention. 

“Bob makes sure every kid on every team in every game feels like a baseball player,” says Jeff Pierson, a fellow Kiwanis Club member. He also notes that Mitchell always thanks everyone involved for their contributions to the organization.

Mitchell was a Kiwanis Distinguished Governor of the Nebraska-Iowa District, and for his longtime service received the organization’s Legion of Honor Award. Mitchell has also supported the West Des Moines Library Friends Foundation and the Society for Human Resource Management. He was inducted into the Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame in 2009.

Chuck Swanson, retired executive director of Hancher Auditorium, has had a remarkable influence on the University of Iowa. His 37 years with Hancher elevated it to new heights, even after the loss of its original home. While putting people first, he has cultivated relationships that enrich the arts, university, and state of Iowa.

During college, Swanson attended performances at Hancher, which was built in 1972. Upon graduation, he worked in finance before becoming Hancher’s business manager in 1985. He was promoted to associate director in 1991, which ushered in a golden era. Swanson began strengthening partnerships to continue bringing world-class artists and innovative programming to the stage. He was promoted to executive director in 2002.

When the original building was destroyed in the 2008 flood, Swanson shepherded the organization through the redesign and rebuilding process. The new Hancher opened in 2016 with a celebratory gala, and the house was packed. That is, until the COVID-19 pandemic stunted arts venues worldwide. Swanson’s solution was to take performances outside and across the state—similar to a collaborative 2007 Joffrey Ballet venture.

Through thick and thin, Swanson went above and beyond to ensure people came first, involving others in refining Hancher’s role as “the largest classroom on campus” and a key recruiting tool for the university.

Jane Downer worked with Swanson for 25 years. She credits him as one of the UI’s best ambassadors for “helping all Iowans recognize the contributions the UI makes to our state’s citizens.”

Described as a phenomenal leader, caring, courageous, and enthusiastic, Swanson has made an impact that will be forevermore.

A skilled lawyer and business executive with a passion for philanthropy, H. Mitchell "Mitch" D'Olier has been advocating for the people of the 50th state for the last 50 years. He also has helped his fellow Hawkeyes by serving as a member of the Iowa Law School Foundation Board of Directors.

After graduating from the University of Iowa College of Law, the Chicago native became a partner in the Honolulu law firm of Goodsill, Anderson, Quinn, and Stifel, where he practiced tax and corporate law for more than two decades.

D'Olier went on to work as chief operating officer of Hawaiian Airlines and as chief executive officer of Victoria Ward, Limited, and currently is chair of Kaneohe Ranch Company and the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation—Hawaii's largest private foundation.

His expansive volunteerism has had far-reaching and positive effects on the state's citizens and ecosystems. The breadth of his service includes reforming real estate policies, restoring coral reefs, fundraising for Hawaii's largest community center, and promoting educational change.

"Throughout the 25 years I have known Mitch, I've witnessed and admired the quality, impact, and sheer quantity of his community service in Hawaii," says Terrence George, president and chief executive officer of the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation.

Thanks to a lifetime of exemplary community service, legal counsel, and corporate leadership, D'Olier has demonstrated a commitment to service that may be even stronger than his Midwestern work ethic. He has devoted himself to investing in the communities and causes most important to him.

Bob Franklin is a savvy entrepreneur and devoted Hawkeye who has used his business acumen to create connections and inspire philanthropy in the University of Iowa community.

As a member owner and CEO of Tin Roof—a live-music joint based in Nashville, with 21 locations across 14 states—Franklin has donated space for alumni events and used fan engagement to give back to the university.

His Nashville Tin Roof has been home to the Nashville Iowa Club game watches since 2019, and he has hosted Hawkeye Huddle events for football, women's and men's basketball, and wrestling at many of his other locations.

"Bob is an outstanding businessman and a true Hawkeye," says Steven Miller (76BSPh), past president of the Nashville Iowa Club. "Through his philanthropy and partnership . . . he has made a tremendous impact on many Iowa alumni across the country."

Even when the pandemic was affecting his venues, Franklin continued investing in Iowa by participating in the university's Chat from the Old Cap, a virtual engagement program that helps alumni and friends stay connected to campus.

In addition, he opened Elray's Live & Dive, which provides high-quality live music in downtown Iowa City, in July 2020—and he also is known for inventing the "High Porch Picnic" drink, named in memory of Hayden Fry. The beverage comes in a Hawkeye-yellow cup, and a portion of every drink sale goes to Iowa, as do proceeds from the sale of Nashville Iowa Club T-shirts.

Through his hard work and tireless efforts on behalf of the university, this loyal Hawkeye supporter has helped change lives on campus and beyond.

Joe Gaylord ranks among the nation's most seasoned political consultants and is an accomplished strategist, fundraiser, and educator who has shared his knowledge with thousands of political candidates—and Hawkeyes—for more than 50 years.

He began his political career right after graduating from Iowa and held leadership roles at both the state and national levels, working with the Iowa Republican Party, the Republican National Committee, and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Gaylord is best known for spearheading the campaign that resulted in the first Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in 40 years. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich says, "In the 40 years Joe and I have worked together, he has been cheerful, caring, and relentlessly honest. From 1994 to 1998, he led the political side of everything I did. Together, we led the 1996 campaign, which reelected a Republican House majority for the first time in 68 years."

Gaylord—who developed the Republican National Committee's Campaign Management College and also founded the American Campaign Academy—has taught at Iowa since 2012. From 2015 to 2020, he served as president of the Alumni Advisory Board for the UI Department of Political Science and he and his wife, Molly, have been generous university supporters, establishing scholarships in 2005 and bequeathing property in 2013.

"Joe's historic work in national political campaigns continues to influence American politics," says Brian Lai, associate professor and chair of the UI Department of Political Science. "That, combined with his service to the university, are testaments to why he is more than deserving of this award."

Donald Gurnett was a pioneer in the field of plasma wave research whose innovative instrumentation captured a profusion of data during more than 30 exceptional space research missions, including Voyager, Cassini, and Galileo.

A scientific scholar through and through, the longtime professor in the University of Iowa Department of Physics and Astronomy—who died in January 2022—also gave generously to ensure the future of space research at Iowa.

James Van Allen's discovery of Earth's radiation belts deepened Gurnett's interest in space plasma physics, inspiring him to join Van Allen's research group. Throughout his extraordinary 60-year career, Gurnett went on to establish the field of space plasma wave research, leading a team that developed numerous plasma wave instruments—including one that proved Voyager I had entered interstellar space. He also mentored more than 60 graduate students and authored or co-authored two textbooks and more than 750 publications.

"Don made tremendous contributions to faculty life, student experience, and research at Iowa," says Philip Kaaret, professor and chair of the university's physics and astronomy department.

Physicists, astronomers, and scientists around the world admire Gurnett, who also was a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He and his wife generously established the Donald A. and Marie B. Gurnett Chair of Physics at the University of Iowa in 2015.

NASA senior advisor James L. Green (79PhD), Gurnett's former student, recognized his professor's leadership in international space research—and his dedication to students: "He advised and mentored an entire generation of graduate students. It is important to recognize his lifetime of excellence and achievements in space science, as well as the service he offered the UI, the planetary science community, and the nation."

Farah Towfic has helped fast-track global health care advances, using her leadership skills, determination, and practical experience to develop critical standards for administering COVID-19 vaccines.

As director of chief executive officer operations for United States Pharmacopeia, the independent organization that sets medication quality standards, Towfic has proven her capacity to lead and serve.

After graduating from the University of Iowa and completing a residency in association management and leadership for the American Pharmacists Association Foundation, the Dubuque, Iowa, native returned to the Midwest to help patients manage their medication therapies—and to improve operations for pharmacies in Wisconsin and Iowa.

"As a student, Farah's qualities of leadership, and the ability to excite her peers, were evident," says Towfic's former employer, Robert J. Osterhaus (52BSP, 12DSC), of Osterhaus Pharmacy. "At our pharmacy, she not only demonstrated patient-centered clinical skills brilliantly, but also enhanced our use of technology and improved our outcomes."

Towfic's relationship-building experiences have been key to her career success. In May 2020, she was assigned to help develop the nation's COVID-19 Vaccine Handling Toolkit, which launched in January 2021. It allows health care providers to maximize doses and efficiently prepare, label, and administer the vaccines, which was particularly crucial during the initial period of limited vaccine supplies.

Towfic, who also volunteered to administer vaccinations, further advances her profession through service and is chair of the UI College of Pharmacy Genesis Advisory Board.

Donald E. Letendre, Iowa pharmacy's dean, is grateful for her support: "Farah embodies the college's core values by being an enthusiastic and intellectually driven lifelong learner, a highly dedicated patient-care provider, and a professionally engaged citizen."

Harold Bradley Jr. was a true Renaissance man. Whether it was his illustrious career as a Hawkeye and NFL football player or his time as an actor, artist, and music sensation, Bradley Jr. succeeded in everything he pursued.

Born in 1929 on Chicago's southside, Bradley Jr. enrolled at the University of Iowa in 1946 to study art and found mentors in Paul Engle (32MA), founder of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and Helen Lemme (28BA), Iowa City's iconic civil rights activist. While Iowa opened his eyes to the world and shaped his international destiny, Bradley Jr. also faced racial discrimination on campus. He was not allowed to live in the university dorms, and instead, resided in Lemme's boarding house.

Bradley Jr. excelled on the field in college and the NFL—earning Iowa football MVP honors in 1950 and winning two NFL titles with the Cleveland Browns. The arts, though, were his true calling. Bradley Jr. landed a scholarship to study in Italy and moved to Rome, where he painted and began a career as an actor—landing roles in more than 20 films, including starring alongside Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra. His art studio eventually morphed into a music venue, II Folkstudio, which became a hub for hip culture in Rome and attracted the likes of Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger.

Though Bradley Jr. eventually returned to the U.S. for 19 years to work for the Illinois Arts Council, University of Illinois, and Illinois State Board of Education, he went back to Rome in 1987 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his music venue and never left—becoming a world-renowned ambassador to the Italian public on Black music styles and culture. Bradley Jr. would go on to record six albums later in his life and sing before individuals such as the Pope and Nelson Mandela.

Ted Wheeler (57BA), 1956 Olympian and former Iowa track and field head coach, was his college classmate. He said of Bradley Jr. who died earlier this year: "From the day I met Harold, it was obvious to me that this man was indeed a special person. Harold's commitment to excellence—to be the best he could be—was an inspiration to all who knew him."

Leslie D. Davis (92BA, 95JD, 95MA) is a pioneering executive leader, legal strategist, and civic proponent who advocates for diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.

As chief executive officer of the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF), she supports diversity in the legal profession by developing career opportunities for leading minority- and women-owned law firms. Davis is the first Black woman to lead NAMWOLF, which consists of 205 law firms.

She is a key member of several civic, health, and educational boards and serves on the City of Chicago Community Development Commission. Throughout Davis' legal career, she represented Fortune 100 companies across various industries as a partner for three major law firms, including Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP, Drinker Biddle & Reath (now Faegre Drinker), and Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal (now Dentons).

Davis helped establish Legacy Charter School, an elementary school in the underserved Chicago community of North Lawndale. As a founding board member, she was instrumental in naming the school, hiring the inaugural principal and staff, and providing invaluable guidance and insight to the students, staff, community, and corporate business partners. A board member for Chicago's Sinai Health System, Davis champions the health care needs of urban communities, mentors children with diabetes, and is an avid fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association.

Davis' time as a Daily Iowan court reporter inspired her to pursue law school at the University of Iowa, where she earned degrees in law and journalism and mass communication. She remains active with the Black Law Students Association at Iowa, participating in the annual Back to Iowa event and mentoring Black law students.

"Leslie is a force of nature who shares candor, explains context, and offers clarity in complicated situations. She's a verb for public service and ethics," says Lisa Kenner, founding principal of Legacy Charter School.

A business trailblazer, Sandra Davis has used her leadership position at Goldman Sachs to help chart new paths for women and underrepresented finance graduates following in her footsteps.

As co-head of global client marketing and communications for the Investment Banking Division in the firm's New York office, Davis helps to amplify thought leadership content and franchise activity for clients around the world.

While her 17-year career has involved intense professional demands, Davis helped create a job-sharing position that paved the way for a more flexible solution at Goldman Sachs. "Sandy is an advocate and a leader in the finance industry," says Amy Kristof-Brown, the Henry B. Tippie Dean of the UI Henry B. Tippie College of Business.

Davis completed her bachelor's degree at Iowa, with a double major in finance and marketing and a minor in Spanish. She was a member of the Hawkinson Institute for Finance, the Tippie College's undergraduate investment banking program, and maintains a close connection to her alma mater. She serves on its Finance Advisory Council, where she's championed diversity initiatives—and she also mentors and recruits students and speaks at campus events.

After graduation, Davis spent several years in Goldman Sachs' Equity Capital Markets group, guiding companies through their initial public offerings. She moved to her current role in 2015 and always has made it a priority to meet with Tippie College students.

Brian Richman, a Tippie College professor and director of the Hawkinson Institute of Business Finance, says, "There is a generation of Iowa alumni who owe, in part, the successful starts of their careers to Sandy."

Seung Min Kim (07BS) is an acclaimed national politics reporter in Washington, D.C., who also mentors and inspires journalism and political science students at the University of Iowa.

A White House reporter for The Washington Post, Kim covers President Joe Biden's administration, focusing on its legislative agenda and interactions with Capitol Hill. She previously covered the Donald Trump administration and worked for eight years at Politico, a political journalism media company, where she focused on the Senate and immigration policy.

An on-air political analyst for CNN, Kim has served as a guest for the National Press Club and appeared on several national television programs, including Face the Nation and Washington Week. She was recognized by the National Journal as one of 50 people changing the game in Washington and is an active member of the Asian American Journalists Association and Washington Press Club Foundation.

The Iowa City native deepened her interest in politics as an editor and reporter for The Daily Iowan, where she covered the 2004 caucuses. Kim majored in journalism and political science at Iowa and returns to advise students and speak on alumni panels about her experiences. She also serves on the university's Political Science Department Advisory Board, providing guidance to best serve the department's students.

Says Brian Lai, associate professor and chair of the UI Department of Political Science: "Kim's work has provided a vital service to the people of this country, and she has been a model alum with her willingness to engage our students."

John S. Westefeld knows all too well the importance of suicide awareness and prevention. A close friend of John's committed suicide many years ago—an event that played a significant role in John's career choice.

Throughout his 42-year professional career—including 25 years at the University of Iowa—John has been a passionate teacher, scholar, and leader who dedicated his life's work to suicide awareness and prevention. In 1991, he came to Iowa as director of the counseling psychology PhD program.

While at Iowa, John was a significant mentor—both personally and professionally—to many doctoral students who have gone on to a wide variety of careers. His mentorship culminated in being awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in Mentoring by the Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP). In both undergraduate and doctoral-level classes, he has taught students about how to work with suicidal patients, how to research the issue, and how to conduct suicide prevention workshops.

John has been a national leader in his profession, as well as a community advocate. He has served as president of SCP, written numerous pieces in leading academic journals, and spoken on the topic of suicide and suicide prevention at countless events, training seminars, and lectures. He has also advocated in multiple venues for increased suicide awareness.

John retired in 2016 as an emeritus professor and then worked until 2020 in private practice. Today, he continues to stay active in the university and psychological community through a variety of consulting activities, including providing suicide prevention workshops.

Daniel Clay, dean of the UI College of Education, says: "It is impossible to know how many lives have been saved thanks to John Westefeld and the ripple effect of students he mentored and inspired. John's work in the college and in the community is marked by passion for people, and he has a tremendous legacy of making a difference in the lives of so many."

Jeff Chapman (79BBA) is a highly accomplished attorney and dedicated civic leader in Dallas, Texas, who gives back to the University of Iowa and his community in numerous ways.

A co-chair of the Global Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group at Gibson Dunn, he represents private equity firms and public and private companies in diverse cross-border and domestic transactions in a broad range of industries.

Chapman is consistently regarded as one of the top mergers and acquisitions lawyers in the country. Chambers USA has recognized him for many years in its most elite "Band 1" category, and in 2013, elevated Chapman to "Star Individual." He remains the only corporate lawyer in Texas history to be so designated.

Chambers USA reports, "Chapman is widely acknowledged as the superstar of the Texas corporate legal market and provides clients with service that is truly exceptional in every regard."

He and his wife, Kim Engman Cain Chapman, support the UI Henry B. Tippie College of Business, UI athletics, and the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Chapman also established the Gordon Chapman Memorial Athletic Scholarship for men's tennis in honor of his father and the Sheila Rivin Chapman Memorial Scholarship for women's soccer in memory of his late wife.

Chapman has served as a civic leader for several organizations, including chairman of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center President's Advisory Board and as coordinator of the Governance Review Task Force for the board of regents at Baylor University.

Says Michael Frankel, an attorney and former colleague: "Jeff embodies the character traits and values that best reflect all that is good about the University of Iowa."

As section chief and director of dental education at Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa, Hayley Harvey (94DDS, 96MS) has been a champion for increasing access to dental care and improving the oral health of underserved populations.

A native of Detroit, Michigan, and daughter of an Army veteran, Harvey came to the University of Iowa and discovered a passion for improving oral health and access to care for at-risk and rural populations. After earning two degrees from Iowa, Harvey—who served for a decade in the Army National Guard—practiced dentistry and later became the dental director for Baldwin Family Health Care. Her clinic provided dental care to at-risk populations in Baldwin, Michigan, which resides in one of the poorest counties in the state.

She returned to the Hawkeye state as the public health dental director for the Iowa Department of Public Health, which then led her to a position at Broadlawns Medical Center. Harvey has helped Broadlawns establish a new $24 million facility with 22 operatories—six of which are for extramural rotations of University of Iowa dental students. Through her work at Broadlawns, she ensures that future generations of dentists will have a solid understanding of the dental and health disparities facing Iowa's low-income populations.

Harvey is a wife and mother of two daughters, Hannah and Hadley. She is active in many community organizations and serves on the Mid-Iowa Health Foundation Board of Directors. In 2019, Harvey was awarded the University of Iowa Dental Alumni Service Recognition of the Year honor.

Peter Damiano (82BS, 86DDS), one of Harvey's professors from her time at the UI College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics, says: "She represents all that we would want in a Distinguished Alumni Service Award recipient: passion for her field, a lifetime commitment to using her UI education to help those less fortunate, and a continuing role in educating Iowa's students."

Jeffrey Parsons (89BA) is a third-generation Hawkeye who is a tireless and passionate advocate for his alma mater.

A native of Burlington, Iowa, Parsons graduated from the University of Iowa in 1989 with a theatre degree, and he credits Iowa for helping him continue to achieve his dreams. In addition to 16 years with United Airlines, he launched IGC & Associates, Inc., in 2007, a consulting firm focused on leadership and organizational development. His firm supports a range of global industries—from Fortune 20 to nonprofit.

Parsons also has been dedicated to advancing the mission of the Chicago Iowa Club by expanding it beyond game watches—all in an effort to build an inclusive, welcoming network of Hawkeyes in the Chicagoland area. He joined the Chicago Iowa Club Board of Directors in 2018, and after serving as its vice president, he now acts as a club consultant.

As a Chicago Iowa Club volunteer, Parsons has supported 14 official Chicago Iowa Club event locations through promotions and business development; served as guest speaker for a number of university events in Chicagoland; formed the Women In Business network and has helped build other network groups; led and participated in club business development strategy, outreach, and partnerships; and has coordinated and promoted arts outreach in the city. He also has partnered with the university's more than 60 Iowa Clubs to share best practices for increasing business networking opportunities.

On campus, Parsons has become an active contributor and facilitator with the Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center within the UI Henry B. Tippie College of Business.

Says Lenee Wolf (89BGS), Chicago Iowa Club president: "Jeffrey is more than a fan or an alum. He's an ambassador to all things Iowa. He lives, breathes, and loves as a Hawkeye should. He embodies Once a Hawkeye, Always a Hawkeye."

Mark Stinski, PhD, devoted his career at the University of Iowa to the study of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a pathogen that can cause birth defects and infections in the immunosuppressed.

His laboratory discovered the CMV promoter, a mammalian gene expression enhancer that dictates the fate of HCMV infection. The CMV promoter has been used by research laboratories around the world and by pharmaceutical companies to facilitate high expression of proteins. The first successful therapeutic protein was Rituxan for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The CMV promoter patent generated more than $160 million. The patent's royalties helped the UI recruit at least five professors, retain senior faculty members, and establish the Mark Stinski Endowed Chair in Microbiology and Immunology and the Stinski Undergraduate Research Fellowship.

Stinski, who published peer-reviewed articles in top journals, was elected Fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He also received the Alexander Von Humboldt Award from Germany and conducted research at the Institute for Clinical and Molecular Virology in Erlangen, Germany.

The success of his teaching and mentoring is evident in his mentees, who have become leaders in biomedical research at academic institutions and biotech companies.

One of those trainees, Eain Murphy, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at SUNY Upstate Medical University, says: "Mark instilled a scientific ethic and sense of quality in each of his mentees. This led to a generation of Iowa-trained virologists who have made major contributions to a broad range of scientific fields."

A brilliant scientist with the spirit of an entrepreneur, Joseph A. Walder, MD, PhD, has helped everyone from farmers and scientists to physicians and patients thanks to his breakthroughs in biological research. Along the way, he also has inspired colleagues and championed the University of Iowa, where he launched his illustrious career.

After earning his MD and PhD degrees from Northwestern University, Dr. Walder joined the UI in 1978 as an assistant professor of biochemistry. He eventually became a full professor and conducted cutting-edge biochemical research that included developing anti-sickling compounds and a hemoglobin derivative blood substitute.

In 1987, Dr. Walder established Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) through a seed grant from Baxter Health Care, which was interested in his work on hemoglobin and sickle-cell disease. Before selling the company in 2018, he grew IDT into the world's leading provider of synthetic oligonucleotides—or short DNA fragments—that benefit researchers in a range of disciplines.

Known for his creative solutions in the field of molecular medicine, Dr. Walder's notable honors include CEO of the Year from the Technology Association of Iowa and Entrepreneur of the Year from the Iowa Biotechnology Association.

Though he left the UI in 1994, Dr. Walder remained a loyal supporter of the UI Department of Biochemistry. His company also invested in biochemistry graduate education and donated $1 million to create a sibling play space in UI Stead Family Children's Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit.

A visionary researcher, innovative thinker, and transformative philanthropist, Dr. Walder embodies the best of Iowa's values. As Charles Brenner, the UI Roy J. Carver Chair and Head of Biochemistry, says, "Dr. Walder's accomplishments in biotechnology and philanthropy have made him a living legend at the University of Iowa."

Cori Zarek (01BA, 05JD) is a public interest technologist and lawyer whose role in helping governments maximize technology and strive for greater transparency has taken her to the White House—and around the world.

An expert on everything from technology strategies and digital rights to freedom of information, Zarek has worked to transform both government and the private sector. She also has assisted numerous countries in crafting policies related to technology, transparency, and press freedom.

Zarek graduated from Iowa with degrees in journalism and mass communication, political science, and law. As an undergraduate, she rose from reporter to editor-in-chief of The Daily Iowan, and after law school, she became a legal fellow for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Washington, D.C. She eventually became that organization's freedom of information director before accepting a role as attorney advisor for the United States National Archives and Records Administration in 2009.

She joined President Obama's White House in 2013, first as senior advisor for open government and then as deputy U.S. chief technology officer. While there, Zarek helped improved how the federal government uses data and technology to deliver its mission.

In addition, she led the nation's involvement in the Open Government Partnership, a global collaboration that empowers citizens, combats corruption, and harnesses new technologies. As part of that initiative, Zarek represented the United States at global summits in Mexico, South Africa, and France, and she also traveled to more than a dozen countries to advise on open government and technology. Such efforts earned her induction into the National Freedom of Information Act Hall of Fame in 2016.

Today, Zarek is on the faculty at Georgetown University and serves as director of data and digital for its Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation. In that role, she helped create the U.S. Digital Response organization during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also is president of the board of MuckRock, a nonprofit news organization.

"Cori's name is synonymous with freedom of information and open government," says Randy Evans (72BA), executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council. "She's an outstanding University of Iowa representative and has lived and worked in a manner that combines service, leadership, and humility."

As a superintendent of schools in the suburbs of Chicago, Jake Chung (96BA), has dedicated his career to helping students achieve their dreams. The same can be said for his commitment to students at the University of Iowa. In the two-plus decades since earning his bachelor's degree in elementary education, Chung continues to give back to his alma mater as a mentor, scholarship provider, and leader for the UI College of Education's Advisory Board.

A native of Glenview, Illinois, Chung began his teaching career in Houston before returning to the Chicago area, where he received the state's Sallie Mae First Class Teaching Award. An advocate for marginalized students, Chung became a principal in the Arlington Heights and Schaumburg school districts, then assistant superintendent for personnel and planning for Arlington Heights. This past year, Chung was named superintendent for the Salt Creek School District near Chicago. Chung earned a master's degree and EdD from National Louis University in Wheeling, Illinois, and a second master's from the University of Illinois.

"Jake is the epitome of compassionate leadership and service to others, paying it forward and helping make our world a better one in which to live, learn, work, and serve."

In 2013, Chung and his wife, Kimberly Dierks Chung (98BA), established the Jake and Kimberly Chung Scholarship at the UI, which is awarded to College of Education undergraduates during their semester of student-teaching. Chung also has served on the former UI Alumni Association's board and is currently chairman of the College of Education's advisory board. In Illinois, he works with numerous professional and community organizations, including the Dryden Place Project, an innovative program he helped create to help disadvantaged Arlington Heights students and their families succeed.

Says Daniel Clay, dean of the UI College of Education: "Jake is the epitome of compassionate leadership and service to others, paying it forward and helping make our world a better one in which to live, learn, work, and serve."

A health care executive who served in the White House, Adaeze Enekwechi (98BA, 07PhD) is widely admired for tackling complex policy challenges and studying how the health system can work for everyone, particularly vulnerable populations.

From 2015 to the end of the Obama administration, Adaeze was the White House's associate director for health programs in the Office of Management and Budget, where she oversaw a health budget of more than $1 trillion. Holding what's been described as the government's most important health post, Adaeze was a key policy advisor to President Obama and worked with Congress and the executive branch to implement the federal budget.

Although she was less than a decade removed from earning her doctorate from the UI College of Public Health, Adaeze was well-equipped for the high-profile position. She began her career as an analyst at the Congressional Budget Office after completing her master's degree in public policy at another institution. She returned to the University of Iowa to obtain her doctoral degree and went on to work at the University of Chicago School of Medicine, after which she became the associate director for innovation and new product development at Joint Commission Resources in Illinois.

"Adaeze worked in the White House with integrity and calm in an intense and sometimes difficult environment."

Adaeze then became a senior researcher for Health Research and Educational Trust, a Chicago-based arm of the American Hospital Association. In 2010, she moved to Washington to work in health care policy. There, she was a senior analyst for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the first senior program officer at the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and a managing consultant at the Lewin Group, where she led several payment policy evaluation and research projects for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Since leaving the White House, Adaeze has returned to the consulting world. She's currently president of IMPAQ International, a $100 million policy research and technology firm in the Washington, D.C., area that helps governments, businesses, foundations, nonprofits, and universities enhance their programs and policies. She also is a member of the National Academy of Medicine's Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine group, and she serves on the Board of Public Health Institute and other advisory boards.

"Adaeze worked in the White House with integrity and calm in an intense and sometimes difficult environment," says Shaun Donovan, former director of the Office of Management and Budget. "I never saw her lose her cool despite enormous stakes, and her intelligence and knowledge always made a difference."

Geraldene Felton, dean emerita of the University of Iowa College of Nursing, is highly celebrated as a national trailblazer in nursing research and education.

Raised in Philadelphia, she joined the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in 1949 and rose through the ranks to become deputy director of the nursing division at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. In 1975, she discharged from the Army as lieutenant colonel and began a new career in nursing education. In 2018, the UI honored her military service with the Hawkeye Distinguished Veterans Memorial Award.

Felton came to the UI in 1981 to serve as professor and dean of the College of Nursing. She retired in 1997, though she remained a leader for various national nursing education and research organizations. Among her many accomplishments as nursing dean were starting the college's PhD and nurse anesthesia programs, strengthening ties with the UI Hospitals & Clinics, and building a research-based culture.

"Because of Dean Felton, our faculty—and nurse researchers across the country—have been able to carry out programs of research that have significantly improved the health care of so many individuals across Iowa and beyond."

Ann Marie McCarthy (90PhD), professor and associate dean for research and scholarship at the College of Nursing, says, "Because of Dean Felton, our faculty—and nurse researchers across the country—have been able to carry out programs of research that have significantly improved the health care of so many individuals across Iowa and beyond."

Felton continues to invest in the College of Nursing through her longtime support of the Nursing Progress Fund and by establishing the Geraldene Felton Graduate Student Scholarship Fund and Geraldene Felton Student Success Center. Recognized in 2000 as a "Living Legend" by the American Academy of Nursing, Felton had made enduring contributions to her field that will undoubtedly influence generations of future nursing students and professionals.

A career naval officer, aide to the 38th president of the United States, and CEO of three corporations, Howard Kerr (60BA) is a leader through and through. Beyond his military and business accomplishments, he continues to lead through service to his community and his alma mater, the University of Iowa.

A Des Moines native who earned two master's degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Kerr served for 21 years in the U.S. Navy during the Cold War and Vietnam eras. He commanded the USS Hawkins and USS Kinkaid, was commodore of Destroyer Squadron 33, and received the Bronze Star with combat valor and eight Vietnam combat-era awards. In 1973, Kerr was assigned to the White House staff of Vice Presidents Spiro Agnew and Gerald Ford, where he served as an advisor on defense and national security issues. The following year, he became naval aide to President Ford and executive assistant to the counselor of the president. When Kerr left the White House, Ford awarded him the Legion of Merit Medal in an Oval Office ceremony. Kerr retired from the Navy in 1981 and became president and CEO of Custom Technologies Corporation and two other Chicago-based corporations. He also was a board member of Van Kampen and InVesco Mutual Funds and served on the Marrow Foundation.

"His intelligence, integrity, and communication skills have been the essential tools in his effective management of the most important resources in any organization—its people."

Kerr was active in civic service, including serving as mayor for three terms in Lake Forest, Illinois. Now a resident of Lake Bluff, Illinois, he regularly returns to the UI to lecture in the Department of Political Science and work with students. He has been a member of the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean's Advisory Board and was the 2016 recipient of the UI's International Impact Award. Kerr and his wife, Patricia, have established a scholarship for the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

The late Navy admiral E.R. Zumwalt once wrote of Kerr: "His intelligence, integrity, and communication skills have been the essential tools in his effective management of the most important resources in any organization—its people."

David J. Skorton, president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and former president of the University of Iowa, is one of the nation's most ardent champions of the sciences, arts, and humanities. Throughout his distinguished career in medicine, higher education, and government, he has advocated for the support of education and the arts as a wise investment in the success of the country.

Skorton began his affiliation with the UI in 1980, serving over 20 years on the medicine and engineering faculty. A board-certified cardiologist, he co-founded the UI Adolescent and Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic, one of the first in the nation. His pioneering research on cardiac imaging and image processing continues to influence the cardiology field.

Respected for his tremendous vision and insight, Skorton was appointed the 19th president of the UI in 2003. During his presidency, Skorton set Iowa on a path of innovation that included revitalizing the International Writing Program and implementing the Year of the Arts & Humanities and Year of Public Engagement.

"David remains a true leader and representative of all that is treasured in higher education."

Skorton's quickness to grasp complexity, assemble effective teams, and inspire action make him a highly sought-after leader. In 2006, he left Iowa to assume the presidency of Cornell University. Then, in 2015, he was appointed the 13th Secretary of the Smithsonian, where he oversaw 19 museums, 21 libraries, the National Zoo, numerous research centers, and education programs. In July 2019, he became president and CEO of the AAMC, which represents the nation's medical schools, teaching hospitals, and academic societies. Skorton also is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society, as well as a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Bringing integrity, authenticity, and generosity to all his endeavors, Skorton embodies the core values of Iowa. As John C. Keller, dean of the UI Graduate College, says, "David remains a true leader and representative of all that is treasured in higher education."

While Nancy (77BA, 80JD) and Craig (75JD) Willis have practiced law for more than three decades, their avocation is community service. Deeply committed to two cornerstones of the University of Iowa's mission—health care and the arts—the Willises have transformed the campus and surrounding community through their involvement.

The real estate attorneys, who recently merged their Willis & Willis law firm and Security Abstract Company with Meardon, Sueppel & Downer law firm in Iowa City, are particularly passionate about ensuring a vibrant future for the UI Stanley Museum of Art. They have lent their unwavering support and wise counsel to help the museum establish a new permanent home following the 2008 flood. As members of the Stanley Museum of Art's Elliott Society, the Willises have exhibited leadership on the museum's Members Council and the advisory, green campaign, envisioning, and building campaign committees.

"Iowa City is a significantly better place because of their generosity and commitment to both our community and our university."

The couple's faithful service to the university extends to areas such as Hancher, Iowa Writers' Workshop, and several university presidential and dean search committees. Since 1992, Nancy has brought her keen business sense and fundraising expertise to the UI Foundation Board, including as part of the development committee and For Iowa. Forever More. campaign cabinet. The couple also belongs to Friends of UI Health Care, a volunteer group dedicated to providing greater access to health care, where Craig serves on the leadership council.

Beyond campus, the Willises have joined the board of directors for many local organizations, including the Iowa City Community School District, Iowa City Public Library Foundation, Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission, Iowa City Hospice, Johnson County United Way, and UNESCO City of Literature. They also have made significant contributions to area arts organizations and received many volunteerism awards over the years.

As Cathy Zaharis (82BBA), chair of the UI Center for Advancement board of directors, says, "Iowa City is a significantly better place because of their generosity and commitment to both our community and our university."

Nicholas Colangelo is an innovative leader whose many contributions have advanced the university and the field of gifted education in significant ways.

Colangelo arrived at the University of Iowa in 1977 and quickly established himself as one of the earliest voices and leading experts in the emerging field of gifted education. As the result of extensive outreach to educators, the Connie Belin and Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development was established in 1988, with Colangelo named as its founding director. Through his effective leadership, the center has grown to serve the needs of thousands of students and hundreds of educators. Colangelo's scholarship may be best known through the internationally acclaimed report, "A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America's Brightest Students," which has been translated into nine languages and downloaded more than 150,000 times with greater than four million hits to the website.

Colangelo dedicated his entire professional career to the University of Iowa and has served in various capacities, including on faculty senate and the Presidential Committee on Athletics. He served with distinction as dean of the UI College of Education from 2012–2016. As emeritus dean, Colangelo continues to represent the university as an active donor and advocate.

"Nick leaves things much better than he finds them," says UI College of Education Professor Debora Liddell. "We are a better university because of his love and commitment."

Jay Daniliuk (99BBA) is at the forefront of the U.S. government's efforts to fight poverty and hunger in Africa. In his current position as private sector advisor in the Bureau for Food Security at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Daniliuk is working to make sure famine is a thing of the past.

Daniliuk's seven years at the USAID build upon a series of distinguished positions in the private, public, and international sectors. After a successful career in advertising, he took the unusual step of giving up his career on Madison Avenue to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo, a tiny country in West Africa.

This experience changed his personal goals. After completing a master's degree in foreign service at Georgetown University, Daniliuk moved into a career in the federal government with a specific bent toward agencies who serve developing nations. In his current role, he travels the world to help build and maintain partnerships related to food production and distribution.

The work has taken Daniliuk to more than 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, and he has been recognized for its creativity and impact by the U.S. government, foreign donors, and international nonprofit organizations.

"Jay's journey is still unfolding," says Kristi Ragan, DAI Chief of Party for the USAID Invest Project. "His commitment to service will continue to make a difference for the invisible poor whose voices we don't hear on a daily basis."

Michael Nelson (71MD) is a distinguished professor of radiology, specializing in breast cancer imaging, at the University of Minnesota. He also is a committed humanitarian who advances global health in East Africa. In addition to his work as a co-founder of Minnesota's Jane Brattain Breast Center, Nelson helped found the East Africa Medical Assistant Foundation, which supports diagnostic radiology services in northern Tanzania for approximately 15 million patients.

Advocating for cancer services where there were none available, Nelson has worked tirelessly to bring medical equipment and expertise to a region where there are more deaths from cancer than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. His unique ability to connect with people from different countries and backgrounds helped forge agreements and partnerships with physicians and administrators to advance innovations in technology, training, health systems design, and a national cancer registry. What is most striking about his humanitarian efforts is the complexity and scale of the work and results. The comprehensive cancer center that Nelson and his colleagues through Foundation for Cancer Care are developing to serve northern Tanzania includes a chemotherapy program and radiation unit, for which Nelson has been instrumental in the planning, as well as the funding.

"Mike is compassionate and caring, and his involvement has affected more than 15 million people in northern Tanzania," says John Reiling at the Foundation for Cancer Care in Tanzania.

Kelly Ortberg (82BSME) is a visionary and an accomplished business leader who gives back to the university, community, state, and nation in many ways. As CEO of Rockwell Collins, Ortberg's primary goal was to accelerate the company's growth, which he has done organically and with a major acquisition. Under his leadership, Rockwell Collins has been added to the Forbes 500 list with more than $5 billion in annual revenues; has been named one of "America's Best Largest Employers" by Forbes magazine two years in a row; and is the only aerospace and defense company named as one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" by the Ethisphere Institute.

Ortberg is a strong supporter of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs. He takes every opportunity to encourage women and underrepresented minorities to pursue STEM careers. As a key member of the University of Iowa College of Engineering Advisory Board, he helped double undergraduate enrollment with ideas to attract and retain the highest quality students.

His work to advance economic development across Iowa and the country can be seen through the considerable time and energy he devotes to building a STEM-skilled workforce and elevating the nation's global integrity.

"Mr. Ortberg is the epitome of an Iowa success story," says Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority. "He is someone who has persevered to advance his company, his community, and the people around him."

Stephen E. Corbeil, 84MA, is an innovative leader of hospitals and health care systems who has charted a stable course through the industry’s turbulent changes.

During his distinguished career—which began with a role as chief executive officer of a 137-bed regional referral center, just five years after his graduation from the University of Iowa College of Public Health’s master of health administration program—Corbeil has earned a reputation as an inspiring mentor and forward-thinking executive.

For more than 25 years, he has successfully managed multiple health care organizations in numerous cities and states. He has held senior management positions with Tenet Healthcare in St. Louis and the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) in Nashville. In December 2016, he retired as president of TriStar Health, a division of the HCA comprised of 22 hospitals, nine ambulatory surgery centers, and 275 employed physicians in Tennessee, Georgia, and Kentucky. He now serves as a consultant with HCA, primarily engaged with its executive development program.

“Fundamental changes sweeping the health care arena have required health systems like those under Steve’s direction to develop new business and patient models,” says Sue Curry, the UI’s interim provost and dean of the College of Public Health. “Amid the changes and challenges, Steve has been a steady and strategic guide for the health systems he has served.”

Such guidance included the creation of new business and patient-care models; the integration of patient populations and technologies; and the expansion, renovation, and consolidation of facilities in the various communities served.

Along the way, Corbeil has stayed true to his Hawkeye roots. He is deeply connected to his alma mater, serving on the alumni board for the UI College of Public Health’s Department of Health Management and Policy from 2000 to 2012 and receiving the college’s 2011 Outstanding Alumni Award. He has been active on the college’s campaign committee, and he and his wife, Mary Kay, generously established a fellowship fund for deserving UI master of health administration students.

Corbeil is passionate about nurturing tomorrow’s health care leaders. Not only was he instrumental in developing the HCA’s executive leadership development programs, but he also has been a professional and personal mentor to many UI health management and policy students—and a preceptor for summer interns and post-graduate fellows.

“A familiar HCA saying…is that ‘good people beget good people,’” says R. Milton Johnson, chairman and chief executive officer of the Hospital Corporation of America. “This is clearly evident in Steve’s mentorship of young leaders.”

Corbeil also gives back to his community. A fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives, he has served on numerous boards and service organizations—including the board of trustees for Tennessee State University in Nashville, the Governor’s Foundation for Health in Tennessee, the Federation of American Hospitals, and the American Hospital Association.

With great insight and compassion, Stephen E. Corbeil has helped transform our nation’s health care system and ensured patients’ well-being for years to come.

Corbeil is a member of the UI Alumni Association and the UI Foundation’s Presidents Club.

Philip R. Currie, 62BA, brought the news to life for countless readers, thanks to his cutting-edge work in the field of journalism and mass communication.

From his earliest days as editor of the University of Iowa’s student newspaper to his later years as senior vice president of news in Gannett’s U.S. publishing division, Currie’s journalistic integrity made him a pacesetter for an entire industry.

“Phil brought forward-thinking practices to the often arcane world of journalism, insisting on professionalism, accuracy, and honesty,” says Michelle Foster, president of Media Management and Marketing and a former colleague of Currie’s. “He strongly believes that a newspaper’s content should reflect the communities it serves, in all their rich diversity.”

Throughout his four decades in the business, Currie pushed for positive changes in news reporting. His emphasis on quality journalism in local communities brought ethical reporting to the fore, and he established criteria for ensuring that newsrooms embraced diversity in their hiring practices.

Such values stem back to his UI educational experiences, which shaped his exemplary career. “I learned the basics of good journalism while attending Iowa—in classes and on the Daily Iowan,” says Currie. “That foundation has served me throughout my career and provided me with the direction to support ethical and balanced reporting and editing.”

An esteemed journalist, Currie directed the coverage of the Attica State Prison riots in Attica, New York, which led to two reporters from the Rochester Times-Union winning a 1971 Pulitzer Prize. Later as a corporate news executive, he went on to craft a pioneering ethics policy for the Gannett newspaper division that prohibited the use of unnamed sources (except in rare circumstances). This policy was the first of its kind in corporate newspaper journalism and became a model for similar policies at other news organizations. Currie also helped lead the transition of Gannett newsrooms from a print- to digital-first emphasis until his retirement in December 2008.

Currie is a staunch defender of the First Amendment, and this commitment has driven his many personal and professional accomplishments. Not only did he focus on fact-based and watchdog journalism during his years with Gannett, but he also has been deeply involved with the Newseum Institute. A national organization based in Washington, D.C., the institute promotes, explains, and defends free expression and the five freedoms of the First Amendment. Currie was appointed to its board of trustees in 2016.

In addition, Currie chaired the American Society for Newspaper Editors’ diversity committee and has served on the advisory boards for the Morgan State University School of Global Journalism and Communication in Baltimore and the Penn State College of Communications. He is also a member of the professional advisory board for the UI School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where he established a student scholarship and was instrumental in raising money for a new facility. The school inducted him into its hall of fame in 2014.

With a passion for strong news coverage, a deep commitment to diversity, and an unwavering belief in First Amendment responsibilities, Philip Currie has made an indelible mark on the nation’s rich journalistic tradition.

Currie is a member of the UI Alumni Association’s Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation’s Presidents Club.

Steven Davis, 01BS, 03MS, developed a groundbreaking software program for his master’s thesis that served as the foundation for a thriving company enabling advanced life science research.

The journey began at the University of Iowa, where Davis, the president and co-founder of Bio::Neos, got his professional start. He received academic all-Big Ten honors as a member of the Hawkeye men’s gymnastics team and worked as a research assistant in the College of Engineering’s Coordinated Laboratory for Computational Genomics.

“As a student, Steve was brilliant. His raw intelligence set him apart from his peers from the first time I met him,” says Thomas Casavant, who was Davis’s UI professor and advisor—and now is his business partner. “He started conducting research in high-performance computing, machine intelligence, and genetics while still an undergraduate, and by the time he finished his master’s degree, his thesis software embodied solutions to myriad problems in human genetics research.”

This complex and integrated software system, TrAPPS, lets clinicians and human genetics researchers sift through billions of pieces of information to discover genomic variations that account for hundreds of blinding eye diseases. It also allowed Davis to launch a successful business venture. “I like to create things, whether that means software to help researchers, new jobs, or my business itself,” he says. “I’m motivated to create things that improve our world.”

Davis and his partners, who won the John Pappajohn New Venture Business Plan competition in 2003 and the Storer Entrepreneurial Business competition in 2004, established Bio::Neos, in the Bedell Entrepreneurship Learning Laboratory (BELL)14 years ago.

Today, their company—which is located in the BioVentures Building on Iowa’s Oakdale Campus—writes customized software that allows life sciences companies to analyze large volumes of data. David Conrad, the UI assistant vice president for economic development, says, “Steve’s work is very valuable to researchers inside the University of Iowa and at biotechnology companies across the globe.”

Not only does Bio::Neos benefit researchers, but it also helps students. His firm regularly recruits UI graduates for both internships and full-time positions, and Davis was a charter member of the College of Engineering young alumni advisory board and currently serves as a member of the College of Engineering advisory board.

Davis has shared his story with thousands of UI entrepreneurial students; judged numerous student business plan competitions; and mentored students in the BELL, the UI Venture School, and the Student Accelerator. In addition, he was the main instructor in the Dev/Iowa Bootcamp, a foundational web application development course. He also finds time to teach STEM Innovator curriculum as a Tippie College of Business adjunct lecturer, as well as to serve as an officer of the Hawkeye Endurance Athletic Team, a nonprofit triathlon club that he co-founded.

Through his leadership, hard work, and inspired thinking, Steve Davis has helped pave the way for the game-changing innovators and entrepreneurs who will follow in his footsteps.

Davis is a member of the UI Alumni Association.

Nancy Frank Hauserman, 76JD, spent more than three decades at the University of Iowa as a leader and scholar who invested in worthy causes, created new opportunities, and helped change students’ lives.   

The retired professor, associate dean, and ombudsperson has had a profound effect on the university in all her roles. Throughout her years on campus, she exemplified what it means to be a mentor, an innovator, a feminist, an academic, and an activist.

After finishing law school and working in the legal field, Hauserman accepted a position as a lecturer and visiting professor in what is now the UI Henry B. Tippie College of Business. She became a full professor in 1995 and also took on various leadership roles in the university, including as associate dean of the college’s undergraduate business program. Though she retired in 2013, Hauserman still teaches MBA students in Hong Kong and Italy.

A strong believer in the importance of undergraduate education, Hauserman was instrumental in developing a number of student-focused programs at Tippie, including the Hawkinson Institute for Business Finance, the Tippie Early Admission Program, the Tippie Senate, and the Tippie Young Alumni Board—which became a model for other UI colleges.

Amanda Miller, a 2002 UI business graduate, worked closely with Hauserman as a student in establishing the young alumni board. Miller remains close to her former professor: “I trust her advice. She never tells me which road to take, but instead helps me evaluate the options so I can be confident in my own decision. My hope is that, one day, someone will admire and respect me as much as I do Nancy Hauserman.”

UI graduates such as Miller also have Hauserman to thank for launching the Judith R. Frank Business Communication Center. Named in honor of Hauserman’s mother and funded by her father, this center—one of the first of its kind in the nation—helps undergraduate students improve their writing and public speaking skills.

Such innovative contributions extend beyond the Tippie College of Business. Hauserman also used her expertise in the areas of whistleblowing, women and employment law, and business ethics to play a pivotal part in several research projects for the university’s Council on the Status of Women, which gathered data about incidences of sexual harassment on campus.

Additionally, she was a fellow of the UI Center for Human Rights and served on the Diversity Review Task Force, the Year of the Arts and Humanities steering committee, and the national steering committee for the UI Foundation’s Good. Better. Best. Iowa. fundraising campaign. She currently serves as president of the UI Retirees Association.

For her commendable work at Iowa, Hauserman has received such accolades as the Michael J. Brody Award for Faculty Excellence in Service, the Jean Jew Women’s Rights Award, and the Hancher-Finkbine Medallion.

Karla Miller, former executive director of the UI Rape Victim Advocacy Program, for which Hauserman was a volunteer emergency advocate and board member, says “Nancy strives to live her life by the tenets she teaches others.”

An extraordinary teacher and role model, Nancy Hauserman has helped shape a new generation of business leaders—and an improved University of Iowa community.

Hauserman is a life member of the UI Alumni Association and a member of the UI Foundation’s Presidents Club.

Dan Gable is a gold medal-winning Olympic wrestler and former University of Iowa multinational championship head coach who has dramatically elevated American amateur wrestling by becoming the sport’s greatest ambassador.

After going to the mat in Munich in 1972 and famously taking the gold without surrendering a single point, Gable accepted a job as an assistant wrestling coach at the UI. This decision launched his career as the most successful head coach in American collegiate history.

From 1976 to 1997, Gable led the Hawkeyes to 15 NCAA national wrestling titles and 21 Big Ten championship titles. During those years, he coached 152 all-Americans, 45 national champions, 106 Big Ten champions, and 12 Olympians.

“When you finally decide how successful you want to be, you’ve got to set priorities,” says Gable. “In 25 years as a head coach and assistant, I think I might have missed one practice. Why? Because practice was my top priority.”

This ethos guided Gable’s work as an Olympic head coach on three different occasions—in 1980, 1984, and 2000. His 1984 Olympic team, which featured four Hawkeye wrestlers, won seven gold medals. He also served as head coach of the World Team for six different years.

“The UI has been blessed with many outstanding faculty, staff, and students who have been national, and even international, icons in their endeavors,” says UI Athletics Director Gary Barta. “Such is the case with Dan Gable and wrestling. He stands in his own class.”

Gable has been the subject of several ESPN and HBO documentaries, and has been named to the U.S.A. Wrestling Hall of Fame, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. In June 2002, President George Bush appointed him to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

Recent accolades include being named top wrestler of the 20th century by Gannett News Service and one of ESPN’s top coaches of the 20th century. In 1996, Gable made the list of “100 Golden Olympians,” which honors the top 100 U.S. Olympians of all time, and during the 2012 Olympic Games, he was inducted into the elite FILA Hall of Fame Legends of the Sport. In 2015, Gable added New York Times best-selling author to his impressive résumé with the publication of his memoir, A Wrestling Life: The Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable. From his childhood in Waterloo to the pressures of the Olympic stage to coaching the Brands brothers, Gable offers an intimate glimpse into his personal life—including the people and experiences that shaped his indomitable, resilient spirit.

When the International Olympic Committee decided in 2013 to drop wrestling as one of the core sports of the 2020 Olympics, Gable was instrumental in reversing the decision later that year.

“Dan Gable’s name works magic in many circles…and carries with it his enduring association with the University of Iowa,” says Mike Chapman, a former sports editor of the Gazette in Cedar Rapids.

Thanks to Dan Gable’s uncompromising talent and grit, both on and off the mat, Iowa’s most successful coach has become a legend in the world of wrestling.

Kevin Gruneich, 80BBA, was able to attend college thanks in part to others’ generosity, and now he uses his own Wall Street success to help hundreds of University of Iowa students pursue their dreams.

Known as one of the top publishing analysts in the world, Gruneich retired in 2004 from a senior leadership role at the Bear Stearns Companies. However, he remains actively engaged in private business ventures and serves on several corporate and philanthropic boards. He and his wife also administer the Kevin and Donna Gruneich Charitable Foundation, which focuses on education, religion, and environmental protection—and on helping the underprivileged.

The Park City, Utah, resident, who earned an M.B.A. degree in finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, got his start in finance and industrial relations at the UI. “The undergraduate years are so important,” he says. “What one experiences, learns, and practices during college…is key to attaining life goals.”

This belief is what has inspired Gruneich to help open doors for students at Iowa. The Gruneichs’ foundation helped fund the UI’s new business hub, a study center now under construction at the Henry B. Tippie College of Business. For the past 11 years, Gruneich has also been instrumental in underwriting the Iowa Edge—a program that provides orientation, programming, community building, and counseling support for Iowa’s minority and first-generation college students.

“Like Kevin Gruneich, I did not have any big advantages growing up,” says Jose Diaz, a student at the Tippie College of Business, who graduates this year and will work for J.P. Morgan Chase & Company. “With the help of the Iowa Edge program, I submerged myself in the UI’s wonderful culture and became heavily involved with student organizations. My parents, who never went past the sixth grade, still can’t believe the strides that one generation in our family has made through the help of Iowa and Kevin Gruneich.”

Gruneich has helped students such as Diaz attend college and has inspired a new generation of philanthropically minded graduates. Gruneich played a key role in launching and underwriting the Fundraising and Philanthropy Certificate Program in the UI School of Journalism and Mass Communication. This program, one of the few undergraduate philanthropy studies programs in the nation, helps students from all majors prepare for careers—and leadership roles—in the nonprofit sector.

“I am just beginning to return the investment others have made in me,” Gruneich explains. “I believe the students I help will eventually be there to help others, creating a virtuous cycle that will improve the university, the state, and society as a whole.”

In addition to his work in nurturing and mentoring students, Gruneich also has been a member of the University of Iowa Foundation’s board of directors since 2006 and serves on its investment committee.

In all that he does, both personally and professionally, Kevin Gruneich demonstrates a deep understanding of the power of philanthropy—and the importance of “paying it forward” for University of Iowa students.

Gruneich is a life member of the UI Alumni Association and a member of the UI Foundation’s Presidents Club.

James “Jim” P. Hayes, 64JD, has tirelessly pursued a vision to keep renowned American Gothic artist Grant Wood’s legacy alive at the University of Iowa—and far beyond.

A highly regarded attorney and passionate arts advocate, Hayes has dedicated himself to ensuring a better understanding of, and appreciation for, Iowa’s most famous artist. And Hayes’s quest has brought a vital community back to life on the UI campus.

The Grant Wood Art Colony grew out of Hayes’s purchase of a house at 1142 East Court Street in Iowa City in 1975. This landmark residence was Grant Wood’s home while the artist was on faculty at the University of Iowa, and as Hayes worked to restore the historic property, he began to imagine a way to honor Wood’s “Iowa Idea” of connecting studio artists and art history scholars.

In partnership with the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the School of Art and Art History, Hayes turned his brainchild into reality in 2011, and today, he serves as chair of the colony’s national board of advisors. The Grant Wood Art Colony nurtures creative work and teaching in disciplines associated with Wood, including studio and performance art and art history. It brings Grant Wood Fellows—artists-in-residence—to the School of Art and Art History, the Department of Theatre Arts, and the Department of Music, and it also hosts a biannual Grant Wood symposium and state outreach efforts.

“This community of artists and scholars has become a major force, with artistic energy and global reach,” says Sean O’Harrow, who is the former director of the UI Museum of Art and current director of the Honolulu Museum of Art.

To help ensure a lasting home for the colony, Hayes—who envisions a vibrant cultural hub of interconnected living quarters, studios, and gardens—plans to bequeath his residence and its four surrounding properties to the university, upon his death. “It is my wish that it be a cultural center…a living place of activity, of people talking and doing things and meeting one another,” says Hayes. “That’s what it is now, and that’s what I’d like it to continue to be.”

His path from UI student to benefactor included roles as the Iowa deputy commissioner of public safety and as the first director of the Iowa Crime Commission. He also worked with Meardon, Sueppel, Downer, and Hayes before going on in 1999 to establish his own firm, Hayes Lorenzen Lawyers.

Throughout these career changes, Hayes has remained deeply invested in Iowa. He serves on the university’s Realizing Educational and Career Hopes (REACH) advisory board, which helps students with cognitive and intellectual disabilities learn to live independently. He also has filled multiple volunteer roles for the UI Museum of Art, serving on its advisory, building, and envisioning committees, as well as on its members council.

Like the artist and UI faculty member who inspired him, Jim Hayes has used his time and talent to create a vibrant artistic community here that will enrich the student experience for generations to come.  

Hayes is a member of the UI Alumni Association’s Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation’s Presidents Club.

Nancy J. Humbles, 97MA, has been a strong advocate for diversity and equity at the University of Iowa, and she helped forge new paths for students of color and other underrepresented groups on campus.

As the founding creator and retired director of the UI Center for Diversity and Enrichment, Humbles was instrumental in establishing programs that provide a welcoming climate for students, faculty, and staff from marginalized communities. She also fostered meaningful personal connections with students who were navigating the ins and outs of college for the first time.

“Nancy had a keen ability to connect with individual students,” says John Laverty, a senior associate director of the UI Office of Admissions. “She helped them succeed, and she took many of them under her wing, without fanfare, to help them maximize their personal potential and keep moving forward each day.”

Such guidance came naturally to Humbles, who earned a master’s degree in student development in postsecondary education from the UI College of Education while working at Iowa.

She first joined the UI in 1990 as an academic planning counselor in Special Support Services and then as an advisor in the UI Henry B. Tippie College of Business. As the assistant director of advising at Tippie, she developed the Student Incentive Program, a summer program for minority and first-generation students. She also served as multicultural affairs coordinator and interim program coordinator for Opportunity at Iowa.

In 2007, Humbles became the director of the UI Center for Diversity and Enrichment. “That is my favorite UI memory because it validated all of my hard work,” she says. In this role, she coordinated outreach opportunities and resources for underserved students from diverse backgrounds, including students of color, first-generation college students, and students from low-income families.

Tevin Robbins was one such student—and credits Humbles with helping to shape who he is today. Robbins was an Advantage Iowa Scholar and a single-parent student at Iowa; now he is the assistant director for student leadership development at Tippie—and he says Humbles made that possible. “The impact she made on my life could never be repaid,” says Robbins. “She pushed me to pursue graduate school, and she even persuaded me to join her in her field, serving college students.”

Since retiring from the UI in 2015, Humbles has widened her reach as a community volunteer. She was elected as the first African American to serve on the Cedar Rapids Community School District Board of Education in 2009 and was re-elected in 2013. She is president of the Area Substance Abuse Council, volunteers on the United Way Healthy Solutions committee, co-chairs the African American Museum of Iowa’s History Makers Gala, and serves as the finance chair at Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Cedar Rapids. Humbles also previously co-chaired the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Freedom Fund Banquet and served as a board member for Four Oaks in Cedar Rapids, president of the Jane Boyd Community House in Cedar Rapids, and president of the UI African American Council.

Through her steady guidance and unwavering belief in personal potential, Nancy Humbles has helped countless University of Iowa students achieve their academic dreams.

Phillip O. Mayberry, 67BSIE, is a true Hawkeye, through and through, and he has channeled his passion for the University of Iowa into a lifetime of good works on its behalf.

When Mayberry first arrived on the UI campus—following in his siblings’ footsteps—he made a conscious decision to take full advantage of the student experience. He attended everything from football games and lectures to dances at the Iowa Memorial Union. He also worked in the residence halls and in his fraternity house to help cover the costs of attending the UI College of Engineering.

After graduating from Iowa with a degree in industrial engineering, Mayberry landed a position as a sales engineer with Fisher Controls Company, and he later joined Emerson Process Management in Marshalltown, Iowa. Though he recently retired from Emerson as vice president of sales-marquee accounts, he continues to work part-time for the company as director of customer events.

Mayberry’s early lessons in networking and engagement are what keep him so involved with the university now. He has been on the UI College of Engineering advisory board since 2000 and was a key member of its enrollment management committee, which helped the college dramatically increase its numbers. Mayberry also plays a key role in helping recruit new students to the college.

“Phil is consistently a positive and enthusiastic supporter of the university and college—and a tremendous ambassador,” says Robert E. Kress, a partner at Accenture who chairs the UI College of Engineering’s advisory board. “When students are considering Iowa for engineering, he is supportive and explains the strengths of the college. He has maintained relationships with many of these students he helped recruit, and he provides career guidance and mentoring.”

Not only does Mayberry serve as a mentor for students, but he also helps some of them attend college, thanks to the Phillip O. Mayberry Engineering Scholarship for deserving undergraduate students from the state of Iowa.

His commitment to supporting new Hawkeyes extends beyond the College of Engineering. Mayberry is an avid fan of UI athletics, and as the longtime president of the Marshall County I-Club, he has organized many large annual spring banquets and inspired two of his friends to establish fully endowed scholarships for Hawkeye student-athletes.

In addition, Mayberry has secured generous sponsorship support for the Polk County I-Club Senior Dinner in Des Moines—an annual event that helps Hawkeye student-athletes connect with business leaders from throughout the state. He is also a past member of the UI Alumni Association’s board of directors.

Such efforts earned Mayberry the 2004 Volunteer of the Year Award from the National I-Club—and a recent nomination to the National I-Club board of directors. “Phil is one of the most animated ‘Go, Hawks’ cheerleaders for student-athletes, coaches, and the entire Hawkeye nation,” says Alec Scranton, dean of the UI College of Engineering. “He has defined the very meaning of ‘service’ for his alma mater.”

From one-time student to successful volunteer, Phil Mayberry has helped ensure that the University of Iowa remains a vibrant and welcoming place.

Mayberry is a member of the UI Alumni Association’s Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation’s Presidents Club.

Vince Nelson is an enthusiastic University of Iowa champion who shared the Hawkeye spirit with countless alumni and friends during his 26 years at the helm of the UI Alumni Association (UIAA).

Under his leadership, the UIAA thrived, growing its membership to an all-time high of more than 52,000 and introducing programs that reflected Nelson’s deep passion for Iowa. Although he spent 20 years at Drake University in Des Moines—first as a student and then as a faculty member and director of alumni relations—Nelson devoted the bulk of his career to the UI, and he was its loyal promoter.

In 1997, UI President Mary Sue Coleman appointed Nelson as executive director of the UIAA, following his 18-month stint as interim executive director. “Vince was the kind of leader who was enormously important for a strong and effective association,” says Coleman. “He worked to reflect the voice of the alumni, but he also clearly understood that the university has many constituencies.”

Nelson found innovative ways to connect with these many groups. When he joined the UIAA, its IOWA Clubs did not yet exist; however, within months, he had helped establish several in Iowa and surrounding states. Today, the clubs are among the most popular of the UIAA’s programs, celebrating the Hawkeyes in 53 U.S. cities and 15 international locations.

“The familiar slogan, ‘Once a Hawkeye, Always a Hawkeye,’ which so resonates with Hawkeye fans around the country, can be traced directly to Vince Nelson and his relentless and enthusiastic support for the University of Iowa,” says Ron Steele, a past chair of the UIAA board. “He always focused on improving the relationship between the university and its alumni.”

Nelson, whose title changed from executive director to president in 2001, helped usher in a number of new programs and initiatives, including volunteer service trips through Iowa Voyagers and the Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow organization (now known as the Future Alumni Network). He also forged stronger links between the UIAA and its campus partners, including the colleges and UI Athletics.

In his time at the UIAA, Nelson oversaw the growth of the organization’s annual budget from $2.1 million to $3.3 million, and he increased its staff from 18 to 27. The alumni association also won 33 national awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)—including the prestigious CASE national gold medal for overall alumni relations—during his tenure. Nelson was a member of CASE, Big Ten Alumni Executives, and the Council of Alumni Association Executives (CAAE).

As UIAA president, Nelson hosted numerous UI Homecoming programs, in addition to a variety of alumni events and Hawkeye Huddles across the country. “I valued the opportunity to meet so many wonderful alumni and friends of the university through all of our programs,” says Nelson, who retired in 2014. “I will always be proud to wear the black and gold and to embrace the history and heritage of this great institution.”

Through his energy, humor, and hard work, Vince Nelson ensured that the UI Alumni Association was a trusted partner for the University of Iowa—and a true friend to legions of Hawkeye fans.

Nelson is a member of the UI Alumni Association’s Directors’ Club Honors Circle and the UI Foundation’s Presidents Club.

Margaret “Peg” O’Connor Stessman, 84BS 12MBA, has used her nursing skills and hard-won business acumen to create a company that combats fraud and waste within the Medicare and Medicaid system.

The savvy entrepreneur is founder, CEO, and chair of StrategicHealthSolutions, a business that was born in 1997 and came fully to life in 2005. Today, Stessman has grown her firm to encompass two locations, in Nebraska and Maryland, and 250 employees—with revenues of $40 million.

Stessman’s start-up success began with her nursing degree at the University of Iowa, which set her on the path to a career as a nurse and hospital administrator. She eventually took on the role of a quality assurance administrator for the state of Nebraska, overseeing its Medicaid Managed Care Program, and went on to join IntegriGuard in 1999, moving up through its ranks to become CEO.

Her decision to launch a business prompted Stessman to return to her alma mater for an MBA degree. The two-time UI graduate is also a loyal Hawkeye athletics fan dedicated to both of her colleges. She is a member of the Tippie Advisory Board and offers critical counsel to the Henry B. Tippie College of Business dean. Says Stessman: “Receiving a portion of my education from Tippie, and now having a hand in guiding its future, is a great honor for me.”

Stessman has created hands-on projects for students in the MBA Business Solutions Center and has spoken to both UI business and nursing students. She was the keynote speaker at the 2012 Women in Business Leadership Conference, as well as a panelist at #TippieWomen Summit.

“Peg provides generous financial support to both of her UI colleges, but for the CEO of a successful start-up company, time is more valuable than money,” says Tippie Dean Sarah Gardial. “Peg’s true measure of loyalty to the UI is her gift of engagement.”

This ability to connect with and mentor others is one of Stessman’s greatest talents. Not only does she apply it in her own business, establishing a “CEO Chat” program that allows employees to meet with her informally, but she also uses it in her many civic roles. She is deeply involved with the Omaha Salvation Army Kettle Club and served on the board of directors of the Nebraska chapter of the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO).

“Peg’s willingness to share both her accomplishments and struggles has helped the business owners in our forum,” says Chris Andersen, EO member and SunCo president. “Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely job, but Peg made me feel like I wasn’t alone.”

Stessman also knows how to rally others to worthy causes. She and her husband, Dennis, have established a trust that matches employee donations to the charities of their choice. To date, more than 100 charities have been supported through this program. She has served on the Salvation Army’s Tree of Lights Cabinet, participates in the Salvation Army’s Adopt-a-Family program, and donated jerseys to a local basketball team.

Whether she is supporting local initiatives, giving back to her alma mater, or working alongside colleagues, Peg Stessman brings the best of both her UI degrees to the business of being a leader.

Stessman is a member of the UI Alumni Association’s Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation’s Presidents Club.

V.C. Patel is a world-renowned engineering professor who profoundly influenced the field of fluid mechanics—and the lives of his University of Iowa students.

Born in Kenya and educated at London and Cambridge Universities, Patel arrived at the UI in 1971 and quickly established himself as one of the leading experts in hydraulics and computer simulation. He became a full professor in the College of Engineering in 1975, and his expertise in boundary-layer theory, turbulent shear flows, wind engineering, and ship hydrodynamics helped Iowa take the lead in solving crucial fluids-engineering problems.

Throughout his four decades on campus, Patel also filled a number of important administrative roles during critical junctures in the college’s history. He was the departmental officer of mechanical engineering, director of the Center for Computer Aided Design (CCAD), director of IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering, and chair of the Engineering Faculty Council.

His most significant of these positions was his directorship of IIHR, a highly regarded center for education, research, and public service focused on hydraulic engineering and fluid mechanics. During a decade of leadership, Patel implemented many forward-looking changes.

“V.C. ushered IIHR into the 21st century,” says Larry Weber, IIHR’s current director. “He also oversaw the creation of a new research station on the Mississippi River and initiated a study-abroad class, ‘International Perspectives in Water Resources Planning.’ His changes laid the groundwork for the broad-based, diverse research that now characterizes IIHR.”

In spite of his many administrative duties, Patel still found time to work closely with students, and he supervised 32 doctoral students who completed their degrees. “His former graduate students have filled the campuses of the most prestigious universities worldwide,” says Karim Abdel-Malek, UI engineering professor and director of the Center for Computer-Aided Design. “The most extraordinary and remarkable observation is that V.C. has remained in touch with almost all of his previous students.”

Patel is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, as well as a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Engineering Education, and the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers. He has authored or co-authored four books and more than 200 publications, and has presented at nearly 200 lectures and seminars. He was a United Nations consultant in India from 1992 to 1994, and in 1995, he was a USAID consultant to Egypt.

Such accomplishments earned Patel numerous awards and honors, both off campus and on. He became a UI Foundation Distinguished Professor in 1990 and the Edwin B. Green Chair in Hydraulics in 2000. He also received an honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Civil Engineering in Bucharest, Romania—among many international honors—and was one of three UI recipients of the 1994 Iowa Regents Faculty Excellence Awards. He retired from the UI in 2007.

A quintessential academic leader and mentor, V.C. Patel’s globally important work has guided aspiring engineers and enhanced the University of Iowa’s distinguished reputation.

Rosebud Roberts, 90MS, is a highly regarded scientist whose pioneering research in the field of dementia and mild cognitive impairment could benefit millions worldwide who suffer from such conditions.

The professor of epidemiology and neurology and chair of the division of epidemiology has spent more than 20 years at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, but she began her career far from there, in her home country of Ghana. She earned a medical degree from the University of Ghana Medical School in 1982 and then completed a master’s degree in preventive medicine and environmental health in 1990 at the University of Iowa.

Roberts’ work has had a profound impact on clinical care and national decision-making related to aging and cognitive impairment. She studies how specific diseases—such as diabetes, hypertension, smoking, heart disease, and high cholesterol—and dietary habits might affect the risks of developing mild cognitive impairment and dementia.

“Anything that is worth doing is worth doing well,” she says. “I’m driven by a desire for my research to make a difference in people's lives.”

A highly published scholar and dedicated mentor, Roberts has been author or co-author of more than 160 peer-reviewed publications and has influenced the careers of numerous graduate students, research and clinical fellows, and junior faculty. She has served as a reviewer for several medical journals and has presented at dozens of national and international meetings. In addition, she has served on study sections of the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense, as a member of the American Academy of Neurology Science Committee, and as associate editor of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Colleague and fellow physician Ronald Petersen has worked with Roberts since 2004, when she joined the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging as its epidemiologist. He says that “she was instrumental in the design of the study protocols, and her continued involvement has been crucial to the overall success of the study. Her work is highly respected and frequently cited by investigators in the field.”

Such impressive contributions have earned Roberts recognition throughout her career. In 1981, she received the University of Ghana Medical School Award for an elective in internal medicine at the Royal Victoria Infirmary at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. She was the recipient of the Kellogg Fellowship at the UI in 1989, and in 2015, she received the UI College of Public Health’s Outstanding Alumni Award and also was inducted into the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health.

Beyond such professional accolades, Roberts also is an active member of her local community. She acted as a Rochester, Minnesota, facilitator for the American Anthropological Association’s project RACE: Are We So Different? and routinely presents her own research to seniors in the area.

“[Roberts’] humility and scholarly attitude make her a role model for all of us,” says Peterson. “She is a prime example of the type of scholar one expects from the University of Iowa.”

From Ghana to the Midwest, Rosebud Roberts has found meaningful ways to enhance medical scholarship, and she continues to conduct first-rate research that can dramatically improve people’s lives.

Roberts is a member of the UI Alumni Association’s Old Capitol Club.

Doug True, 71BS, has a head for numbers and a steady hand, and he used these talents to expertly guide the University of Iowa for 27 years—most notably through the devastating flood of 2008.

Throughout his exceptional career, True played a crucial role in managing the university’s finances and advising four presidents and three interim presidents. He also provided leadership and counsel to thousands of UI employees and helped new collegiate deans effectively navigate the campus culture.

“There was no better employer than the UI,” says True. “Where else can a person serve students, patients, and faculty, all in one place?”

He managed to do all of that—and more—during his UI tenure. After graduating from Iowa with a degree in chemistry, True earned a master’s degree in business administration from Drake University. He then worked for the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, before returning to the UI campus in 1988 as treasurer. True quickly rose to the position of vice president for finance and operations in 1991 and senior vice president and university treasurer in 2005.

“For Doug True, stepping onto campus always felt like coming home,” says UI Foundation President Lynette Marshall. “He eagerly anticipated each new project and relished the opportunity to advance the university through innovative initiatives.”

This was especially true of his work in the aftermath of the flood of 2008, one of the most challenging economic periods in UI history. He was instrumental in helping to rebuild campus and partnered closely with insurers, as well as state and federal officials, to advance major building renovations and replace those facilities damaged by the floods.

“Doug earned the deepest respect from his colleagues during the crisis of the flood in 2008,” says P. Barry Butler, former UI executive vice president and provost. “His subsequent oversight of the recovery has resulted in the UI having one of the finest campuses in the country.”

True also helped guide the UI Foundation, becoming a charter member of the joint UI and UI Foundation development committee and serving on the search committee for UI Foundation President Lynette Marshall. He is a generous UI philanthropist, and following his retirement in 2015, the chemistry department named its building’s entrance in his honor.
After his retirement, True accepted a special one-year assignment as an advisor for UI flood recovery and investments. This position allowed him to assist university leaders in transition.

“Doug has provided the UI with decades of fiscal integrity, informed vision, essential continuity, and unmatched commitment,” says UI President Emerita Sally Mason, who worked closely with True during Iowa’s flood recovery efforts. “He has deep institutional knowledge, a sharp mind, and wise counsel.”

Thanks to his innate wisdom, financial acumen, and exceptional loyalty, Doug True helped the University of Iowa flourish during a time of great challenge and opportunity.

True is a member of the UI Alumni Association’s Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation’s Presidents Club.

Thomas J. Wickham Jr., 90BA, 94JD, is only the fifth person since 1928 to sit to the right of the Speaker of the House and advise lawmakers on procedural matters and precedent when the United States House of Representatives is in session.

As parliamentarian of the U.S. House of Representatives, Wickham is central to the working of the government, and he brings his University of Iowa experiences to bear in providing nonpartisan advice to members of Congress. He also responds year-round to legislative inquiries from committees working on bills.

Former Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) appointed Wickham to this important role in 2012, though the UI attorney first joined the parliamentarian’s office in 1995 and became deputy parliamentarian in 2005.

Throughout his 22 years on the job, Wickham has worked with five Speakers of the House. One of the biggest challenges of his position is to maintain neutrality—and in turn gain the trust of the representatives. However, Wickham has a reputation on both sides of the aisle for fairness.

“Tom’s role is to guide members of Congress through the processes of the House without prejudice,” says Nicole Gustafson, a UI graduate who worked with Wickham in Congress. “He is known throughout the Capitol as a fair arbiter and advisor who closely guards the traditions of the House with integrity and a quick wit. He performs his job under immense pressure, often called upon to make a split-second decision that will have a lasting impact.”

The Office of the Parliamentarian consists of six attorneys and three clerks, and the parliamentarian must be present on the floor at all times while the House is in session. Wickham frequently works 10- to 15-hour days during these periods, and when the House is not in session, he and his team continue to research procedural issues and compile parliamentary precedents.

“I get to work with my counterparts in other countries, and I see what a leader the U.S. is around the globe. Many countries use our system as a model, and that’s an inspiration to me,” says Wickham, who is passionate about civic education.

When he has the time, Wickham takes students on tours of the Capitol and works with interns from the Washington Center, a program in which he participated as a UI student. He also conducts seminars with the military’s National Defense University.

“Many law schools boast about their federal judges or members of Congress. Only one school gets the honor of having an alum as parliamentarian,” says Jill DeYoung, assistant dean and chief of staff for the UI College of Law. The college recognized Wickham for his commitment to his country by awarding him the 2014 Iowa Law Alumni Award for Service.

Eric Witte, longtime chief of staff to Congressman Dave Loebsack (D IA-2), says of Wickham, “Having an Iowan with his finger on the pulse of how the House operates has been invaluable. Having someone with Iowa kindness is even better.”

His “Iowa kindness” and UI experiences have helped Thomas Wickham Jr. navigate one of the government’s most demanding roles with exceptional skill and diplomacy.

Wickham is a member of the UI Alumni Association’s Old Capitol Club.

Mary A. Anderson Blegen, 75MA, 87PhD, is an internationally known nurse scientist and educator who has helped transform patient care in hospital settings.

Throughout her distinguished career, Blegen earned a reputation as an inspiring mentor for other academics—and as a forward-thinking researcher in nursing quality, safety, and workforce studies.

Her focus on hospital safety predated the publication of the Institute of Medicine's landmark 2000 study, To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System. "She was definitely ahead of the curve," says Rita Frantz, dean of the University of Iowa College of Nursing. "This is truly indicative of the innovative thinking and exemplary abilities that Dr. Blegen has consistently demonstrated."

An adjunct professor at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center's School of Nursing, a professor emerita of the University of California School of Nursing in San Francisco, and a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, Blegen has a deep understanding of the role that clinical nurses play in ensuring positive patient outcomes.

After earning a B.A. degree in nursing from Augustana College and two UI degrees—a master's in nursing and a doctorate in sociology—Blegen launched a comprehensive research program that still guides the efforts of hospitals across the country. Her research, which focuses on nurse staffing, working conditions, safety climate, and interdisciplinary teamwork, uses patient outcomes to determine the effectiveness of health care processes.

She began this important work during her years as a professor in the UI College of Nursing, where she served as assistant professor, associate professor, chair of theory and health promotion, and associate dean for academic affairs, before accepting a position at the University of Colorado.

Blegen has received more than $10 million in research funding, and she is a prolific author, with more than 100 publications to her credit. For several decades, her paper, Meta-Analysis on Nurse Job Satisfaction, was the 15th-most cited in both national and international nursing journals, and another of her publications, Nurse Staffing and Patient Outcomes, was the 22nd-most cited.

In addition, Blegen has been a member of the editorial board for Nursing Research, the profession's most prestigious research journal, and has lectured internationally—even serving as a visiting professor at the Institute for Nursing Science at the University of Basel in Switzerland. She's received numerous awards, including the UI Collegiate Teaching Award and the Nurse Researcher Award from the American Organization of Nurse Executives. She's also a leader for several health care organizations, including the Research Advisory Council for the Patient Outcomes Research Institute.

Blegen credits such achievements to her outstanding UI education. "I still remember walking across the UI campus and realizing that I was at a really great university," she says. "Neither of my parents even had the opportunity to finish high school. For me to go to college, and then graduate school, was a magnificent gift."

Without doubt, such gifts helped Mary A. Anderson Blegen save patients' lives and make groundbreaking strides to improve care in hospital settings.

Dale Baker, 68BBA, and Linda Ihrke Baker, 68BA, are longtime University of Iowa advocates who have used their achievements in the areas of health care and education to create life-changing opportunities for UI students and faculty.

After going on a blind date as first-year students to a Hawkeye men’s basketball game, the Bakers went on to graduate from the UI in 1968—Dale with a B.B.A. degree in business administration and accounting, and Linda with a B.A. degree in English and a certification in secondary education. They married just a few months after graduation.

Dale Baker enjoyed a successful career in public accounting at Ernst & Young, where he rose to partner before taking the entrepreneurial plunge. In 1990, he founded Baker Healthcare Consulting, which specializes in Medicare payment strategies. He also has consulted with members of Congress on a variety of health care issues and worked as a federal lobbyist.

Driven by a desire to help others, Linda Baker pursued community and children’s services opportunities, working as a preschool teacher for a United Way agency, as a middle school teacher, as an investigative reporter for a local consumer magazine, and spent 19 years working in an elementary school library.

Since their years at the UI, the Bakers have remained linked to their alma mater through acts of volunteerism and altruism. "Both Dale and Linda are role models of service and philanthropy for today's students," says Sarah Gardial, dean of the UI Henry B. Tippie College of Business. "Their example of providing financial support for the next generation of students is inspirational."

Together, the Bakers have invested in a variety of UI programs and initiatives. Among their numerous and noteworthy gifts are three unrestricted funds to support the Tippie College of Business and the Colleges of Education and Public Health, as well as the Dr. Ken Magid Child Advocacy Service Scholarship Fund, which memorializes Linda Baker’s former teacher and mentor. This fund helps UI students cover expenses related to volunteer service-learning opportunities in Romania, Ecuador, and Cuba. Additionally, the Bakers support the Linda R. Baker Teacher Leader Center and an initiative that donates iPads to incoming students in the College of Education.

In spring 2005, Linda Baker spent three weeks volunteering in a Romanian orphanage through the UI Alumni Association's Iowa Voyagers program. The experience moved her to establish a scholarship through the UIAA for UI students to have similar opportunities.

The Bakers—who both have traveled extensively, including on trips to Russia and Jordan through People-to-People Global Peace Initiatives—embrace this spirit of giving in all they do. Dale Baker is a member of the UI Foundation's board of directors, and Linda Baker served on the UI Alumni Association's board. The two also serve as co-chairs of the UI Alumni Association's fundraising campaign. They are ardent Hawkeye fans, and, as Dale Baker says, their UI experiences "actually never ended" because of the "cherished lifelong friends" they have made during their college days and years as volunteers and donors.

Linda Baker's father once told her, "When you're able, help out other students," and Dale and Linda Baker have used their deep and meaningful University of Iowa connections to do just that.

The Bakers are members of the UI Alumni Association's Directors’ Club Honors Circle and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Dale Baker, 68BBA, and Linda Ihrke Baker, 68BA, are longtime University of Iowa advocates who have used their achievements in the areas of health care and education to create life-changing opportunities for UI students and faculty.

After going on a blind date as first-year students to a Hawkeye men’s basketball game, the Bakers went on to graduate from the UI in 1968—Dale with a B.B.A. degree in business administration and accounting, and Linda with a B.A. degree in English and a certification in secondary education. They married just a few months after graduation.

Dale Baker enjoyed a successful career in public accounting at Ernst & Young, where he rose to partner before taking the entrepreneurial plunge. In 1990, he founded Baker Healthcare Consulting, which specializes in Medicare payment strategies. He also has consulted with members of Congress on a variety of health care issues and worked as a federal lobbyist.

Driven by a desire to help others, Linda Baker pursued community and children’s services opportunities, working as a preschool teacher for a United Way agency, as a middle school teacher, as an investigative reporter for a local consumer magazine, and spent 19 years working in an elementary school library.

Since their years at the UI, the Bakers have remained linked to their alma mater through acts of volunteerism and altruism. "Both Dale and Linda are role models of service and philanthropy for today's students," says Sarah Gardial, dean of the UI Henry B. Tippie College of Business. "Their example of providing financial support for the next generation of students is inspirational."

Together, the Bakers have invested in a variety of UI programs and initiatives. Among their numerous and noteworthy gifts are three unrestricted funds to support the Tippie College of Business and the Colleges of Education and Public Health, as well as the Dr. Ken Magid Child Advocacy Service Scholarship Fund, which memorializes Linda Baker’s former teacher and mentor. This fund helps UI students cover expenses related to volunteer service-learning opportunities in Romania, Ecuador, and Cuba. Additionally, the Bakers support the Linda R. Baker Teacher Leader Center and an initiative that donates iPads to incoming students in the College of Education.

In spring 2005, Linda Baker spent three weeks volunteering in a Romanian orphanage through the UI Alumni Association's Iowa Voyagers program. The experience moved her to establish a scholarship through the UIAA for UI students to have similar opportunities.

The Bakers—who both have traveled extensively, including on trips to Russia and Jordan through People-to-People Global Peace Initiatives—embrace this spirit of giving in all they do. Dale Baker is a member of the UI Foundation's board of directors, and Linda Baker served on the UI Alumni Association's board. The two also serve as co-chairs of the UI Alumni Association's fundraising campaign. They are ardent Hawkeye fans, and, as Dale Baker says, their UI experiences "actually never ended" because of the "cherished lifelong friends" they have made during their college days and years as volunteers and donors.

Linda Baker's father once told her, "When you're able, help out other students," and Dale and Linda Baker have used their deep and meaningful University of Iowa connections to do just that.

The Bakers are members of the UI Alumni Association's Directors’ Club Honors Circle and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Gary Fethke, 64BA, 68PhD, is a longstanding University of Iowa leader whose passion for excellence, commitment to business education, and steadfast loyalty transformed the Henry B. Tippie College of Business and wider university community.

Throughout his tenure at Iowa, Fethke held several positions, including faculty member, senior associate dean, dean, and interim president. Never satisfied with the status quo, he used each of these roles to advance the university's people and programs.

Fethke began his UI career as a student, earning a B.A. degree and a Ph.D. degree in economics. Although he spent a few years away from campus after graduation—teaching at Bradley University—he returned to Iowa in 1974 as a business faculty member. His research focused on macroeconomics and monetary economics.

In the years ahead, he bridged the world between teaching and management, becoming the Tippie College of Business's senior associate dean in 1989 and dean in 1994. His strategic thinking and bold vision enhanced business education at Iowa and helped ensure the UI's place within the international academic community.

As dean, Fethke launched initiatives and programs that remain points of pride for the college. Not only did he foster a teaching environment focused on excellence, but he also helped expand and develop various MBA programs, including the evening MBA programs in Newton and Des Moines and the Tippie International MBA program in Hong Kong. Additionally, he oversaw the establishment of the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, the Bedell Entrepreneurship Learning Laboratory, the Hawkinson Institute of Business Finance, and the Vaughan Institute of Risk Management and Insurance.

Under his guidance, the college began an early admission program and became home to the Judith R. Frank Business Communications Center, the Stead Technology Services Group, and the Henry and Krause Funds—two real-money funds managed by UI business students.

Fethke nurtured relationships with the college's generous alumni and friends, and some of his key fundraising accomplishments included the completion of the Pappajohn Business Building, the naming of the Henry B. Tippie College of Business, the development and funding for the Pomerantz Center, and the creation of numerous chairs, professorships, and fellowships.

After 12 years as dean, Fethke stepped down in 2005 to focus on teaching and research. However, when the university asked him to accept the role of interim president—a position he held from June 2006 to September 2007—he did so gladly and with a gift for, as a former UIAA president said, "thoughtfully and diligently making significant decisions" that benefited the university.

Among these decisions was the reorganization of the entire UI Health Care system—from management to facilities—which saved the university millions of dollars. Says former State of Iowa Board of Regents member Ruth Harkin, "Gary was always willing to consider a fresh look and a new approach to create a better university." Although Fethke retired from teaching in 2012, he continues to focus his research on the topic of higher education funding in America.

Gary Fethke once said that he would be a "footnote in UI history," but his willingness to think beyond business as usual has greatly influenced the university's growth and vitality. Thanks to his uncompromising leadership, skilled fundraising, and decades of hard work, the University of Iowa is indeed a stronger and more vibrant place.

Fethke is a life member of the UI Alumni Association and a member of the UI Foundation’s Presidents Club.

Abigail M. Foerstner is an acclaimed journalism professor at Northwestern University who has written three major books about the University of Iowa, applying her talents toward becoming one of the UI’s most devoted ambassadors.

A celebrated author and assistant professor at the Medill School of Journalism, Foerstner chairs the school’s news reporting department and covers culture and Chicago history for Quintessential New Trier magazine. She has written hundreds of articles on art, photography, science, history, and education for a variety of publications, including the Chicago Tribune, CityTalk, the Pioneer Press, the Detroit News, Camera Arts, and North Shore.

At Iowa and beyond, Foerstner is renowned for her official biography of UI physics pioneer James Van Allen, 36MS, 39PhD. While on campus for her son's commencement, Foerstner followed the faint whiff of pipe smoke through the open door of Van Allen's office. "This 1972…plotter sat on his desk…and continued to crank out data from Pioneer 10 and half the solar system, spilling the charts right across his lap," she says. "'Somebody has to write a book about this guy,' I thought. And I decided…that the lucky someone might as well be me."

Van Allen gave Foerstner full access to his papers and numerous interviews before his death in 2006. James Van Allen: The First Eight Billion Miles was published by the University of Iowa Press and received several honors, including the Benjamin F. Shambaugh Award from the State Historical Society of Iowa. This award was especially meaningful for Foerstner, who also has published a book, Picturing Utopia, about Shambaugh's wife, Bertha Maude Horack Shambaugh, and her work with early photographers in the Amana Colonies.

Foerstner's passion for history was the driving force behind these biographies, as well as her book on the storied UI Museum of Art. It also fuels one of her latest works in progress—a book about Cahokia, an archaeological site in Illinois that was home to the greatest ancient metropolis in North America.

Foerstner collaborated with the UI Libraries on a website that presents the history and role of Van Allen in the 1958 Explorer I satellite mission and is currently writing a book on culture and climate for the UI Press. She also received an honorable mention in Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's 2008 Best American Science and Nature Writing issue for her article, "What Van Allen Found in Space," which appeared in the July/August 2007 issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Though she's not a UI graduate, two of her four children attended Iowa, and Foerstner believes that the time she's spent on campus has made her both an honorary student and alumna.

"'Friend' is too mild a word for Abigail," says Holly Cook, former director of the University of Iowa Press. "As professor, author, mentor, and role model extraordinaire, Abigail embodies the highest goals of the University of Iowa: documenting and understanding the past while giving her students the keys to a wide, successful future."

With her love of history, her talent for reporting, and her deep devotion to the UI, Abigail Foerstner has proven herself to be one of the university's most ardent champions.

Foerstner is a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Meghan Henry Gutierrez, 98BA, the youngest chief executive officer of a national cancer-fighting organization, uses her position and public policy expertise to advocate for patients' rights and greater investment in biomedical research.

As head of the Lymphoma Research Foundation, the nation's largest nonprofit organization devoted to funding lymphoma research and education, Gutierrez has advanced both the study of new cancer therapies and improved patient care.

Since her time as a UI student, she has been interested in the intersection of government, philanthropy, and public policy. While pursuing a double major in education and history, she participated in numerous student organizations, including Dance Marathon and UI Student Government, where she was elected vice president as part of the UI's first all-female ticket.

"Being elected vice president of the UI Student Government was a transformative experience, and I value all the lessons learned and opportunities the position afforded me," says Gutierrez, who moved to Washington, D.C., after her graduation to work for Greg Ganske, 72BA, 76MD, one of the U.S. House of Representatives' foremost experts on health care policy. He says Gutierrez is "a true-blue Hawkeye who continues to promote the University of Iowa."

Her expertise in government relations and health care policy allowed Gutierrez to pursue an array of public policy issues during her career, ranging from mental health parity and rare disease awareness to medical technology and the treatment of chronic disease. Following her work on Capitol Hill, she served as a health policy and communications advisor for several national nonprofit and educational institutions, including Columbia University and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

"Meg possesses a rare combination of brilliance, competence, and heart," says Leslie McGuire, who worked with Gutierrez as the director of the National Center for Mental Health Checkups at Columbia University. "She is incredibly smart and strategic and is without a doubt the most impressive and capable person I've had on any team I’ve led."

In 2008, Gutierrez joined the Lymphoma Research Foundation as its chief program, policy, and communications officer. She was a driving force behind programs such as the country's only Adolescent and Young Adult Lymphoma Initiative and development of the first mobile app for people with lymphoma. She became chief executive officer in 2014.

In this role, Gutierrez represents the Foundation before a number of audiences, including the U.S. Congress, Department of Defense, Food and Drug Administration, and National Institutes of Health. She has written and lectured extensively about the needs of lymphoma patients and served on committees and panels of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society of Hematology, Institute of Medicine, and National Cancer Institute.

While she devotes much of her time to speaking on behalf of those with lymphoma, Gutierrez also promotes her alma mater wherever she goes—her passion for the greater good rivaled only by her passion for the University of Iowa. Gutierrez and her husband Julian, 91BBA, a past chair of the UI Alumni Association (UIAA) board of directors, are loyal Hawkeyes who still attend and support numerous university and UIAA events.

From the Old Capitol to Capitol Hill and beyond, Meghan Henry Gutierrez continues to advance public policy toward finding a cure for cancer and serving those touched by the disease.

Gutierrez is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Directors' Club Honors Circle.

Mark Johnson, 73MA, is a critically acclaimed television and film producer whose impressive body of work has helped shape America's cultural milieu.

Thanks to a host of blockbuster hits, including the Oscar-winning Rain Man and the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning Breaking Bad, Johnson has entertained a generation of movie and television fans since his days as a University of Iowa film student.

What began as a childhood passion for Johnson evolved into a highly successful career that has yielded more than 40 films and television shows. Johnson was born in Washington, D.C., but spent several of his formative years in Spain. While there, he worked as an extra in films such as Dr. Zhivago and Nicholas and Alexandra. These opportunities led to a couple of minor movie roles before Johnson went on to complete a B.A. degree in drama from the University of Virginia and enroll at the UI.

"He came to us with more professional experience than is the norm, and it seemed natural for him to keep his hand in the nuts and bolts of filmmaking," recall two of his former UI professors, Franklin Miller and Dudley Andrew. "We remember his witty short film that offered up a travelogue-style tour of Iowa City as it if were Paris. Very 1970s."

Shortly after graduating from Iowa, the young producer landed one of the first Directors Guild of America traineeships, allowing him to assist on William Friedkin's existential thriller, Sorcerer, which became widely known for its production difficulties. After cutting his teeth on such experiences, Johnson made a name for himself as a talented leader with a knack for collaborating with others.

From 1982 to 1994, he produced all of writer-director Barry Levinson's films, including Good Morning, Vietnam; The Natural; Tin Men; Avalon; Diner; and the Oscar-nominated Bugsy. Johnson's more recent filmography includes The Chronicles of Narnia franchise, The Little Princess, The Notebook, Galaxy Quest, and The Secret in Their Eyes.

Beyond the big screen, Johnson has served as the executive producer of the award-winning AMC drama Breaking Bad and of SundanceTV's Peabody Award-winning show Rectify. He's also the executive producer of two AMC shows, Better Call Saul and Halt and Catch Fire.

Fellow UI graduate Karen Possner, 75PhD, says, "Mark's gift is that he makes intelligent films and programs that strive to do more than entertain—they consistently inspire, they educate, and they tell the truth about people and their stories."

Such accomplishments have earned him a spot on the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and as chair of the academy's foreign language film selection committee. In addition, Johnson is the founder of the Children's Action Network, which uses the power of the entertainment industry to help find homes for children in need of adoption.

Through an impressive body of work that consistently thrills and uplifts, Mark Johnson has made significant contributions to American pop culture while capturing the attention of millions of people around the world.

Thomas J. Marriott Jr., 68BSChE, a safety and manufacturing/plant operations expert in Pennsylvania, has used his long track record of professional success to help University of Iowa students eager to follow in his footsteps.

The global consultant and president of Hawkeye Consulting Services—which assists manufacturing companies in the chemical, energy, and refining
industries—regularly returns to his alma mater to share his expertise, advice, and insight. Though Marriott graduated from the UI Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering in 1968 and has traveled the world, neither time nor distance has dimmed his devotion to the university.

After completing his UI degree, Marriott spent nearly four decades in a variety of roles for Rohm and Haas Co. and Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., that focused primarily on chemicals and industrial gases production. During these years, he also graduated from the Advanced Executive Program at Northwestern University and traveled to many countries in Asia, the South Pacific, Central and South America, and North and South Africa.

Marriott reconnected with the UI College of Engineering in 2008 when he joined the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering (CBE) advisory board, and this involvement sparked an idea that has changed many Iowa engineering students' lives.

"Based on his experiences with our board, Tom decided that our students needed more advice from professional engineers," says C. Alan Guymon, the Sharon K. Tinker professor and executive officer of the UI Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering. "He has used his great enthusiasm…for the university and our students to establish a truly transformative mentoring program."

The four-year-old program, which matches professional engineering mentors starting sophomore year with students from the chemical and biochemical engineering department, began with 24 volunteer advisors whom Marriott helped recruit. Since then, it has continued to evolve and grow, with at present approximately 50 mentors and 100 CBE students involved as mentees in the program. Without doubt, the CBE mentoring program has become a model for other UI engineering areas and possibly for other university engineering colleges.

"The mentorship program that Tom established has had a profound impact on my academic decisions," says Nathan Schuchert, a UI chemical and biochemical engineering student. "Because of Tom Marriott's continued efforts, my chemical engineering peers and I are well-equipped for a bright future."

Marriott also has found other ways to help encourage students' future success. During a departmental regional meeting, he was a safety evaluator for the student cars competing in the ChemE Car Competition and a judge for the Student Research Presentation Competition. He also serves on a yearly panel that assesses chemical engineering students' capstone design projects.

In addition, Marriott and his wife established the Tom and Cam Marriott Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Scholarship in 2013. "Looking back, I really could have used some advice from someone working in the profession," says Mariott, also an avid Hawkeye fan and longtime season-ticket holder. "I'm retired, I love the University of Iowa, and I wanted to give back."

Thanks to his inspired thinking and tireless volunteerism, Thomas J. Marriott Jr. has paved the way for new generations of UI College of Engineering graduates to make their own indelible marks.

Marriott is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Virginia A. Myers was a gentle teacher and renowned printmaker who blazed new trails in the world of the fine arts and whose invention of the Iowa Foil Printer elevated the reputation of the UI School of Art and Art History among programs of its kind.

Myers' 50-year UI career began in 1962 when she became an instructor in Iowa’s printmaking department—the only woman teaching studio courses at the time. Prior to that, she earned a B.A. degree in drawing and painting in 1949 from the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C. After completing graduate and postgraduate studies at California College of the Arts and Crafts and the University of Illinois, Myers came to Iowa City in 1955 to collaborate with distinguished printmaker Mauricio Lasansky. During that time, she also spent a year in Paris on a Fulbright Scholarship, studying at Atelier 17 with printmaker Stanley William Hayter.

UI graduate Nancy Schneider Hanson, 61BA, who turned to Myers for valuable advice and guidance during her undergraduate years, says, "Virginia taught us all what it means to follow your passion. Her story of arriving in Iowa City by herself, on a train, without a job, with no place to live, and with very little money—in hopes of studying with Mauricio Lasansky, whom she'd never met—is testament to her dedication."

With her creation of the Iowa Foil Printer in the 1980s, Myers became one of the nation's preeminent artists in foil imaging. The printer allowed her to combine foil stamping with traditional printmaking methods—a technique that once had been available only through commercial foil stampers. She then patented the equipment with Dan Wenman, a local machinist, and Jim Phillips, an electrical engineer.

Besides being a groundbreaking inventor, Myers also was an exceptional teacher and scholar. She became a full professor at Iowa in 1982, and her class in hot foil stamping that began in 1990 was the first of its kind ever taught in a school of fine arts. She published two books about this process, presented more than 100 solo shows throughout the world, and participated in numerous group exhibits.

Myers' work is featured in the collections of the San Francisco Art Museum, the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, the Toledo Museum of Art, the National Collection of Women’s Art, the Muscatine Art Gallery, and the Des Moines Art Center. In addition, she served as a member of the board of directors for the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts in New York City.

Though Myers retired in 2012 at the age of 84, she continued working on a third book, Changing Light: A New Visual Language, and on a five-panel art installation, A Codex of Our Times, which she completed in 2014 and considered her greatest artistic achievement.

In 2015, the UI created the Virginia A. Myers Nexus of Art and Engineering Program to facilitate partnerships among faculty and students in engineering and the arts. In the words of program director Deanne Wortman, Myers "didn't see any kind of boundaries between disciplines. She was very open to just the idea of making art."

Virginia Myers died in December 2015, but her inspiring legacy endures through her work, which brought a new art form to life and helped define the University of Iowa’s artistic legacy.

Myers was a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Thomas Niblock, 07BA, 07BBA—a globe-trotting diplomat with the U.S. Foreign Service—has already made a name for himself in the realm of international relations in the short time since graduation from the University of Iowa.

The Iowa native, who joined the Foreign Service in 2009, took his first steps on this multinational journey while still at the UI. Not only did he pursue degrees in economics and religious studies, but he also participated in the honors program and was a collegiate scholar in the Henry B. Tippie College of Business. In addition, he received the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship in 2005 and the Hancher-Finkbine Medallion Student Award in 2007.

These awards and experiences helped Niblock move from being a UI student to representing the United States overseas. He says, "My majors in business and liberal arts allowed me to take a range of courses, which helped provide a good foundation for my career as a generalist in the Foreign Service. I also was able to travel overseas for the first time, and that experience got me interested in careers abroad."

After graduating with honors, Niblock earned a master's degree in public affairs in 2009 from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. He took his first job as a staff assistant to the U.S. Ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China.

A few years later, the young diplomat served again as staff assistant to the U.S. Ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, and, in 2013, he went to work in the Office of Taiwan Coordination at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. In this capacity, he handled all aspects of U.S.-Taiwan relations, including political-military affairs, economic affairs, and high-level visits and dialogues. In particular, he managed the preparations for the April 2014 visit of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator to Taipei, the first U.S. cabinet-level visit to Taiwan in 14 years.

"Tom has proven himself to be a highly capable, insightful, and proactive member of our team," says Christoper J. Beede, the now-retired former director of the Office of Taiwan Coordination. "I have high confidence he will deservedly rise to much higher ranks within the Foreign Service based on his quick mastery of complex issues, excellent interpersonal skills, and eagerness to continue building his knowledge."

Though his professional life has taken him to the other side of the globe, Niblock—who currently works in the Office of International Religious Freedom in Washington, D.C.—still makes time to come back home to Iowa. During his stateside visits, he has returned to the UI campus to mentor students, lecture on U.S. foreign policy, host dinners for honors students, and speak at the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council. He also is a member of the Tippie College's Young Alumni Board and served as the founding president of the Iowa Honors Program Advisory Board.

According to UI Associate Provost and Dean Downing Thomas, Niblock's global outlook makes him "an outstanding role model for today's globally engaged students." The university recognized Niblock's exemplary accomplishments by awarding him both the Tippie College of Business Young Alumnus of the Year Award and the Honors Program Award for Alumni and Friends in 2014.

Throughout his impeccable career, Thomas Niblock has amassed an outstanding record and brand of excellence that will distinguish his foreign policy work for years to come.

Albert Ruffalo, 75MA, a pioneering entrepreneur with a head for business and a heart for service, has created a Cedar Rapids-based company that stands at the forefront of fundraising and enrollment management solutions.

The first-generation college graduate, who holds an accounting degree from Loras College and a master's degree in education administration from the University of Iowa, got his professional start as a teacher and assistant principal. In 1984, however, he moved into the field of telecommunications, becoming president of McLeodUSA Direct in Cedar Rapids and demonstrating savvy business management skills.

Ruffalo applied this business acumen in 1991 to the task of building his own company, RuffaloCODY, in Cedar Rapids. This spark of an idea quickly grew into a game-changer in the world of technology-enabled fundraising and enrollment management services and software. Such accomplishments earned Ruffalo a 1993 nomination as Midwest Entrepreneur of the Year and a 1994 Midwest Emerging Entrepreneur Award from Inc. magazine.

Today, under Ruffalo's expert guidance, the company provides services to more than 3,000 colleges, universities, and nonprofit clients throughout the globe. Though he sold RuffaloCODY to McLeodUSA in 1996, Ruffalo repurchased the company in 2001. Under his visionary direction, it grew more than 250 percent between 2006 and 2012, and, in 2013, Ruffalo stepped into the role of executive chairman. In 2014, RuffaloCODY merged with Noel-Levitz to become Ruffalo Noel Levitz. It's now one of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation—as well as one of the largest employers in Cedar Rapids.

"Al Ruffalo has spearheaded the evolution of one of the country's most progressive business success stories," says Timothy Charles, president and CEO of Mercy Medical Center, who knows Ruffalo through his contributions as a Mercy Medical Center trustee—one of many philanthropic roles that the civic-minded businessman plays.

Ruffalo also volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Junior Achievement, and Theatre Cedar Rapids. He served as a director of the Economic Development Center and a regent emeritus of Loras College. In addition, Ruffalo was at the forefront of efforts to help Cedar Rapids recover from the flood of 2008; he announced an Adopt-a-Business program that helped the owners of some of the hardest-hit downtown businesses get back on their feet.

A devoted Iowa alumnus, Ruffalo believes in "paying it forward" to the institution that taught him so much. He attributes his career success to his experiences in the UI College of Education, where he currently serves on its first advisory board. "I learned how to think creatively and how to manage," he says. "Managing a classroom or managing teachers is no different than managing a big organization. My background in education taught me how to manage with compassion."

With a focus on passion, results, integrity, dedication, and entrepreneurial
spirit—tenets he shared with his colleagues at RuffaloCODY—Albert Ruffalo has proven himself to be a true leader and mentor in the fields of higher education and nonprofit engagement.

Ruffalo is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Kyle Zimmer, 82BA, was a corporate attorney volunteering at a soup kitchen in Washington, D.C., when she realized that the kids she was working with had no books in their lives. So, she set out with two friends to build a market-driven solution to ensure all children have access to critical books and resources.

More than 20 years and 145 million volumes later, Zimmer continues to lead First Book, the nonprofit social enterprise she co-founded that provides schools and community programs serving children in need with high-quality books and other educational resources. The organization has built the largest and fastest growing network of schools and programs across the United States and Canada—currently serving over 250,000—and growing by more than 5,000 per month.

"The story of First Book and its principal champion, Ms. Kyle Zimmer, is extraordinary and phenomenal," says R. Rajagopal, a UI professor of geographical and sustainability sciences. "It shows us that if the heart is in the right place, our heads can move mountains."

First Book has pioneered groundbreaking market-driven models, including the First Book National Book Bank, which serves as the nation's largest clearinghouse for new books donated by publishers, and the First Book Marketplace, an award-winning, self-sustaining e-commerce program that purchases new books and makes them available to educators and program leaders at unprecedented prices. First Book has also branched into school supplies, digital resources, non-perishable foods, and winter coats to meet the needs of children served by the First Book network.

Zimmer's commitment to innovation and collaboration has earned her a reputation as a social sector leader. She currently serves as a member of the board of directors for Dr. Seuss Enterprises, Ashoka, Youth Venture, and James Patterson's ReadKiddoRead. Additionally, she is a regular lecturer at the Wharton School of Business, Columbia Business School, and Georgetown University.

A passionate advocate for social entrepreneurship and educational equity, Zimmer has also participated in some of the world’s most prestigious economic forums. She was featured at the opening plenary session for the 2015 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) America, and she also presented at the 2013 University of Oxford Saïd Business School conference titled "Power Shift: Forum for Women in the World Economy." In 2014, she participated in the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Dubai, and was also a presenter and blogger at the WEF in Beijing in 2012. She served as a member of the WEF’s Global Agenda Council on Social Entrepreneurship, and was featured as a presenter at the WEF in Davos in 2010. She is currently serving as a member of the WEF’s Global Council on Values.

In 2008, Zimmer was named the first-ever American Marketing Association Nonprofit Marketer of the Year and Outstanding Social Entrepreneur of the Year in the United States in 2007 by the Geneva-based Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. Among her other honors is the National Education Association Foundation's Award for Outstanding Service to Public Education (2013) and the National Book Foundation's Literarian Award (2014). Zimmer also received the Library of Congress Literacy Award-David Rubenstein Prize (2015), the Peggy Charren/Free to Be You and Me Award from the Ms. Foundation (2016), and the Campaign for Grade Level Reading Pacesetter Award (2016).

Thanks to her exemplary commitment and innovative business strategies, coupled with her awareness of the importance of education to equality and quality of life, Kyle Zimmer has helped make literacy possible for thousands of underserved children throughout the United States and beyond.

Robert "Bob" Downer, 61BA, 63JD, and Jane Downer are longtime advocates and ambassadors of the University of Iowa who have championed higher education, medicine, research, and the arts for decades.

An accomplished attorney at Iowa City's Meardon, Sueppel & Downer law firm, Bob Downer began his UI service as student body president in 1960-61 and never stopped contributing to his university's greater good. He is a highly respected leader in the legal community, with honors that include the Iowa State Bar Association's 2001 Award of Merit and longtime membership in the Iowa Legal Aid Hall of Fame. He also served as director of the Iowa Law School Foundation from 2000 to 2012 and recently completed his second and final six-year term on the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, this past spring—one of only a few regents in history to earn reappointment.

Bob Downer's charitable legacy extends even further to include service as a member of the UI Health Care Board of Advisors and the UI Research Foundation Board of Directors, and he explains his community commitment through wisdom passed down from his maternal grandfather.

"Even though our family was not wealthy, I was raised with the belief that we were very fortunate—and that this good fortune carried with it an obligation to help others," he says. "I soon learned that service would enhance my own quality of life. The more you do for others, the more your own life is enriched."

Jane Downer has proven instrumental in her volunteerism with the Hancher Guild and its showcase, increasing the gift shop's annual profits to more than $120,000 in support of educational programs for children. She has also given generous time to activities benefiting UI Children's Hospital and as co-chair of "Arts & Minds: Building on Iowa's Creative Legacy," a $30-million campaign to rebuild the University of Iowa's flood-damaged arts campus, including Hancher Auditorium, the School of Music, and the School of Art and Art History.

"I was fortunate to meet Jane Downer in 1997, and I have been inspired ever since by her contributions," says Charles Swanson, 75BBA, 76MBA, Hancher's executive director. "Her passion for Hancher and the University of Iowa is contagious, and, because of her hard work, we have had many years of success with the showcase. I am truly grateful."

Adds Gail Agrawal, dean of the UI College of Law: "Bob and Jane are two of our most accomplished alumni and biggest fans. They are not only deserving of this award, but their receipt of it is long overdue."

Through their altruism and involvement, Robert and Jane Downer have done their part to preserve the University of Iowa's status as a world-class institution and actively demonstrate that "the purpose of life is a life with purpose."

The Downers are life members of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and members of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Bob Downer Volunteer Highlights

• Iowa Bar Association president, 1995-96
• Iowa Law School Foundation Board, 2000-2013
• Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel ACTEC, state chair, 2000-05
• College of Law Distinguished Alumni Award, 2013

Robert "Bob" Downer, 61BA, 63JD, and Jane Downer are longtime advocates and ambassadors of the University of Iowa who have championed higher education, medicine, research, and the arts for decades.

An accomplished attorney at Iowa City's Meardon, Sueppel & Downer law firm, Bob Downer began his UI service as student body president in 1960-61 and never stopped contributing to his university's greater good. He is a highly respected leader in the legal community, with honors that include the Iowa State Bar Association's 2001 Award of Merit and longtime membership in the Iowa Legal Aid Hall of Fame. He also served as director of the Iowa Law School Foundation from 2000 to 2012 and recently completed his second and final six-year term on the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, this past spring—one of only a few regents in history to earn reappointment.

Bob Downer's charitable legacy extends even further to include service as a member of the UI Health Care Board of Advisors and the UI Research Foundation Board of Directors, and he explains his community commitment through wisdom passed down from his maternal grandfather.

"Even though our family was not wealthy, I was raised with the belief that we were very fortunate—and that this good fortune carried with it an obligation to help others," he says. "I soon learned that service would enhance my own quality of life. The more you do for others, the more your own life is enriched."

Jane Downer has proven instrumental in her volunteerism with the Hancher Guild and its showcase, increasing the gift shop's annual profits to more than $120,000 in support of educational programs for children. She has also given generous time to activities benefiting UI Children's Hospital and as co-chair of "Arts & Minds: Building on Iowa's Creative Legacy," a $30-million campaign to rebuild the University of Iowa's flood-damaged arts campus, including Hancher Auditorium, the School of Music, and the School of Art and Art History.

"I was fortunate to meet Jane Downer in 1997, and I have been inspired ever since by her contributions," says Charles Swanson, 75BBA, 76MBA, Hancher's executive director. "Her passion for Hancher and the University of Iowa is contagious, and, because of her hard work, we have had many years of success with the showcase. I am truly grateful."

Adds Gail Agrawal, dean of the UI College of Law: "Bob and Jane are two of our most accomplished alumni and biggest fans. They are not only deserving of this award, but their receipt of it is long overdue."

Through their altruism and involvement, Robert and Jane Downer have done their part to preserve the University of Iowa's status as a world-class institution and actively demonstrate that "the purpose of life is a life with purpose."

The Downers are life members of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and members of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Jane Downer Volunteer Highlights

• Hancher Auditorium Advisory Committee, liaison
• Hancher Guild, board of directors
• UI Children's Hospital Council member

Sarah Dunkerton Lande, 60BA, 83MBA, is widely admired as a citizen diplomat who has advanced Iowa's reputation around the globe—particularly in the People's Republic of China.

Lande's promotion of people-to-people diplomacy began after graduation with her first trip to China in 1984 with former Iowa Governor Bob Ray's Friendship Force, and later with three other Iowa governors to create new opportunities and understanding. From 1988 to 1998, she served as the first executive director for Iowa Sister States, a nonprofit that builds Iowa's cultural, economic, and educational partnerships with the world. Through the program, Iowa has fostered connections with nine Sister States, including China's Hebei Province.

It was through the Sister States program that Lande invited a Chinese delegation to visit her hometown of Muscatine, Iowa, in 1985. Iowa hospitality left such a lasting impression on visitor Xi Jinping that he returned in 2012— just before assuming the presidency of China. Hosted again by Lande, the man who now leads the most populous nation said to the old friends he had met in 1985 who were gathered in Lande's home in Muscatine, "My impression of America came from you. To me, you are America."

Xi and his delegation also signed many trade, agriculture, tourism, and education agreements during their visit to the state. "Such an important diplomatic trip by the man who leads China would not have been possible except through the commitment and dedication of Sarah to Iowa and our international ties," notes Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, 69BA.

On a global level, Lande has been recognized for her public service. In 2013, she was awarded the title of Honorary Friendship Ambassador by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. Last year, she was the organization's guest for its 60th anniversary in Beijing to share the Iowa-Xi Jinping story at the "Gathering of 60 Years Celebration" on China Central Television. Lande also spoke about the value of friendship at the International Sister City Celebration in Washington, DC.

Former U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke has praised Lande for her international outreach, and organizations worldwide have sought her counsel. Adds former Iowa legislator Jean Lloyd-Jones, 71MA, "[Lande's] infectious smile, upbeat energy, and genuine interest in people make her a true citizen diplomat."

Locally, Lande has also proven a goodwill ambassador. In 2013, she helped form the Mayor's Muscatine China Initiative Committee that initiated a sister city relationship between Muscatine and Zhending, China, which has led to educational, commercial, and cultural exchanges. She also supports the International Writers Workshop, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, University of Iowa International Programs, Hancher, UNESCO City of Literature, and causes related to community building and environmental conservation.

"I think of myself as a citizen of the world," says Lande, who graduated with her bachelor of arts in home economics and a master of business administration. "We have a responsibility to be stewards of the earth and the well-being of its people. A world of friends is a world of peace."

With her passion for cultivating international friendships, Sarah Dunkerton Lande has left an impression that can be felt around the globe.

Lande is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Involvement

• Friends of Iowa Public Broadcasting
• Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation
• River Action
• Rotary Club of Muscatine
• Governor’s Volunteer Award, 1988
• Governor’s Certificate of Recognition for Distinguished Service to the State of Iowa, 1989
• Athena Award, 2013

Timothy J. Dwight Jr., 99BS—a record-holding former NFL player, an active philanthropist, and a creative entrepreneur of renewable technology—has devoted much of his energy to advancing health across the state and nation.

Always a proud Hawkeye, Dwight says his favorite UI memory is "suiting up for the first time in Kinnick Stadium," where he experienced "the crowd and speed of college football." He credits this time in the spotlight and in the classroom as instrumental to his future in the NFL, as a businessperson, and as a generous supporter of Iowa athletics and physical education initiatives.

Following his 1999 graduation from the University of Iowa—where he was an eight-time Hawkeye letter-winner, consensus all-American football player, as well as a Big Ten champion and all-American in track and field—Dwight played ten NFL seasons. During this time, he experienced Super Bowl XXXIII with the Atlanta Falcons and set a record with a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Since 2002, Dwight has hosted an annual summer football camp for youth as part of the Tim Dwight Foundation, a nonprofit organization primarily benefiting the UI Children's Hospital and the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. Always one to go above and beyond, he has quietly inspired and brought hope to hospitalized and terminally ill children—whether through a personal call, note, or special meeting. Says Dwight, "Being a UI alumnus means integrity, community service, do your best, and never give up."

Following retirement from football and looking for another professional venture, Dwight became a passionate advocate for renewable energy initiatives. He has since appeared before the Iowa legislature in Des Moines to support various energy bills, including proposals to help businesses and property owners invest in renewable technologies. Dwight also owns his own solar energy company—the California-based Integrated Power—which designs and provides solar energy solutions to commercial companies.

Over the years, Dwight has donated his time and talents to numerous national and local charities, serving as a spokesperson for the Salvation Army, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Varsity Club. In 2011, he promoted the 25th Summer Iowa Games and Iowa's initiative to become the healthiest state by participating in 26 events. Today, he contributes to several UI and area high school recreation projects, and is a frequent volunteer and special guest at functions benefiting the Iowa City Community School District.

"Not only has he not forgotten where he came from, he actively works to improve our community and make it a better place," writes John Bacon, 97BA, 03MA, principal of Iowa City's City High School. "His ability to speak to young people and deliver a positive, encouraging message is very inspiring."

Led by his loyal commitment to UI values, Timothy Dwight will no doubt continue to be a generous and energetic philanthropist for years to come.

Dwight is a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Career Highlights

• Four-time state championship sprinter on the City High track and field team (the only person in school history to claim that honor)
• Member of the City High School and National Iowa Varsity Club halls of fame
• Professional NFL athlete for the Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, New York Jets, New England Patriots, and San Diego Chargers
• President of the Iowa Solar Energy Trade Association (ISETA)

Leslie Jansa Williams, 82BSN, has leveraged her rare blend of bedside manner and business savvy throughout her career as a former registered nurse, pharmaceutical sales and marketing leader, serial entrepreneur, and now CEO of biotechnology company, ImmusanT—an innovative organization dedicated to the development and delivery of technological advancements in medicine.

Raised in Gowrie, Iowa, Williams demonstrates a true dedication to the commercial development of early-stage medical products for patients with unmet clinical needs. Whether through hands-on work with patients, major drug companies, or the FDA, Williams has proven herself to be "a world-class professional who is talented, curious, [and] gifted," says UI College of Nursing Dean Rita Frantz. "Her commitment to improving the well-being of humankind is consistent with the tradition of the Iowa nurse."

Williams says she grew her confidence and love for learning at the University of Iowa, the place that "nurtured the development of my character, fueled my curiosity, and gave me the wings to fly." Following graduation, she worked several years as a nurse, including two at UI Hospitals and Clinics, before taking on roles in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a sales representative and manager for a number of major global healthcare and pharmaceutical products companies, including Glaxo, Merck, and Ohmeda.

Williams established a reputation as an ambitious sales representative and business specialist, and continued to rise through various positions at several corporations after earning her MBA at Washington University in St. Louis. In 2004, she became CEO at respiratory technology company Ventaira Pharmaceuticals, where she led a massive reorganization that enabled the troubled company to be successfully sold.

Consulting work then took Williams to Battelle Ventures as a venture partner, where she sourced and evaluated early-stage technology companies as potential investment candidates and subsequently assisted them with strategy, management, and development. After leaving Battelle Ventures in 2009, Williams went on to co-found the biotech company Amplicea Therapeutics with a focus on transforming the way tumors are treated.

Currently as founder, director, and president of ImmusanT, Williams is on the brink of a major breakthrough for people with celiac disease. Thanks to her skilled guidance, the company garnered more than $34 million in venture financing and is in the process of advancing the clinical development of a revolutionary vaccine and diagnostic that will positively impact the health of millions of people around the world with celiac disease.

In every endeavor, Leslie Jansa Williams maintains "the highest level of energy, ethics, intelligence, and overall commitment to excellences that I have ever seen in one person" writes longtime colleague Chuck Bramlage, president and CEO of Pearl Therapeutics. "I have never in my career met someone I was so proud to have worked with as Leslie."

Williams is a member of the UI Alumni Association’s Old Capitol Club.

Volunteer Highlights

• Director of the Capital Network, a nonprofit organization that provides education and assistance to entrepreneurs
• Editorial advisory board member for Life Science Leader magazine
• Leader of the board of directors for Hepregen, a company that promotes the development of new pharmaceuticals
• Mentor in the Boston University Kindle Mentoring Program
• Executive board member, UI College of Pharmacy

Tom Kloet, 80BBA, a key innovator of the global stock exchange, has helped steer the financial services industry through technological advances and tumultuous times. Over the course of a distinguished international business career spanning three decades, Kloet has been at the forefront of changes that have brought growth, corporate responsibility, and personal accountability to the world's financial systems.

Kloet graduated from the University of Iowa in 1980 with a business degree in accounting. In 1995, he joined the board of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), where he was instrumental in transforming the company from a member-owned organization into the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace. Kloet's stalwart leadership positioned CME to become the first U.S. exchange to go public in 2002. He later served for three years as founding CEO and executive director of the Singapore Exchange, converting it from a mutual utility into the second exchange in the Asia-Pacific to become a publicly owned commercial entity.

In 2008, Kloet assumed leadership of the TMX Group, which operates the Toronto, Montreal, and other major stock exchanges, and became vice chairman of the World Federation of Exchanges. His calm and ethical leadership brought these organizations stability in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent industry regulations. Although Kloet retired from both positions in fall 2014, he continues to offer his vast knowledge and experience of financial services as a member of the Nasdaq/OMX board of directors. Kloet also lends his expertise to the community, serving as a trustee for Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare and Elmhurst College in the Chicago area. Says World Federation of Exchanges chairman Andreas Preuss, "I have learned to greatly appreciate Tom for his professional expertise, his managerial quality, and, last but not least, his personal integrity."

A devoted alumnus of the University of Iowa, Kloet has contributed to the Tippie College of Business advisory board since 2010, often returning to campus as a guest speaker and philanthropist for the place he credits with fostering his intellectual curiosity and love of learning. Kloet says, "To have the institution that played such an important role in forming who I am today recognize me for achievement is very meaningful indeed. Being a University of Iowa alum means that I have not only a technical proficiency gathered from committed and skilled faculty, but also that I am part of a network of global leaders across many fields who are making a difference in the world today."

Tom Kloet has indeed helped shape the world, both as a pioneer in the financial services industry and through his dedication to training the next generation of business leaders.

Kloet is an annual member of the UI Alumni Association and a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Career Highlights

• Chicago Mercantile Exchange board member, treasurer, and clearing chairman, 1995-2000
• ABN AMRO investment bank senior managing director and chief administrative officer, 1997-2000
• Singapore Exchange Limited chief executive officer, 2000-03
• Fimat America senior executive vice president and chief operating officer, New York City, 2003-08
• TMX Group Limited chief executive officer, Toronto, Ontario, 2008-14
• Inducted into the Futures Industry Hall of Fame in March 2015

Mary Kramer, 57BA, 72MA, is a former state senator and U.S. ambassador who has served the University of Iowa, the state, and the nation with an unmistakable commitment to the common good.

A lifelong Iowan from Burlington, Kramer met her husband of 57 years, Kay, while both were music students at the University of Iowa. She graduated from Iowa with a bachelor's in music in 1959 and a master's in elementary education in 1972.

Before embarking on a distinguished 13-year political career, Kramer spent two decades as a teacher and school administrator and more than 20 years in the corporate world, including as the first female vice president of human resources and community investments at Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

From 1990 to 2003, Kramer represented Clive, West Des Moines, and Des Moines as a Republican in the Iowa State Senate. Dedicated to improving education, economic development, and health care in the state, she became the first independently elected female president of the chamber. Kramer also served as assistant minority leader, chairman of the board for the Senate President's Forum, and on the board of directors for the State Legislative Leaders Foundation.

During her time in politics, Kramer led by example and carved a path for women in leadership. "She's been a mentor and role model for countless individuals, and her leadership has been sought by many organizations," says former Iowa State Senator JoAnn Johnson. "Mary had the sense for doing the ‘right' thing for the ‘right' reason and she imparted that to all of us."

For her service, Kramer has been recognized with the highest national honor from the Society for Human Resource Management and earned acceptance into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame. Kramer's leadership was recognized on the national scene in 2002, when President George W. Bush appointed her as chairperson of the White House Commission for Presidential Scholars. From 2004 to 2006, she also served as U.S. Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, which she writes about in her book, More than a Walk on the Beach: Confessions of an Unlikely Diplomat.

Kramer now acts as owner and president of Kramer and Associates, speaking to groups about leadership and civility in public discourse. She continues her volunteer service, including as a member of the organizing committee for the "Good. Better. Best. Iowa!" campaign that raised more than $1 billion for the University of Iowa, and she currently serves on the search committee for the UI's new president. Says Kramer, "If I think I can make a difference, it's hard for me to say no. I have failed retirement many times."

As a dynamic servant leader, Mary Kramer continues to inspire many to follow her lifelong example of public service.

Kramer is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Involvement

• Des Moines Performing Arts
• Greater Des Moines Chamber of Commerce
• Iowa Public Radio
• Iowa Public Television Foundation
• Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines
• Polk County Child Care Resource Center
• Rotary Club International
• United Way of Central Iowa

Jim Leach has enjoyed a long and treasured friendship with the University of Iowa, most notably through his three decades of service in the U.S. Congress and now as a faculty member in the UI College of Law.

During Leach's tenure from 1977 until 2007 in the House of Representatives, he tirelessly championed academic research. The science and humanities programs that he supported resulted in the provision of over half a billion dollars of peer-reviewed competitive grants to the University of Iowa. At a personal level, he has given his public and private papers to the UI Libraries and, with his wife, Deba, donated over 300 artworks to the UI Museum of Art.

Upon leaving Congress, Leach further proved his commitment to higher education through teaching roles at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs. He then served four years with distinction as chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities before returning home to accept a three-year dual appointment as the University of Iowa chair of public affairs and visiting professor of law. Believing that those who have served in public office have a responsibility to share their experience across the spectrum of generations, Leach gives lectures in colleges and community settings around the state on subjects ranging from foreign policy and international finance to contemporary politics, with subjects generally framed in a sweeping historical context.

No summary of Leach's contributions would be complete without recognizing the impact he's had as a spokesman for civility in public discourse. Leach once wrote, "Citizenship is hard. It takes a willingness to listen, watch, read, and think in ways that allow the imagination to put one person in the shoes of another." Derek Willard, 75PhD, the former UI special assistant to the president for governmental relations and associate vice president for research, says that Leach's enduring qualities include "an indefatigable respect for all people, an insatiable delight in the hunt for new ideas, a non-negotiable demand for integrity in the conduct of inquiry, and an intrepid belief in the transformative power of education."

To Leach—whose commitment to higher education, the arts, and humanities has received public recognition in the form of 13 honorary degrees, decorations from two foreign governments, and many prestigious awards—the University of Iowa reflects not only an environment of academic excellence, but also one of warm friends and colleagues.

"We live in a fractured world where events in one part can affect gravely peoples and places far distant," he says. "In this circumstance where so many things happen beyond our control, it is important to have roots—family, faith, friends, community. Ties of loyalty give compass and meaning to life. All of us need things to love that can be shared. This university is one."

Thanks to the longtime loyalty and steadfast support of Jim Leach, the University of Iowa is indeed a stronger, richer place.

Leach is a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Awards & Honors

• Wayne Morse Integrity in Politics Award
• Sidney R. Yates Award for Distinguished Public Service to the Humanities, National Humanities Alliance
• Adlai Stevenson Award, United Nations Association
• Norman Borlaug Public Service Award
• Woodrow Wilson Medal, Princeton University

Bill Lynch, 00BS, and Matt Tucker, 00BS, are the successful founders of Jive Software, a start-up that went public in 2011 at a value of $900 million and now boasts a client roster that includes some of the top corporations in America.

The Lynch and Tucker story began at the University of Iowa, where the partners showed early enthusiasm for software development and first conceived of their idea. While they worked toward their computer science degrees, the two displayed a level of innovative spirit and entrepreneurial ambition that distinguished them from their peers—many of whom took jobs at established tech giants instead of creating their own endeavors.

"Bill and Matt's ability to take skills acquired in the classroom and develop them through their extracurricular participation is a blueprint for today's students," notes Alberto Maria Segre, professor and chair of the UI Department of Computer Science. "[They] were well aware that they were not only competing with peer companies in the marketplace, but also giants of the industry. The mettle displayed by two native Iowa Citians in the early days of Jive is what made the company great."

With a clear vision, brilliant programming skills, and a knack for business, Lynch and Tucker poised themselves to provide an enterprise platform that would allow teams within large corporations—with projects in many locations—to communicate in an efficient, productive way. Jive products do just this, improving the back-and-forth necessary among businesses, employees, and customers to strengthen workplace performance.

Lynch began as the company's vice president of engineering and Tucker as chief technology officer, launching their venture in 2001 with many long days in their downtown Iowa City office. Computer hardware and software corporation Sun Microsystems was among the startup's first clients; today, those customers include household names like NIKE, T-Mobile USA, and DIRECTV.

The co-founders eventually left Iowa City to establish Jive on the West Coast. In 2010, Tucker moved the headquarters to Palo Alto, while Lynch oversaw the Portland, Oregon office. In 2013, Lynch transitioned from a product management role to that of Jive advisor and a mentor to Portland's start-up community, lending his experience to the next generation of entrepreneurs. Tucker remains responsible for the long-term strategic development of Jive products.

Lynch and Tucker are thousands of miles and more than a decade into Jive's journey, but they still call on the diverse education, skills, and self-confidence they gained at the UI.

"It's tempting to say that the inception of the company or the public offering were my most proud moments," says Lynch. "However, it's really the culture we built and the positive work environment we created. I heard from many people that Jive was the best job they ever had."

Bill Lynch and Matt Tucker are exemplars of the kind of self-motivated thinkers the University of Iowa hopes to produce—and they've demonstrated that education and enterprise can make dreams come true.

Career Highlights

• Restarted the UI’s student chapter of the Association of Computing Machinery
• Developed a special reading course to master the contents of a book titled Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software with Steven Bruell, professor emeritus of computer science
• 40 Under 40, Portland Business Journal, 2013
• Entrepreneur-in-residence at the Portland Development Commission, 2013-present

Diane Magrane, 74BA, 78MD, a renowned visionary in women's health and academic medicine, has nurtured hundreds of women leaders to take the reins in academic health sciences and engineering.

A proud graduate of the University of Iowa who earned a bachelor's degree in zoology in 1974, and a doctorate of medicine in 1978, Magrane began her career fostering the next generation of physician leaders and scholars as an undergraduate education coordinator at the St. Louis University School of Medicine. In 1986, she joined the University of Vermont College of Medicine, where she designed an integrated medical education program that encourages students to help shape the future of health care. Says Harvard Macy Institute Director and long time collaborator Elizabeth Armstrong, "Her creative work resulted in one of the country's most innovative curricula addressing the needs of the students and patients in ways that were setting new standards for health care education."

A leader in obstetrics and gynecology, Magrane has made an enormous impact on the advancement of women in medicine. From 2004 to 2009, she revamped many women's leadership programs and became founder of an online professional development publication for medical faculty as a director at the Association of American Medical Colleges in Washington, DC.

Magrane now serves as executive director of the International Center for Executive Leadership in Academics at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Home to the country's premier women's leadership programs, the center celebrated the 20th anniversary last year of its award-winning Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine offering. In 2013, Magrane launched a similar program for the advancement of women leaders in the underrepresented fields of science and engineering, earning a national Women in Engineering Initiative Award for Executive Leadership in Academic Technology and Engineering (ELATE) at Drexel from the Women in Engineering ProActive Network.

Magrane's influence on the future of medical education extends to the international level. In 2001, she became president of the American Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO), setting national guidelines for undergraduate medical education in women's health. Magrane also built the women's health and rights curriculum for the International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology, improving the education and clinical care among health care providers. In 2006, APGO recognized her transformative leadership in medical education with a Wyeth Career Achievement Award.

Magrane credits the UI's rich liberal arts education for nurturing her passion for learning. "I was an 18-year-old aspiring poet when I arrived and a 26-year-old physician when I left," says Magrane, who has since served on the UI Carver College of Medicine Dean's Alumni Advisory Council. The college recognized her in 2002 with its Distinguished Alumna Award for Achievement. "Do your homework. Be clear on your goals. Deliver on what you promise. Some would say this last phrase is basic Midwestern work ethic. It works all over the world to garner respect and engagement."

An authentic leader, Diane Magrane has improved medical education and leadership on a global level and remains a strong advocate for women in science.

Magrane is a life member of the UI Alumni Association.

Career Highlights

• St. Louis University School of Medicine, 1982-85
• University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont, 1986-2004
• Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington, Vermont, 1986-2004
• Association of American Medical Colleges, Washington, DC, 2004-09
• Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, 2008-present

Sally Mathis Hartwig, 75BSN, 77MA, longtime director of nursing at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, heightened UI nursing's reputation for excellence with her dedication to professional education and patient care.

After graduating with two UI degrees, Mathis Hartwig quickly began her 14-year run at the helm of UIHC nursing. The hospital's director emeritus John Colloton, 57MA, says she showed "exemplary qualities of leadership, professional achievements, and impeccable character" while guiding a 2,000-member staff through an unprecedented time of nursing shortages, increased responsibilities and demands on nurses, and breakthroughs in medical knowledge and technology.

During her tenure, UI Hospitals and Clinics became one of the nation's first hospitals to hire a nurse researcher in the clinical setting and began formal collaboration with the UI College of Nursing. The acclaimed partnership integrated the organizations to advance evidence-based nursing practice and the care patients receive.

Mathis Hartwig also launched revolutionary initiatives—including tuition reimbursement and mentorship programs—to help nurses further their education and rise to leadership. UIHC soon earned national attention for its ability to retain staff nurses.

Most notably, Mathis Hartwig developed a shared governance model to the hospital that became the foundation for the prestigious Magnet designations the UIHC achieved in 2004, 2008, and 2013. Says Ann Williamson, former UI Health Care associate vice president for nursing, "Because of Sally's leadership, our hospital is a beacon for nursing excellence."

To celebrate Mathis Hartwig's achievements, her colleagues established a nursing education and advancement fund, and an endowed professorship in gerontological nursing research in her honor. Mathis Hartwig also funds UI scholarships awarded to practicing UIHC nurses, and, in 1999, received one of the first UI College of Nursing Distinguished Alumni Service Awards.

Despite her retirement in 1995, Mathis Hartwig remains actively engaged in the community. The Dayton, Iowa, native acted as a UIHC interim associate director, as well as a member of the board of directors for the Oaknoll retirement residence in Iowa City, the Visiting Nurse Association of Johnson County, and the Home Life Health Care Organization. Mathis Hartwig also served five years on the Iowa Board of Nursing Home Examiners and has logged more than 1,500 hours of service as a UIHC volunteer. In 2012, the local Sertoma club recognized her with the Service to Mankind Award.

"To me, success means acting in a way that benefits others," says Mathis Hartwig. "I was born to be a nurse, and, with my education and experience, I do what I can to teach and assist others as long as I am able."

Without doubt, Sally Mathis Hartwig achieved success in guiding the UIHC's most comprehensive and critically important patient care service through a period of growth and national recognition.

Mathis Hartwig is a life member of the UI Alumni Association and a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Career Highlights

• Director of nursing, UIHC, 1979-88
• Associate director and director of nursing, UIHC, 1988-93
• Associate director, UIHC, 1993-95
• Interim associate director, UIHC for Nursing and Patient Care Services, 1998

Dana Ramundt, 74BBA, a recognized leader in the insurance industry, is widely known for reintroducing a curriculum to the Tippie College of Business that has left an indelible mark on the University of Iowa, its students, and the insurance field.

At the UI, Ramundt studied under Emmett Vaughan, an admired name in the insurance world with a knack for bringing unexpected life to his subject matter. So great was his influence that Ramundt celebrates 43 years in the industry this year.

After graduation, Ramundt launched his insurance career with positions in Mason City and Des Moines, but ultimately started his own insurance agency, the Dana Company, in 1989—five years after the UI opted to end its Vaughan-developed focused insurance program. But Ramundt clearly understood the industry's vital role in Iowa's economic well-being and eventually approached the business school in the early 2000s about once again offering the curriculum.

With integrity and a clear passion for his work, Ramundt successfully convinced Tippie leaders to reinstate an institute that would provide students with a certificate in risk management and insurance. In 2002, the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, approved the plan and Ramundt set about securing financial support. When Vaughan died in 2004, Ramundt proposed naming the institute in his honor.

The Emmett J. Vaughan Institute of Risk Management and Insurance began offering courses in 2004, with the first graduates receiving their certificates in 2006. Since that time, some 268 graduates have earned their certificates and more than 300 students enroll in one or more insurance and risk management courses each year. Additionally, the institute provides programs that include career coaching, résumé and interview preparation, scholarships, internships, opportunities for full-time placement, and access to a career network.

Jon Raftis, 10BBA, a certificate recipient and account executive in Des Moines, says there's no question Ramundt blazed the trail for him and so many others. Says Raftis, "I had an extremely beneficial and memorable experience as a student in the Vaughan Institute, and Dana is a large reason why that was made possible."

Gracious and humble, Ramundt is touched by this honor: "I think of all the incredible, accomplished alumni of this great university and you are honoring me, an insurance agent who grew up on a turkey farm in central Iowa. One needs to understand the immense pride I have."

Ramundt's vision means Iowa's many insurance companies now benefit from an in-state program that ensures its graduates have the skills necessary to succeed—not only here, but around the nation and globe. Dana Ramundt simply wanted to give future students what was given to him, and his exemplary dedication to others deserves applause.

Ramundt is a life member of the UI Alumni Association and a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Volunteer Highlights

• President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Iowa, 2001-02 (Agent of the Year in 2008)
• National director of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, 2006-08
• Founder of the Dana Ramundt Insurance Education Foundation for student scholarships
• Founder of the Dana Ramundt Golf Outing that raises funds for the Vaughan Institute
• Member of the Vaughan Institute Advisory Board

Jay Sieleman, 75BA, 78JD, is credited with skillfully and almost single-handedly saving the Memphis-based Blues Foundation, and, in the process, reviving blues music itself—an art form at the heart of the nation's cultural heritage.

Thanks to his tireless leadership, the once-flailing Blues Foundation is now the largest and most renowned blues organization in the world. Since arriving there in 2003, Sieleman has grown the foundation's net worth by millions and tripled membership to 4,500 individuals, plus 200 affiliated blues societies representing another 50,000 fans around the globe.

Sieleman grew up in Oelwein, Iowa, around a music-loving family. A free spirit of the 1960s, he initially had no plans to attend college, but eventually enrolled at the University of Iowa in 1973. At the UI, Sieleman developed the critical thinking skills, work ethic, and professionalism that prepared him for a law career that took him from Polk County, Iowa, to Panama.

While working as an attorney for the Panama Canal Commission, Sieleman began serving as a volunteer nonprofit law advisor to the Blues Foundation. He'd also ignited a passion for blues and had become familiar with the organization's mission to preserve the music, celebrate recording and performance excellence, support blues education, and strengthen the future of a music profoundly important to American history. But he soon discovered financial and administrative mismanagement had left the foundation teetering on the edge of bankruptcy and irrelevancy. Blues Foundation board members noted Sieleman's dedication and knowledge and invited him to join the staff permanently, hoping he could make a difference.

"The blues is played by incredibly talented musicians who are very giving people and engaged with their fans," says Sieleman, now the foundation's president and CEO, who has thrilled at working with his musical heroes over the years. "Blues takes away the blues. The university honors blues music when it honors me."

Among Sieleman's achievements at the Blues Foundation, he reinvigorated the highly visible Blues Music Awards and the International Blues Challenge performance programs. He also developed initiatives to extend community outreach, provide medical and health support to musicians, and grant educational and scholarship opportunities for the next generation of blues players. Says Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dion DiMucci, "It would have been easy for Jay to maintain an organization that was essentially a fan club…an echo chamber or a perpetual nostalgia trip. Now, thanks to Jay, the blues has assumed its rightful place as an ambassador for American music."

This past May, Sieleman attended the grand opening of a capstone project—the $3 million, 12,000-square-foot Blues Hall of Fame in downtown Memphis. When he steps down from his post in September, Jay Sieleman can take pride in knowing he's left behind a legacy of attention and recognition for the blues.

Sieleman is a life member of the UI Alumni Association.

Career Highlights

• Assistant county attorney and the state’s first full-time juvenile prosecutor, Polk County Attorney’s Office, Des Moines, 1978-1982
• Provincial legal advisor, Peace Corps, Solomon Islands, South Pacific, 1983-85
• Assistant regional attorney, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, 1986-87
• Assistant general counsel for the Panama Canal Commission, 1987-2000
• Blues Foundation advisory board volunteer, 1999-2003
• Director of administration, Blues Foundation, 2003-05
• Executive director, Blues Foundation, 2005-12
• President and chief executive officer, Blues Foundation, 2012-present

Bill Lynch, 00BS, and Matt Tucker, 00BS, are the successful founders of Jive Software, a start-up that went public in 2011 at a value of $900 million and now boasts a client roster that includes some of the top corporations in America.

The Lynch and Tucker story began at the University of Iowa, where the partners showed early enthusiasm for software development and first conceived of their idea. While they worked toward their computer science degrees, the two displayed a level of innovative spirit and entrepreneurial ambition that distinguished them from their peers—many of whom took jobs at established tech giants instead of creating their own endeavors.

"Bill and Matt's ability to take skills acquired in the classroom and develop them through their extracurricular participation is a blueprint for today's students," notes Alberto Maria Segre, professor and chair of the UI Department of Computer Science. "[They] were well aware that they were not only competing with peer companies in the marketplace, but also giants of the industry. The mettle displayed by two native Iowa Citians in the early days of Jive is what made the company great."

With a clear vision, brilliant programming skills, and a knack for business, Lynch and Tucker poised themselves to provide an enterprise platform that would allow teams within large corporations—with projects in many locations—to communicate in an efficient, productive way. Jive products do just this, improving the back-and-forth necessary among businesses, employees, and customers to strengthen workplace performance.

Lynch began as the company's vice president of engineering and Tucker as chief technology officer, launching their venture in 2001 with many long days in their downtown Iowa City office. Computer hardware and software corporation Sun Microsystems was among the startup's first clients; today, those customers include household names like NIKE, T-Mobile USA, and DIRECTV.

The co-founders eventually left Iowa City to establish Jive on the West Coast. In 2010, Tucker moved the headquarters to Palo Alto, while Lynch oversaw the Portland, Oregon office. In 2013, Lynch transitioned from a product management role to that of Jive advisor and a mentor to Portland's start-up community, lending his experience to the next generation of entrepreneurs. Tucker remains responsible for the long-term strategic development of Jive products.

Lynch and Tucker are thousands of miles and more than a decade into Jive's journey, but they still call on the diverse education, skills, and self-confidence they gained at the UI.

"It's tempting to say that the inception of the company or the public offering were my most proud moments," says Lynch. "However, it's really the culture we built and the positive work environment we created. I heard from many people that Jive was the best job they ever had."

Bill Lynch and Matt Tucker are exemplars of the kind of self-motivated thinkers the University of Iowa hopes to produce—and they've demonstrated that education and enterprise can make dreams come true.

Career Highlights

• Restarted the UI’s student chapter of the Association of Computing Machinery
• Developed a special reading course to master the contents of a book titled Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software with Steven Bruell, professor emeritus of computer science
• Former board member of the OpenSocial and XMPP Standards foundations

Leon J. Aden, 80BS, 82MS, regularly travels the globe as a top-level geologist with ExxonMobil, but he still finds time to return to the University of Iowa as a dedicated volunteer, mentor, and advisor.

When he's not busy leading exploration and development evaluations of places as far-flung as Africa, Asia, and the Arctic, Aden invests in his alma mater through gifts of guidance and resources.

Aden's ties to Iowa run deep. After high school, he enrolled in what is now the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), earning a bachelor's degree in geology in 1980. He completed his master's degree in 1982 at Iowa, focusing his thesis on clay mineralogy and deposition environments in eastern Kansas, western Missouri, and northeastern Oklahoma.

After graduation, the young scientist began work for Exxon Corporation, which hired him to help sustain gas production in South Texas. Aden quickly proved a talented geologist, and in 1990, he was transferred to Exxon Exploration, where he searched for oil and gas fields in Trinidad, Papua New Guinea, West Africa, South America, and Europe.

By 2003, Aden had joined ExxonMobil Upstream Research to help develop predictive models of clastic reservoirs, and in 2004, he moved to ExxonMobil Development Company to supervise development of Nigerian deep-water fields. Since returning in 2007 to ExxonMobil Exploration, where he uses advanced modeling techniques to target complex oil and gas-reservoir systems, he has become one of the company's go-to people for addressing challenging problems from an interdisciplinary perspective.

In Iowa, Aden represents ExxonMobil on the UI campus, where he regularly mentors and recruits students—and is almost singlehandedly responsible for all the Hawkeye hires that ExxonMobil's geosciences division has made in the last 15 years. In addition, he has volunteered for the UI geoscience alumni advisory board and is a longtime member and former chair of the CLAS dean's advisory board. Sam Bromberger, who served with Aden on the dean's advisory board, says that his colleague has the ability to "understand problems quickly, formulate solutions, estimate resources at his disposal, develop and execute a plan, and lead his team members to a satisfactory solution."

This problem-solving approach also fuels Aden's generous UI giving. He and his wife, Vicki McDonald Aden, 81BSIE, have donated more than $500,000 to Iowa, supporting areas that honor the spirit of his work in exploration and discovery. They have directed their contributions to departments that pursue particularly imaginative and promising programs, such as the Iowa Writers' Workshop. The Adens also created an endowed Excellence and Innovation Fund for the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and in 2007 hosted a successful fundraiser for the Maia Quartet at their Houston home.

Through his staunch support of the University of Iowa—and his impressive, 30-year career as a first-rate geologist—Leon J. Aden has been both a local and global champion of UI education.

Aden is a sustaining life member of the UI Alumni Association and a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Avery L. Bang, 07BA, 07BSE, one of the top 10 engineers under the age of 30 in the United States, has used her skills to help transform rural communities in underserved nations by building bridges.

Bang began her globally significant work at the University of Iowa, where she majored in civil engineering. In addition to working as an undergraduate research assistant in the hydraulics lab and as a structural engineering intern, Bang served as president of Engineers for a Sustainable World and as founding president of the UI student chapter of Engineers Without Borders. But it was on a study-abroad trip to Fiji that she had a life- and career-changing experience.

The trip inspired Bang to form a branch of the nonprofit organization Bridges to Prosperity to raise funds and then build a bridge in a remote area of Peru. She and her team spent more than two full semesters—and 500 work hours—completing the bridge that enabled residents to access healthcare, education, and jobs on the other side of a river.

After graduation, Bang earned her master's degree in geotechnical engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder, conducting her graduate research with Bernard Amadei, an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Construction. In 2008, she joined Bridges to Prosperity, eventually becoming the organization's chief executive officer. Inspired by her passion and drive, the group has built 130 bridges in 14 countries; helped millions of people gain access to vital healthcare, educational, and commercial services; and grown its annual income to more than $2 million. "What Avery has created is amazing," says Ken Frantz, founder of Bridges to Prosperity. "Millions of lives changed in dramatic fashion. Millions lifted out of extreme poverty. Thousands inspired by her mentorship. Thousands educated and trained. And yet, she has just started."

Indeed, Bang not only teaches a course at the University of Colorado's Mortenson Center for Engineering, but she also helps researchers and students develop alternative-energy solutions for developing communities. She gave a presentation watched by 2,000 people at TEDx Boulder and has been a keynote speaker at dozens of other conferences and events.

Though she helps solve problems throughout the world, Bang also works to tackle issues at her alma mater as a member of the UI College of Engineering's Department of Civil Engineering advisory board and the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences' young alumni advisory board.

Such activism has earned Bang a number of prestigious and highly competitive awards, including being named in 2011 as one of the American Society of Civil Engineers' New Faces of Civil Engineering, in 2012 as one of the Engineering-News Record's (ENR) Top 25 Newsmakers, and in 2013 to the ENR Mountain Region's Top 20 Under 40 list. Bang also earned the Recent Alumni Award from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and she will receive an honorary doctorate degree from Clarkson University this year.

By using her education, skills, and passion to build bridges throughout the world, Avery L. Bang is helping countless people in poor communities step into a brighter, promising future.

Joel D. Barkan and Sandra "Sandy" Hackman Barkan, 84PhD, brought international education to life at the University of Iowa, helping establish Iowa's reputation as a cosmopolitan institution that welcomes students from all countries.

Joel Barkan, a graduate of Cornell University and the University of California, Los Angeles, joined the UI's Department of Political Science in 1972. He stayed for 33 years, teaching and conducting research on the politics of developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

In 1962, as a participant in Crossroads Africa—a volunteer program that preceded the U.S. Peace Corps—Joel traveled to Kenya. The country inspired him to become an internationally respected scholar and advisor who straddled the worlds of academe and policy. Over four decades of teaching, research, and government service, he worked in African nations including Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. In addition to authoring numerous scholarly articles on critical issues such as higher education and governance, democratization, politics and public policy, electoral systems, and legislative programs, he also served as a consultant for the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and many nongovernmental organizations.

While Joel helped "map" Africa from a political perspective, Sandra "Sandy" Barkan took a literary approach. She earned her UI Ph.D. degree in comparative literature with a focus on African literatures and brought that academic knowledge, along with the experience of living around the world, to her interdisciplinary teaching at the UI. As assistant and then associate dean of the Graduate College, Sandy also helped ensure that foreign graduate students who came to Iowa encountered a welcoming environment. Her dedication earned her the UI African Students Association Star Award and the African Studies Association Special Recognition Award.

Joel and Sandy also furthered the cause of international education at the UI. Joel founded the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council and played a key role in establishing and nurturing the UI's Center for International and Comparative Studies and then International Programs. Sandy guided the International Writing Program (IWP) through its most turbulent period and helped save it from closure. Says the program's director, Christopher Merrill, "Without Sandy, there would be no IWP."

In 2008, as UI emeritus professors, the Barkans moved to Washington, DC, where Joel became a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Sandy joined the Meridian International Center as a program officer.

Sadly, Joel passed away in January 2014. In a tribute, former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga wrote, "Kenya lost a true friend. But Kenya has to march on toward a true democracy. That is what Joel longed for through a halfcentury of his association with the country he loved." Indeed, Joel dedicated his career to African and developing countries throughout the world. Together with Sandy, he enriched the lives of innumerable people by championing the cause of international relations.

In the 21st century, successful universities must be global institutions. Thanks to Joel and Sandra Barkan's vision and dedication, the University of Iowa is well-equipped to meet this new era.

Sandra Barkan is a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Charles W. Becker, 76BA, has devoted his professional life to working with people with disabilities, transforming a fledgling program into a state-of-the art camp that offers courage and inspiration to more than 6,500 people each year.

As the executive director of Camp Courageous, a nonprofit organization that provides year-round respite services for children and adults with special needs, Becker has been tireless in his efforts to connect with others and serve his community.

Becker can trace his community involvement back to his high school days in Dubuque, Iowa, where he became the first male page in Dubuque County to serve in the Iowa Legislature. He went on to attend the University of Iowa, working three jobs and finishing a bachelor's degree in 1976 after only three years.

Becker left for England to teach at Exeter College and Priory High School, and then returned to his home state to teach government for three years at Central Lee High School in Argyle, Iowa. In 1980, at the age of 25, he accepted a position as the executive director of the recently founded Camp Courageous.

When Becker was hired, Camp Courageous served a few hundred campers in a facility comprised of five buildings. Today—thanks to his leadership and tireless fundraising—the camp has a $3 million budget funded primarily by donors, and it attracts more than 6,500 campers annually. Now spreading over 200 acres of land, the camp boasts 25 facilities, including an Olympic-sized swimming pool, zip lines, a climbing wall, a miniature train, and a farm with animals.

Despite long hours working to support Camp Courageous, Becker still finds time to fulfill numerous other civic duties. He is president of the board of trustees for the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association in West Branch, Iowa, and president of the board for the Jones Regional Medical Center—where he co-chaired a capital campaign to build a much-needed hospital. He serves on the National Board of Presidential Libraries, the Monticello School Foundation, the Monticello Airport Board, and the Jones Regional Medical Center Foundation Board, has been a member of the former Monticello State Bank board of directors and the Monticello Development Board, and helped establish the Iowa Brain Injury Association. He also has provided consistent and generous support to the University of Iowa for more than 40 years.

As a result of such dedication, Becker has garnered many honors, including the Iowa Jaycees Outstanding Young Iowan Award, the Monticello Community Pride Award, the first Iowa State Fair "Iowan of the Day" award, and the Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival Hero and parade grand marshall distinctions.

Says Becker's friend Lance Greco, "Charlie Becker could have gone on to be CEO of almost any organization imaginable. Fortunately for the campers and their families, whose lives are so dramatically impacted by Camp Courageous, he chose a little place in the woods in Monticello, Iowa."

Through his devotion, vision, and hands-on approach, Charles W. Becker has spent a lifetime modeling the Camp Courageous motto: "We are more alike than we are different."

Becker is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Mitchell Burgess, 78BA, and Robin L. Green, 77MFA, are a literary power couple who have written and produced some of the most highly acclaimed television shows of the last two decades, rejecting standard tropes in favor of exceptional storytelling.

Not only has this talented husband-and-wife team crafted award-winning tales throughout their distinguished careers, but they also have remained loyal to the alma mater that launched their personal and professional partnership.

Burgess, who came to the University of Iowa on the G.I. Bill, first met Green when he enrolled in a fictionwriting class for which she was the teaching fellow. She had arrived at the UI after completing her undergraduate degree in American literature from Brown University in 1967 and working as a contributing editor for Rolling Stone. She attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop, receiving her M.F.A. degree in 1977, and Burgess completed his undergraduate degree in history in 1978.

After graduation, Green and Burgess moved to Los Angeles, where John Falsey, a workshop classmate, asked Green to write a script for a show he'd co-created called A Year in the Life. Burgess and Green then began their collaboration on Northern Exposure, finding their calling as the writers and producers of widely lauded television shows featuring complex characters and deep themes. Alan MacVey, director of the UI Division of Performing Arts and chair of the UI Department of Theatre Arts, says, "Their work helped transform television from a moderately entertaining medium to one of the most creative enterprises in recent history."

Beginning with an Emmy and Golden Globes for Northern Exposure, Burgess and Green have won every major award in their field. They are best known for their work on the groundbreaking HBO series The Sopranos, which earned Emmys in 2001 and 2003 for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series; the 2004 Emmy, Outstanding Drama Series; the 2005 Producers Guild Award, Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama; and the 2007 Writers Guild Award, Dramatic Series.

Most recently, Burgess and Green have created the highly rated CBS show Blue Bloods, now completing its fourth season and recently sold into worldwide syndication.

Throughout, the two never forgot the University of Iowa. They have returned to campus to meet with students and, in 2002, established the Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess Fund for the Iowa Writers' Workshop. In 2004, they were honored as UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Alumni Fellows for their outstanding contributions to their professions and society.

Indeed, Robin L. Green and Mitchell Burgess have written and produced some of the most groundbreaking shows on television, creating stories with depth, intrigue, and integrity that continue to resonate.

Green and Burgess are members of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Mike and Nicole Gerdin, 93BA, 94MA, Julie and Eric Durr, and Angela and Brian Janssen are sustaining a Gerdin family tradition of visionary philanthropy that helps change lives.

This tradition began more than three decades ago when, in 1980, Russ and Ann Gerdin—founders of Heartland Express, a nationwide company specializing in logistics and transportation—made their first gift to the UI. Since then, the Gerdin family has been a force for good in both the university and the community.

Russ and Ann Gerdin instilled the importance of philanthropy in their three children—Mike, Julie, and Angela—from an early age, and the power of this lesson is evident throughout the UI campus today.

The Gerdins established the Russell A. and Ann Gerdin Athletic Learning Center, which provides academic resources to 650 student-athletes each year, and the Russ and Ann Gerdin Family Athletic Scholarship Fund, which helps Hawkeye student-athletes who demonstrate excellence in academics, athletics, and community service. The family also recently contributed toward the construction of the UI Football Operations Center, set to open this fall. In addition, the Gerdins have supported the UI Athletics Hall of Fame and Visitors Center, which enriches the experiences of many loyal Hawkeyes who visit campus.

The family's passion for giving also extends to UI health care. In memory of Russ Gerdin, who died in 2011, the family helps advance the work of the J. Hayden Fry Center for Prostate Cancer Research. They also provide a home-like atmosphere for cancer patients and their families at the Russell and Ann Gerdin American Cancer Society Hope Lodge.

Most recently, the family made a $12 million donation—the largest gift received to date—for the UI Children's Hospital building campaign to help create a healthier future for the children of Iowa and beyond.

Like their parents—who received the UI Alumni Association's Distinguished Friend of the University award in 2006—the Gerdin children and their spouses all are active members of the community, volunteering their time and talents for numerous civic and charitable organizations.

Mike Gerdin is the chairman, president, and CEO of Heartland Express, and he provides valuable leadership on the Henry B. Tippie College of Business board of visitors. His sister Julie Durr, an events coordinator at Heartland, has enriched the community by donating her time to the Iowa Children's Museum board of directors, the Iowa Arts Festival, and the Solon Education Foundation board of directors. Angela is an enthusiastic and dedicated volunteer for the various Gerdin-supported projects on the UI campus.

"Mike, Julie, Angie, and their respective families (they have 12 children among them) are all remarkable in their work ethic, their dedication to family, and their resolve to make the University of Iowa one of this nation's best medical research and clinical care programs," say friends E.J. and Joanne Buresh. "The family continues to have a profound impact upon the quality of life for Iowans."

Through their loyalty and strong-rooted belief in giving back, Mike and Nicole Gerdin, Julie and Eric Durr, and Angela and Brian Janssen are helping Iowa shine.

The Gerdins are members of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Mike and Nicole Gerdin, 93BA, 94MA, Julie and Eric Durr, and Angela and Brian Janssen are sustaining a Gerdin family tradition of visionary philanthropy that helps change lives.

This tradition began more than three decades ago when, in 1980, Russ and Ann Gerdin—founders of Heartland Express, a nationwide company specializing in logistics and transportation—made their first gift to the UI. Since then, the Gerdin family has been a force for good in both the university and the community.

Russ and Ann Gerdin instilled the importance of philanthropy in their three children—Mike, Julie, and Angela—from an early age, and the power of this lesson is evident throughout the UI campus today.

The Gerdins established the Russell A. and Ann Gerdin Athletic Learning Center, which provides academic resources to 650 student-athletes each year, and the Russ and Ann Gerdin Family Athletic Scholarship Fund, which helps Hawkeye student-athletes who demonstrate excellence in academics, athletics, and community service. The family also recently contributed toward the construction of the UI Football Operations Center, set to open this fall. In addition, the Gerdins have supported the UI Athletics Hall of Fame and Visitors Center, which enriches the experiences of many loyal Hawkeyes who visit campus.

The family's passion for giving also extends to UI health care. In memory of Russ Gerdin, who died in 2011, the family helps advance the work of the J. Hayden Fry Center for Prostate Cancer Research. They also provide a home-like atmosphere for cancer patients and their families at the Russell and Ann Gerdin American Cancer Society Hope Lodge.

Most recently, the family made a $12 million donation—the largest gift received to date—for the UI Children's Hospital building campaign to help create a healthier future for the children of Iowa and beyond.

Like their parents—who received the UI Alumni Association's Distinguished Friend of the University award in 2006—the Gerdin children and their spouses all are active members of the community, volunteering their time and talents for numerous civic and charitable organizations.

Mike Gerdin is the chairman, president, and CEO of Heartland Express, and he provides valuable leadership on the Henry B. Tippie College of Business board of visitors. His sister Julie Durr, an events coordinator at Heartland, has enriched the community by donating her time to the Iowa Children's Museum board of directors, the Iowa Arts Festival, and the Solon Education Foundation board of directors. Angela is an enthusiastic and dedicated volunteer for the various Gerdin-supported projects on the UI campus.

"Mike, Julie, Angie, and their respective families (they have 12 children among them) are all remarkable in their work ethic, their dedication to family, and their resolve to make the University of Iowa one of this nation's best medical research and clinical care programs," say friends E.J. and Joanne Buresh. "The family continues to have a profound impact upon the quality of life for Iowans."

Through their loyalty and strong-rooted belief in giving back, Mike and Nicole Gerdin, Julie and Eric Durr, and Angela and Brian Janssen are helping Iowa shine.

The Gerdins are members of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Rinde W. Eckert, 73BM, is a major American playwright, performer, composer, and director whose extraordinary body of work is a tour de force in the world of performing arts.

The son of a voice professor in the University of Iowa School of Music, Eckert understood from an early age that "all the world's a stage," and he appeared in a number of student productions while majoring in music at Iowa.

After earning his UI bachelor's degree in 1973, Eckert went on to complete his master's in music in 1975 at Yale University. During the early years of his career, he was a writer and performer who produced librettos and composed dance scores. In 1992—well on his way to becoming a "total theater performer"—he began composing and performing his own music-theater pieces. His first work, The Gardening of Thomas D, which was an homage to Dante, toured in the United States and France.

Today, Eckert enjoys a global reputation as a groundbreaking and interdisciplinary artist. His music-theater productions have been performed throughout America and at major theater festivals in Europe and Asia, and he has earned dozens of honors, beginning with a 1987 Critics Circle Award in San Francisco.

In 2007, Eckert was one of three finalists for a Pulitzer Prize for his play Orpheus X. He also received a 2000 Obie Award for Best Performance for his And God Created Great Whales. In the words of one review, "And God Created Great Whales is not watched so much as it is experienced, and its haunting images are the sort that stick with the viewer long after the curtains have gone down."

In addition to his tremendous theatrical success, Eckert also has proven himself a firstrate composer, librettist, and director of musical works. He collaborated with other artists on highly-praised works such as the Sandhills Reunion CD, Horizon, The Schick Machine, and Dreamhouse, which received three 2010 Grammy nominations for Best Classical Album; Best Orchestral Performance; and Best Engineered Album, Classical. Eckert also wrote and performed in the multimedia production, Slide, with eighth blackbird. Renamed Lonely Motel by Cedille Records, it won the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Small Ensemble Performance.

As a fitting tribute to the breadth and depth of his originality and talent, the American Academy of Arts and Letters honored Eckert with a 2005 Marc Blitzstein Memorial Award. He also has been recognized through fellowships and grants as a Guggenheim fellow in music composition (2007), a recipient of the Alpert Award in the Arts for theater (2009), and as an inaugural Doris Duke Artist (2012).

Though he's performed as the headliner on stages around the globe, Eckert still has deep roots in Iowa. Returning often to the UI campus, he has performed at Hancher, created and directed two major works—A Tale They Told the Queen and Eye Piece—with the Department of Theatre Arts, and led several workshops with students.

Through his love of his craft, his care for his collaborators, and the originality of his artistic vision, Rinde W. Eckert has proved a true advocate for the arts and a true friend of the UI.

Cassandra S. Foens, 83BS, 87MD, is a highly regarded radiation oncologist and champion of educational causes whose personal contributions have allowed others to follow in her footsteps.

In a career spanning more than two decades, Foens has established herself as a successful physician in her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa—and in 2006, she became both the first woman and the first radiation oncologist from Iowa to be elected to the American College of Radiology (ACR) board of chancellors.

Foens received a bachelor's degree in 1983, earned her doctor of medicine degree in 1987, and completed a residency in radiation oncology in 1992—all at the University of Iowa. Following her UI training, Foens joined the Edward W. Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Michigan, as a radiation oncologist. In 1994, she accepted a position with Clinical Radiologists at the Covenant Cancer Treatment Center in Waterloo, where she still works today.

Foens' passion for health care extends far beyond this practice, as she has served on the Cedar Valley Hospice Governing Board and the Wheaton Franciscan-Iowa Healthcare Board, and is the spokesperson for many cancerrelated topics. In addition to donating her time at community screenings and educational presentations, she also volunteered for Speaking of Women's Health—a national organization that assists women in making informed choices about their health.

Beyond these volunteer activities, Foens has helped create far-reaching educational opportunities for students through her generous personal giving. She made the lead contribution for a new science lab at Columbus High School in Waterloo and also established a scholarship with Dollars for Scholars for an X-ray technology student to attend the training program at Covenant Medical Center.

At her alma mater, Foens created the Cassandra S. Foens, M.D., Presidential Scholarship. Each fall, thanks to the Cassandra S. Foens, M.D., Lecture Series she established, UI students benefit from a lively and educational evening of discourse. Foens also supports the UI's N.E.W. Leadership Program, which seeks to increase the participation of underrepresented women in government, and she is a frequent donor to the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.

A firm believer in civic involvement, Foens serves on the UI Foundation board of directors and the governing board of the Covenant Foundation. She received the 2003 Friend of the Year award from KBBG Radio and the Association of Fundraising Professional's 2011 Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser award.

Her investments in the community and at her alma mater have made an indelible impact on others. "Dr. Foens represents the best of what the University of Iowa provides to the state of Iowa and its students and alumni: personal accomplishment, generosity, and commitment to service," says Emily Anne Vail, a 2010 UI graduate who is completing an anesthesia residency at Columbia University Medical Center. "She has established a legacy that I aspire to one day continue."

Thanks to her deep commitment to service and engagement, Cassandra S. Foens will leave a lasting impression on all the patients, colleagues, and students whose lives she has touched.

Foens is a life member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Christina M. "Tina" Freese-Decker, 02MS, 02MHA, has distinguished herself as an exceptional healthcare leader, becoming the youngest vice president of a $4.1 billion nonprofit health system.

This outstanding young alumna showed promise early in her studies at the University of Iowa, where in 2002 she earned master's degrees in health administration and industrial engineering. At Iowa, Freese-Decker received the Adrienne Astolfi Eddins Management Scholarship, awarded each year to an incoming female student judged to have great potential as a future executive. Indeed, after graduation, she proved her abilities by rising quickly through the ranks at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Starting at the healthcare organization as an administrative fellow in 2002, she soon became system director for planning and strategic development, followed by vice president of system strategic planning and development, and then executive director of Spectrum's regional hospital network. In 2011, Freese-Decker was promoted to president of Spectrum Health United and Kelsey Hospitals, and in 2012 and 2013, she helped lead the organization to recognition as a Truven Top 100 Hospital. Currently the senior vice president and chief strategy officer for Spectrum Health System, she develops and implements strategy for the system's 11 hospitals, a 1,000-member physician group, and a 570,000-member health plan.

Freese-Decker's many contributions to Spectrum Health include the development of a predictive-market model, the creation of a strategic plan, and oversight of a major construction and renovation project for the emergency department, diagnostics imaging center, heart and vascular center, and main lobby. In addition, she helped launch a physician relations program to improve engagement with physicians at Spectrum Health. Her accomplishments earned her the American College of Healthcare Executives' 2013 Robert S. Hudgens Memorial Award for Young Healthcare Executive of the Year. Previously, in 2006, she received that organization's Early Career Healthcare Executive's Regent's Award.

Richard C. Breon, the president and chief executive officer of Spectrum Health, says, "Tina has demonstrated a maturity and competency beyond her years, and her fast-track career is particularly of note in an organization of our size and complexity. Tina strikes the delicate balance of strategic planning and big-picture considerations with an uncanny attention to detail."

Such qualities have made Freese-Decker a true role model for others seeking similar success. According to Susan J. Curry, dean of the UI College of Public Health, "another indication of Tina's leadership is her interest in developing the careers of others through education and mentorship."

Freese-Decker works closely with the UI Department of Health Management and Policy (HMP) and frequently returns to campus to speak with students and interview HMP graduate students for fellowship positions at Spectrum Health. She's served as a past president of the HMP alumni board and currently holds positions on the ACHE Council of Regents for Michigan and Northwest Ohio and as a vice chair of the local YMCA.

Whether she is inspiring future executives or spearheading strategic plans, Christina M. Freese-Decker is a force for change in the world of health care.

Freese-Decker is an annual member of the UI Alumni Association.

Mike and Nicole Gerdin, 93BA, 94MA, Julie and Eric Durr, and Angela and Brian Janssen are sustaining a Gerdin family tradition of visionary philanthropy that helps change lives.

This tradition began more than three decades ago when, in 1980, Russ and Ann Gerdin—founders of Heartland Express, a nationwide company specializing in logistics and transportation—made their first gift to the UI. Since then, the Gerdin family has been a force for good in both the university and the community.

Russ and Ann Gerdin instilled the importance of philanthropy in their three children—Mike, Julie, and Angela—from an early age, and the power of this lesson is evident throughout the UI campus today.

The Gerdins established the Russell A. and Ann Gerdin Athletic Learning Center, which provides academic resources to 650 student-athletes each year, and the Russ and Ann Gerdin Family Athletic Scholarship Fund, which helps Hawkeye student-athletes who demonstrate excellence in academics, athletics, and community service. The family also recently contributed toward the construction of the UI Football Operations Center, set to open this fall. In addition, the Gerdins have supported the UI Athletics Hall of Fame and Visitors Center, which enriches the experiences of many loyal Hawkeyes who visit campus.

The family's passion for giving also extends to UI health care. In memory of Russ Gerdin, who died in 2011, the family helps advance the work of the J. Hayden Fry Center for Prostate Cancer Research. They also provide a home-like atmosphere for cancer patients and their families at the Russell and Ann Gerdin American Cancer Society Hope Lodge.

Most recently, the family made a $12 million donation—the largest gift received to date—for the UI Children's Hospital building campaign to help create a healthier future for the children of Iowa and beyond.

Like their parents—who received the UI Alumni Association's Distinguished Friend of the University award in 2006—the Gerdin children and their spouses all are active members of the community, volunteering their time and talents for numerous civic and charitable organizations.

Mike Gerdin is the chairman, president, and CEO of Heartland Express, and he provides valuable leadership on the Henry B. Tippie College of Business board of visitors. His sister Julie Durr, an events coordinator at Heartland, has enriched the community by donating her time to the Iowa Children's Museum board of directors, the Iowa Arts Festival, and the Solon Education Foundation board of directors. Angela is an enthusiastic and dedicated volunteer for the various Gerdin-supported projects on the UI campus.

"Mike, Julie, Angie, and their respective families (they have 12 children among them) are all remarkable in their work ethic, their dedication to family, and their resolve to make the University of Iowa one of this nation's best medical research and clinical care programs," say friends E.J. and Joanne Buresh. "The family continues to have a profound impact upon the quality of life for Iowans."

Through their loyalty and strong-rooted belief in giving back, Mike and Nicole Gerdin, Julie and Eric Durr, and Angela and Brian Janssen are helping Iowa shine.

The Gerdins are members of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Mike and Nicole Gerdin, 93BA, 94MA, Julie and Eric Durr, and Angela and Brian Janssen are sustaining a Gerdin family tradition of visionary philanthropy that helps change lives.

This tradition began more than three decades ago when, in 1980, Russ and Ann Gerdin—founders of Heartland Express, a nationwide company specializing in logistics and transportation—made their first gift to the UI. Since then, the Gerdin family has been a force for good in both the university and the community.

Russ and Ann Gerdin instilled the importance of philanthropy in their three children—Mike, Julie, and Angela—from an early age, and the power of this lesson is evident throughout the UI campus today.

The Gerdins established the Russell A. and Ann Gerdin Athletic Learning Center, which provides academic resources to 650 student-athletes each year, and the Russ and Ann Gerdin Family Athletic Scholarship Fund, which helps Hawkeye student-athletes who demonstrate excellence in academics, athletics, and community service. The family also recently contributed toward the construction of the UI Football Operations Center, set to open this fall. In addition, the Gerdins have supported the UI Athletics Hall of Fame and Visitors Center, which enriches the experiences of many loyal Hawkeyes who visit campus.

The family's passion for giving also extends to UI health care. In memory of Russ Gerdin, who died in 2011, the family helps advance the work of the J. Hayden Fry Center for Prostate Cancer Research. They also provide a home-like atmosphere for cancer patients and their families at the Russell and Ann Gerdin American Cancer Society Hope Lodge.

Most recently, the family made a $12 million donation—the largest gift received to date—for the UI Children's Hospital building campaign to help create a healthier future for the children of Iowa and beyond.

Like their parents—who received the UI Alumni Association's Distinguished Friend of the University award in 2006—the Gerdin children and their spouses all are active members of the community, volunteering their time and talents for numerous civic and charitable organizations.

Mike Gerdin is the chairman, president, and CEO of Heartland Express, and he provides valuable leadership on the Henry B. Tippie College of Business board of visitors. His sister Julie Durr, an events coordinator at Heartland, has enriched the community by donating her time to the Iowa Children's Museum board of directors, the Iowa Arts Festival, and the Solon Education Foundation board of directors. Angela is an enthusiastic and dedicated volunteer for the various Gerdin-supported projects on the UI campus.

"Mike, Julie, Angie, and their respective families (they have 12 children among them) are all remarkable in their work ethic, their dedication to family, and their resolve to make the University of Iowa one of this nation's best medical research and clinical care programs," say friends E.J. and Joanne Buresh. "The family continues to have a profound impact upon the quality of life for Iowans."

Through their loyalty and strong-rooted belief in giving back, Mike and Nicole Gerdin, Julie and Eric Durr, and Angela and Brian Janssen are helping Iowa shine.

The Gerdins are members of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Mitchell Burgess, 78BA, and Robin L. Green, 77MFA, are a literary power couple who have written and produced some of the most highly acclaimed television shows of the last two decades, rejecting standard tropes in favor of exceptional storytelling.

Not only has this talented husband-and-wife team crafted award-winning tales throughout their distinguished careers, but they also have remained loyal to the alma mater that launched their personal and professional partnership.

Burgess, who came to the University of Iowa on the G.I. Bill, first met Green when he enrolled in a fictionwriting class for which she was the teaching fellow. She had arrived at the UI after completing her undergraduate degree in American literature from Brown University in 1967 and working as a contributing editor for Rolling Stone. She attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop, receiving her M.F.A. degree in 1977, and Burgess completed his undergraduate degree in history in 1978.

After graduation, Green and Burgess moved to Los Angeles, where John Falsey, a workshop classmate, asked Green to write a script for a show he'd co-created called A Year in the Life. Burgess and Green then began their collaboration on Northern Exposure, finding their calling as the writers and producers of widely lauded television shows featuring complex characters and deep themes. Alan MacVey, director of the UI Division of Performing Arts and chair of the UI Department of Theatre Arts, says, "Their work helped transform television from a moderately entertaining medium to one of the most creative enterprises in recent history."

Beginning with an Emmy and Golden Globes for Northern Exposure, Burgess and Green have won every major award in their field. They are best known for their work on the groundbreaking HBO series The Sopranos, which earned Emmys in 2001 and 2003 for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series; the 2004 Emmy, Outstanding Drama Series; the 2005 Producers Guild Award, Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama; and the 2007 Writers Guild Award, Dramatic Series.

Most recently, Burgess and Green have created the highly rated CBS show Blue Bloods, now completing its fourth season and recently sold into worldwide syndication.

Throughout, the two never forgot the University of Iowa. They have returned to campus to meet with students and, in 2002, established the Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess Fund for the Iowa Writers' Workshop. In 2004, they were honored as UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Alumni Fellows for their outstanding contributions to their professions and society.

Indeed, Robin L. Green and Mitchell Burgess have written and produced some of the most groundbreaking shows on television, creating stories with depth, intrigue, and integrity that continue to resonate.

Green and Burgess are members of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Joel D. Barkan and Sandra "Sandy" Hackman Barkan, 84PhD, brought international education to life at the University of Iowa, helping establish Iowa's reputation as a cosmopolitan institution that welcomes students from all countries.

Joel Barkan, a graduate of Cornell University and the University of California, Los Angeles, joined the UI's Department of Political Science in 1972. He stayed for 33 years, teaching and conducting research on the politics of developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

In 1962, as a participant in Crossroads Africa—a volunteer program that preceded the U.S. Peace Corps—Joel traveled to Kenya. The country inspired him to become an internationally respected scholar and advisor who straddled the worlds of academe and policy. Over four decades of teaching, research, and government service, he worked in African nations including Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. In addition to authoring numerous scholarly articles on critical issues such as higher education and governance, democratization, politics and public policy, electoral systems, and legislative programs, he also served as a consultant for the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and many nongovernmental organizations.

While Joel helped "map" Africa from a political perspective, Sandra "Sandy" Barkan took a literary approach. She earned her UI Ph.D. degree in comparative literature with a focus on African literatures and brought that academic knowledge, along with the experience of living around the world, to her interdisciplinary teaching at the UI. As assistant and then associate dean of the Graduate College, Sandy also helped ensure that foreign graduate students who came to Iowa encountered a welcoming environment. Her dedication earned her the UI African Students Association Star Award and the African Studies Association Special Recognition Award.

Joel and Sandy also furthered the cause of international education at the UI. Joel founded the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council and played a key role in establishing and nurturing the UI's Center for International and Comparative Studies and then International Programs. Sandy guided the International Writing Program (IWP) through its most turbulent period and helped save it from closure. Says the program's director, Christopher Merrill, "Without Sandy, there would be no IWP."

In 2008, as UI emeritus professors, the Barkans moved to Washington, DC, where Joel became a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Sandy joined the Meridian International Center as a program officer.

Sadly, Joel passed away in January 2014. In a tribute, former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga wrote, "Kenya lost a true friend. But Kenya has to march on toward a true democracy. That is what Joel longed for through a halfcentury of his association with the country he loved." Indeed, Joel dedicated his career to African and developing countries throughout the world. Together with Sandy, he enriched the lives of innumerable people by championing the cause of international relations.

In the 21st century, successful universities must be global institutions. Thanks to Joel and Sandra Barkan's vision and dedication, the University of Iowa is well-equipped to meet this new era.

Sandra Barkan is a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Mike and Nicole Gerdin, 93BA, 94MA, Julie and Eric Durr, and Angela and Brian Janssen are sustaining a Gerdin family tradition of visionary philanthropy that helps change lives.

This tradition began more than three decades ago when, in 1980, Russ and Ann Gerdin—founders of Heartland Express, a nationwide company specializing in logistics and transportation—made their first gift to the UI. Since then, the Gerdin family has been a force for good in both the university and the community.

Russ and Ann Gerdin instilled the importance of philanthropy in their three children—Mike, Julie, and Angela—from an early age, and the power of this lesson is evident throughout the UI campus today.

The Gerdins established the Russell A. and Ann Gerdin Athletic Learning Center, which provides academic resources to 650 student-athletes each year, and the Russ and Ann Gerdin Family Athletic Scholarship Fund, which helps Hawkeye student-athletes who demonstrate excellence in academics, athletics, and community service. The family also recently contributed toward the construction of the UI Football Operations Center, set to open this fall. In addition, the Gerdins have supported the UI Athletics Hall of Fame and Visitors Center, which enriches the experiences of many loyal Hawkeyes who visit campus.

The family's passion for giving also extends to UI health care. In memory of Russ Gerdin, who died in 2011, the family helps advance the work of the J. Hayden Fry Center for Prostate Cancer Research. They also provide a home-like atmosphere for cancer patients and their families at the Russell and Ann Gerdin American Cancer Society Hope Lodge.

Most recently, the family made a $12 million donation—the largest gift received to date—for the UI Children's Hospital building campaign to help create a healthier future for the children of Iowa and beyond.

Like their parents—who received the UI Alumni Association's Distinguished Friend of the University award in 2006—the Gerdin children and their spouses all are active members of the community, volunteering their time and talents for numerous civic and charitable organizations.

Mike Gerdin is the chairman, president, and CEO of Heartland Express, and he provides valuable leadership on the Henry B. Tippie College of Business board of visitors. His sister Julie Durr, an events coordinator at Heartland, has enriched the community by donating her time to the Iowa Children's Museum board of directors, the Iowa Arts Festival, and the Solon Education Foundation board of directors. Angela is an enthusiastic and dedicated volunteer for the various Gerdin-supported projects on the UI campus.

"Mike, Julie, Angie, and their respective families (they have 12 children among them) are all remarkable in their work ethic, their dedication to family, and their resolve to make the University of Iowa one of this nation's best medical research and clinical care programs," say friends E.J. and Joanne Buresh. "The family continues to have a profound impact upon the quality of life for Iowans."

Through their loyalty and strong-rooted belief in giving back, Mike and Nicole Gerdin, Julie and Eric Durr, and Angela and Brian Janssen are helping Iowa shine.

The Gerdins are members of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Mike and Nicole Gerdin, 93BA, 94MA, Julie and Eric Durr, and Angela and Brian Janssen are sustaining a Gerdin family tradition of visionary philanthropy that helps change lives.

This tradition began more than three decades ago when, in 1980, Russ and Ann Gerdin—founders of Heartland Express, a nationwide company specializing in logistics and transportation—made their first gift to the UI. Since then, the Gerdin family has been a force for good in both the university and the community.

Russ and Ann Gerdin instilled the importance of philanthropy in their three children—Mike, Julie, and Angela—from an early age, and the power of this lesson is evident throughout the UI campus today.

The Gerdins established the Russell A. and Ann Gerdin Athletic Learning Center, which provides academic resources to 650 student-athletes each year, and the Russ and Ann Gerdin Family Athletic Scholarship Fund, which helps Hawkeye student-athletes who demonstrate excellence in academics, athletics, and community service. The family also recently contributed toward the construction of the UI Football Operations Center, set to open this fall. In addition, the Gerdins have supported the UI Athletics Hall of Fame and Visitors Center, which enriches the experiences of many loyal Hawkeyes who visit campus.

The family's passion for giving also extends to UI health care. In memory of Russ Gerdin, who died in 2011, the family helps advance the work of the J. Hayden Fry Center for Prostate Cancer Research. They also provide a home-like atmosphere for cancer patients and their families at the Russell and Ann Gerdin American Cancer Society Hope Lodge.

Most recently, the family made a $12 million donation—the largest gift received to date—for the UI Children's Hospital building campaign to help create a healthier future for the children of Iowa and beyond.

Like their parents—who received the UI Alumni Association's Distinguished Friend of the University award in 2006—the Gerdin children and their spouses all are active members of the community, volunteering their time and talents for numerous civic and charitable organizations.

Mike Gerdin is the chairman, president, and CEO of Heartland Express, and he provides valuable leadership on the Henry B. Tippie College of Business board of visitors. His sister Julie Durr, an events coordinator at Heartland, has enriched the community by donating her time to the Iowa Children's Museum board of directors, the Iowa Arts Festival, and the Solon Education Foundation board of directors. Angela is an enthusiastic and dedicated volunteer for the various Gerdin-supported projects on the UI campus.

"Mike, Julie, Angie, and their respective families (they have 12 children among them) are all remarkable in their work ethic, their dedication to family, and their resolve to make the University of Iowa one of this nation's best medical research and clinical care programs," say friends E.J. and Joanne Buresh. "The family continues to have a profound impact upon the quality of life for Iowans."

Through their loyalty and strong-rooted belief in giving back, Mike and Nicole Gerdin, Julie and Eric Durr, and Angela and Brian Janssen are helping Iowa shine.

The Gerdins are members of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Sheri Salata, 80BBA, president of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network and Harpo Studios, is one of the most influential executives in modern media—responsible for television programming that has left an indelible imprint on American culture.

Salata earned a bachelor’s degree of business administration in marketing in 1980 from the University of Iowa. Following a six-year career in business and marketing, she took her first television job at an advertising firm in Chicago. In 1995, she began at Harpo Studios as a promotion producer and held several positions of increasing responsibility. Combining business and broadcasting acumen with her Midwestern work ethic, Salata climbed the ranks of Winfrey’s empire to become executive producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2006 and one of the most powerful women in entertainment today.

For five seasons, Salata worked closely with Winfrey to guide the creative vision and mission of one of the most successful daytime television shows in history. The show often tackled relevant social issues, such as poverty and sexual abuse, bringing neglected topics into national conversation. Winfrey recognizes Salata as an integral part of her success, praising her passion, leadership, integrity, and positive outlook. "The final season of the Oprah Show was an enormous undertaking, and I couldn’t have done it without Sheri at my side," said Winfrey. "Each season, we raised the bar higher and higher; there was seemingly no limit to how high Sheri knew we could climb."

Following the show’s finale in 2011, Salata and Erik Logan took the helm as presidents of OWN and Harpo Studios. Today, they oversee more than 500 people in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, who create thousands of hours of award-winning programming. In 2012, OWN’s original series Super Soul Sunday won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Series and, in 2013, Oprah’s Lifeclass won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media - Social TV Experience.

Thanks to Salata’s leadership at OWN, the network continues to experience increased ratings and viewership. The Hollywood Reporter named Salata to its 2013 Women in Entertainment: Power 100 list, and for three consecutive years, she has been featured on the CableFAX 100 list of cable television’s leaders and pioneers.

Salata credits Iowa for giving her an edge in the media industry by providing her with a solid business background. Loyal to her alma mater, she returned to Iowa City in spring 2013 to speak at the UI Tippie College of Business commencement ceremony, encouraging students to find their passion and keep their minds open to possibilities. "Life is a joyful unfolding, and there’s a magic and destiny that comes with the unexpected serendipity," she said. "If you focus on that, you will end up in the kind of work that makes you happy."

In nearly two decades with Harpo Studios, Sheri Salata has followed her own advice, using her gifts of leadership, creativity, and compassion to bring thought-provoking television into America’s homes.

Salata is a member of the UI Alumni Association’s Directors’ Club Honors Circle.

Joanne Rains Warner, 76MA, has been an agent of change in her profession—and an inspiration to the next generation of nursing innovators—throughout more than three decades in nursing education.

The professor and dean of the University of Portland School of Nursing first found her calling at Augustana College, where she graduated cum laude in 1972 with a bachelor's degree in nursing. She then earned a master's degree in nursing—with a specialty in medical-surgical nursing—from the UI College of Nursing in 1976 and completed a Ph.D. degree in health policy and health of the community in 1990 at Indiana University School of Nursing.

At Indiana University, Warner began her career as a nurse educator and leader, working as an assistant professor from 1990 to 1996, before becoming dean of nursing at Indiana University East. She returned to Indiana University School of Nursing in 2002 as associate dean for graduate programs. In 2005, she accepted a faculty position at University of Portland School of Nursing, and she became dean of that school in 2008.

Warner was the driving force behind the development and design of the University of Portland School of Nursing's innovative Doctor of Nursing Practice Family Nurse Practitioner program—the first doctoral program to be offered at the University of Portland in 38 years.

She also helped Portland's nursing school integrate into its curriculum the "Dedicated Education Unit"—a pioneering approach to nursing education that creates real-world learning environments within patient-care settings. Through this initiative, Warner tripled enrollment in her undergraduate nursing program.

These are not the only advances she has supported in her field. In her work for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Warner served as chair of the committee for the development of the essentials of master's education for professional nursing practice, which dramatically restructured nursing education at the master's level. According to Susan Randles Moscate, David T. Tyson Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Portland, Warner "leads by example, challenges the status quo, and inspires followers to accomplishments beyond their imaginations."

She does so not only in the educational arena, but also within a range of political and policy-advocacy positions. She has played a longtime national leadership role within the Friends Committee on National Legislation, shaping legislative policy and expressing her commitment to the Quaker and community health values of peace and social justice. In addition, Warner has helped manage six successful campaigns for local and state politicians who aimed to improve public health policy, and she was a gubernatorial appointee to the Indiana Commission on Mental Retardation and Development Disabilities.

Such work is a reflection of Warner's commitment to integrating health professionals into the political realm, and she was recognized for these contributions when she was selected in 2005 as a finalist for the Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowship.

Through such efforts, Joanne Rains Warner—an outstanding role model for tomorrow's healthcare leaders—has made visionary contributions to the fields of nursing education and health policy.

Warner is a life member of the UI Alumni Association.

Stephen H. Wolken, 65BS, 68MD, 75R, has provided decades of steadfast leadership to the University of Iowa Alumni Association, the University of Iowa, and the surrounding community.

A lifelong Iowa resident, Wolken has demonstrated his Hawkeye spirit through countless acts of service and civic engagement, stemming all the way back to his days as a UI student and member of the Hawkeye Marching Band.

After receiving an undergraduate degree in general science in 1965 and a medical degree in 1968 from the UI, Wolken interned in Seattle and fulfilled a two-year military obligation before returning to complete a residency in Iowa'"s Department of Ophthalmology in 1975. Wolken then accepted a position at Eye Physicians and Surgeons in Iowa City, where he worked until his retirement nearly five years ago. He continues to work as an adjunct faculty member in the UI Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.

Wolken and his wife, Sue, are loyal supporters of this department and of the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. They established the Dr. Stephen H. and Sue Montgomery Wolken Medical Scholarship for a deserving UI medical student who graduated from an Iowa high school.

Wolken finds numerous other ways to give back to his alma mater. He sat on the UI Carver College of Medicine Alumni Society board of advisors and has played an instrumental role in guiding the UI Alumni Association (UIAA) board of directors. He has served in virtually every capacity on that board, including as a member of the awards, nominating, and finance committees. As chair of the board, he took the lead in helping the UIAA develop a new strategic plan.

Julian Gutierrez, a former member and chair of the UIAA board, says, "His steady leadership, thoughtful counsel, and enormous pride in being a graduate of the UI are qualities that made him such a wonderful colleague on the UIAA board of directors. Steve displayed endless energy and enthusiasm."

Along with providing wise institutional leadership, Wolken has shown his UI colors by playing trombone in the Alumni Marching Band, participating in Iowa Voyagers trips, and attending countless Hawkeye Huddles.

Beyond campus, he has offered his time and expertise to a number of community organizations, including a bank board, his church, the Rotary Club, and the Herbert Hoover Presidential Foundation. Wolken also served as chairman of the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce board and president of the Mercy Hospital medical staff, the Iowa Eye Association, and the Johnson County Medical Society. He is a member of numerous medical associations, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American College of Surgeons, the American Medical Association, and the Iowa Medical Society.

With his passion for the university and his dedication to the public good, Stephen H. Wolken deserves his place among those who best embody Hawkeye pride and integrity.

Wolken is a member of the UI Alumni Association'"s Directors'" Club Honor Circle and the UI Foundation'"s Presidents Club.

Robert T. Anderson, 67BA, 72MA, has spent his entire career building bridges between Iowa and the larger world through his role as president and founder of the nonprofit Iowa Resource for International Service (IRIS) and his tireless work in education and politics.

His lifelong dream was to become a teacher, but after completing both his master's and bachelor's degrees in journalism at the University of Iowa, the Marshalltown, Iowa, native took steps that led him closer and closer to the global community.

Anderson began this journey as a high-school journalism teacher and quickly moved into a position in state government, serving in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1975 to 1983. He then became the first Democrat in Iowa history to be elected as lieutenant governor alongside a Republican governor.

After four years as lieutenant governor, Anderson focused on his passion for creating local opportunities and global connections. He worked with former Governor Robert Ray and Iowa City State Senator Jean Lloyd-Jones to create the Iowa Peace Institute in 1987. After the institute narrowed its focus to domestic issues, he formed the International Center for Community Journalism (ICCJ) and became an adjunct professor of journalism at both the University of Iowa and Iowa State University. ICCJ changed its name to IRIS or Iowa Resource for International Service in 1996 and expanded its programming internationally to additional professions.

IRIS's mission promotes international understanding, development, and peace, bringing students, journalists, educators, and leaders in business and government to Iowa from Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and Asia. So far, the organization has welcomed nearly 800 international visitors to Iowa, and it recently arranged for more than 400 high school students from Nigeria and Tanzania to spend a year attending Iowa high schools through the State Department's Youth Education and Study program.

In addition to his leadership work with IRIS, Anderson has found numerous other ways to foster international exchanges and to educate citizens about the crucial roles that a free press and information systems play in society. Among his many activities, he was a sponsor for Thai Dam refugees in the 1970s and 1980s; led programs to assist Iraqi refugees in Iowa in 2008 and 2009; and created an exchange partnership among 18 libraries in Bulgaria and the U.S. He also helped establish Study Iowa—a consortium of more than 20 colleges and universities that recruit international students and scholars.

Colleague UI Professor Emeritus Kenneth Starck wrote of Anderson: "Throughout his career, Bob has generated innovative ideas. Just as importantly, he has possessed the courage, commitment, and resourcefulness to see them carried out."

Anderson's visionary contributions have not gone unnoticed. He received the Immigrant Champion Award at the Iowa Immigrant Entrepreneurial Summit 2009, and he is also the recipient of the Delphi International Award, the Global Peace and Justice Award from William Penn College, the Distinguished Service Award from the Iowa Council for International Understanding, and the Award of Excellence from the Nigerian Peace Corps.

In an age where global relationships are more important than ever, Robert T. Anderson's commendable support of cultural exchange has cultivated a more peaceful and tolerant world.

Anderson is a life member of the UI Alumni Association.

Wayne A. Drehs II, 00BA, is an Emmy Award-winning journalist for ESPN.com, a leader in multimedia storytelling, and one of America's best young sports writers.

Drehs' innovative work has earned him accolades for transcending traditional definitions of sports journalism and weaving broader themes of the human experience into his narratives.

After graduating in 2000 from the University of Iowa—where he earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and covered a myriad of sports stories for the Daily Iowan—Drehs joined ESPN.com. As a senior writer on the website's features/enterprise/investigative unit, he has spent the past 12 years writing about everything from lost dogs to hockey pucks.

Drehs' stories have appeared online, in print, and on the air, receiving play on ESPN.com and on the cover of ESPN Magazine, as well as on ESPN TV's "SportsCenter," "Outside the Lines," and "E:60." His pieces have also broadcast on ABC's "World News," "Nightline," and "Good Morning America."

According to Bill Casey, publisher of the Daily Iowan, Drehs is "not necessarily interested in the game story' . . . but about the people on the sidelines . . . . He takes his reader to those places that are usually off limits."

Drehs' transformative and inspirational features include a 2006 story about the first high-school football team in the Arctic—a piece that moved a Florida woman to establish "Project Alaska Turf" to raise $1 million for an artificial football field in Barrow, Alaska. He also wrote a feature in 2007 about Jason Ray—a mascot from the University of North Carolina tragically killed outside his team hotel—which appeared on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" and prompted more than 50,000 Americans to become organ donors. In addition, Drehs' 2011 piece about Iowan Charlie Wittmack's attempt to complete the World Triathlon was the first ESPN story to appear on five separate media platforms.

More recently, Drehs worked with Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney and Triple Threat Television on the critically acclaimed ESPN Films baseball documentary, Catching Hell, also making a personal appearance in the picture.

"For Wayne, this is a passion, a calling, a mission," wrote Jena Janovy, Drehs's deputy editor at ESPN.com, in her nomination letter. "His energy is contagious; his enthusiasm unwavering; and his curiosity endless . . . . He has redefined what it means to be a cross-platform, multimedia journalist."

Drehs has shared his energy and experience with UI students and faculty during frequent visits to campus. He has hosted a Daily Iowan reception in his hometown of Chicago, and, in 2011, he participated as a Hearst Professional-in-Residence through a UI School of Journalism and Mass Communication program that brings prestigious visiting lecturers to campus.

In addition, Drehs was named a Knight-Wallace journalism fellow at the University of Michigan in 2009. The recipient of three Emmy Awards and two additional Emmy finalist nominations, he is also the winner of two National Headliner Awards and an Eppy Award from Editor & Publisher.

No matter how or where he tells his stories, Wayne A. Drehs is a rising star in the ever-evolving world of journalism.

Kenneth C. Leuer, 56BSC, has displayed the epitome of character, leadership, and professionalism—whether on the UI wrestling mat or in the highest ranks of the U.S. Army—throughout a lifetime of selfless service and sacrifice.

A native of Wayzata, Minnesota, Leuer was a two-time wrestling champion and all-State football player in high school, and he earned his place among the University of Iowa's most legendary wrestlers. During his career as a UI student-athlete, he became not only an all-American Wrestler, but also the 1956 Big Ten and NCAA champion.

Following graduation with his business degree in commerce, he pursued a highly decorated, 32-year career in the military that included various international assignments with the U.S. Army Infantry. Throughout his years in active duty, Leuer was a commander at the platoon, company, battalion, brigade, division, and post levels, and he also served in several special-operations units.

In 1974, shortly after the United States had withdrawn from the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Creighton Abrams assigned Leuer the task of resurrecting the Army Rangers, an elite fighting unit, for the first time since World War II.

In this role, Leuer helped create the 75th Ranger Regiment—now the best light-infantry unit in the world—and he also established standardized, performance-based training for the Rangers. "This concept, as simple as it sounds, continues to have a profound, positive impact on the combat readiness of our Army," writes his colleague Ralph Puckett, a retired U.S. Army Colonel. "This one advance is so important that he should go down in our history as one of the Army's great trainers."

At the time of his retirement in 1988, Leuer was serving as the commanding general of the U.S. Army Infantry Center at Fort Benning, Georgia—the Army's largest post. After leaving active duty, he accepted the role of regional president/CEO of Goodwill Industries, elevating his branch from financial hardship to international recognition during a decade with the organization.

Not only did Leuer devote himself to the cause of Goodwill Industries, but he also volunteered selflessly on behalf of the U.S. Army Rangers. In 1992, he volunteered to become the founding president of the National Ranger Memorial Association, which built and maintained a memorial to all Rangers. He also served as president of the Ranger Hall of Fame, which helps select and honor the most outstanding Ranger leaders throughout history.

Leuer has received a host of awards for his military and athletic achievements, including the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, and two Bronze Star Medals. He was also a charter inductee into the Ranger Hall of Fame and received Distinguished Alumni Awards from his high school and the Minnesota State High School Athletic Directors' Association. In addition, the University of Iowa Varsity Club named him a Lifetime Achievement Award winner in the UI Athletic Hall of Fame.

Through both his distinguished military career and his personal commitment to others, Kenneth C. Leuer has demonstrated the truest essence of the Ranger creed: "Rangers Lead the Way."

Leuer is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Sustaining Life honor club.

Marcelo Mena-Carrasco, 03MS, 07PhD, is a scientist with the heart of a social activist, and his game-changing research in the field of civil and environmental engineering has helped transform air quality in his home country of Chile.

Since childhood, Mena-Carrasco has demonstrated a deep social awareness, as well as an interest in the world around him. He grew up near a highly polluted stream in a working-class section of Santiago, and although his parents eventually moved to Iowa City, Mena-Carrasco's earliest experiences sparked his lifelong interest in tackling tough environmental issues.

After graduating with honors in biochemical engineering from Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso in Valpairaso, Chile, Mena-Carrasco returned to Iowa to earn his master's and doctoral degrees in civil and environmental engineering. He originally intended to research water quality, but after learning more about the work happening in the UI Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, he shifted his focus to the relationships among airborne pollutants, weather, and climate.

While at Iowa, the young researcher not only studied the complex mechanisms of climate change and pollution, but also found time to help establish the student chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable World and to lead groups of UI students to Mexico, where they taught grade-school children about clean water. In addition, Mena-Carrasco helped UI Professor Jerald L. Schnoor, the Allen S. Henry Chair in Engineering, create a course titled "Sustainable Systems," which now plays a central role in the UI College of Engineering's Sustainability Certificate program.

"He was one of the most talented graduate students whom I have had the pleasure of teaching in over 30 years at Iowa," writes Schnoor of Mena-Carrasco. "Marcelo greatly improved the community of our environmental program by virtue of his creativity, ideas, and leadership."

When he finished his Ph.D. degree in 2007, Mena-Carrasco returned to Chile, where he now serves as chair of the new environmental engineering department at Universidad Andres Bello Santiago, one of Chile's most prestigious institutions. He also directs the school's Center for Sustainability Research, a position he accepted after spending a year at California State University at Fresno as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar. Recently, he agreed to serve as an energy and climate consultant for Fundacion Chile, a private nonprofit corporation for Chilean business growth, and he is a member of the UI College of Engineering's Water Sustainability Advisory Board. From 2008 to 2009, he was the national advisor on air quality to the Chilean Environmental Commission.

Mena-Carrasco's cutting-edge activity in the area of chemical weather forecasting has led to a new understanding of how air-pollution episodes evolve. He has greatly improved air-quality forecasts in Chile, and he hopes to apply this model to other countries throughout the world. In recognition of such efforts, he has received the NASA Group Achievement Award, the Environmental Protection Agency's P3 (People, Prosperity, and the Planet) Sustainable Design Competition Honor Mention, and an MIT Molina Fellowship. Two different Chilean publications, El Mercurio and Diario Financiero, have listed this UI engineer among their nation's top 100 young leaders.

Truly a force for political and environmental progress, Marcelo Mena-Carrasco and his groundbreaking work will ensure the world is a cleaner place to live.

Mary D. Nettleman, 93MS, has made far-reaching contributions to the field of public health through her impressive scholarship and clinical and academic achievements.

A graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, Nettleman earned a bachelor's degree from Ohio University Honors Tutorial College and received her master's degree in preventive medicine and epidemiology from the University of Iowa in 1993. She completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in infectious diseases at Indiana University.

The vice president for health affairs and dean of the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine got her start in academia as an instructor at the University of Iowa, rising to the rank of associate professor before joining the faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 1996.

During Nettleman's seven-year tenure at VCU, she was promoted to professor and served as division chair for internal medicine and associate dean for primary care. In 2003, she accepted a position as chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, and she took on her current role at the University of South Dakota in 2012.

A nationally known researcher, Nettleman claims 122 publications and 62 chapters to her name—and she possesses expertise in many key areas, including women's health, the epidemiology of unintended pregnancy, the economic impact of influenza vaccine in preschool children, alcohol-exposed pregnancies, the role of global warming in infectious disease, the implications of infection control in antimicrobial resistance, patient education, and physician career choices.

Recently the principal investigator on a multimillion-dollar National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant, "Building Interdisciplinary Research in Women's Health," Nettleman also assumed similar roles on "Project Choices: Prevention of Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancies" and "Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health."

Not only is Nettleman a devoted researcher and scientist, but she is also a dedicated volunteer. She's active in the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" campaign, and she helped establish a women's health conference at Michigan State University. She has led several NIH grant-review groups, and she is a longtime member of the Institutional Review Board at Michigan State, serving for five years as vice-chair of the committee.

Her leadership in the world of public health has not gone unnoticed. Nettleman is the recipient of numerous awards, including a certificate of appreciation from the U.S. Army for Service to the Congressionally Directed Medical Research on Gulf War Illness; the Shepard Award for Excellence in Scientific Achievement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and the Young Investigator Award of the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America. A Master and Fellow of the American College of Physicians, she repeatedly appears in lists of the "Best Doctors in America." In May 2012, she was named as one of the UI College of Public Health's Outstanding Alumni Award recipients.

Thanks to her passion for scientific inquiry and her dedication to the public good, Mary D. Nettleman takes a rightful place among the very best minds working to transform health care.

Stephen S. Rasmussen, 74BBA, plays an important role as head of a Fortune 100 insurance company, but he still finds time to stay connected to his alma mater through generous acts of philanthropy.

Now the chief executive officer of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, Rasmussen first became involved with the insurance industry at the University of Iowa, where he earned a bachelor's degree in insurance in 1974 and forged a close connection with Emmett J. Vaughan, a professor and mentor who helped launch Rasmussen's remarkable career.

After graduation, Rasmussen—who holds the chartered property casualty underwriter designation—joined Allied Insurance and served in a variety of roles, including executive vice president for product management, vice president for underwriting, regional vice president for the Pacific coast region, and president and chief operating officer. Soon after Allied Insurance merged into Nationwide Mutual Insurance in 1998, the organization named Rasmussen to lead its entire property and casualty insurance operation.

Thanks to his drive, professionalism, and talents, Nationwide successfully expanded its Des Moines operations and created thousands of jobs—and, in 2009, Rasmussen accepted the role as chief executive officer of the Nationwide family of companies. Since then, the native Iowan has helped Nationwide enhance its growth and profits to become a top 10 provider in most of its property and casualty and financial services businesses.

Throughout his career, Rasmussen remained a Hawkeye at heart, and he helped secure a $1.5 million pledge from Allied Insurance to establish the UI's Vaughan Institute of Risk Management and Insurance and continue the university's positive impact on the industry. Additionally, he proved instrumental in the negotiation of Nationwide's first significant contribution to the Vaughan Institute and was the driving force in renaming the company's Des Moines training center in honor of his influential UI professor.

Far more than a UI philanthropist, Rasmussen is also an active civic leader in Iowa and in Ohio, where Nationwide has its headquarters. He currently serves on numerous boards, including Nationwide Children's Hospital; the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation; the Columbus Metropolitan Library; the Columbus Partnership; and OhioHealth, a leading nonprofit hospital and healthcare organization, where he was recently named chairman. He also is a former trustee of Grand View College in Des Moines and past co-chair of the United Way of Central Ohio Alexis de Tocqueville Vingt-Cinq Society campaign. Nationally, he has been a board member for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the National Urban League.

Says Therese M. Vaughan, the daughter of his mentor and former CEO of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners: "Steve is a particularly thoughtful advocate for good public solutions to address challenging problems in insurance markets. He is a recognized industry leader who challenges the industry to do its best."

Most deserving of this description, Stephen S. Rasmussen is an exemplary corporate and community citizen who has elevated his field and the University of Iowa.

Nathan E. "Gene" Savin is a leading scholar in econometrics—the application of mathematics and statistical methods to economic data—whose groundbreaking research has received worldwide acclaim.

In a career spanning nearly five decades, Savin has occupied teaching positions at Northwestern University; the University of California, Berkeley; Stanford University; and Yale University. Immediately prior to arriving at the University of Iowa, he served on the faculty of the University of Cambridge for 10 years and was a fellow of Trinity College. Savin has worked at the UI for 25 exemplary years.

He completed all of his undergraduate and graduate work at the University of California, Berkeley, receiving a bachelor's degree in economics in 1956, a master's degree in statistics in 1958, and a doctoral degree in economics in 1969. While finishing his doctorate, he also served as a mathematical statistician for the U.S. Forest Service.

Savin joined the UI Henry B. Tippie College of Business in 1986 and provided outstanding leadership for its Department of Economics until his official retirement in 2010. His research focused on time-series analysis, including non-stationary processes and hypothesis testing. At the height of his career, the department's national rankings in the field of econometric theory placed it among the top universities worldwide.

A prolific academician, Savin has published 64 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including many of the top journals in economics, and 15 of his papers have been cited more than 100 times. According to one evaluation, focused on the years between 1989 and 1999, he was the 28th most prolific scholar in econometric theory in the nation and 54th in the world. In addition, he has served on the editorial boards of three of the top journals in economics, and he is a fellow of the Econometric Society and the American Statistical Association.

In 1995, Savin became the University of Iowa George Daly Professor of Economics, and he has participated on a number of collegiate committees. He has also worked with the UI Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, and, in 2010, he served on the search committee for a new director of the UI Museum of Art.

A passionate believer in community engagement, Savin has invested generously in area cultural events. He and his wife, Susan Potter Enzle, 72BS, are trustees of a family foundation that supports a number of different art organizations, including Hancher and the UI Museum of Art; their gifts have reached thousands of Iowa schoolchildren. Savin is a member of the advisory board of the UI Museum of Art, sits on the board of trustees for the California College of the Arts, and is a trustee with the Nature Conservancy-Iowa Chapter. He has also served on the boards of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life and the New Pioneer Co-Op.

Thanks to his deep commitment to global thinking and local engagement, Nathan E. "Gene" Savin will leave a lasting imprint on the worlds of econometrics and the arts.

Savin is a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Cynthia Board Schmeiser, 72BA, 73MA, 83PhD, is a nationally respected expert whose pioneering work in the field of college and career readiness has redefined educational standards.

After earning a bachelor's degree in psychology and elementary education and a master's and doctoral degree in educational psychology, measurement, and statistics at the University of Iowa, Schmeiser went on to become one of the world's most renowned psychometricians.

In 1973, she launched her distinguished, 37-year career at ACT by joining its Test Development Department. Throughout the next three decades, she held various positions in the company—including assistant vice president for research and development, vice president of development, and senior vice president of research and development—before becoming president and COO of ACT's education division.

In this role, Schmeiser helped transform ACT from a nationally respected assessment company to a globally influential leader in educational research and measurement. With her expert guidance, the company became a key player in shaping educational policy—including defining pathways towards successful transitions to college and career for students of all ages, and improving the measurement field's understanding of the relationships among assessment, curriculum, and instruction.

An admired author and research scientist, Schmeiser was instrumental in honing ACT's input to the Common Core State Standards—an educational initiative that brought diverse state curricula into alignment and has played a central role in planning the future of K-12 education in this country.

In addition, her numerous publications and presentations have significantly enhanced social understandings of test design, development, and interpretation, and her work also has addressed crucial issues related to educational policy and ethics. She played a pivotal role in producing the fourth edition of Educational Measurement—a comprehensive reference work—and her chapter on test development placed her among the top experts in this area.

Though Schmeiser retired from ACT in 2011, she continues to serve as an educational consultant and remains passionate about investing in people and policy. She has devoted countless hours to helping others fulfill their personal and professional goals, and her notable community roles include positions as chair of the board of directors for Mercy Hospital in Iowa City, president of the board of directors for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Iowa, chair of the marketing committee for the Iowa Women's Foundation, strategic planning consultant for the Iowa City Community School District's (ICCSD) Healthy Kids Community Care Clinic, co-chair of leadership gifts for the ICCSD Foundation's Every Classroom Technology Campaign, and past chair of the board of directors for the United Way of Johnson County.

The tireless volunteer is a generous UI friend, as well. Not only is Schmeiser a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club, but she also has served on the search committee for the College of Education dean, has worked on planning and implementing several joint educational conferences, and was indispensable in securing ACT's $1 million donation to the UI.

To the colleagues and friends who know her, it comes as no surprise that the Corridor Business Journal selected Cynthia B. Schmeiser as one of its 2011 "Women of Influence"—in honor of a true educator who has used her scientific acumen to chart a new course in the field of human development.

Schmeiser is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Theodore "Ted" M. Seldin, 53BA, 55JD, an entrepreneur with a social conscience, is a champion of the development and provision of affordable housing for all.

In 1953, Seldin received a UI bachelor's degree in economics along with his Air Force Commission, followed by his law degree in 1955. Immediately after graduation, he began active duty as a staff judge advocate (JAG), during which time he was admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Military Appeals. Seldin served two years of active duty, and continued in the JAG Reserve for 14 years.

He joined the Omaha-based Seldin Home Building Firm in 1957 as a principal and later CEO; today, he is chairman of Seldin Company. Through his leadership there and his efforts with the National Association of Home Builders, Seldin has helped shape national and local legislation related to affordable and fair-housing statutes.

Under his leadership, the Seldin Company—a leading homebuilder, diversified property developer, and asset manager—has created affordable housing for a wide range of clientele, including more than 3,500 single-family homes and 4,000 apartments. Of particular note, it developed the 1,000-acre Westwood Communities in southwest Omaha, one of the first sustainable communities in the Midwest to feature single-family homes, apartment complexes, retail centers, professional offices, and sites for schools, churches, parks, and a public library. Seldin's firm has also re-developed blighted urban commercial areas in Omaha and Council Bluffs, and he takes special pride in the more than 1,000 affordable, senior-living apartment homes his company offers across Iowa and Nebraska, allowing older citizens to live independently with security, dignity, and respect.

In Iowa City, Seldin left a lasting imprint with the Mayflower Apartments, which he and his partners built and managed starting in the 1960s. They leased space to UI graduate students and incoming faculty members, and Mayflower became the first home to the International Writing Program. In 1983, when the university needed additional student housing, they sold the property to the UI at a greatly reduced price, a purchase enabled by a $2 million contribution from Seldin and his partners.

A loyal Hawkeye, Seldin has also contributed to the College of Law annually since 1960, and he is a generous supporter to other UI areas, including the Carver College of Medicine's adult stem-cell research program to cure macular degeneration. He also served on the Foundation's Iowa Endowment 2000 National Committee and on the UI Alumni Association's Board of Directors. In 2007, Seldin and his wife established the Theodore M. and Sarah N. Seldin Scholarship in Real Estate Law in honor of UI law professor and president emeritus Willard "Sandy" Boyd—Seldin's former professor and longtime friend.

In honor of the indelible mark he's made on the UI and the housing industry, Seldin received the 2011 UI College of Law Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, the 2011 National Affordable Housing Management Association's Industry Statesman Award, and the 1993 Fannie Mae Pillar of the Industry Award from the National Council of Multifamily Housing Association. In addition, he's been inducted into several Omaha metro real estate halls of fame.

Through his crusade to ensure that all Americans have an affordable home, Theodore "Ted" M. Seldin has established a proud reputation as an unwavering advocate for social justice and change.

Seldin is a life member of the UI Alumni Association and a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Robert R. "Bob" Shreck, 71BS, 74MD, is a first-rate oncologist and hematologist who has blazed trails in the world of medicine—and inspired future generations of Iowa physicians to follow in his footsteps.

A loyal Hawkeye through and through, Shreck completed his undergraduate studies in science education at the University of Iowa before entering the U.S. Army. While stationed in Vietnam, he handcrafted an application to the only medical school he wanted to attend: the UI. After graduating from Iowa in 1974, Shreck completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in hematology and oncology at the University of Utah.

He returned to his hometown of Des Moines and in 1979 successfully established a solo practice that eventually became Medical Oncology and Hematology Associates, which encompasses 16 board-certified oncologists and serves all the Des Moines hospitals. In the last 30 years, the group has established 29 community oncology clinics, including 16 founded by Shreck. Such outreach, involving nearly half the cancer cases diagnosed in Iowa, enables patients to receive modern cancer care in their home communities. The weekly pro bono oncology clinic Shreck established at Broadlawns Medical Center in 1979, and which he attended for 19 years, also continues today.

A tireless teacher, researcher, and consultant, Shreck maintains strong ties with his alma mater. For more than 30 years, he has provided clinical training to students and residents in the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine as a member of its volunteer, community-based faculty, and he has collaborated in UI clinical trials to help identify new discoveries and treatments for the care and cure of cancer.

Also a steadfast university partner, Shreck has served on a variety of UI committees, providing valuable insight and leadership to the UI Carver College of Medicine Alumni Advisory Board, the Abboud Chair Campaign Steering Committee, the UI Health Care Medical Center Council, and as the College of Medicine representative on the UI Alumni Association Board of Directors. More recently, he and his wife, Cherie, became members of the steering committee for UI Health Care's ambitious fundraising initiative, Iowa First: Our Campaign for Breakthrough Medicine.

Along with gifts of time and knowledge, the Shrecks have financially contributed to Iowa nearly every year since Robert Shreck's graduation. When they recently established an endowed student scholarship in the Carver College of Medicine, they challenged others to follow their lead, motivating another donor to establish a scholarship gift. Such visionary support earned the Shrecks membership in the UI Foundation Presidents Club, which recognizes the university's most generous philanthropists.

It is not surprising that Shreck's peers refer to him as "a role model for giving back" and "the quintessential alum." His connection to the university is a family tradition; not only was his father a UI graduate, but his wife, sister, and two of his children are Iowa alumni as well.

Robert "Bob" Shreck's "black and gold" loyalty has meant the world to countless UI students, faculty, and patients, and he is one of the university's greatest champions and ambassadors.

Shreck is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Directors' Club Honor Circle and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Robert T. Soper, 52MD, was a skilled surgeon and an innovator in the field of pediatric medicine who devoted his distinguished University of Iowa career to improving the lives of children.

The first pediatric surgeon at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Soper also served for nearly 25 years as the only pediatric surgeon in the entire state. Indeed, until his death on October 3, 2012, Soper was deeply committed to the University of Iowa, the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, and the people of Iowa. Messages of sympathy on his online memory book reflect his lasting impact: "I thank Dr. Soper for saving my life."

A native Iowan, Soper served in the U.S. Navy in World War II and was on the destroyer that participated in the Tokyo Bay ceremony ending the war. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1949 from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, and went on to earn a medical degree from the UI. While in medical school, he was awarded membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

After completing postgraduate work in Cleveland and Mason City, he returned to the UI to finish his training in general surgery. He concluded his Iowa residency in 1958 and moved to Liverpool, England, for a one-year fellowship in pediatric surgery—which was just emerging as a new medical specialty—at Alder Hey Children's Hospital.

Soper returned to Iowa City to join the medicine faculty at the University of Iowa in 1959 and rose steadily through the ranks to become a full professor in 1968. His career in the UI Department of Surgery spanned nearly 40 years, during which time he established the UI Division of Pediatric Surgery and also served as the interim chair of the Department of Surgery from 1992 to1995. In that capacity, he was able to recruit outstanding surgeons and enhance the department's quality of teaching and patient service.

He influenced the world of medicine beyond Iowa, as well. A founding member of the American Pediatric Surgical Association, he lectured and taught throughout the world, devised new surgical methods for many pediatric conditions, and served on local, regional, and national committees. He also published hundreds of research papers, book chapters, and abstracts related to his research. Farther afield, he performed missionary work in the Congo and on a Navajo reservation.

Throughout his years at Iowa, Soper treated thousands of children, trained hundreds of medical students and dozens of surgeons, and inspired in his colleagues a dedication to learning and patient care. He received the prestigious Ernest Theilen Clinical Teaching and Service Award from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in 1996 and the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2006. In addition, the Robert T. and Helene J. Soper Chair of Surgery, the first endowed faculty position in the UI Department of Surgery, was established in honor of Soper and his wife in 1998.

Robert T. Soper's legacy as a skilled academic surgeon and a pioneer in pediatric medicine will forever shine in all of the patients and physicians whose lives he touched.

Soper was a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Marita G. Titler, 78MA, 92PhD, is an internationally recognized nurse scholar and leader who has revolutionized patient care.

An expert in health-services research, translation science, and evidence-based practice, Titler got her start at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, where she earned a bachelor's degree in nursing in 1974—as well as the Catherine McAuley Award for student excellence—before coming to the University of Iowa for graduate school.

After earning her UI master's degree in nursing in 1978, Titler joined University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where she worked for more than 13 years in a variety of roles, including director of research, senior assistant director, director of the Institute of Translational Practice, and director of the Center for Research in the Implementation of Innovative Strategies in Practice.

Eventually, Titler's love of science led her to pursue a doctoral degree in nursing at Iowa. She finished in 1992 and established herself as a highly regarded nurse-scientist with an impressive body of research focused on outcomes effectiveness and implementation science to improve care of older adults.

Titler is professor, the Rhetaugh Dumas Endowed Chair, associate dean for practice and clinical scholarship, and chair of the Health Systems and Effectiveness Science Division at the University of Michigan (UM) School of Nursing. She is also the associate director of the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research, the NIH-funded Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) at UM.

A cutting-edge researcher, Titler focuses her work on bettering patient care in hospital settings and has garnered more than $170 million in external support. In addition, she has more than 300 publications to her credit, and she has also contributed to more than 40 national evidence-based guidelines for care in areas such as acute confusion and delirium.

Titler is the first author of the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice to Improve Quality of Care, which has been widely disseminated throughout the world, and her scholarly works are cited by various disciplines. According to Titler's former UI nursing colleague, professor emeritus Kathleen "Kitty" Buckwalter, 71BSN, 76MA, such research findings often are not accessible to the clinicians and care providers who need them; however, "Marita's work is exceptional in this regard."

Titler is a sought-after keynote speaker who leads the National Nursing Practice Network, and she holds numerous national honors. She also serves on several prestigious committees that help shape health policy.

Not only was Titler a member of the National Advisory Council for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)—a position appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services—from 2000 to 2003, but she was also invited to serve on the AHRQ Advisory Panel for Knowledge Utilization. In addition, she was a member of the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Standards for Trustworthy Clinical Practice Guidelines from 2009 to 2011.

Her numerous awards and recognition include the 2010 President's Award for Translation Science, the highest honor bestowed by the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research.

Marita G. Titler is "living the Iowa nurse tradition" as a foremost educator, scholar, and mentor who makes critical global changes to the delivery of health care and population health.

Laura E. Beane Freeman, 99MS, 03PhD, is a young researcher and scholar whose highly lauded work at the National Cancer Institute has placed her among the nation's premier experts on the occupational causes of cancer.

In fact, her groundbreaking investigation of chemicals that may pose a cancer risk already is influencing international research and policy on pesticide use.

Beane Freeman began this stellar career at Iowa, where she finished a master's degree in preventive medicine in 1999 and a Ph.D. degree in epidemiology in 2003. While at the UI, she became the first scientist in the world to report an association between arsenic and skin melanoma. She also worked as a graduate research assistant for the Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and was the director of the Epidemiology Student Association.

These leadership activities earned her the Milford Barnes Award for the Outstanding Student in Epidemiology, given to a UI student who demonstrates exceptionally high performance in academics and who contributes to the department, the college, and the community through service and leadership.

Following her Iowa graduation, Beane Freeman joined the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a fellow in the Division of Cancer Prevention. Her research has included evaluations of the cancer risk associated with contaminants in water supplies, a study of malignancies among workers in the formaldehyde industries, and an assessment of the carcinogenicity of many widely used pesticides.

She also works with colleagues from the University of Iowa in her ongoing role as co-principal investigator on the Agricultural Health Study. This study—a collaborative effort among the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the NCI, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health—is examining health outcomes among 57,000 licensed pesticide applicators and 32,000 of their spouses from Iowa and North Carolina. Ultimately, the project will provide information these agricultural workers can use to make decisions about their health and the health of their families.

Beane Freeman's outstanding performance on such research projects resulted in her promotion to research fellow in 2006—and in 2009 to tenure-track investigator in the NCI's Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, where she remains today.

Colleague Michael Alavanja wrote of Beane Freeman, "This rapid rise is testament to the fact that Dr. Beane Freeman is very highly regarded at NCI as a young scientist of tremendous potential. She has proven to be a skilled data analyst, a talented study designer, and a prolific scientific writer."

In recognition of such achievements, Beane Freeman has received two NCI Fellows' Awards for Research Excellence; a National Institutes of Health Merit Award; the National Institutes of Health Plain Language/Clear Communication Gold Level Award; membership in Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health; and the University of Iowa College of Public Health Outstanding Up and Coming Alumni Award. She also is an author of over 60 papers published or in press, has presented at several national meetings, served on national and international committees, and mentored many students and scientists.

Laura Beane Freeman truly has reached outstanding scientific heights in a mere nine years since her UI graduation, and she is a beacon for other UI graduates on the fast track to changing the world.

Kathleen "Kitty" C. Buckwalter, 71BSN, 76MA, is a world-renowned leader, mentor, and researcher in the field of geropsychiatric nursing whose passionate commitment has revolutionized health care for older adults.

A native Iowa Citian, Buckwalter earned a doctorate degree in nursing from the University of Illinois-Chicago in 1980, after completing an undergraduate degree in nursing and a master's degree in psychiatric/mental-health nursing at the University of Iowa. Since completing postdoctoral studies at the Mental Disorders of the Aging Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health (1983-86), she has devoted her career to geriatric education and research—and has proven to be a formidable advocate for elders.

Buckwalter's influence extends widely into the field of geropsychiatric nursing, where she has distinguished herself as one of the most outstanding and well-respected academicians in the country—and even the world.

Not only is she a professor emeritus in the UI College of Nursing, but she also is co-director of the National Health Law and Policy Resource Center, established in 1981 to promote laws and public policies in support of accessible, affordable, quality health services for all Americans, particularly vulnerable populations. Prior to assuming emerita status in 2011, after devoting more than three decades of service to the UI, she was the Sally Mathis Hartwig Professor in Gerontological Nursing, the director of the John A. Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence, the associate director of the UI Gerontological Nursing Interventions Research Center, and the co-director of the UI Center on Aging. In addition, she served as the UI associate provost for health sciences.

A prolific researcher, Buckwalter is internationally recognized for her work in the areas of psychiatric nursing, aging, and long-term care. Her efforts have focused on improving mental-health services and providing community-based care for chronically ill older persons. Her particular interests are in behavioral-management strategies for rural caregivers of persons with dementia and in the effectiveness of community programs in preventing, minimizing, and treating psychiatric problems in the rural elderly.

During her Iowa tenure, Buckwalter brought in more than $25 million in research funding from several branches of the National Institutes of Health and from numerous private foundations. She also has written extensively in the field of gerontology, authoring 251 articles; eight books; eight health-policy and commission papers; 51 monographs and videos; and 90 editorials, reviews, and commentaries.

Beyond her own scholarly activities, Buckwalter has generously fostered the academic careers of countless other geriatric and psychiatric nurses, and she has shared her expertise with the state of Iowa by serving on the planning committee for the Governor's Conference on Aging, chairing the Governor's Task Force on Elder Abuse, and advising the Department of Elder Affairs. Along with serving on numerous review committees, editorial boards, and advisory groups, Buckwalter also has fellowships in the American Academy of Nursing and the Institute of Medicine.

With such a stellar career to her credit, Kathleen C. Buckwalter can claim her place as one of the world's most important geriatric nurse leaders—a consummate educator and researcher whose dedication has made a meaningful difference for older adults and their families.

Buckwalter is a life member of the UI Alumni Association and a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Lawrence H. Einhorn, 67MD, a living legend in the field of medical oncology, developed a cure for testicular cancer and is now applying his expertise to the treatment of other deadly cancers.

A 1965 graduate of Indiana University (IU), Einhorn came to the University of Iowa for medical school and went on to complete his fellowship training in oncology at MD Anderson Hospital in Houston and at the IU School of Medicine.

When he joined IU as a faculty member in 1973, testicular cancer was the leading cause of cancer death among men between the ages of 15 to 35. Einhorn's unprecedented achievement—adding the experimental, platinum-based drug Cisplatin to the chemotherapy regime—turned the research world upside down and forever altered this reality. Today, 95 percent of patients with testicular cancer can be cured, just like Einhorn's most famous patient—Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong.

His incredible discovery—which still remains the only cure discovered for a solid tumor—earned Einhorn international recognition and also ensured his meteoric rise in the world of oncology. He assumed the title of distinguished professor at IU in 1987, the highest rank bestowed upon Indiana faculty, and became the first Lance Armstrong Foundation Professor of Medicine in 1996.

Einhorn has followed his groundbreaking research with continued innovations, heading up the country's pre-eminent germ-cell tumor treatment program at IU. He's also assembling a multidisciplinary team of researchers to explore the ways in which platinum-based drugs might help treat lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death in men and women.

Among his numerous awards and honors, Einhorn received the American Cancer Society Medal of Honor in 1983. In 1985, he joined the elite Association of American Physicians, and, in 2001, he became the first clinical investigator to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences.

The Milken Foundation awarded him its Distinguished Clinician Award in 1989, and Einhorn received the Kettering Prize for cancer research from the General Motors Foundation in 1992. Einhorn also received the prestigious David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award in 2000 and the Ted Couch Cancer Research Award from the Moffitt Cancer Center in 2010. He is the recipient of distinguished alumni awards from the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and Indiana University, and he served as president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology from 2000 to 2001.

The world-renowned scholar and scientist also has been a named or keynote speaker at dozens of national and international conferences, has published more than 450 papers and 75 book chapters, and remains a dedicated clinician and teacher.

"Larry's accomplishments did not stem from being simply in the right place at the right time," says J. Howard Pratt, professor of medicine at Indiana University. "It took a pioneering spirit, lots of fire in the belly, lots of hard work, and being smart and creative."

A father of modern-day oncology, Lawrence H. Einhorn has changed how doctors treat many cancers. He is not only a guiding light to an entire generation of cancer researchers, but a hero to legions of grateful patients.

Marion L. Elmquist, 72BA, knows all about selfless acts of service, and she has used her civic-minded expertise to guide the University of Iowa in creating new opportunities for students, faculty, alumni, and friends.

The retired business executive and former editor has put her leadership skills and business acumen to work as a charter member of the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) Dean's Advisory Board, a CLAS representative on the UI Alumni Association (UIAA) Board of Directors, and a member of the UIAA Executive Committee. Through these roles, Elmquist has been able give back to the alma mater that helped shape her rewarding professional life.

Upon earning a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communications at Iowa, Elmquist went on to complete a 1975 master's degree in journalism and a 1985 master's of business administration degree from Northwestern University.

These educational experiences prepared her to tackle executive editorial roles with Advertising Age and Modern Healthcare magazines—and also to excel in positions in advertising, marketing, and business. Elmquist also started her own marketing and advertising firm, Newton Associates, before moving on to play an instrumental role in growing IRIS/Interactive Horizons from start-up to success. She joined this Denver-based supplier and manufacturer of interactive audience-response systems in 1989 and became its chief operating officer in 1991, remaining in this role until her retirement in 2004.

Despite the demands of her busy professional life, Elmquist has still found time to serve as a steadfast civic volunteer and UI champion—giving many years of dependable and enthusiastic service to her various university boards and committees. Says Linda Maxson, dean of the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: "Marion has been an insightful, generous, and dedicated volunteer for the University of Iowa and CLAS. Beyond these roles, she has been an invaluable partner in cultivating private support; she has a keen understanding of the crucial role that private gifts play in our mission."

Not only is Elmquist attuned to Iowa's needs, but she also is an enthusiastic advocate for Ski for Light—another cause close to her heart. This innovative, Minnesota-based nonprofit program helps visually or mobility-impaired adults enhance their independence and quality of life through cross-country skiing. Elmquist has served in numerous roles within Ski for Light and currently is its president, proving to be a driving force behind the organization's positive and rewarding impact on thousands of lives. In recognition for her outstanding work with this organization, the Norwegian ambassador to the United States honored her with a 2010 Ambassador's Award.

In their years of working alongside her, appreciative colleagues report that Elmquist always asks what she can do to help. It is this generosity of spirit that has earned Marion L. Elmquist a reputation as a trusted alumni advisor and as a charitable and visionary University of Iowa volunteer.

Elmquist is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Richard "Dick" L. Ferguson understands firsthand the value of a quality education—and though he is not an Iowa graduate, he has dedicated his career to investing in the UI and its broader community.

For more than two decades, Ferguson served as chief executive officer and chairman of Iowa City-based ACT, one of the most successful and respected education companies in the nation. There, he helped nurture the ongoing friendship between ACT and the University of Iowa, where the company first began. In fact, he was instrumental in establishing the ACT Scholars Program for underrepresented students wishing to attend the UI, a contribution that will make it possible for many young people to follow their dreams.

After receiving a 1962 bachelor's degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a 1966 master's degree from Western Michigan University, and a 1969 doctorate degree from the University of Pittsburgh, Ferguson worked as a high-school math teacher in Pennsylvania and as a lecturer and research associate with the University of Pittsburgh's Learning Research and Development Center.

In 1972, he joined ACT, serving as president and C.E.O. from 1988 to 2002 and as chairman and C.E.O. from 2002 until his retirement in 2010. In 1975, he became an adjunct assistant professor in the UI College of Education Department of Psychological and Quantitative Foundations, a position he still holds today.

Under Ferguson's leadership, ACT became an internationally recognized innovator in, and authority on, educational testing and measurement—a reputation that, in turn, has significantly enhanced the UI's standing. During his tenure, Ferguson never forgot that the roots of the company can be traced back to the UI College of Education, and he always sought ways to help the UI fulfill its educational mission.

Along with making a gift of $5 million to establish the ACT Scholars program, the company has employed hundreds of UI students as research assistants and interns—and had hired countless Iowa graduates. ACT staff members and UI faculty often collaborate, and ACT and the College of Education regularly partner to host academic conferences.

Though Ferguson retired from ACT in 2010 and accepted a new role as vice chairman of Dallas-based Best Associates, a private equity firm dedicated to the accessibility and affordability of higher education, he has not left Iowa behind. He remains a loyal volunteer, serving many UI boards, including current roles on the advisory board of the Belin-Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development and the Executive Committee of the UI Medical Center Council.

Such dedication has earned him many awards and honors. Ferguson received a Distinguished Alumnus Award (1996) and a Distinguished Fellows Award (1997) from the University of Pittsburgh and a Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2009. He also received an honorary degree from Iowa Wesleyan College in 2005, and he was a Business Hall of Fame Inductee for Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa in 2010.

E.F. Lindquist, the legendary UI professor of measurement and statistics who helped found ACT, surely would have been proud of Ferguson. Not only does Richard L. Ferguson embody the spirit of innovation and generosity that defined Professor Lindquist's illustrious career, but he is also a true friend of Iowa education.

Ferguson is a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Tanna M. Frederick, 99BA, is a rising movie star whose enthusiasm and determination have helped her fashion a successful Hollywood career while remaining connected to the University of Iowa and other causes she holds dear.

After majoring in theater and political science at Iowa—where she was a UI Homecoming Queen and a member of the Hawkeye Tae Kwon Do team—Frederick graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1999 as valedictorian of her class. She also performed in numerous theater productions while at the UI, including a one-woman play, Questioning Jabe, which she wrote herself.

Following graduation, she chased her Hollywood dreams to L.A., where, like most young actors, she worked dozens of small jobs while taking acting classes and landing the occasional commercial or a spot on soap operas like Days of Our Lives. However, her persistence and willingness to take risks paid off when she finagled a meeting with influential independent-film director Henry Jaglom.

This proved the big break that helped Frederick beat the odds in Tinsel Town. Since then, she has starred in five of Jaglom's films, including Irene in Time, Hollywood Dreams, and Queen of the Lot (alongside Noah Wyle of ER fame). She also appeared in the Jaglom play Just 45 Minutes from Broadway with Judd Nelson. More recently, she made her directorial debut and starred in Claire Chafee's Why We Have a Body—a production that Frederick did at the UI in 1996.

Frederick credits the UI Department of Theatre Arts for not only giving her the chops to catch the attention of directors, but also for nourishing her independent, experimental approach to theater and cinema production. Now that she has achieved a level of success that allows her to "pay it forward," she is doing just that. Frederick often returns to the UI campus to talk with UI theater and film students—providing young actors with intimate, personal instruction and encouragement.

She also established the Tanna Frederick Scholarship for Theatre Arts, an annual scholarship for an incoming theater student—and she even inspired Jaglom to create a scholarship of his own at Iowa. In honor of these contributions, the UI Department of Theatre Arts inducted her into the Iowa Theatre Gallery, which highlights distinguished alumni.

In addition to mentoring UI theater students, she helped establish the Iowa Independent Film Festival in her hometown of Mason City in 2006. Frederick also aims to reinvigorate the Iowa film industry through her "Project Cornlight." The first film, The Farm, due to start filming in June 2012, will tap local Iowa talent. Beyond her film and theater interests, Frederick co-founded the non-profit Project Save our Surf, which helps provide clean water for children and families locally and globally.

No matter where she is or what she's doing, Frederick throws herself into the projects that matter most to her. Tanna M. Frederick may be a budding Hollywood movie star, but she remains an Iowa girl at heart—and an inspiration to those around her.

Randall L. Gray, 72BS, 75MA, is a steadfast advocate for people with disabilities, and someone who has brought compassion and understanding to his work as a national leader in rehabilitation and education.

A proud parent of a son with autism, Gray has drawn from his personal experiences to guide his decisions as president and chief executive officer of Marc Center, an Arizona-based rehabilitation agency and national model for excellence that annually serves more than 8,000 individuals throughout the state.

Gray's passion for championing children and adults with disabilities first took hold at Iowa. During his years at the UI, he received a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in rehabilitation while fulfilling a practicum experience at Goodwill Industries.

After graduation, Gray worked as a state rehabilitation counselor for the Arizona Department of Economic Security/Rehabilitation Services Administration and as an assistant instructor at Mesa Community College before becoming a residential group-home manager in 1976. He began working at Marc Center as a service coordinator that same year and spent the next three decades working his way to the organization's top management position.

At every turn, Gray demonstrated an unwavering commitment to protecting the rights of people with disabilities, and he has established innovative programs, educated the public, and campaigned for national policy changes to advance important and needed services.

Among his trailblazing contributions, he established one of the first integrated preschools in Arizona that served both typically developing children and those with disabilities—and he also created one of the first regionally and federally supported employment initiatives in the late 1970s. Gray is also a past chair of the Arizona Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities and a 20-year member—and chair—of the Arizona Rehabilitation Advisory Committee.

In addition, he has served for 20 years as a peer reviewer of federal grants that pertain to education, rehabilitation, and demonstration-research projects for the U.S. Department of Education and has advised more than 300 organizations, including Fortune 500 businesses. Gray also has testified before Congress on disability-related issues and led several national planning bodies and advocacy groups.

In 1992, Gray was selected as one of 20 Mary Switzer Scholars who would work to identify 21st-century initiatives for community rehabilitation programs. Also that year, the National Rehabilitation Association presented him with the Bell Greve Memorial Award in recognition of outstanding contributions. His many other accolades include a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Iowa Graduate Programs in Rehabilitation in 1999 and a 2006 Chairman's Award from the Arizona Association of Providers for People with Disabilities.

One of his colleagues, in summing up Gray's achievements, wrote, "Sir Wilfred Grenfell was quoted as saying, 'Real joy comes not from ease or riches or the praise of me, but from doing something worthwhile.' He must have known Randy."

Randall L. Gray has spent a professional lifetime "doing something worthwhile." His commitment to the rehabilitation and quality of life for people with disabilities has had a far-reaching effect on countless individuals.

John C. Herr, 78PhD, is a preeminent scientist whose research on contraception, related reproductive technologies, and cancer biomarkers has global implications.

A professor of cell biology, urology, and biomedical engineering—and director of the Center for Research in Contraceptive and Reproductive Health—at the University of Virginia (UVa), Herr combines his talents as a basic biomedical scientist, translational researcher, inventor, and entrepreneur to promote findings and innovations arising from the characterization of novel human genes and proteins expressed in the ovary and testis during the development of oocytes (sperm and eggs).

Before accepting an appointment at the University of Virginia in 1981, Herr received a bachelor's degree in biology from Grinnell College and a doctoral degree in anatomy and cell biology from the University of Iowa. He also completed a postdoctoral degree in developmental biology at the University of Washington in Seattle in 1981.

Throughout his notable career, Herr has focused his research on the areas of fertilization, contraception, and cancer. Translating discoveries into inventions is a hallmark of his work; while at UVa, he identified a unique sperm-specific protein (SP-10) that resulted in the creation of the first patented home-immunodiagnostic tests for male fertility. To commercialize SpermCheck Fertility and SpermCheck Vasectomy and ensure these tests reached the public, Herr founded the biotech company ContraVac in 1998 and took the reins as its president, CEO, and chairman. Herr's laboratory has also discovered a protein that could be used to develop biologic drugs for ovarian and uterine cancers.

Author of 210 scientific papers, inventor of more than 20 patents, and recipient of 30 years of continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health, Herr recently received the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenge Award to develop a new concept for a female contraceptive that targets only the egg. He's also received funding from the Found Animal Foundation to help him aim for the $25 million Michelson Prize for developing a single-dose sterilant for dogs and cats. And his lab is currently working on a male contraceptive that targets testis-specific kinase proteins.

The self-described "farm kid from Iowa' is both a local and global research leader. Herr currently serves on the board of directors for the University of Virginia Patents Foundation and was elected president of the American Society of Reproductive Immunology. Additionally, he is a member of the INDO-U.S. Joint Working Group—a consortium of scientists and government officials whose primary goal is to facilitate scientific exchange and development in India—and director of an NIH-funded postdoctoral program that supports the advanced training of Indian scientists working in the fields of reproduction and contraception.

Further, Herr was named Inventor of the Year at University of Virginia in 1999, and he also received the Small Business Innovation Research Commercialization Breakthrough Award from the Virginia Center for Innovation Technology in 2004, a Breakthrough Award from the Charlottesville Business Innovation Council in 2010, and a Distinguished Alumni Award for Achievement from the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine in 2002—to name just a few.

Thanks to his first-rate research, scientific vision, and zest for practical applications, John C. Herr deservedly ranks among the country's most remarkable scientists.

Stanley L. James, 53BA, 62MD, 67R, is a widely respected innovator in the field of orthopedics whose work has transformed the world of sports medicine, influencing generations of athletes and doctors.

The Iowa City native earned a bachelor's degree in 1953 and a medical degree in 1962 at the University of Iowa before completing his residency in orthopedics at the UI in 1967. During his Iowa tenure, James collaborated with Dr. Charles Tipton on cutting-edge research that demonstrated how the mechanical loading of ligament injuries increased the strength and rate of healing.

He presented their seminal finding at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Sports Medicine Conference in 1968—where it was met with considerable skepticism. However, within a few years, James's research would earn the recognition it deserved, and he would be well on his way to becoming one of the most highly regarded experts in orthopedic sports medicine.

To further a longstanding interest in the mechanics of running and gait analysis, James moved to Eugene, Oregon, in 1967 to join Dr. Donald Slocum, one of the nation's "fathers of sports medicine." There, over the next four decades, he conducted a series of clinical studies that changed the way doctors treat runners with injuries. Now a courtesy professor in the University of Oregon's Department of Human Physiology, James also played a leading role in establishing the school's Biomechanics/Sports Medicine Laboratory.

Early in his career, James developed a close relationship with Bill Bowerman, one of the founders of NIKE and legendary University of Oregon track coach. He and Bowerman worked together to improve the design of running shoes, and James served as a formal research consultant for the company from 1976 to 1983. He was also the medical director for the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene in 1976, 1980, and 2008, and he served as a medical and research consultant for many organizations, including the U.S. Nordic ski team, the National Korean Sports Program, and the University of Oregon track team.

James's work has helped Eugene earn a reputation as the epicenter of track-and-field competition and expertise. In fact, the world's elite athletes have traveled to his clinic to benefit from his patient care and surgical talents, particularly as they pertain to knee and running-related conditions, and he has shared his insights at numerous national and international medical meetings. James has also received considerable applause in popular magazines, such as Sports Illustrated, Time, Esquire, Discover, and Track & Field News.

Kenneth M. Singer, a physician from Oregon's Slocum Center for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, wrote of James, "The hallmark of every aspect of Dr. James's career has been excellence. His extremely high standards carry over into every aspect of his life, both personal and professional. He is a superb surgeon and excellent researcher, an exemplary teacher, and an accomplished athlete himself, having competed in very high-level Nordic ski racing."

Throughout this illustrious career, Stanley L. James has been an undeniable trailblazer in his field and his breakthroughs have left an indelible mark on the safe pursuit of sport.

James is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club.

George D. Kuh, 75PhD, has made far-reaching contributions to the "science and art" of learning by creating a widely influential method for documenting and strengthening student achievement in American higher education.

This prolific scholar and researcher created the innovative National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which annually collects information from students at hundreds of four-year colleges and universities about their participation in learning and personal development programs and activities. The results have proven crucial to helping faculty and administrators across the country identify and apply practices that enable students to learn best.

Now chancellor's professor emeritus at Indiana University (IU), Kuh graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, with a bachelor's degree in English and history in 1968. He then worked at Luther as an admissions officer from 1968 to 1972 while earning a master's degree in counseling from St. Cloud State University. In 1975, he completed a doctoral degree in counselor education at the University of Iowa.

After teaching at the UI for a year, Kuh joined the Indiana University School of Education faculty in 1976. There, he spent more than a decade as director of IU's Center for Postsecondary Research, during which time he developed the highly influential survey that has been used by more than 1,400 colleges in the United States and Canada. Thousands of faculty members and administrators, and millions of students, have benefited from his work with the NSSE.

In addition to his leadership role with the NSSE, Kuh served in a variety of faculty and administrative roles at IU, including as chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, associate dean for academic affairs in the School of Education, and associate dean of the faculties for the Bloomington campus.

He currently directs two national projects: the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment and the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project, which is the first in-depth exploration of the factors that influence the careers of graduates of arts-intensive training high schools and postsecondary institutions.

With more than 350 publications, Kuh is also a sought-after consultant and lecturer who has made several hundred presentations on topics related to institutional improvement, college-student engagement, assessment strategies, and campus cultures. He holds seven honorary degrees, including one from Luther College, where he is a member of the Board of Regents and where his colleagues attest that he "has deeply altered the way we think about undergraduate learning."

For his achievements, Kuh has received many honors, including the American College Personnel Association's award for Outstanding Contribution to Higher Education in 2010; a Distinguished Alumni Award from St. Cloud State University in 2008; the Virginia B. Smith Innovative Leadership Award from the National Center for Public Policy in Higher Education and Council for Adult and Experiential Learning in 2005; and the Tracy Sonneborn Award for Distinguished Teaching and Research from Indiana University in 2001. In 2011, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators named its Outstanding Contribution to Knowledge and Literature Award after him.

Through his pioneering research and creative insights, George D. Kuh has, in the words of one nominator, "changed the landscape of American higher education for the better."

Kuh is a life member of the UI Alumni Association.

Curtis K. Lane, 73BBA, has a head for business and the heart of a Hawkeye—and he has used this skill and passion not only to excel in the world of portfolio management, but also to open doors for other UI entrepreneurs.

After earning a bachelor of business administration degree from the UI in 1973 and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska in 1974, Lane embarked on a highly successful career managing institutional performance portfolios.

He spent eight years on Wall Street, overseeing proprietary trading portfolios at the Union Bank of Switzerland and Schroeder and Company, and he eventually founded Disciplined Growth Investors in Minneapolis in 1993. By the time Lane sold his shares in 2000, this start-up had grown to $1.5 billion in assets.

Following that sale, Lane moved to Omaha, where he became the co-founder and portfolio manager of the long/short hedge fund Concordant Partners—and also became actively involved in the Omaha Riverfront Development Corporation, a group focused on revitalizing downtown Omaha.

Lane's vital investment experiences have helped him guide his alma mater. He is a member of the Henry B. Tippie College of Business Board of Visitors and its Finance Advisory Council, and he also serves on the investment committee for the UI Foundation Board of Directors. In this role, he has skillfully assisted in the oversight and management of the foundation's investments.

Along with his role as an astute financial advisor, Lane has also been a mentor for students following in his footsteps. Not only has he spoken to the Tippie College's students about finance careers and his industry experiences, he also has hired UI students as interns. In addition, Lane has partnered with Creighton University in Omaha to mentor its business and finance students, and he is president of his hometown's Senior Alumni Scholarship Foundation, which awards scholarships to graduating high school seniors in Atlantic, Iowa.

Lane and his wife, Carol, have given generously to a number of areas within the UI. In 2003, they established the Curt and Carol Lane Faculty Fellowship Fund in the Tippie College of Business. This valuable recruitment and retention tool provides $20,000 in annual support for the faculty advisor who oversees the Henry Fund and the Krause Fund—two student-run, real-money funds that provide stellar experience in managing investment opportunities and are crucial to the college's continued excellence.

A lifelong Hawkeye fan, Lane has been a loyal member of the I-Club and the Kinnick Society—the UI Athletic Department's highest annual giving level—and he sits on the board of directors for the Iowa Scholarship Fund, which oversees all student-athlete scholarships.

It is no surprise that Lane's colleagues refer to him as a "treasure," a "tried-and-true alumnus," a "well-respected businessman," and a "wonderful friend to the UI." Curtis K. Lane knows what it takes to succeed in business—and he's devoted his time, energy, and resources to helping UI students do the same.

Lane is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Rex Montgomery spent more than five decades as a University of Iowa scientist, producing groundbreaking research and educational programs that have helped transform the field of biochemistry and the university itself.

The professor emeritus in the UI Department of Biochemistry got his start as an academic leader—and as a mentor for students and colleagues alike—in England, where Montgomery received a 1943 bachelor's of science degree and a 1946 doctorate degree from the University of Birmingham.

Following nine years of postdoctoral study in England and the United States, he accepted a position as assistant professor of biochemistry at the UI in 1955. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a professor in 1963 and—following a sabbatical leave to the Australian National University in Canberra—associate dean for academic affairs in the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine in 1974.

Montgomery served in this capacity until 1995, during which time he also held the positions of associate dean of research in the Carver College of Medicine and interim vice president of research for the university.

His own research interests focused on the role that the carbohydrate groups in glycoproteins and glycolipids play in biological functions such as cellular-transport processes, communication, and immune response against disease, and his work garnered more than $30 million in funding for the university. After publishing his first paper in Nature in 1946, Montgomery went on to author approximately 130 original research publications, 28 reviews, and three books. This prestigious body of work established him as one of the 20th century's most important carbohydrate biochemists, and his scholarly contributions had a major global impact in the field for more than three decades.

Along with conducting breakthrough research, Montgomery also spent thousands of hours teaching biochemistry to graduate, medical, dental, pharmacy, and physician assistant students. In fact, he even established a new physician assistant program at the UI in 1973, serving as its director until 1976. In the years since, graduates of this program have gone on to help myriad patients throughout the state, the nation, and the world. To recognize this achievement, the UI named the Rex Montgomery Physician Assistant Student Society and scholarship fund in his honor.

With all of these academic contributions to Montgomery's name, it's fitting that his friends, colleagues, and former students describe him as a source of personal and professional inspiration, calling him a "towering figure," a "quintessential university professor... who leads by remarkable example," and a "perfect mentor."

Though he officially retired from the UI in 2006, Montgomery generously invests in the university through charitable giving. He still comes to work, where he continues to make an active impact through writing papers and reviews.

Thanks to his lifelong passion for learning and teaching, and his quest for new discoveries, Rex Montgomery leaves a lasting legacy at the University of Iowa—and in the world of biochemistry.

Montgomery is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Gerard P. Clancy, 83BA, 88MD, applies his medical expertise and leadership to transform health care—not just for individual patients but for entire communities.

After completing a B.A. degree in biochemistry and a research fellowship in molecular biology at the University of Iowa, Clancy earned his medical degree in 1988. Following in the footsteps of his late father, John Clancy, a psychiatry professor at the UI for 35 years, he became a resident at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

By 1991, Clancy was chief resident in general psychiatry at UIHC. From 1992 to 1995, he served in the U.S. Air Force, rising to the rank of major and head of the Division of Medicine at Ellsworth Air Force Hospital in South Dakota, before returning to the UI. A visit to an Iowa City homeless shelter, where many clients suffered from mental illnesses, sparked a desire to help—as well as the realization that such patients required a new approach. He initiated several innovative, multidisciplinary programs—"hospitals without walls"—that took medical services out into the community.

Such efforts continued throughout his rapidly progressing career (which included graduation in 1997 from the Harvard Executive Program in Health Care Policy and Management), earning him a reputation not just as an accomplished physician but as a champion for the underserved. In 2001, Clancy was named dean of the medical college at the University of Oklahoma. Then, in 2006, he also became president of the University of Oklahoma, Tulsa. An energetic, hands-on leader, he still makes time to teach students and to work with them one evening a week at a clinic that serves the disadvantaged.

In 2008, with a $50 million donation from the George Kaiser Family Foundation, Clancy led a successful effort to transform medical education at the school. The OU College of Medicine in Tulsa became the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine. The first of its kind in the U.S., the school focuses on directing the university's many resources—clinical services, medical education programs, research, financial support, and leadership—to improve the health status of all Oklahomans, particularly those in underserved rural and urban populations.

Driven by appalling statistics demonstrating severe healthcare inequities—such as estimates that poorer residents of north Tulsa typically live 14 years less than those in the southern area of the city—Clancy hopes to find solutions to such problems. In 2009, Clancy convened the first National Summit of Urban Health, and he also offered his expertise during the recent overhaul of the American healthcare system.

For such efforts, Clancy has received numerous awards, including the Excellence in Community Psychiatry Award and the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The UI College of Medicine honored him several times as an outstanding instructor and in 2005 bestowed upon him a Distinguished Alumni Award for Early Achievement. In 2004, the Oklahoma Medical Association presented him with its Community Service Award, and in 2009, Tulsa People magazine named him Tulsan of the Year.

Through his work at the community, state, and national level, Gerard P. Clancy has demonstrated his devotion to patients and his fidelity to the humane ideals of academic medicine.

Clancy is an annual member of the UI Alumni Association.

Leonard S. Feldt, 54PhD, is a giant in the field of standardized testing, having transformed the landscape of educational measurement and brought international renown to the UI College of Education.

Throughout his career, Feldt has forged significant improvements in how standardized tests evaluate student achievement. He has also devoted considerable time and energy toward mentoring the next generation of leaders in his field. In fact, it has been said that wherever educational tests are built and given, there is probably a Feldt-trained Iowan close at hand.

After receiving his Ph.D. in educational measurement from the University of Iowa, Feldt joined the faculty as an assistant professor of educational testing and statistics. He spent the next four decades in various leadership roles at the UI, including chair of the Division of Educational Psychology, Measurement, and Statistics from 1977 until 1981—the same year he received the distinguished title of E.F. Lindquist Professor of Educational Measurement and became director of the renowned Iowa Testing Programs (ITP). From 1987 until 1993, Feldt served as chair of the Department of Psychological and Quantitative Foundations, where he has remained professor emeritus of measurement and statistics since his retirement in 1995.

As director of ITP until 1994, Feldt turned the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED) into two of the nation's most widely used standardized achievement tests. He kept the appropriate interpretation of test results at the heart of his work, helping educators, counselors, and administrators apply scores wisely.

Since his first publication in 1955, Feldt has authored or coauthored a number of revisions of the Iowa Tests and more than 70 articles in journals bearing on statistical or testing topics. He is perhaps the only person to have published in both the Annals of Mathematical Statistics and the National Elementary School Principal, and he was a major contributor to the 1999 Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, a publication that has had a major influence on educational testing practice throughout the world. Feldt was also responsible for creating the first several editions of the college entrance tests published by the American College Testing program.

Feldt has been honored with the National Council on Measurement in Education Career Contribution Award and the American Educational Research Association and American College Testing Program E.F. Lindquist Award for Significant Contributions to the Field of Testing and Measurement. From the UI, he has received both a University Award for Meritorious Teaching and a Regents Award for Faculty Excellence. His latest honor came this past fall, when the UI created a new position bearing his name: the Hieronymus-Feldt Professor of Educational Measurement.

Feldt's biggest legacy of all, though, may well be his students—whose combined contribution to the educational measurement field is impossible to calculate. When he retired, former students journeyed back to Iowa City to honor their humble professor. Recalls Judith Hendershot, former UI director of educational placement: "It was a kind of love-in, the likes of which I had never seen."

An outstanding teacher, effective administrator, practical consultant, and gifted statistician, Leonard Feldt can take credit for original and lasting contributions that have left an indelible impression on our nation's educational system.

Feldt is a sustaining life member of the UI Alumni Association.

Katherine A. Halmi, 61BA, 65MD, 69R, 73R, is internationally recognized for her pioneering studies and treatment of eating disorders, which have greatly heightened understanding of these complex and devastating illnesses.

With her rare breadth of research, clinical, and teaching skills, Halmi has altered forever the medical community's approach to eating disorders—and her passionate devotion to patients has improved the lives of thousands who suffer from the crippling effects of these diseases.

A board-certified pediatrician and psychiatrist, Halmi received her medical degree from the University of Iowa in 1965 and launched her career there, serving on faculty as an assistant and then associate professor of psychiatry. At the UI, she received her first National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) grant to study behavior modification and drug therapy for anorexia nervosa. She would subsequently receive many more grants to comprehensively investigate all aspects of eating disorders, including both the psychiatric and biological underpinnings of their manifestation.

Also while at the UI, Halmi established a clinical and research eating disorders program. She eventually moved on to Weill-Cornell Medical College in New York, and, using her Iowa model, created an internationally recognized research and treatment program that has served patients for 30-plus years. A tenured professor of psychiatry at Weill-Cornell Medical College since 1986, Halmi is also a DeWitt Wallace Senior Scholar, a designation given to very few members of the school's senior psychiatry faculty.

Colleagues credit Halmi for putting eating disorders "on the map" by taking a collection of poorly understood patients and symptoms and organizing them in such a way that they could be scientifically evaluated and studied. In total, Halmi has received more than $4 million in research grants from the National Institutes of Health—which she has applied toward decoding the basic science of eating behavior, metabolism, psychopharmacology, and the mechanisms of illness. Her discoveries have led to new and effective, behaviorally focused treatment strategies for anorexia and bulimia nervosa.

"It would be rare to participate in a discussion about eating disorders and not have Dr. Halmi's name mentioned," says Philip J. Wilner, executive vice chair of the Weill-Cornell Medical College's Department of Psychiatry. "As I travel to different programs and introduce myself, I'm frequently asked, "Isn't that the place where Kathy Halmi has her eating disorders program?' She is an enormous source of pride for us."

Despite her busy research and clinical schedule, Halmi still makes it a priority to mentor younger clinicians, always taking time to chat at conferences and introduce up-and-comers to older colleagues. She has appeared at more than 300 invited lectures, can claim more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, and has authored a "Curriculum for Primary Care Providers" to assist them in their interactions with patients with eating disorders.

In addition, she is the recipient of the College of Medicine's Distinguished Alumni Award, the Research Career Award from the NIMH, and the American Academy of Child Psychiatry Eating Disorders Scientific Achievement Award. Also widely recognized by her field's major professional societies, Halmi has served as president of the American Psychopathological Association, the Society of Biological Psychiatry, and the Eating Disorder Research Society.

With her incisive mind, endless energy, and passion for service, Katherine Halmi has earned the widespread admiration of her peers—and her patients.

Richard F. Hansen, one of the nation's most esteemed healthcare architects, has helped shape the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and the UI College of Public Health through his professional expertise and his private generosity.

As founder, partner, and director of the Hansen Lind Meyer healthcare architectural firm, Hansen oversaw the planning in the late-1960s of the UI Hospitals and Clinics' vast expansion. His plans clearly reflected the core values of the academic teaching hospital and paved the way for the patient-centered design now prevalent in healthcare architecture. Through the half-billion-dollar construction of the hospital campus, Hansen Lind Meyer developed a brand that cemented the UIHC's nationwide reputation as the gold standard in hospital design and function. Hansen Lind Meyer became one of the first firms honored by the American Society of Interior Designers for its cutting-edge work.

Highly sought-after for hospital projects across the country, Hansen expanded the Iowa City-based firm founded in 1963, taking it also to Chicago, Orlando, New York City, Washington, DC, and Denver, Colorado. Soon, Hansen Lind Meyer became the second-largest hospital design firm in the nation. Hansen has also designed other notable hospital projects, including the Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, New York, and the University of Michigan Hospitals and Clinics in Ann Arbor. He has served as president of the Iowa Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), president of the Iowa Architectural Board of Examiners, and on several AIA committees. In 1983, Hansen was elected as a fellow in the AIA, the organization's highest honor.

Although he graduated in 1955 from Iowa State University, Hansen has become one of the staunchest supporters of the UI College of Public Health. In the college's early and most critical years, he provided wise guidance. Such efforts continue today, as he offers his counsel as a leader of the "Building Today for a Healthy Tomorrow" campaign, which helps finance the college's impressive new building and support students, faculty, and programs. In addition, he served as an adjunct professor for the college and an advisor to UI healthcare leaders.

Hansen and his wife became the UI College of Public Health's first Founding Partners with a charitable gift to endow the Richard and Barbara Hansen Leadership Award and Distinguished Lectureship Series. The series attracts nationally recognized healthcare scholars for an annual award and presentation, enhancing the reputation and visibility of the college. It also creates opportunities for UI students, faculty, and healthcare workers to meet these scholars and be challenged by their ideas.

A volunteer and charitable giver, Hansen supports academic, athletic, and cultural activities around campus, including the UIHC, the UI College of Medicine, UI Athletics, the UI Museum of Art, and Hancher Auditorium. He also serves as a member of the UI Foundation's Iowa Endowment 2000 National Committee, encouraging non-alumni to invest in the university.

Richard F. Hansen has advanced the UI—and academic medicine—through the visionary talents and resources he dedicates to support educators, physicians, and students in their pursuit of excellence.

Hansen is a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Anita L. Hockett Wildman, 54GN, is driven by the belief that everyone deserves access to quality health care, a passion that has marked her achievements both in her career and her retirement.

Hockett enrolled in the University of Iowa's nursing program and received her degree in 1954, then joining the UI Hospitals and Clinics staff as an orthopedic and operating room nurse. In 1964, she and her family moved to Saint Charles, Missouri, where she eventually accepted a position with the Saint Joseph Health Center.

Under Hockett's guidance as a nurse manager (pediatrics and orthopedics), the center's nursing department earned "Magnet" recognition for excellence in 1972. Always a woman ahead of her time, Hockett was among the first administrators to help teach her colleagues how to use computers in the clinical area. She also developed a community initiative called "Buckle Up," an innovative program that encouraged and increased seat belt usage for childrenâ¬a relatively uncommon practice in the mid-1970s.

Hockett remained at Saint Joseph until her retirement in 1995, then immediately embarked on her notable volunteer career. In 1996, she helped establish the Saint Charles Volunteers in Medicine free clinic and has served as its clinical director ever since. As one of the primary fund-raisers, Hockett tirelessly pursues donations and volunteer staff to ensure the clinic's smooth operation. Today, Volunteers in Medicine treats more than 450 patients per month, providing an estimated $2 million in medical care on a shoestring budget. With her drive and enthusiasm, Hockett has inspired dozens of healthcare professionals to join the cause and provide care to uninsured people who cannot afford it.

Says Martin Bergmann, medical director of Volunteers in Medicine: "I have never had a more dedicated, intelligent, and hardworking co-worker than Anita. For her, this is not a hobby."

Indeed, anyone who has worked with her characterizes Hockett as a visionary with a natural ability to translate knowledge and creative ideas into action. Her dedication has attracted the attention of the White House, and she regularly lends her expertise to state and national legislators as they consider the role of free clinics in healthcare reform. Such efforts have helped establish a million-dollar Legal Defense Fund for physicians and dentists who see patients free of charge. With her eyes to the future, Hockett also sponsors a scholarship for UI students. The Anita and Franklin Hockett Nursing Scholarship supports a student interested in pursuing employment or volunteer work that serves the uninsured.

Among her many honors and awards, Hockett has been recognized by Missouri's Crider Center for Mental Health as one of the 2010 "Heroes in Health Care" in a three-county area. She has also received the 2009 Lifetime Distinguished Service Humanitarian Award from the Saint Charles Chamber of Commerce and a 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award presented at the Sixth Annual Dove Awards for Women of Achievement in Saint Charles County, Missouri. In 2003, she received the Greater St. Louis Woman of Achievement for Health Care Leadership Award.

For her heartfelt contributions and unwavering moral values, Anita Hockett is the embodiment of the proud tradition of the Iowa nurse and a shining example of public service.

Hockett is a life member of the UI Alumni Association and a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Jeffrey D. Kueter, 93BA, is an applauded public policy analyst and faithful UI alumnus who successfully balances professional pursuits with an unwavering desire to give back to his alma mater.

After graduating from the University of Iowa with a bachelor of arts in political science and economics in 1993, Kueter launched his career as a research director/consultant for organizations that study science and technology policies and programs for the greater good, including the National Coalition for Advanced Manufacturing. He also continued his education with two master's of art degrees from George Washington University, most recently for political science in 2004.

Since 2002, Kueter has served as president of the George C. Marshall Institute in Washington, DC—a nonprofit corporation that conducts technical assessments of scientific issues that impact public policy—where he is a leading national expert in the ever-evolving and intersecting worlds of energy, the environment, space exploration, and national security. In addition to managing the institute's daily tasks, his hectic schedule often includes testifying before Congress or being interviewed by national media to provide policymakers with clear and accurate information on the crucial scientific matters of the day. Kueter is also a published author of many substantive pieces on issues of importance in the science and technology fields.

Yet, this accomplished alumnus always finds time for the UI. Since graduation, Kueter has stood as an ambassador to the UI political science department, contributing time and resources as an inaugural member of the political science advisory board, student mentor, and generous donor. But perhaps his most notable achievements have come through his distinguished service on the UI Alumni Association's board of directors and as president of the Capital Area IOWA Club of Washington, DC. With a natural ability to lead and inspire, Kueter served on the UIAA board from 2002 to 2009, including one year as chairman. The first-ever recipient of the IOWA Club Leader of the Year Award, Kueter helped cultivate the strong member participation and quality programming that has earned his group Best Club designation every year since 1999.

Above all this, Kueter's deep commitment extends to the promotion and growth of IOWA Clubs across the U.S. In that spirit, he spent significant effort working to formalize a legally binding IOWA Club structure that keeps this invaluable network of UI-affiliated groups functioning at an optimal level. Kueter's impressive record of club leadership is unmatched, and his boundless energy and dedicated service will no doubt impact the UI and UIAA for years to come.

Says William O'Keefe, chief executive officer of the Marshall Institute: "Jeff has a first-class, analytical mind, as well as outstanding personal characteristics' moral character, integrity, and a friendly manner. He is a devoted father and husband and has a deep affection for the university. Indeed, I am sure that if cut, he would bleed black and gold."

Proud alumnus, talented professional, and loyal alumni leader, Jeff Kueter epitomizes what it means to pursue a rewarding, lifelong relationship with the University of Iowa.

Kueter is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club.

Thomas J. Lowenberg, 62BSCE, 63MS, is an outstanding alumnus who shines as a model of engagement and leadership in advancing the University of Iowa.

Lowenberg began seeking ways to give back to his alma mater almost as soon as he graduated with a bachelor's (in 1962) and then a master's degree (in 1963) in civil and environmental engineering. He frequently appeared as a guest speaker offering UI students the benefit of his knowledge and experience as a successful engineer with the 3M Corporation in Saint Paul and then his own company, TLE, in Pine Springs, Minnesota.

Taking his volunteerism a step farther, Lowenberg became a highly active contributor and counselor as a member of the College of Engineering's advisory board, development council, and campaign committee. He played a significant role on the campaign committee in particular, helping the college attain an unprecedented $11 million-plus for the project to modernize the engineering building.

In 2002, the college nominated Lowenberg as its representative on the UI Alumni Association's board of directors. It was the start of a long, enjoyable, and productive partnership, during which time Lowenberg served as a member of the awards, finance, nominating, and strategic planning committees, followed by terms as chair-elect, chair, and past chair.

Taking his board responsibilities seriously, Lowenberg devoted himself to learning about the alumni association, forging positive working relationships with the staff, and offering astute observations and advice. Throughout his time on the board, he maintained a clear, focused, and ambitious vision that undoubtedly advanced the association, leaving it even stronger than when he arrived.

Lowenberg also demonstrates his commitment to the university through charitable giving. Now a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club, he has contributed to the university almost every year since his graduation. Furthermore, he chaired a special corporate matching giving program with 3M Corporation that raised more than $200,000 for the College of Engineering building campaign.

Friends and colleagues describe Lowenberg as a greatly admired mentor and peer, an effective organizer, and—above all—a genuine "people person" who's a delight to work alongside. They also respect him for embracing and excelling at one of the most important roles an alumnus can play—extolling the achievements of one's alma mater in a compelling and persuasive way. Says one of his friends, "Listening to Tom talk about the College of Engineering made even a non-engineer want to learn more about what was happening there."

Just like Loren Hickerson, the original alumni association director after whom this award is named, Thomas J. Lowenberg is a stellar ambassador and an ardent champion of the University of Iowa.

Lowenberg is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Directors' Club Honors Circle and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Amanda L. Miller, 02BBA, has led the charge to keep recent graduates of the UI Tippie College of Business connected with their alma mater.

Miller's loyal service to the university began when she was a student at the Tippie College of Business. As president of the college's professional business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, Miller was nominated Chapter Collegian of the Year for her dedication to professional development and community service. She was also selected to give the commencement address when she graduated from the UI in 2002 with degrees in accounting and finance.

Following her time at the UI, Miller worked as an audit senior associate for the KPMG public accounting firm in Chicago. She led teams that performed the first audits in wake of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, helping insurance companies nationwide reform to meet the standards of the new law. Miller later traveled to 32 countries as a senior international financial auditor for Abbott Laboratories, then served as director in the Transaction Advisory Services practice at FTI Consulting, helping clients with mergers and acquisitions. This month, Miller started work with Google's M&A Finance group to help integrate Google's acquisitions into the overall business structure.

Despite frequently being away on the road, Miller has always made time for her alma mater. She served as the UI's recruiting team leader for KPMG, attending numerous job fairs to help UI students find internships and full-time careers. In 2003, Miller co-founded the Tippie College of Business Young Alumni Board (YAB), which advises the college's undergraduate program on ways to keep recent graduates involved. As one of YAB's first co-chairs, she was instrumental in the creation of an annual career development workshop, which pairs students with business graduates in their chosen field. These YAB members help undergraduates with their interview and résumé skills, as well as offer their perspective of what it's like to enter the working world.

Miller has also helped to organize several YAB alumni networking receptions in Chicago and Des Moines, which allow recent grads to connect with one another and with the Tippie College of Business, UI Alumni Association, and UI Foundation representatives to keep updated on university advancements.

Miller's true character is exemplified by her response to a friend and fellow Delta Sigma Pi member's death. When former UI student Cory Schuster died in an ATV accident in March 2007, Miller and several other Tippie College of Business young alumni raised money for a memorial bench to be placed in the Pappajohn Business Building courtyard in his honor. Miller coordinated the fund-raising efforts with the UI Foundation, contributed generously to the project, and organized a dedication ceremony attended by nearly 150 of Schuster's family members and friends. She also helped raise $250,000 to set up the Cory Schuster Scholarship Fund as a lasting tribute.

With enthusiasm and an insatiable work ethic, Amanda L. Miller plays an active role in the life of the UI Tippie College of Business—and inspires other young alumni to do the same.

Miller is an annual member of the UI Alumni Association.

Janice Reals Ellig, 68BBA, has tirelessly contributed her talents and resources as a successful business executive to mentor University of Iowa students and support her alma mater.

After graduating from the UI with a bachelor of business administration degree in 1968, Ellig earned her organizational development master of arts degree in 1978 from Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. From 1968 through 2000, she took on executive leadership roles at major companies such as Pfizer, Citibank, and Ambac Financial Group.

Since 2000, Ellig has served as co-CEO of Chadick Ellig, a premier global executive search firm. In this role, she has demonstrated a deep commitment to diversity by advocating for the recruitment of women and minority candidates into executive and board positions. As co-author of two business books and as the founder of the first Iowa Women's Leadership Conference—which she provided support for UI health management and policy students to attend—she has personally worked to advance women as leaders.

Despite living on the East Coast, Ellig keeps close ties with her alma mater, serving on the UI Foundation's executive committee and board of directors, as well as on various university boards. She generously gave her time and expertise to the UI College of Public Health building campaign committee, also setting a philanthropic example with a charitable gift to help provide a world-class academic home for the college.

Ellig also inspires students as a regular speaker at the Tippie College of Business and through a UI College of Public Health scholarship. In 1999, she launched the Adrienne Astolfi Eddins Memorial Scholarship Fund, awarded each fall to a female student in the Master of Health Administration program. Named in honor of Ellig's sister—a UI sociology graduate, healthcare executive, and student mentor—the scholarship has so far assisted 12 women in pursuit of advanced degrees in the Department of Health Management and Policy. Ellig has been proactive in meeting regularly with the selected students and will again this summer host ten of them in New York City to provide them with further networking opportunities.

With selfless service and unwavering support, Ellig has shown dedication to the UI as a past member of the Management and Organizations Advisory Council, as a contributor to the renovation of the President's residence at 102 Church Street, and as a welcoming host in her home of New York City receptions for UI alumni and friends.

Ellig also embodies the university's spirit of volunteerism, reaching out to her community through her involvement in numerous civic activities. Most notably, she is the immediate past chair of the YMCA of Greater New York Board of Directors—the first woman to hold that position in the organization's 155-year history—and currently serves as president of the New York Women's Forum, a group of 420 New York women of achievement.

Years after receiving her degree from Iowa, Janice Reals Ellig remains one of the University of Iowa's most steadfast and committed alumni, modeling the important role that graduates can continue to play as supporters and student mentors.

Ellig is a Directors' Club Honors Circle member of the UI Alumni Association and a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Carol E. Smith, 72BSN, has reduced the enormous burden placed on families coping with severe illness through her groundbreaking work in the fields of home care and telehealth.

Smith received her B.S.N. from the University of Iowa's College of Nursing in 1972. She continued her nursing education at Wayne State (master's degree in nursing with specialization as a nurse practitioner, 1976) and the University of Minnesota (Ph.D. in nursing, 1982).

Currently a professor of nursing and preventative medicine and public health at the University of Kansas School of Nursing, Smith is a recognized leader in patient education and the innovative use of clinical intervention technology that guides caregivers via interactive websites and in-home telehealth. Over almost 30 years, and with some $14 million of funding from the National Institutes of Health, she has laid the foundation for improving the lives of caregivers nationwide both through her innovative, evidence-based research and her personal commitment to disseminating that knowledge.

Smith's breakthroughs have improved understanding of how to work with seriously ill patients at home to prevent infections, re-hospitalization, and depression. Just as importantly, her work has provided a lifeline for family caregivers who manage complex home care such as vascular catheters, ventilators, and heart failure.

Smith has published more than 180 peer-reviewed, data-based articles in national and international multidisciplinary journals, including Nursing Research, Nursing Economics, Advances in Nursing Science, Patient Education and Counseling, and Telemedicine and e-Health. An educational innovator, she has developed and taught Web-based university courses, consulted for the National Science Foundation on academic Web development, and published quality standards for Internet nursing degrees and patient education.

Thanks in part to Smith's research data, the Kansas legislature proposed and passed a bill supporting the use of televideo home services for rural elders. An infection prevention kit that she developed was used in a $5.5 million campaign in Kansas schools, public services, and restaurants; later, it was translated into six languages for medical missions in South America and Africa.

In addition to her own outstanding contributions to her field, Smith has helped nurture a new generation of researchers through dedicated mentoring of junior and post-doctoral nursing and medical faculty. Smith's influence is also felt far beyond the U.S. A senior Fulbright scholar, she has taught, conducted research, and acted as a doctoral examiner in countries including England, Finland, and Australia. Master's and doctoral students from various countries have also traveled to Kansas to work with her.

Based on such generous offerings of her time and knowledge, Smith has been recognized with many awards and honors. She has received the University of Kansas's Innovative Educator Award (1998), Chancellor's Teaching Award (2003), and Honorary Alumnus of the School of Nursing (2007). The ultimate accolade came last November when she was inducted into the Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing. This past May, she received an honorary doctor of medicine degree from the University of Turku, Finland, in recognition of her work there to teach medical students about clinical trials research.

Carol E. Smith has earned respect and recognition of the highest caliber from her peers, students, and patients. Through her unwavering commitment, leadership, and research, she has generated crucial new knowledge to improve the lives of the sick and their caregivers.

John S. Strauss, professor emeritus of the UI Department of Dermatology, has given back to the University of Iowa through his outstanding work as an educator, his altruistic service, and his philanthropic heart.

A graduate of Yale University, Strauss taught at the University of Pennsylvania and the Boston University School of Medicine before joining the UI in 1978 as head of the Department of Dermatology. He served in that position for 20 years, playing a critical role in the understanding of the sebaceous glands and pathophysiology of acne, as well as in the introduction of retinoids to acne treatment.

Strauss's influence extends widely into the field of dermatology, where he has acted as president of every major organization, including the American Academy of Dermatology, the Society for Investigative Dermatology, the Dermatology Foundation, the International League of Dermatological Societies, and the American Dermatological Association. He has also served as director, president, and special advisor to the American Board of Dermatology, mentoring Iowa faculty members to leadership positions in the accrediting body.

Highly respected in his profession, he has been recognized with a presidential citation for his leadership of the 1992 World Congress of Dermatology, with the Gold Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the American Academy of Dermatology, and with the Stephen Rothman Award, the ultimate honor given by the Society for Investigative Dermatology.

In the larger world of academic medicine, Strauss has also been named chairman of the Council of Medical Specialty Societies and the executive committee of the American Council of Continuing Medical Education, and to the prestigious American Association of Professors. As an educator and researcher, he is a pivotal influence and inspiration to many successful alumni.

As head of the UI's Department of Dermatology, Strauss was instrumental in securing funds to support research and endow an academic chair. The John S. Strauss Chair in Dermatology, established in 1991, helps attract outstanding faculty members to the UI.

In fact, Strauss and his wife, Susan, have long been active supporters of the university. They have contributed to areas as diverse as the UI Roy and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, the School of Art and Art History, the Old Capitol Museum restoration project, WSUI and KSUI, Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and the Ronald McDonald House. They spearheaded the Joffrey Ballet's 2007 statewide tour in celebration of Hancher Auditorium's 35th anniversary and made charitable gifts to help Hancher and the UI Museum of Art in the wake of the Flood of 2008.

The Strausses also hold a rare distinction as gold level members of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club, having provided more than $1 million in donations to the university. Says UI Foundation President Lynette Marshall, "It is not just the amount of their giving that is remarkable; it is the breadth of their generosity and their interests—and their expressed desire to contribute in ways that substantially improve the lives of others."

Indeed, the determination to improve the lives of others has driven Strauss in his career and his philanthropic endeavors. By committing his knowledge and resources to the University of Iowa, John S. Strauss has left a legacy that will impact this campus—and the field of dermatology—for years to come.

Strauss is a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Marta J. Van Beek, 97MD, 01R, 03F, 03MPH, 08F has established herself as a national leader in academic medicine, skyrocketing to the top of the dermatology field in a remarkably short amount of time.

Following the completion of her medical degree and dermatology residency at the UI, Van Beek pursued an extramural National Institutes of Health fellowship in dermatoepidemiology with the College of Public Health, receiving her master's degree in 2003. While a UI student, Van Beek displayed outstanding potential from the start, earning both the Hancher Finkbine Medallion and the Medical Student Service Award.

Since her graduation, Van Beek has served in various roles throughout the UI Hospitals and Clinics and Carver College of Medicine systemincluding current posts as associate program director for the dermatology training program and director of the division of surgery in the UI Department of Dermatology. She is extremely active in the university's clinical and teaching missions, delivering numerous lectures to students and moderating weekly resident seminars. For her success as an instructor, Van Beek received an Excellence in Teaching Award from the dermatology department in 2005 and has been a finalist for the M1 Teacher of the Year Award in 2007 and 2011.

In addition to her duties as a doctor and teacher, Van Beek has also occupied key roles on state and national committees of organizations such as the Iowa Dermatological Society, the American Medical Association, the American College of Mohs Surgery, and the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. An indispensable leader of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), Van Beek played an active part in the recent national debate over healthcare reform in her position as chair of the organization's Health Care Reform Work Group and Congressional Policy Committee. David Pariser, the past-president of the AAD, has publicly described Van Beek as the academy's "feet on the ground" during this important debate and applauded her numerous trips to Washington, DC, to lobby for meaningful change.

With a research emphasis on the epidemiology of melanoma, health services, and international public health, Van Beek has authored many publications and been invited to speak at international conferences. So widespread is her influence that Van Beek received the prestigious North American Young Dermatologist International Achievement Awardgiven by the World Congress of Dermatology and the American Academy of Dermatology"for significant achievement in dermatology that stands as an example to all young dermatologists." She also boasts an impressive record of community service, including her participation in a number of skin cancer screenings, international medical service, and membership in the AAD's Circle of Volunteerism. For these reasons and more, she was also awarded the AAD's "Making a Difference" Award in 2005.

Janet Fairley, Strauss professor and head of the UI Department of Dermatology, says that Van Beek "exemplifies the level of giving back that we would like to encourage in alumni but rarely do. It is hard to imagine anyone who has contributed more hours and in more ways since her graduation from Iowa."

For Marta Van Beek, her stellar early career is only the beginning. Her outstanding leadership and medical expertise, combined with her philanthropic spirit, will ensure that her star continues to rise.

Van Beek is an annual member of the UI Alumni Association.

Robert W. "Bob" Verhille, 55BSC, has consistently blazed a trail for others to follow, both in his professional career and his volunteer efforts on behalf of the University of Iowa.

After graduating from the UI in 1955 with a business degree, Verhille followed his father into the insurance industry, establishing the Verhille and Associates agency in Cedar Rapids in 1956. After he built this business for more than 40 years, the agency was merged with two others in 2000 to create the TrueNorth Companies, and he continues to work as a specialist in this insurance and financial strategies firm in Cedar Rapids. During his long career, Verhille earned a reputation as a pioneer of the industry in Iowa.

For the longstanding leadership and vision he's displayed during his professional career, Verhille has received many accolades, including, in 1994, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors' John Newton Russell Award, which is considered the highest honor in the life insurance and financial planning industry. In 2007, he was inducted into the Iowa Insurance Hall of Fame, and he has recently been inducted into the Eastern Iowa Business Hall of Fame.

Even while he served his profession so ably, Verhille devoted ample volunteer time and leadership to his community. Currently a trustee of Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, he has also served as chairman and director of the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce and its economic development arm, PriorityOne; the board of trustees of Junior Achievement; the Regis High School Board of Education; and the Family Service Agency.

However, his passion for volunteering has been felt most keenly at his alma mater. Since 2007, when he took over as chair of the UI Foundation board of directors, Verhille has provided invaluable advice in helping the organization navigate through troubled economic times and budgetary challenges. Before his current position, he was vice chair of the foundation board for more than a decade, and he has served on the executive committee since 1995.

During the Flood of 2008 that wreaked havoc on the UI campus, Verhille offered his assistance to new President Sally Mason. "During the darkest and most challenging days, Bob was among those whose counsel I sought and most highly valued," recalls President Mason. "I came to rely on his insight, wisdom, and unfailing calm."

Verhille has also aided other university causes, including the historic Good. Better. Best. Iowa campaign, the current campaign for a new College of Public Health building, and the drive to help raise funds for the Old Capitol Museum. In addition, he has made charitable gifts to the university for more than four decades, starting with a donation of five dollars in 1962. Since then, many areas of the university have benefited from his generosity, particularly Hawkeye athletics and the College of Nursing (from where his late wife, Betty, graduated in 1958).

With the tireless service and dedication to others that he learned from his Iowa upbringing and his UI education, Robert W. "Bob" Verhille exemplifies in every way the spirit of giving back.

Verhille is a sustaining life member of the UI Alumni Association and a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Fred J. Zamberletti, 55BA, has enjoyed an illustrious 50-year career in physical therapy and sports medicine that started with the Hawkeyes and took him to the NFL.

After graduating from the UI in 1955 with a physical education degree and in 1956 with a certificate in physical therapy, Zamberletti became an assistant athletic trainer for the UI football team. He moved on to become chief physical therapist at Hibbing General Hospital in Minnesota and later head athletic trainer at the University of Toledo in Ohio. In 1961, during the Minnesota Vikings' inaugural season, he joined the team as its first athletic trainer.

Faithfully serving under five head coaches, Zamberletti became known to the team and fans as "The Man," widely respected for his compassion and skill as he put injured players on the road to recovery and rehabilitation. Throughout the years, he earned admiration and trust as a friend and mentor to countless Vikings players, coaches, and colleagues.

Until 2003, Zamberletti worked full-time with the club, including a few years as its medical services coordinator. While with the team, he also owned and operated successful physical therapy clinics in the Twin Cities for several years. Even following his retirement, "Mr. Viking" continues his involvement with the team he helped take to four Super Bowls, acting as the Vikings' senior consultant and historian. He can claim a part of that history, as he has never missed a single Minnesota pre-season, regular season, post-season, or all-star game. Entering the 2010 season, his attendance streak stretched beyond 1,000 games.

For his longstanding service to the Vikings, Zamberletti has earned the highest respect of his peers, who honored him as the 1986 Professional Football Athletic Trainer of the Year, the 1996 National Football League Athletic Training Staff of the Year, and with the 1999 NFL Physicians Sports Sciences Symposium's Cain Fain Award. He has been recognized as an honorary fellow of the Minneapolis Sports Medicine Center, inducted into the Minnesota Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame, and named by the Minnesota governor as an honorary ambassador of the state.

The Vikings also have decorated Zamberletti with the franchise's prestigious Ring of Honor and with a Fred Zamberletti Day at the stadium on December 20, 1998, when more than 100 Vikings alumni returned to celebrate his professional achievements.

Zamberletti credits former UI basketball coach Bucky O'Connor and former track coach George Bresnahan for their support in helping him enter a career in what was then a newly minted field. Despite his loyalty to the Vikings, Zamberletti still wears black and gold every Saturday during the fall in honor of his alma mater.

As a pioneer in the field of athletic training, Fred J. Zamberletti acts not only as the "Cornerstone of the Vikings," but also as an outstanding ambassador and humanitarian for the University of Iowa.

Zamberletti is a life member of the UI Alumni Association.

Nancy "Rusty" Barceló, 72MA, 80PhD, is a pioneer for multiculturalism who has literally changed the face of higher education in America.

Throughout an illustrious career in academic administration that spans four decades, including 20 trailblazing years at the University of Iowa, Barceló has championed the idea that equity and diversity are fundamental to the academic enterprise—and that promoting this belief is not just the responsibility of one administrator, program, or office, but of an entire university.

When Barceló arrived at the University of Iowa in 1970, she was the only Chicana graduate student on campus. She soon became involved in opening the UI's first Chicano Latino Native American Cultural Center. Her passionate and impeccable performance in a variety of roles and research assistantships in the UI offices of Affirmative Action, Academic Affairs, and Special Support Service caught the attention of central administration.

The year after earning her Ph.D., she accepted her first full-time UI position as assistant dean in the Office of Academic Affairs. She determined to use this platform as a vehicle toward strengthening the university's embrace of equality and diversity principles. She went on to further climb the leadership ranks, filling roles as the interim director for the Opportunity at Iowa program and as assistant provost.

Even when she finished her "official" work in Jessup Hall, Barceló often devoted evenings or weekends to the cause so close to her heart. With her boundless energy, she would speak at events, sing at rallies, or host activities for first-generation college students.

Barceló's more recent professional contributions have taken place outside Iowa. From 1996 to 2001, she served as associate vice president for multicultural and academic affairs at the University of Minnesota. She then accepted the position of vice president and vice provost for minority affairs and diversity at the University of Washington. In 2006, Minnesota managed to recruit her back to its campus, where she serves as vice president and vice provost for equity and diversity. She recently was appointed president of Northern New Mexico College and will begin her presidency on July 1, 2010.

Respected on a national level for her leadership, courage, and collaborative approach, Barceló has improved diversity at all levels in the institutions where she's worked, instilling a greater understanding of its value amongst faculty, staff, and students. Her efforts have resulted in the acceptance of diversity as a core university value, greater recruitment of multicultural populations, and improved retention and support of underrepresented groups.

In addition to her academic endeavors, Barceló has participated on numerous regional and national boards, spoken at hundreds of conferences and cultural events, and received awards from more than 20 organizations. Her latest honor, the Ohtli Award from the Mexican government, recognizes her work to enhance U.S.-Mexican relations and improve the lives of people of Mexican heritage living in this country.

With warmth, compassion, and humanity, Rusty Barceló has cultivated educational atmospheres that value and affirm difference, benefiting countless individuals as well as the teaching, research, and service missions of universities.

Barceló is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club.

P. Sue Beckwith, 80BS, 84MD, is a gifted surgeon trained at the University of Iowa who has given back to her alma mater through selfless service and generosity.

Beckwith first graduated from the UI in 1980 with a bachelor's of science degree in psychology. She then began her medical training, completing her doctor of medicine degree at Iowa in 1984, followed by an internship and residency in general surgery at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines and a fellowship in colon and rectal surgery at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota.

Today, Beckwith runs a successful practice in Des Moines with the Iowa Clinic Department of Surgery. One of only a few colorectal surgeons in the area, she specializes in a rare surgical technique and is renowned for her compassion and kindness to patients.

Despite the intense demands of her career, the Boone native always finds time to support the UI. Most recently, she gave the inspiring lead pledge of $1 million that helped build the new P. Sue Beckwith, M.D., Boathouse for the Hawkeye rowing teams this past fall.

A former Iowa women's basketball letter winner, Beckwith became a competitive and avid rower later in life. After attending a UI rowing practice, she was moved by the strength and determination of the student-athletes and the dire need for a new boathouse for the nomadic team. The new $7.2 million boathouse, located in Terrell Mill Park opposite Mayflower Residence Hall, features a terrace, training area, locker room, meeting room, storage space, easy access to the Iowa River, and a UI College of Engineering-designed indoor rowing tank. It's also the first UI building designed to meet the standards for the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

Beckwith has also established three student scholarships—the Christine H.B. Grant Scholarship Fund, the P. Sue Beckwith M.D. Rowing Scholarship Fund, and the P. Sue Beckwith M.D. Women's Basketball Scholarship Fund—to make college more affordable for deserving students.

Since 1993, she has shared her professional expertise as a clinical associate for the UI Department of Surgery. Beckwith also serves as a founding member of the dean's advisory board and as a development subcommittee chair for the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, as a development committee and board of directors member for the UI Foundation, and as president of the Varsity Club board.

Beckwith also served for ten years on the executive council of the Iowa chapter of the American College of Surgeons, including one year as president, and she represented Iowa on the national organization's board of governors from 2004 to 2007. She held the position of vice president of the American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons from 2007 to 2008 and, since 2003, has been a senior associate examiner for the American Board of Colon & Rectal Surgery.

With her professional accomplishments and philanthropic drive, P. Sue Beckwith sets a truly inspirational example for UI students and alumni.

Beckwith is a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

John C. Cambier, 72MS, 75PhD, is a star in the field of immunology—renowned as one of the world's leading scientists for decoding the mystery of how the human body launches its defense against disease.

Widely respected as a researcher, educator, administrator, and mentor, Cambier is currently chair of the Integrated Department of Immunology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the National Jewish Medical and Research Center. He is also the Ida and Cecil Green Endowed Distinguished Professor of Cell Biology.

Previously, he served for five years served as director of immunology of Cadus Pharmaceutical Corporation and as a faculty member or visiting fellow at institutions including Duke University Medical Center, the Basel Institute for Immunology in Basel, Switzerland, the Curie Institute in Paris, France, and the Burnet Institute in Melbourne, Australia.

While he can claim many seminal contributions to the field of immunology, Cambier is most widely recognized as an international leader of research into a vital subset of immune cells called "B lymphocytes" that produce the antibodies so critical to protecting us from illness. Virtually all current vaccines act by stimulating B cells to produce antibodies.

Cambier specifically studies the signaling mechanics that induce these cells to produce germ-fighting antibodies. More than any other laboratory in the world, his has increased the biochemical understanding of the complexity of triggers and controllers that drive our humoral immune response.

In recognition of his professional stature, Cambier is a frequent guest at prestigious scientific meetings and recipient of numerous awards. In 2009, members of the American Association of Immunologists honored him with their highest level of peer recognition by inviting him to give a Distinguished Investigator Lecture during their annual meeting in Seattle. Last fall, he became one of only 56 current and former faculty members of the University of Colorado system to be awarded the title "Distinguished Professor of the University of Colorado."

Cambier also received an Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award from the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in 2002, and, in 1999, a UI Carver College of Medicine Distinguished Alumni Award for Achievement.

In addition to receiving continuous research funding—including numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, and the American Cancer Society—Cambier has co-authored more than 230 peer-reviewed articles appearing in many high-profile scientific journals, as well as more than 40 reviews and book chapters. These efforts no doubt contributed to his recognition in 2005 as the Institute for Scientific Information's Most Highly Cited award.

A holder of five patents, Cambier has developed cutting-edge technologies to test his theories and hypotheses—advancements that have propelled his field forward into new, uncharted directions. Further extending the depth and breadth of his research, Cambier has directly supervised 12 doctoral candidates and mentored some 50 postdoctoral fellows, many of whom have advanced toward faculty positions of their own in major academic centers and leadership positions in industry and private practice.

With this Distinguished Alumni Award, the University of Iowa is proud to recognize John C. Cambier's outstanding contributions to life-enhancing science.

Cambier is an annual member of the UI Alumni Association.

Craig D. Cannon, 97BA, 00JD, is renowned nationally for his devotion to providing pro bono legal assistance to disaster victims, military veterans, and other people in need.

After graduating from the University Of Iowa College Of Law in 2000, Cannon worked as a business litigation attorney for the largest North Carolina-based law firm in its Winston-Salem and Raleigh offices. In 2008, he joined Branch Banking and Trust Company's legal department as a senior attorney in the bank's Winston-Salem headquarters.

Since 2006, Cannon has served as the national director of the American Bar Association (ABA)'s Disaster Legal Services (DLS) program. In this role, he works with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide pro bono legal assistance to disaster victims throughout the United States and its territories.

In 2007, Cannon served as the lead drafter of a new memorandum of understanding between FEMA and the ABA that has greatly improved coordination between those organizations, the Legal Services Corporation, and pro bono groups. In the last four years, more than 100,000 people have received assistance through the DLS program, including thousands of Iowans affected by the 2008 floods.

In addition to coordinating the delivery of such assistance, Cannon has personally provided pro bono legal assistance to hundreds of disaster victims. Following Hurricane Katrina, he spent four weeks in New Orleans, helping low-income residents who faced obstacles in receiving critical rebuilding funds because they lacked clear legal title to their homes.

Cannon has also helped the nation's military veterans navigate through the complexities of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs disability claims process. In 2006, he designed and implemented the "When Duty Calls" project, which helps veterans obtain service-related disability benefits. "When Duty Calls" was designated as an "Impact Your World" project by CNN.com in 2007. In recognition of his efforts, the ABA awarded Cannon its highest national honor, the Pro Bono Publico Award, in 2008.

Cannon is currently pursuing an executive M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina. He remains an active member of the North Carolina State Bar, where he has served as a member of the Legal Assistance for Military Personnel Committee. For the North Carolina Bar Association, he has served as chair of the Young Lawyers Division, which has more than 5,000 members, and as a member of the board of governors.

Cannon has also served on a variety of charitable boards, including the board charged with preserving the historic town of Old Salem, North Carolina, and a local charter school that assists children with learning disabilities.

In these and many other ways, Craig D. Cannon has improved the lives of thousands of underserved people through his compassion, leadership, and unwavering spirit of service.

Colleen J. Goode, 61BSN, 93PhD, stands out as one of this country's great nursing leaders, having dedicated her professional career to advancing the quality of nursing education and patient care.

After graduating from the University of Iowa's College of Nursing in 1961 with a bachelor of science in nursing degree, Goode earned her master's in nursing management and family nursing in 1984 from Creighton and then a doctorate of nursing in 1993 from the UI. Her impact on her profession became evident soon afterwards, when, as director of nursing at a small regional hospital, she designed and led the adoption of an evidence-based practice. The effects of this "Iowa Model" were felt worldwide, as other institutions began to use the innovative care delivery model.

Through her subsequent work at the University of Iowa and University of Colorado teaching hospitals, Goode has cemented an international reputation as "a beacon of light for clinical change." As a nursing executive, she introduced team nursing (in the 1970s), total patient care (1980s), and case management (1990s).

Goode also hired the UIHC's first nurse practitioner in the Department of Nursing and contributed research to the nursing field in the areas of autonomy, recognition, care delivery models, and evidence-based administrative protocols. In addition, she co-chaired a successful multidisciplinary research team that implemented and evaluated a case management model. Her meta-analysis documented the evidence for use of saline instead of heparin to irrigate peripheral IV's. This research changed practice across the US and internationally, leading to safer and more cost effective care.

Goode's legacy continues at Iowa through the National Research Utilization Conference, which is held annually through the UI Department of Nursing and Patient Care Services.

Since 1997, Goode has worked at the University of Colorado as a vice president for patient care services and chief nursing officer and as an associate dean for nursing practice, and currently as a professor in the College of Nursing. Under her leadership, in 2002 and 2005, the University of Colorado Hospital gained prestigious Magnet status for excellence in nursing care. Goode also developed one of the nation's first nurse residency programs and assembled a highly educated nursing department, where 83 percent of the staff holds baccalaureate degrees compared to the national average of 40 percent.

The recipient of 16 honors from various healthcare organizations, including the Outstanding Nurse Executive Award from the Iowa Organization of Nursing Executives, Goode inspires others with her grace, humor, and spirit of service. She donates much of her time and efforts to volunteer leadership positions on national nursing boards and organizations, such as the American Academy of Nursing.

Perhaps the key to this trailblazing UI alumna's enduring success as a leader, researcher, and mentor, can be seen in this remark by a colleague: "Years after leaving the nursing uniform behind, Colleen Goode is still a nurse at heart. Her attention, commitment, and compassion for patients are evident every day."

Goode is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club.

Thomas R. Hanson, 60BSME, has a gift for communicating, one that he generously shares to help UI engineering students follow his successful career path.

Hanson grew up in a Hawkeye family, which included his parents, Clem, 25BSC, and Sylvia, 27BA, and uncle C. Maxwell Stanley, 26BSE, 30MS, a 1967 recipient of the UI Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumni Award for Service. After graduating from the UI in 1960 with a degree in mechanical engineering, Hanson began as a design engineer at Union Carbide in Charleston West Virginia, then moved to engineering sales and marketing with the Trane Company in Lacrosse, Wisconsin, a major manufacturer in the air conditioning and refrigeration industry. He later moved to Chicago to run the regional sales office of York International, also a major company in the air conditioning industry.

After years in the heating and cooling industry, Hanson drew upon his expertise in engineering, business, sales, and communications to start in 1980 his own Chicago-based company, Thermal Air Systems, which grew to be the exclusive sales representative for many commercial and industrial heating and cooling manufacturers. In 1991, the company became Fleming Hanson Sales, the largest HVAC sales agency in Illinois.

Hanson sold his interest in the company when he retired in 2000, but he continues to make a difference in the world of engineering. In 2003, he and his wife, Nancy, endowed the Hanson Center for Technical Communication, an innovative center where UI engineering students can develop their speaking and writing skills to stand out from their peers in a competitive field.

Recognizing the importance of communication to his own career, Hanson wanted to help engineers develop those skills, which he sees as essential to an engineering education. The center teaches engineers to express their expertise and has enriched the engineering curriculum with rigorous writing and presentation exercises. Hanson regularly visits the center to monitor its progress and talk with staff and students. He also acts as a mentor to the center's peer consultantsundergraduates who show exceptional promise as technical communicators and help their fellow students bring clarity to their work.

Hanson has also supported the university as a charitable giver, contributing to the Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences, the C. Maxwell Stanley Hydraulics Laboratory, the Old Capital Restoration Fund, and the annual Engineering Excellence Fund. He served as a charter member and chair of the College of Engineering's Development Council, leading the college in 1999 through the university's successful "Good, Better, Best" fund-raising campaign.

In addition, Hanson puts his trademark enthusiasm and dedication to work as a key member of the University of Iowa Foundation's board of directors, where he currently serves as a member of the executive committee and chair of the finance committee.

From establishing a center for technical communications to offering trusted advice and guidance to UI faculty, staff, administrators, and studentsall these are tangible expressions of Thomas R. Hanson's devotion to his profession and his alma mater.

Hanson is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

R. Jerry Hargitt, 55BA, may live in the Arizona desert, but his decades-long commitment to the University of Iowa shows that his heart still bleeds black and gold.

Originally from Burlington, Hargitt graduated from the UI in 1955 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. He moved directly into a 30-year career with Northwestern Bell in Omaha, holding various corporate leadership roles, including vice president for public relations and chief executive officer for Nebraska, before his retirement in 1985.

Three years later, he began a challenging second career as a non-paid volunteer overseas with the International Executive Service Corps (IESC), then the world's largest not-for-profit business development organization. He directed IESC's operations in Egypt, Indonesia, and Barbados for extended periods and then performed mentoring projects of a shorter duration in the Philippines, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Romania, and Rwanda. Since its founding in 1964, IESC has directed more than 23,000 American men and women to the completion of economic development projects in nearly 130 countries.

No matter how far Hargitt traveled, though, his heart remained close to Iowa. His long-term philanthropy, friendship, and community service have touched several areas of his beloved alma mater, extending from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication to include the Pentacrest Museums, the Levitt Center for University Advancement, and the UI Alumni Association (UIAA).

A 50-year contributor to the UI School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Hargitt diligently served on the campaign organizing committee for the state-of-the-art Philip D. Adler Buildingand proved instrumental in raising the support necessary to construct the 65,500-square-foot, $19 million facility, which opened to journalism students in 2005.

During the building's dedication, Hargitt accomplished a feat indicative of his focused, determined spirithe identified 50 historic journalistic terms hidden in a typographical artwork featured in the Hall of Fame room. (To date, no one else has managed to decipher and associate these terms.) In honor of his efforts to bring the Adler Building to fruition, and as a nod to his continued involvement with the school, Hargitt's name is proudly displayed in the lobby.

Beyond financial support, Hargitt has gladly devoted his time to many UI boards and committees, including an eight-year term on the UIAA board of directors and a seven-year term on the Board in Control of Athletics. This dedicated volunteer has served in many other capacities. He was elected in 1972 to the Nebraska State Board of Education; he received a U.S. President's "Call to Service" Award in 2004 for more than 4,000 hours as an international volunteer; and, in 1985, he was named Citizen of the Year by the Omaha United Way, received the Governor's Arts Award, and was awarded the B'nai Brith Americanism Citation.

A most deserving recipient of this Distinguished Alumni Award for Service, Jerry Hargitt is indeed the embodiment of a purpose-driven life marked by loyalty and generosity.

Hargitt is a Directors' Club Honor Circle member of the UI Alumni Association and a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

H. Garland Hershey, Jr., 63BA, 65DDS, 71MS, is widely admired as a tireless and passionate advocate for the University of Iowa.

Hershey has spent his lifetime committed to the principles and advancement of higher education. He was born and raised in Iowa City, where his father, H. Garland Hershey, Sr., was a long-time geology professor at the UI and state geologist.

Hershey graduated from the UI with a general science bachelor's degree in 1963 and a doctor of dental surgery degree in 1965. After serving as a captain in the U.S. Army, he returned to Iowa where he was appointed as an instructor in the College of Dentistry's Department of Oral Diagnosis. In 1971, he gained his master's of science in orthodontics from the UI.

Soon, he found a new home, leaving Iowa City for the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. This move marked the start of a long and distinguished UNC career that has included roles as professor, associate dean for academic affairs, vice chancellor, and vice provost. As vice chancellor, he was CEO of the academic health center, and as vice provost he oversaw curriculum development, student advancement, and faculty promotion for the UNC at Chapel Hill campus.

Hershey is currently professor of orthodontics in UNC's School of Dentistry, professor of health policy and management in the School of Public Health, and vice chancellor emeritus.

Despite his many responsibilities as a practicing orthodontist and faculty member and administrator, Hershey has always found time to travel to Iowa City to help promote and strengthen his alma mater. He served diligently for eight years on the UI Alumni Association's board of directors, including one year as chair. Currently, he is national co-chair for the UI College of Dentistry's $65 million campaign to renovate and expand its facilities.

Describing him as a "great friend," UI College of Dentistry Dean David C. Johnsen calls Hershey the "personification of a public servant." Indeed, he has served in numerous capacities at the national and state levels, sitting on editorial boards of various scientific journals, chairing task forces on human services, and being appointed as a member of the United States Delegation on Healthcare.

Hershey is a fellow in the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists, the World Federation of Orthodontists, and the Academy of Dentistry International. He continues to serve as an examiner for the American Board of Orthodontics and as a site visitor for the Commission on Dental Accreditation.

In addition, he has received many academic and community honors, including several teaching awards, the Distinguished Service Award from the Association of Schools of the Allied Health Professions and the Dental Alumnus of the Year award from the University of Iowa.

H. Garland Hershey has proven himself an inexhaustible resource for the University of Iowa and a wonderful example for alumni everywhere. For these reasons and more, he is a most deserving candidate for this recognition.

Hershey is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Directors' Club Honor Circle and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Bradley T. Hyman, 82PhD, 83MD, 88R, 89F, has devoted his medical and scientific career to understanding the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease—the devastating neurodegenerative affliction that has destroyed the lives of countless individuals and drains more than $20 billion from the healthcare system each year.

An internationally acclaimed physician and researcher, Hyman embodies the objectives of the University of Iowa's renowned Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) from which he graduated in 1983. Following completion of his medical degree and Ph.D. in biochemistry as a student of professor emeritus Arthur Spector, Hyman entered a UI fellowship in behavioral neurology under the direction of Antonio Damasio and Gary Van Hoesen. These experiences initiated Hyman's research and clinical focus on Alzheimer's disease, the subject of his scholarly activities ever since.

In 1989, Hyman joined Harvard Medical School, where he is now a neurology professor. Also director of the Massachusetts Alzheimer Disease Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Hyman works passionately to gain new insights into a brain disorder that affects about 25 percent of Americans who reach their 80s.

In addition to his basic science investigations of the molecular mechanisms involved in Alzheimer's disease, Hyman maintains an active clinical practice with the Memory Disorders Unit at MGH. By combining such invaluable patient care interactions with his research studies, he has been able to advance his knowledge in new and inventive ways.

Among Hyman's significant contributions to Alzheimer's research—made possible largely through grant support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—he has managed to "map" the natural history of the disease and distinguish it from normal aging. Hyman has also discovered vulnerable brain regions and neurons, identifying events that precede clinical symptoms. In addition, he's gained insight into a variety of genetic factors that lead to an increased risk for Alzheimer's, and he has played a major role in explaining the functions of the proteins and peptides involved in the disease. Most recently, Hyman's achievements have involved the application of advanced imaging techniques to allow researchers to follow the progression of degeneration in laboratory models of both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, which will help lead to new therapies.

Such research breakthroughs have resulted in the publication of more than 380 original articles and 100 reviews, books, and editorials appearing in highly visible journals. Recognized as a world expert on Alzheimer's disease, Hyman has received numerous honors, including the Alzheimer Association Pioneer Award, the Metropolitan Life Foundation Award, an Alzheimer Association Faculty Scholar Award, and a National Institute on Aging Merit Award.

He has participated in many grant review and NIH panels, Alzheimer's Association panels, and external advisory boards, and he has served on the editorial boards of many neurobiology and neuropathology journals. Still, Hyman finds time to share his expertise with students, fellows, and residents, who highly respect his qualities as a mentor and educator.

A physician-scientist who excels in his worthy endeavors and has brought international acclaim to the University of Iowa, Bradley Hyman shines as a bright star in his field.

Richard M. Knapp, 65MA, 68PhD, is widely celebrated for his distinguished career as an advocate for academic medicine and a problem solver for some of the nation's most pressing health care and medical educational issues.

Raised in Torrington, Connecticut, Knapp received his bachelor of arts degree from Marietta College in Ohio, and went on to earn his master of arts (in 1965) and his doctorate (1968) degrees in hospital and health administration from the UI College of Public Health. He then joined the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) in Washington, DC, launching a career that spanned 40 years and culminated in his role as executive vice president from 1994 until 2008.

Throughout his time with the AAMC—guided by an unfailing moral compass, uncommon political finesse, and the respect of his peers, who regarded him as the "dean" of Washington's healthcare advocates—Knapp stood as a champion for medical schools, teaching hospitals, and health policy matters affecting medical education and research.

Under his leadership, the AAMC evolved into a highly respected and trusted source of information regarding public policy issues and their impact on health systems, particularly those devoted to the education and training of medical professionals. He worked closely with the American Hospital Association (AHA) in developing a unified voice for hospitals, medical schools, and the communities they serve. Such efforts included the creation of the AAMC Medicare and Medicaid Special Action Committee, an initiative that helped ensure the financial stability of teaching hospitals in order to pursue their missions of high quality patient care, education, and research.

Knapp has authored a number of significant publications and served on numerous committees and study groups for major health organizations, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Commonwealth Fund, the AHA, and the Association of University Programs in Health Administration. He has served on prestigious editorial boards, including Health Care Management Review and INQUIRY and also chaired the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research Funding.

A past chair of the National Association for Biomedical Research, he has held the offices of secretary and treasurer in the Federation of Associations of Schools of the Health Professions. In 1997, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, and, in 2009, the AHA recognized his exemplary career with its Board of Trustees Award.

As a resident of Reston, Virginia, Knapp volunteered his time for more than 20 years as a member of the board of directors of the non-profit Inova Health System, serving as chair from 1999 to 2003.

Knapp also applies his strong ethic of service on behalf of the University of Iowa. He is a founding member of the College of Public Health's external advisory board and former president of the Department of Health Management and Policy's alumni board. In 2005, the college awarded Knapp an Outstanding Alumni Award in recognition of his contributions.

With his record of professional achievements, unwavering leadership, and integrity, the University of Iowa is proud to recognize Richard M. Knapp as one of its most distinguished alumni.

Knapp is a life member of the UI Alumni Association.

John M. Opitz is recognized as one of the world's pre-eminent clinical geneticists, an outstanding physician, and a researcher deemed virtually peerless in the realm of clinical genetics.

Born in Hamburg, Germany, Opitz spent most of his childhood there before coming to Iowa City during his high school days. His interest in zoology, evolution, and development began when he was a 15-year-old student working with the late University of Iowa emeritus professor Emil Witschi, an internationally acclaimed embryologist, endocrinologist, and professor of zoology.

Under Professor Witschi's tutelage, Opitz earned his undergraduate zoology degree at the UI in 1956 and was encouraged to continue his formal education here in medicine. He completed a medical degree in 1959 and a pediatrics residency in 1961.

The physician and researcher—who is currently a professor of Pediatrics, Pathology, Human Genetics, and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Utah School of Medicine— has gone on to achieve international stature. One of the first physicians to connect a specific grouping of pediatric anomalies with heredity, he has made landmark contributions to many newly recognized syndromes, several of which bear his name.

Opitz is the founder and continuing (emeritus) editor of the prestigious American Journal of Medical Genetics, which, thanks to his dedication, is the most prominent and respected journal in medical genetics. Through his over 500 papers, many textbook chapters, editorials and book reviews, as well as his ten books, Opitz has described and shared discovery of more syndromes and genetic diseases than any other person. Indeed, he has helped originate a new vocabulary for embryology and genetics.

Opitz's remarkable achievements have been recognized through numerous citations and honors, including honorary degrees from Montana State University and the University of Kiel. In 1987, he was invited to present the Farber lecture, which is the highest honor given by the Society of Pediatric Pathology. Other awards include the Bethesda Award for Research in Mental Retardation, the March of Dimes Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedicated work in genetic science, and the Distinguished Visiting Professor Award of the University of Wisconsin.

Opitz is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His international stature is reflected in the fact that he was elected as a foreign honorary member of the Israeli Society of Medical Genetics, the South African Society of Human Genetics, and the Japanese Society of Human Genetics, and, in 1994, he was awarded the Great Seal of the University of Palermo.

Although his research is outstanding, Opitz is just as committed to people. Today, his patients include children who travel to Utah from around the globe to receive his care.

Thanks to his generosity as a mentor, a new generation of pediatric geneticists and young investigators will continue their own pursuit of the most challenging questions in the life sciences, with the goal of advancing treatment for a wide array of human diseases.

In recognition of his life's work dedicated to the advancement of science and humankind, the University of Iowa is proud to honor John M. Opitz as one of its most distinguished alumni.

Opitz is a life member of the UI Alumni Association.

George Schrimper, 64BS, 65MA, can look back over a distinguished 34-year career at the University of Iowa that transformed the UI Museum of Natural History from an antiquated exhibit hall into an engaging and relevant resource for students and the public.

After graduating from the UI with a bachelor's degree in general science (1964) and a master's in museum studies (1965), Schrimper joined the Iowa faculty in 1966. At that time, the Museum of Natural History was on the verge of closure. Opened in 1858, the exhibit hall was the second oldest natural history museum west of the Mississippi River, but it had fallen into an alarming state of disrepair. Faced with a fast-growing university, some administrators considered putting the museum's space to other use. An outcry from UI faculty, alumni, and Iowa schoolchildren spared the facility, and Schrimper was hired as a UI faculty instructor and assistant curator to revamp the museum.

He wasted no time redesigning outdated exhibits to make them useful to undergraduate natural science classes and interesting to the general public. Schrimper demonstrated a particular talent for taking scientific objects and transforming them into art forms compelling in both accuracy and beauty.

By 1971, Schrimper had been promoted to curator of the museum (a title later changed to director) and an assistant professor of museum studies. With a very limited budget and staff, he put forth a herculean effort to advance the quality of the facility. In addition to renovating exhibits, he worked tirelessly to raise funds to add new space and attractions.

In 1985, Schrimper and his faculty and staff colleagues unveiled Iowa Hall, the centerpiece gallery, which takes visitors on a 500-million-year adventure through the state's geological, cultural, and ecological history. Later, Schrimper spearheaded major renovations of the museum's Mammal Hall and the William and Eleanor Hageboeck Hall of Birds, which became the largest public display of birds west of Chicago. Featuring more than 1,000 specimens, the hall includes interactive, modern, multi-sensory exhibits that allow visitors to hear recorded bird songs and see how a wing moves in flight.

Schrimper was also responsible for the expansion of educational programs that bring in schoolchildren from all over the state. The museum often ignites elementary school students' passion for the natural sciences and offers them their first glimpse of the Iowa campus. In addition, several thousand university students use the collections each semester, studying everything from the geosciences and biology to art, history, and writing.

Overall, the museum attracts about 50,000 people annually to see some of the finest objects in the UI's irreplaceable collections and to learn about Iowa's history and the environmental impacts of humans on the natural world. Without Schrimper's leadership, the museum may not exist—and it certainly would not have undergone $2.25 million in improvements.

Whether in grade school, grad school, or beyond, visitors to the UI campus—and the Museum of Natural History in particular—benefit from George Schrimper's vision and determination to tell the story of Iowa.

Gregs G. Thomopulos is a dedicated friend and supporter who has leveraged his career experience and connections to greatly benefit the University of Iowa College of Engineering and its students.

Professionally, Thomopulos rose through the ranks from a summer intern (in 1965) to the president (in 1987) and CEO (in 2000) of Stanley Consultants, a global engineering, environmental, and construction services company. Under his leadership, the company has made outstanding contributions to the engineering field, including bringing electricity to the Philippines, safe water to Egypt, and post-Gulf War reconstruction to Kuwait and Iraq.

Thomopulos has also lent his expertise to the UI College of Engineering during major growth periods. He served as a member and chair of the College of Engineering's advisory board during the critical final construction period of the Seamans Center for Engineering Arts and Sciences.

In 2000, Thomopulos played a key role in the IIHR—Hydroscience & Engineering campaign to renovate and expand the Stanley Hydraulics Laboratory. In addition to serving as a member of the advisory board and personally contributing to the cause, he generated interest for the project within his company. His enthusiasm helped secure several significant donations, including the lead family gifts that resulted in renaming the building in honor of C. Maxwell Stanley, a fellow Distinguished Alumni Award winner and the founder of Stanley Consultants.

Thomopulos fosters a spirit of service in his colleagues, and his example drives them to invest both in the UI and other state universities. With more than 40 years of experience in the engineering and construction industry, Thomopulos shares invaluable lessons as a frequent lecturer and classroom mentor to UI civil and environmental engineering undergraduate and graduate students.

He has provided scholarship, research, and facilities support to students, faculty, and alumni. He also serves on the UI Foundation board of directors and was instrumental in securing one of the first corporate gifts to the university's flood relief effort.

As an avid supporter of the UI's Ethnic Inclusion Effort for Iowa Engineering program, Nigerian-born Thomopulos mentors many minority students and tenure-track faculty members. The program has benefited from his company's financial support and enthusiasm, which has contributed to a more diverse engineering workforce and a growing number of engineers equipped to work in non-Western cultures.

In recognition of this commitment to diversity and his contributions to the consulting engineering industry, the Engineering News-Record named Thomopulos its 21-st Century World Citizen in 2004, just one of many honors he has collected in the course of his career.

Through his many personal and professional contributions, Gregs G. Thomopulos has strengthened the University of Iowa's mission of education and service across the state and around the world.

Thomopulos is a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club and the UI Alumni Association.

Horace G. Dawson, Jr., has blazed a trail for minorities and members of other under-represented groups to follow through his distinguished career in international affairs, diplomacy, and higher education.

Born in Augusta, Georgia, Dawson earned a B.A. degree in English from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania in 1949, followed by an M.A. degree in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University in New York in 1950. He taught English and journalism at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and at North Carolina College (now University) in Durham, North Carolina, before completing a Ph.D. in journalism and mass communications at the University of Iowa in 1961.

The next year, Edward R. Murrow recruited Dawson to become one of the first African Americans to join the United States Information Agency (USIA) in the Kennedy administration. He started his Foreign Service career as a cultural affairs officer in Uganda (1962-63) and Nigeria (1965-67), and then became public affairs director in Liberia (1967-70). Eventually, he rose to the position of USIA area director for Africa, overseeing all U.S. information and cultural programs in that region.

In 1976, Dawson became counselor of embassy for public affairs in the Philippines. Three years later, he returned to Africa, when President Jimmy Carter named him U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Botswana. In this role, Dawson helped strengthen relations between the U.S. and Botswana during that nation's rise as one of Africa's most stable, wealthy, and democratic nations.

He also assisted in diplomatic activities leading to the independence of Zimbabwe, and the end of apartheid and ultimately the independence of South Africa. In recognition of his distinctive contributions to America's diplomatic service, Dawson received two superior honor awards.

In 1983, Dawson returned to the U.S., where he held key positions in the Department of State and the USIA until retiring from diplomatic service in 1989. The day after he retired, Dawson accepted an offer to join the faculty at Howard University in Washington, DC. As director of the Patricia Roberts Harris Public Affairs Program, he shared his experience and connections in diplomatic service with students and colleagues. A proposal he crafted won a $3 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to establish the International Affairs Center at Howard, with Dawson as founding director.

Later renamed in honor of a Nobel Peace Laureate, the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center has flourished under Dawson's leadership, increasing awareness of and facilitating entry into the diplomatic services for African Americans and other under-represented minorities. In 2001, Dawson headed the U.S. delegation to Sweden for the Stockholm International Forum on Combating Intolerance.

Throughout his career, Dawson has volunteered his time and expertise to mentor and inspire others. One of many notable students he influenced is former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, whom he helped to secure an internship in the State Department in 1977. In her remarks at a State Department event last year, Rice said of Dawson, "We can all look back in our lives and recognize moments when somebody not only believed in us, but pushed us and prodded us to do something that we might not otherwise have done."

The University of Iowa is proud to honor Horace Dawson, who has not only distinguished himself and the UI through his stellar career, but has also paved the way for others to follow in his footsteps.

Dawson is a life member of the University of Iowa Alumni Association.

Lawrence "Larry" D. Dorr commands the respect of his peers as a leading orthopaedic physician, academician, and researcher, but his spirit of service has earned him the gratitude of thousands of people in underdeveloped countries.

After completing an undergraduate degree in English at Cornell College in Mount Vernon in 1963, followed by a master's degree in 1965 and a medical degree in 1967 at the University of Iowa, the native Iowan went on to become a leader in the field of orthopaedic surgery. Dorr is respected throughout his profession for his diagnostic insight and excellent research, which he has used to help design artificial joints that enable patients to once again lead active and pain-free lives. His most recent research involving a robotic program for precise placement of joint components promises to further advance this area of medicine.

Today, Dorr practices in California and is director of the Dorr Arthritis Institute. It's indicative of his standing among his peers that he is the only person to have been president of all three U.S. joint replacement societies.

Although his professional achievements are outstanding, Dorr's accomplishments in serving the underprivileged are perhaps even more compelling. In 1994, Dorr established a nonprofit volunteer program, Operation Walk, to provide medical treatment and training in developing countries. Since then, he and his staff have treated more than 2,500 patients in countries including Cuba, Nepal, China, the Philippines, Nicaragua, and Peru. Not only do patients receive much-needed hip and knee replacement surgeries, but local doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and families benefit from the education to continue providing treatment.

In addition to taking the program abroad, Dorr has brought Operation Walk to Los Angeles to help uninsured patients. In the last four years, the program has also expanded to other locations in the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain. Such efforts earned Dorr the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' Humanitarian of the Year award in 2005 and the UI Carver College of Medicine Distinguished Alumni Award in 2006.

Dorr credits his Iowa upbringing and education for much of his success. The state's renowned work ethic and sense of community shaped his outlook, while Des Moines public schools and Cornell College—where he later founded Dimensions, a pre-medicine program to prepare students to practice both the art and science of healing—gave him a foundation for continued learning. He is particularly proud of his medical education at Iowa and of the master's degree he earned here in pharmacology, which taught him the fundamentals of scientific research.

Showing further dedication and service to education and to the University of Iowa, Dorr created an endowed chair in specialized orthopaedics research in the UI Carver College of Medicine to support top physicians and scientists in pioneering new hip reconstruction techniques. He also supported a separate endowment called the John and Kim Callaghan Chair in Sports Medicine, to help advance vital research, education, and patient care activities in the area of sports medicine, and he continues to advise UI physicians on the future of orthopaedics.

For selflessly helping so many in need, and for embodying the Iowa qualities of accomplishment, compassion, and generosity, Larry Dorr richly deserves to be recognized with this Distinguished Alumni Award for service.

Dorr is a life member of the UI Alumni Association and a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Gail Godwin is a graduate of the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop whose witty, powerful, and moving novels have received multiple national honors—and the devotion of millions of readers.

Godwin was born in Birmingham, Alabama, grew up in Ashville, North Carolina, and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1959 with a degree in journalism. After working for the Miami Herald as a general assignment reporter, she traveled to Denmark, the Canary Islands, and London, experiences she describes in the first volume of her journals as pivotal to her literary development.

At the age of 29, Godwin was admitted to the graduate writing program at the University of Iowa, where she studied with Kurt Vonnegut and earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in English. Her Iowa thesis became her first published novel, The Perfectionists (1970), beginning Godwin's long and prolific writing career.

The author has published 11 novels, two short story collections, and one work of nonfiction. Her best-known works include The Odd Woman (1974), A Mother and Two Daughters (1982), The Good Husband (1994), Evensong (1999) and Evenings at Five (2003). Along with her longtime companion, the composer Robert Starer, she wrote libretti for ten musical works including a chamber opera, The Other Voice, which premiered in New York City in 2001. After Starer's death in 2001, Godwin wrote her novella, Evenings at Five, which was based on their 30-year relationship. Her most recent work is Queen of the Underworld (2007).

Godwin has been nominated for three National Book Awards. In addition, she has received a National Endowment for the Arts grant in creative writing (1974-75); a Guggenheim Fellowship (1975-76); a National Endowment for the Arts grant for librettists (1977); an American Book Awards nomination in 1980 for Violet Clary and in 1982 for A Mother and Two Daughters; an Award in Literature from the American Institute and Academy of Arts and Letters (1981); a Thomas Wolfe Memorial Award from the Lipinsky Endowment of Western North Carolina Historical Association (1988); and a Janet Kafka Award from the University of Rochester (1988). She holds honorary doctorates from the University of North Carolina, the University of the South-Sewanee and State University of New York.

Her books are lauded for their vivid evocation of human experience, while other writers and readers alike praise Godwin for her tender and sardonic, romantic and funny prose style. In 1995, writer Lihong Xie published a study of Godwin's works titled The Evolving Self in the Novels of Gail Godwin. In it, Xie says of her writing, "[Godwin] is one of the most articulate of contemporary writers to pursue the idea of the self' The southern women who are nearly always Godwin's heroines find themselves caught between the ideal of southern womanhood and the brave new world of contemporary feminism. Yet each of Godwin's heroines struggles to form a personal identity that is strong, complex, dynamic, and meaningful."

One of the most remarkable graduates from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Gail Godwin deserves this Distinguished Alumni Award for her outstanding achievements and contributions to the world of literature.

Herman A. Hein is the architect and founder of a program that has done more to help mothers and babies than perhaps any other initiative from the University of Iowa.

After earning a bachelor's degree from Wartburg College in 1959, Hein came to the UI. He completed his medical degree in 1963, and, after several years in private pediatric practice, he joined the UI Department of Pediatrics. Shortly afterwards, in 1973, Hein established a regionalized system for infant health care called the Iowa Statewide Perinatal Care Program, to ensure that a baby's place of birth did not mean the difference between life and death. Through this visionary program, community physicians now regularly transfer high-risk patients to facilities that can address their special needs, while experts provide training and education to every hospital in Iowa that offers maternity services.

Thanks to Hein's commitment and ingenuity, the Iowa Statewide Perinatal Care Program combines the efforts of UI faculty and staff and the Iowa Department of Public Health to save more than 400 newborn lives each year. Hein's commitment to children doesn't stop there. He developed the Iowa High-Risk Infant Follow-Up Program, which serves babies who have received intensive care or are otherwise at risk for developmental or medical problems, and he also created the Barriers to Prenatal Care Project, an assessment tool used by state health department staff to assure that mothers receive appropriate care before and after they bring their newborns home. This particular program grew from Hein's service on the National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality, to which he was appointed in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan. To support his successful clinical and education programs, Hein has also obtained grant and contract support totaling more than $11 million.

During his three decades with the UI pediatrics department, Hein has held posts as assistant professor, associate professor, and professor. Prior to retirement as emeritus faculty, he served as clinical supervisor of the newborn nursery at UI Hospitals and Clinics, as well as attending physician in the UIHC neonatal intermediate and intensive care units.

For many years, Hein offered his expertise to the Iowa Department of Public Health in all areas pertaining to neonatal/perinatal medicine, and he served on multiple distinguished boards and committees near and far. His countless awards and honors include being named an "Unsung Hero" by Newsweek in 1988, receiving the Iowa Medical Society's highest honor—the Award of Merit—in 2002, and garnering a Distinguished Alumni Award from the UI Carver College of Medicine in 2004.

Paul Rothman, dean of the Carver College of Medicine, says, "When you consider' the far-reaching impact of his advocacy on behalf of high-risk infants and the tremendous goodwill for the university as a result of his leadership and compassion, it's easy to see that [Herman Hein] is an exemplary model of service to the university and the state."

Today, the UI Alumni Association salutes the legacy of Herman Hein, who deserves our applause for his unparalleled contributions to academic medicine and faithful dedication to Iowa's most vulnerable citizens.

Hein is a member of the UI Alumni Association.

Cheryll A. Jones has dedicated her long career to championing the role of nurse practitioners, advocating for children's health care, and helping others through her committed involvement in service organizations.

A native Iowan, Jones received a B.S. from the University of Iowa College of Nursing in 1969, followed by a certificate from the UI Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program in 1973. Today, she is a health services coordinator for the Ottumwa Regional Center, one of the University of Iowa Children's Hospital's Child Health Specialty Clinics throughout the state.

As an advanced practice nurse for 35 years—and one of Iowa's first pediatric nurse practitioners—Jones has practiced, taught, and mentored students, and advocated to enhance the role of nurses within the medical profession. The fact that Iowa is today considered to be one of the most advanced states in the nation in the professional role of nurse practitioners is due in great measure to Jones's significant efforts in advancing this cause.

The UI graduate's most heartfelt role is as an advocate for young people. Jones has worked tirelessly to improve medical care for Iowa children, particularly those with special health care needs. One UI pediatrics medical expert said of Jones's work, "When you talk about quality medical care for children in the state of Iowa, you cannot do so without mentioning Cheryll Jones." Her work contributed significantly to the fact that Iowa recently ranked as the number one state in the nation for its services to children.

Jones's lifetime dedication to this cause is evidenced by numerous awards and honors, from a 1979 March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Award for contributions to maternal and child health in Iowa, to a 1992 Outstanding Volunteer Award from the Iowa Chapter National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse, to a 2004 American Academy of Nurse Practitioners State Award for Excellence—and many others in between.

Committed to ensuring that improvements to rural and children's health care are long lasting, Jones has served on national, state, and regional organizations advocating for better health care delivery, and she is currently a working member of 11 state or governmental committees, including the Iowa Board of Health.

She is an original member of Iowa Senator Tom Harkin's Nurses Advisory Committee (NAC), established in 1985 to provide guidance in shaping statewide health policy. Most recently, she has been appointed by Iowa Governor Chet Culver to the Public Health Work Group of the Recovery Iowa Commission, to the Prevention of Disabilities Council, and to the Governor's Task Force on Nursing. In all of these roles, she has helped to write legislation, rules, and regulations that will have a positive impact on the future of health care for Iowans.

Senator Tom Harkin says of Jones, "I respect Cheryll as one of the most dedicated, thoughtful advocates for rural healthcare and children's health that I have met. She has dedicated herself to broadening access to quality health care for all citizens, especially in our rural communities."

The University of Iowa is honored to recognize Cheryll Jones for her exemplary and caring record of service, activism, and advocacy.

Jones is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club.

Daniel E. McLean has dedicated his career to the development, construction, and revitalization of key neighborhoods in Chicago, including some of the city's most blighted areas.

After receiving a degree in finance from the UI in 1970, McLean founded MCL Companies in Chicago in 1976. In the early 1980s, he found himself a step ahead of the development mainstream when he noted that many Baby Boomers had begun seeking upscale housing in urban environments. His company quickly achieved success by meeting the demands of this burgeoning group of customers.

Not satisfied with distinguishing himself as one of the most prominent developers in Chicago, McLean employed his vision, leadership, and charitable spirit to transform and revitalize entire neighborhoods, developing appealing and affordable housing that has led to significant improvement in the aesthetics and quality of life in these areas.

MCL has developed numerous parts of Chicago, from Old Town and Lincoln Park on the north side to Dearborn Park and Central Station on the south. At Cabrini Green, the notorious public housing project, the challenges inherent in public housing issues inspired McLean's humanitarian spirit. He worked with a team of advisors to conceive a plan that became a national model for addressing public housing issues going into the 21st century.

The company's most current and largest project is the River East Neighborhood, a 13-acre, $1 billion development located north of the Chicago River and east of Michigan Avenue, which will include residences, retail establishments, restaurants, and hotels. Farther afield, MCL is transforming key urban areas in New York City, Denver, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Boston.

In addition to his professional endeavors, McLean's commitment to the community is evident through his active support of some of Chicago's most prominent and influential institutions including the Steppenwolf Theater Company and Columbia College Chicago.

Throughout his successful career, McLean has received many awards for his accomplishments, including recognition as Chicago Developer of the Year; the Civic Federation's Lyman Cage Award for individual civic achievement; the Professional Builder Award for urban revitalization; the Sammy Award for advertising; the MIRM Award for sales and marketing; the Illinois Institute of Technology Community Recognition Award for community redevelopment, and the Friends of Downtown Award for the best new building. In 2000, Success Magazine named him Entrepreneur of the Year.

McLean has also remained dedicated to the University of Iowawhere his daughter, Tessa, is currently a senior majoring in journalismand where he has generously established the Daniel E. McLean chair in the Henry B. Tippie College of Business to help ensure that future generations of UI graduates are able to pursue their passions and make a difference in the world.

A successful businessman who has never lost sight of what is truly important in life, Daniel McLean truly deserves this Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of his vision, determination, and compassion.

McLean is a member of the UI Alumni Association and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

William H. Olin has used his professional expertise in orthodontics and his humanitarian drive to positively transform the lives of Iowans and people around the world.

Olin received a D.D.S. degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1947 and an M.S. and a Certificate in Orthodontics in 1948 from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry. That same year, he began his career at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics as an assistant professor and also founded the Division of Craniofacial Anomalies.

Over the space of a 44-year career, until his retirement in 1992, Olin achieved international respect for his expertise in this specialty area—and for his caring approach to treating people with facial deformities. During this time, he also served as president of the Johnson County Dental Society, the Midwestern Orthodontic Society, the American Cleft Palate Association, and the Angle Orthodontic Society. Despite such peer recognition for his leadership and skills, Olin says that the most rewarding part of his work is receiving thank-you letters from patients who are once again able to smile.

In retirement, Olin has remained committed to making a difference in hundreds of lives at University Hospitals and Clinics and at state, national, and international levels—traveling to various areas of the world with Operation Smile and a similar charity, Rotaplast, in an effort to correct children's dental, cleft palate, and lip anomalies. He established and still participates in the Greater Iowa City Area Mouth Guard Program, a volunteer effort providing a free service to fit mouth guards for athletes to protect them from injury. He also helped organize and remains active in the Rotary Club's Project MOST (Miles of Smiles Team), a philanthropic effort that takes experts to countries including San Salvador and, for the last four years, to Guatemala.

At age 85, Olin remains vigorously involved in numerous additional service endeavors. Among many initiatives, he helped raise funds to bring an American Cancer Society Hope Lodge to the Iowa City community, and he has been an active participant in the Rotary Club's Fire and Medical Supply Company mission to collect and ship medical equipment to developing nations. Recently appointed to the Iowa City Hope Lodge advisory board, Olin is also deeply involved with the Boy Scout organization.

Olin's considerable efforts have been recognized with two Iowa City Human Rights Commission awards—an Individual in a Service Organization Award in 2004, and an International Award in 2005. In 2007, he received the Ben Franklin Award on National Philanthropy Day from the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Olin and his family have been UI loyalists for well over half a century. His wife, Bertha, a registered nurse, practiced at UIHC, and his three sons all have earned degrees from the UI, two from the College of Dentistry.

This UI graduate has served his university, his profession, his state, and his world with great dedication, dignity, and passion. The University of Iowa is proud to present William Olin with this Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of his selfless work.

Olin is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club.

Lloyd G. and Betty A. Schermer may not have graduated from the University of Iowa, but for more than three decades, they have shown remarkable generosity to this institutionand particularly to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The couple has carried on the philanthropic efforts of Betty's late father, Phillip D. Adler, a well-known journalism pioneer and philanthropist who earned his bachelor's degree in English from the UI in 1926 and became one of the first recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1966.

Lloyd Schermer is the retired president, CEO, and chairman of Lee Enterprises, a Davenport-based company with 45 daily newspapers in 18 states, as well as numerous specialty publications. During his publishing career, Lloyd was known as an innovator with a talent for predicting the future of the industry, leading Lee Enterprises to invest in computers and nontraditional media long before many of his industry peers were doing so. It is only fitting that he and Betty, also an active philanthropist, would choose to continue investing in the future of journalism in Iowa by making a substantial contribution to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

In 2002, the couple made a transformative $3 million gift to the UI to name the Philip D. Adler Journalism and Mass Communication Building as a part of the University's Good. Better. Best. Iowa campaign. In addition to helping defray capital expenses, the Schermers had the vision to designate a portion of their gift to assist with long-term expenses related to technological advances in the field of journalism. Today, the UI School of Journalism and Mass communication is considered among the top ten programs in the nation, and the Schermers have been partners with the university in helping to achieve that distinguished ranking.

Even before making this milestone gift, the Schermers had a long-established relationship with the university—and their generosity certainly has not waned since. Both Lloyd and Betty are members of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club, which recognizes the university's most generous contributors. For more than 15 years they have supported the annual Adler Luncheon in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences' Department of Religious Studies, which was established by Philip and Henrietta Adler to recognizer the accomplishments of the department's students, faculty, and staff. In 2005 they created the E.P. Adler Lecture in Religious Studies in recognition of Betty's grandfather, who was a founding member of what was then the School of Religion Board of Fellows.

It is not every day that the UI has the opportunity to recognize supporters who have such a substantial family history of friendship with the university. Recognizing Lloyd and Betty Schermer as Distinguished Friends of the University not only acknowledges their generosity—it also pays tribute to the philanthropic example of their role model, Philip D. Adler.

The University of Iowa is profoundly grateful to Lloyd and Betty Schermer and proud to present them with this award in honor of their dedication and commitment to this university, its students, and the field of journalism.

The Schermers are members of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Lloyd G. and Betty A. Schermer may not have graduated from the University of Iowa, but for more than three decades, they have shown remarkable generosity to this institutionand particularly to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The couple has carried on the philanthropic efforts of Betty's late father, Phillip D. Adler, a well-known journalism pioneer and philanthropist who earned his bachelor's degree in English from the UI in 1926 and became one of the first recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1966.

Lloyd Schermer is the retired president, CEO, and chairman of Lee Enterprises, a Davenport-based company with 45 daily newspapers in 18 states, as well as numerous specialty publications. During his publishing career, Lloyd was known as an innovator with a talent for predicting the future of the industry, leading Lee Enterprises to invest in computers and nontraditional media long before many of his industry peers were doing so. It is only fitting that he and Betty, also an active philanthropist, would choose to continue investing in the future of journalism in Iowa by making a substantial contribution to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

In 2002, the couple made a transformative $3 million gift to the UI to name the Philip D. Adler Journalism and Mass Communication Building as a part of the University's Good. Better. Best. Iowa campaign. In addition to helping defray capital expenses, the Schermers had the vision to designate a portion of their gift to assist with long-term expenses related to technological advances in the field of journalism. Today, the UI School of Journalism and Mass communication is considered among the top ten programs in the nation, and the Schermers have been partners with the university in helping to achieve that distinguished ranking.

Even before making this milestone gift, the Schermers had a long-established relationship with the university—and their generosity certainly has not waned since. Both Lloyd and Betty are members of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club, which recognizes the university's most generous contributors. For more than 15 years they have supported the annual Adler Luncheon in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences' Department of Religious Studies, which was established by Philip and Henrietta Adler to recognizer the accomplishments of the department's students, faculty, and staff. In 2005 they created the E.P. Adler Lecture in Religious Studies in recognition of Betty's grandfather, who was a founding member of what was then the School of Religion Board of Fellows.

It is not every day that the UI has the opportunity to recognize supporters who have such a substantial family history of friendship with the university. Recognizing Lloyd and Betty Schermer as Distinguished Friends of the University not only acknowledges their generosity—it also pays tribute to the philanthropic example of their role model, Philip D. Adler.

The University of Iowa is profoundly grateful to Lloyd and Betty Schermer and proud to present them with this award in honor of their dedication and commitment to this university, its students, and the field of journalism.

The Schermers are members of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Robert D. Sparks has led an exceptional, far-reaching career of service and leadership in academic medicine, education, public health, and philanthropy.

Born in Newton, Sparks received a B.A. from the University of Iowa in 1955 and an M.D. in 1957, and he completed a residency and fellowship at the Tulane University School of Medicine in internal medicine and gastroenterology in 1962.

The UI alumnus noted for his genuine and unpretentious nature began his career in the academic field. From 1958 to 1972, he held faculty and administrative positions at Tulane, and served as dean of the Tulane University School of Medicine from 1969 to 1972. In that year, he became the Chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Vice President of the University of Nebraska, positions he held until 1976.

In the next phase of Sparks' career, he joined the W. K. Kellogg Foundation in 1976, progressing from program director, to vice president for programming, to president and trustee. In this role, he successfully channeled assets toward worthy causes and helped to guide some great medical centers toward their goals.

From 1985 to 1989, Sparks served on President Reagan's board of advisors on private sector initiatives. In 1986, he was elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences. Sparks was chairman of the IOM Committee to Evaluate Treatment of Alcohol Problems when it issued its report to the U.S. Congress in April 1990. In 1995, he became president and CEO of the California Medical Association Foundation, until he retired from active employment in 1998. He now serves as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the TASER Foundation for Fallen Law Enforcement Officers.

Throughout his thriving career, Sparks has retained a strong commitment to the University of Iowa. In 1998, he was one of the first two recipients of the UI Carver College of Medicine's newly established Distinguished Alumni Awards. He has received numerous other national and international awards and honors for his support of medical education, research, and service and philanthropy.

Sparks continues to have a significant impact at the UI Carver College of Medicine as a philanthropic leader. He and Dr. Bob Whinery led a campaign to establish the Class of 1957 Endowment Fund, an effort that raised more than $100,000, the first such class fund for the College. In 2007, he established the Robert D. Sparks History, Culture, and Ethics of Medicine Endowment Fund, which each year awards the Robert D. Sparks Essay Prize to a medical student who best explores a timely issue in medicine using historical, ethical, and cultural perspectives.

As an active member of UI Foundation campaign steering committees for the Seeking Knowledge for Healing campaign and Good. Better. Best. Iowa campaign, he and other committee members helped raise more than $250 million. His efforts helped the Carver College of Medicine build the state-of-the-art Medical Education and Research Facility and increase scholarship support for deserving students. Not only did Sparks volunteer his time to help lead the campaign, he was also one of the major contributors; a conference room in the Medical Education and Research Facility bears his name.

While Robert Sparks' impressive leadership in all aspects of his profession has earned him international accolades, he has continued to make his alma mater a priority, for which the university—and future generations of UI students—will long be grateful.

Sparks is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Robert E. Yager, emeritus professor of science education at the University of Iowa, has transformed the way science is taught in schools worldwide.

After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa in 1950 with a bachelor's degree in biology, Yager earned his master's (1953) and doctorate (1957) degrees in plant physiology from the University of Iowa. Then, in a UI career that spanned more than 50 years, he worked his way up from botany teaching assistant to become one of the country's most distinguished and visionary science education professors.

In his research, Yager discovered that the traditional methods of teaching science didn't hold students' attention. In place of memorization and uninspired lectures, he developed a new way of teaching that encourages students to ask questions and explore their world. He also advocated that science teachers at all levels should undergo rigorous preparation and deepen their focus. This new approach helps bring science to life for students, while sparking their creativity and critical thinking skills.

Yager has left an imprint on science education not only through his research and scholarship, but also through contributions such as the Iowa Chautauqua Program. In this partnership with area education agencies, he has trained thousands of K-12 science teachers across Iowa in the methods he first developed at the UI. This model has inspired similar teacher preparation programs across the U.S., as well as annual workshops for Korean science teachers.

Yager's influence is widely felt far beyond the University of Iowa and the state of Iowa. His graduate students—inspired by his example and his mentoring—have carried forth his vision both nationally and abroad.

Since 1971, when he received special recognition for his leadership from the National Association of Biology Teachers, Yager has earned the acclaim and admiration of his peers. Included in his many honors and awards are the Michael J. Brody Award, presented by the UI Faculty Senate in 2001 for his service to the university, a Distinguished Service Award in 2005 from the Iowa Science Teachers Section of the Iowa Academy of Science, and an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Northern Iowa.

Indeed, Yager's service to his profession has been exemplary. He has led his peers as a past chair of the Science Education Section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and he has also served as president of numerous professional societies, including the Association for the Education of Teachers in Science, the National Association for Research in Teaching, the National Science Teachers Association, the School Science and Mathematics Association, and the National Association of Biology Teachers.

Though Yager retired from the UI in 2006, he remains active in science education, championing the causes that have reshaped the lives of teachers and students. He currently serves as the co-principal investigator in a science education research project supported by the National Science Foundation that examines the influence of teacher preparation programs on teacher performance and student achievement.

With his rich contributions to the field of science education, Robert Yager has earned the University of Iowa an international reputation for excellence. Moreover, his innovative teaching methods leave a lasting legacy that will imbue future generations with a lifelong passion for science.

Yager is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Sharon K. Yearous is driven by an exceptional passion for helping Iowa's youth, which guides her educational research activities, her professional work, and her considerable service to the state.

Yearous grew up on a farm outside Monticello and received her B.N. degree from the UI College of Nursing in 1993 and her M.S. degree in 1999. She is currently immersed in dissertation research for a Ph.D. degree in nursing. In addition to her educational degrees, she has earned certifications as a pediatric nurse practitioner, nationally certified school nurse, and basic life support CPR instructor.

This young alumna has been and continues to be a dedicated advocate of public policy issues for children's wellness and the need for child and adolescent access to school nurses at the state and national levels. Already in her career, she has served as president and was recently appointed the Executive Director of the Iowa School Nurse Organization, working at the state level for legislative support of school nurses to enable them to care for students more effectively. At a recent Iowa Nurses Association convention, she was articulate and eloquent in presenting her case to increase the number of school nurses in the state. Subsequently, in 2007 legislation was passed and signed by Governor Chet Culver to ensure every school district in Iowa hires a school nurse and is to work towards a ratio of one school nurse per 750 students.

Yearous served as the chair of the Iowa legislature's mandated Healthy Children's Task Force in 2006 and provided leadership with a comprehensive and holistic view keeping the needs of youth central to the final recommendations. In 2007, Yearous was selected by Lieutenant Governor, Patty Judge, to serve as the Commissioner for the 2nd Congressional District on the Commission for Wellness and Healthy Living. Yearous was one of five commissioners and the voice representing the wellness of youth at a critical time when youth health issues are more frequent and complex than ever before. The Commission on Wellness and Healthy Living explored how Iowans define wellness, identified steps to improve the health of Iowans, and focused on how to enhance the wellness efforts in Iowa communities. As a Commissioner of this group, Yearous actively led town meetings in the 2nd Congressional District gathering input on how to improve the health of Iowans.

Yearous became involved in school nursing through a unique partnership between Mercy Medical Center and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids. This partnership was developed to create clinical experiences for nursing students in primary and secondary parochial schools and to provide health care services for students in the schools. In her role as a nurse educator, Yearous initiated the incorporation of PDAs—small handheld computers—in the education of nursing students. Currently all faculty at Mount Mercy College have PDAs and several students are also adopting the use of PDAs During her time as a school nurse, Yearous initiated an innovative school based mental health screening program, called TeenScreen, at a Cedar Rapids high school in consultation with the program designers at Columbia University and in collaboration with Cedar Rapids community members. Dedicated to the early detection and early intervention of mental health issues in youth, the program was the first of its kind in Iowa and is now being expanded under a grant from the Iowa Department of Public Health to serve all high schools in Linn County. She has also introduced other forms of technology into her professional work, including developing an online school health registration program currently being used in four schools in the Cedar Rapids area. The online school health registration program provides the school nurse with current student health information and emergency health plans before school starts each year allowing the school nurse to provide safe, efficient, and effective care in the school setting.

The first young alumni nominee ever recommended by the UI College of Nursing, Yearous has clearly earned this prestigious award for her energetic work that has positively influenced the lives of so many young Iowans—and promises to do so for generations to come.

T. Coraghessan Boyle, 74MFA, 77PhD, is one of this generation's most respected and gifted writers, whose work has drawn comparisons to Mark Twain for its deft and biting social commentary.

Boyle grew up in the small town of Peekskill, New York, and earned a B.A. in English and history from the State University of New York at Potsdam in 1968. He then attended the University of Iowa, completing an M.F.A. degree in creative writing at the Iowa Writers' Workshop in 1974 and a Ph.D. in 19th century British literature in the Department of English in 1977.

A prolific writer, Boyle has published 11 novels and eight short story collections. His novels include World's End (1987, winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction), The Tortilla Curtain (1995, winner of France's Prix Médicis Étranger for best foreign novel of the year), After the Plague (2001), Drop City (2003, National Book Award finalist), The Inner Circle (2004), and Talk Talk (2006). One of America's most accomplished short story writers, Boyle counts among his published collections Descent of Man (1979), Greasy Lake (1985), If the River was Whiskey (1989), T.C. Boyle Stories (1998), Tooth and Claw (2005), and The Human Fly (2005, young adult literature). In addition to these critically acclaimed volumes, his stories regularly appear in major American magazines, including the New Yorker, Harper's, Esquire, the Atlantic Monthly, and Playboy.

Boyle's work has been recognized by the Academy of Arts and Sciences and through awards that include creative writing fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (1977) and a Guggenheim (1988). Boyle can also lay claim to the PEN/Malamud Prize, the PEN/West Literary Prize, the Commonwealth Gold Medal for Literature, six O. Henry Awards for short fiction, and multiple Best American Short Story awards.

Known for his often satiric characterization, Boyle is also recognized for the widely ranging time frames and locales in which his fictional stories are set, and for the diverse issues he addresses. He has described himself as "...not only idea-driven, but also someone who harkens back to an earlier era when writers had more of a social consciousness and tried to examine the larger picture of society."

Renowned for his thorough research before beginning a new work, Boyle has, in the opinion of some literary critics, given new impetus to the historical novel by spinning bizarre and funny yarns around historical events. His novel The Road to Wellville (1993) features real-life character John Harvey Kellogg, inventor of the corn flake and peanut butter, as a quack doctor at a turn-of-the century health spa. In 1994, The Road to Wellville was made into a film starring Anthony Hopkins, John Cusack, and Matthew Broderick.

Boyle has taught fiction writing at the University of Southern California since 1978, where he holds a named position as distinguished professor of English and is a popular, highly engaged teacher.

T.C. Boyle has said that he came to the Iowa Writers' Workshop because "all of my heroes had gone there or had taught there." Today, he has become another literary hero—and one of the University of Iowa's most distinguished alumni.

Eva C. Dahl, 73BA, 76DDS, 79MA, 82MS, one of the first trailblazers for women in the field of dentistry at the University of Iowa, has never forgotten the institution that set the course for her life.

Dahl entered the UI with advanced placement credits as a general science major, completed two years of undergraduate studies, and earned a B.A. degree from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences one year after she started the dentistry program. Despite her demanding studies, she quickly became involved in many aspects of university life, representing the College of Dentistry in student government and chairing both the Iowa Memorial Union and Student Health Services advisory committees. For her exceptional efforts, she earned a Hancher-Finkbine Medallion, given to the university's most outstanding students. One of only four women in the College of Dentistry when she first enrolled, Dahl graduated as valedictorian of her class in 1976.

After a one-year residency at the University of Chicago Hospitals and Clinics, Dahl returned to the UI to complete a certificate in oral pathology, an M.A. degree in instructional design and technology, an M.S. degree in oral pathology, and a certificate in endodontics.

Although Dahl moved to Wisconsin in 1982, where she established a highly successful endodontics practice, she maintained a strong commitment to the University of Iowa. In addition to returning as an adjunct professor of dentistry and co-chairing the simulation clinic campaign in 1997, she was a member of the UI Alumni Association board of directors from 1997 to 2004, serving as chair from June 2002 to June 2003. Currently a member of the Dental Alumni Association board, she also serves on the UI Foundation board of directors and sits on a steering committee that oversees the College of Dentistry's emerging fund-raising effort to renovate and expand the Dental Sciences Building.

Dahl's exemplary philanthropic support for the UI includes contributing for 26 years to the College of Dentistry and the UI Alumni Association and establishing a major bequest for the college in her estate plans.

Highly regarded in her profession, Dahl has also served on many state and national professional dental associations, including the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine Committee on the Future of Dental Education and two Councils of the American Dental Association. Past president of the American Association of Women Dentists, she was the first woman to serve on the American Association of Endodontists board of directors and she recently completed a term as president of the Wisconsin Dental Association.

Dahl's exceptional career has been recognized through numerous awards, including the Outstanding Young Woman of America Award in 1981 from Outstanding Young Americans; the 1997 Lucy Hobbs Taylor Award from the American Association of Women Dentists; the 2001 President's Service Award from the Wisconsin Dental Association; and fellowship in the International College of Dentists and American College of Dentists. In 2001, she was honored with the Alumnus of the Year Award by the UI Dental Alumni Association.

Like the distinguished alumnus for whom this honor is named, Eva Dahl has proven a tireless crusader for the University of Iowa. Her legacy of generosity and stewardship makes Dahl most deserving of the Loren Hickerson Recognition Award.

Dahl is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Directors' Club Honor Circle and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Milo Hamilton, 50BA, is regarded as one of the greatest sports broadcasters of all time, with a distinctive voice and style that have earned the respect and admiration of countless colleagues and fans for more than half a century of calling games for the major leagues.

During his long and illustrious career, Hamilton has earned his field's every accolade. Now the Voice of the Houston Astros, where he's spent more than 23 seasons, Hamilton counts among his prestigious honors induction into the Ford Frick Broadcast Wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, the National Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago, and both the Texas Radio Hall of Fame and the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame.

A native of Fairfield, Hamilton began his professional journey as a Navy serviceman in World War II, when he was stationed at a military radio station on Guam. He arrived at the University of Iowa in the late 1940s and continued improving his talents as a student employee at WSUI radio. From there, he accepted a job covering professional baseball in Davenport before receiving his first major league position as an announcer for the Saint Louis Browns in 1953. Hamilton went on to call games for the Saint Louis Cardinals, the Chicago White Sox and Cubs, the Atlanta Braves, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and, finally, the Astros. His association with these big-name teams hasn't dimmed Hamilton's affection for Iowa; on many occasions in the broadcast booth, he can be seen wearing a Hawkeye ball cap.

Although Hamilton has been behind the microphone for several record-breaking baseball plays, it was his famous call of Hank Aaron's 715th home run in April 1974 that goes down in history as one of the most memorable—and replayed—sports moments of the 20th century. Hamilton breathlessly described how Aaron surpassed Babe Ruth as baseball's Home Run King: "There's a drive to left-center field! That ball is gonna be ... outta here! It's gone! It's 715! There's a new home run champion of all time! And it's Henry Aaron! Henry Aaron's coming around third! His teammates are at home plate! Listen to the crowd!"

Other career highlights for Hamilton include witnessing 11 no-hitters, Ernie Banks's five grand slams in one season, and Roger Maris's 61st home run in 1961, which tied Babe Ruth's single-season record.

In addition to being a legendary sports broadcaster, Hamilton is also revered as an admirable philanthropist, raising more than $25 million through his participation in special events for numerous charitable organizations. At age 80, he's still going strong and is set to become the longest-serving broadcaster in Houston Astros franchise history.

In his letter nominating Hamilton, colleague and fellow journalism graduate William Wolf, 50BA, wrote: "Milo Hamilton is an outstanding example of the kind of professional that the University of Iowa produces, and he brings exceptional credit to our school. In the bright lights of truly big league activities, Milo has kept his head, played the game, raised the bar, and championed the rules."

The University of Iowa honors Milo Hamilton, who embodies the spirit of fine character and good citizenship that define our state and our institution.

Hamilton is a life member of the UI Alumni Association.

Pamela J. Haylock, 71BSN, 77MA, is a nationally renowned oncology nurse and consultant who has dedicated her career to improving the lives of millions of people with cancer.

A Maquoketa native, Haylock pursued B.S.N. and M.A. degrees in the University of Iowa's College of Nursing. Ever since she was a graduate student, Haylock has been at the forefront of both the art and science of cancer care. In fact, her master's thesis on cancer-related fatigue—just recently recognized as the most common side effect of radiation therapy—was one of the first ever written on this important subject.

After completing her M.A. degree in 1977, Haylock occupied several nursing positions in San Francisco before expanding her career in 1989 to become a national oncology consultant, serving multiple healthcare and community organizations throughout the U.S. She's worked with the National Cancer Institute, the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, and is an active member of the nation's nursing and oncology-related organizations. Among her duties, Haylock is executive secretary of the International Campaign for the Establishment and Development of Oncology Centers with a mission to foster cancer care excellence in developing countries.

Haylock has held leadership positions with the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) since 1985, serving as president from 1997 to 1998. She believes deeply in the essential role that oncology nursing plays in cancer survivorship and in helping people with cancer learn to live healthy lives after diagnosis. A valued national and international presenter, Haylock has given numerous lectures on topics ranging from staff development issues to cancer care in rural communities.

Haylock is a staunch advocate of the mind-body-spirit approach to cancer care and survivorship, and with the best interests of cancer patients and their caregivers in mind, she played a key role in helping develop the award-winning audio program, The Cancer Survival Toolbox". To date, almost half a million people around the globe have used the Toolbox to assist them with every aspect of living with cancer. Another national program that Haylock helped develop, Life Beyond Cancer: A Retreat for Women Cancer Survivors, draws cancer survivors and oncology nurses from across the U.S. for an annual getaway that focuses on holistic approaches to living in the aftermath of cancer.

As an educator—and as an author—Haylock has a gift for reaching lay audiences as well as scholars. She has written or edited four trade books on cancer, nine book chapters, 13 manuscripts, and numerous articles. Her book titled Men's Cancers: How to Prevent Them, How to Treat Them, How to Beat Them won the Book of the Year Award in Public Interest from the American Journal of Nursing.

Today, as she continues in her role as a highly esteemed and much sought-after oncology consultant, Haylock is pursuing a doctoral degree in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, so that her future contributions can include research and other scholarly activities.

Considered by her peers as one of the top five oncology nurses in the country, Pamela Haylock is a role model who is truly living the Iowa nursing tradition of accomplishment and compassion.

Haylock is a life member of the UI Alumni Association.

Enzo O. and Matilde C. Macagno, 58MS, have advanced the University of Iowa's reputation as a world leader in water science and technology through their seminal and internationally acclaimed research on the work of one of the world's true geniuses—Leonardo da Vinci.

After meeting as students at the Universidad de La Plata in Argentina, the couple married in 1941. Enzo's academic work in Argentina and Europe centered on the fields of fluid mechanics and hydraulics and, in 1956, he accepted an offer to join the Iowa Institute of Hydraulics Research (IIHR) in the UI School of Engineering while Matilde finished her M.S. in mathematics at the UI. Enzo taught in the engineering school until his retirement in 1984, and Matilde served first as a research scientist at the IIHR and then as a mathematics teacher in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. They are both now professors emeriti.

In the 1960s, Enzo began to study da Vinci's writings and drawings, developing a lifelong scholarly interest in the Renaissance artist and scientist. With Italian as his native tongue, Enzo trained himself to read da Vinci's cryptic version of the Italian language, and he came to understand that some of da Vinci's most original work was pioneering in the realm of fluid mechanics and its applications.

Combining his expertise in fluid mechanics and the humanities, Enzo slowly unraveled da Vinci's scientific ideas about fluid flow and transport phenomena. To better understand these concepts, Enzo performed many of the experiments described in da Vinci's notebooks and explored the artist's theories with students in the classroom.

After retirement, Enzo increased his pursuit of these studies. As Matilde accompanied him on research trips to Europe, she, too, became immersed in the subject, discovering various previously overlooked art forms in da Vinci's drawings related to water dynamics. Analyzing the representation of water by artists and scientists, she wrote a series of articles about the geometry of water.

Enzo has recorded his critical analyses of da Vinci's work in fluid mechanics in a series of 22 monographs, some of them co-authored by Matilde, published by the IIHR between 1986 and 2006.

At the ages of 94 and 89 respectively, Enzo and Matilde continue to pursue this monumental work together. As mathematics professor Raúl Curto says of his colleagues, "Spending an evening with the Macagnos is an unforgettable experience. They both have a particularly attractive way of telling stories, sharing their knowledge, understanding national identities and cultures, and, above all, promoting the values of education to society as a whole."

With admiration and applause, the University of Iowa proudly bestows this award upon Enzo and Matilde Macagno in celebration of their long-term commitment to scientific inquiry, education, and research.

Matilde Macagno is a life member of the UI Alumni Association.

Enzo O. and Matilde C. Macagno, 58MS, have advanced the University of Iowa's reputation as a world leader in water science and technology through their seminal and internationally acclaimed research on the work of one of the world's true geniuses—Leonardo da Vinci.

After meeting as students at the Universidad de La Plata in Argentina, the couple married in 1941. Enzo's academic work in Argentina and Europe centered on the fields of fluid mechanics and hydraulics and, in 1956, he accepted an offer to join the Iowa Institute of Hydraulics Research (IIHR) in the UI School of Engineering while Matilde finished her M.S. in mathematics at the UI. Enzo taught in the engineering school until his retirement in 1984, and Matilde served first as a research scientist at the IIHR and then as a mathematics teacher in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. They are both now professors emeriti.

In the 1960s, Enzo began to study da Vinci's writings and drawings, developing a lifelong scholarly interest in the Renaissance artist and scientist. With Italian as his native tongue, Enzo trained himself to read da Vinci's cryptic version of the Italian language, and he came to understand that some of da Vinci's most original work was pioneering in the realm of fluid mechanics and its applications.

Combining his expertise in fluid mechanics and the humanities, Enzo slowly unraveled da Vinci's scientific ideas about fluid flow and transport phenomena. To better understand these concepts, Enzo performed many of the experiments described in da Vinci's notebooks and explored the artist's theories with students in the classroom.

After retirement, Enzo increased his pursuit of these studies. As Matilde accompanied him on research trips to Europe, she, too, became immersed in the subject, discovering various previously overlooked art forms in da Vinci's drawings related to water dynamics. Analyzing the representation of water by artists and scientists, she wrote a series of articles about the geometry of water.

Enzo has recorded his critical analyses of da Vinci's work in fluid mechanics in a series of 22 monographs, some of them co-authored by Matilde, published by the IIHR between 1986 and 2006.

At the ages of 94 and 89 respectively, Enzo and Matilde continue to pursue this monumental work together. As mathematics professor Raúl Curto says of his colleagues, "Spending an evening with the Macagnos is an unforgettable experience. They both have a particularly attractive way of telling stories, sharing their knowledge, understanding national identities and cultures, and, above all, promoting the values of education to society as a whole."

With admiration and applause, the University of Iowa proudly bestows this award upon Enzo and Matilde Macagno in celebration of their long-term commitment to scientific inquiry, education, and research.

Matilde Macagno is a life member of the UI Alumni Association.

Rafat Jan Rukanuddin, 04PhD, has shown perseverance and heroism not only in her professions of nursing and teaching, but also in selfless service to humankind.

Rafat Jan received a general nursing degree from Aga Khan University (AKU) in Karachi, Pakistan, in 1983, before coming to the U.S. to pursue an M.S.N. degree in nursing administration from the Medical University of South Carolina and a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa's College of Nursing. The UI soon recognized her potential, awarding her the 2005 Graduate Deans' Distinguished Dissertation Award for her studies into improving the health of women and children in her home country.

In March 2005, Rafat Jan returned to AKU to serve as an assistant professor and as director of the school's BScN program. On October 8 of that year, her leadership skills were put to an extreme test when a devastating earthquake erupted near Kashmir, claiming tens of thousands of lives. Rafat Jan quickly assembled a group of AKU nurses to assist disaster victims. Under dangerous circumstances and in stark living conditions, the nurses worked 12- to 14-hour days for two weeks caring for the wounded.

Rafat Jan proved central to her team's successful efforts. One colleague described her as "a symbol of strength for her junior colleagues, doctors, and other team members. Taking care of traumatized patients in an emergency setting requires strength and courage. She displayed both qualities and was a role model for the others."

Such outstanding leadership has been recognized at the highest levels in Rafat Jan's home country. Nighat I. Durrani, registrar for the Pakistan Nursing Council, says: "She has not only brought laurels to the nursing profession by her excellent academic achievements, but has also excelled in humanity and service to mankind through the unparalleled and selfless work for the unfortunate victims of the October 8th earthquake. Unconcerned of personal safety and poor living conditions, she rolled up her sleeves and got down to work."

Before and since the disaster, Rafat Jan has shown an exemplary commitment to nursing teaching excellence at the regional, national, and international levels. Today, she continues her academic work at AKU while also serving as chair of the Task Force of Higher Education Commission and as an active member of the Pakistan Nursing Council. She has played a major role in revising the curricula of two reputed hospitals and was recently selected to teach nursing students at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm through the Linnaeus Palme Foundation exchange program between universities in Sweden and in developing countries.

Beyond these achievements, Rafat Jan can claim a number of important "firsts." She is the founding president of AKU School of Nursing Honor Society, a chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) and the first affiliate in the Muslim world of this North American-based research and scholarship organization. She is also the first woman to serve as president of the Regional Ismaili Council for Karachi and Balochistan.

Clearly, Rafat Jan Rukanuddin is a remarkable humanitarian with a sense of duty and strength of character that shines brightly and reflects highly on the University of Iowa.

Richard J. Schnieders, 70BA, rose to the upper echelons of Houston-based SYSCO, the largest food service marketing and distribution company in North America, by staying true to the highest standards of integrity and by earning the unwavering trust of his employees and peers.

In a corporate climate often perceived as characterized by greed and cold calculation, Schnieders has managed to maintain warmth, personal accountability, and a value system based on fairness.

Growing up in Remsen, Schnieders operated the cash register in his family's small grocery store. His Iowa childhood instilled in him a deep sense of respect for others, as well as an interest in agriculture and food production. He went on to earn a B.A. degree in mathematics from the University of Iowa in 1970.

After graduation, Schnieders worked in a regional grocer's meat department, eventually selling meat for a national company and serving as a general sales manager for a foodservice distributor. In 1982, Schnieders joined the executive development program at Hardin's-SYSCO, a subsidiary of SYSCO in Memphis. He quickly received promotions to increasingly responsible positions within SYSCO organizations, and, in 1992, he moved to Houston when he was elected to serve as a corporate director, followed by appointments to executive vice president, president, and chief operating officer. On January 1, 2003, Schnieders became chairman and chief executive officer, the position he holds today.

Thanks to Schnieders's visionary leadership, SYSCO is more than a large, successful company. It is a corporation widely recognized for its enlightened governance and an atmosphere of mutual admiration among its workers, shareholders, and customers.

Early in his career, Schnieders sought out University of Memphis philosophy professor David R. Hiley for tutoring in philosophy. He felt the pursuit would help him better understand how to create a positive work environment within the company—and to position SYSCO as a good community and world citizen. The two men established a lifelong friendship, and, together, developed a values statement and ethics policy that was put into meaningful action at SYSCO.

In keeping with these ideals, Schnieders advocates sustainable agriculture and emphasizes its importance in fostering a better world for future generations. His dedication includes a program he initiated at SYSCO that supports small, local farmers and their high-quality products. When plans were in the works for a new SYSCO world headquarters in Houston, Schnieders made sure that the company set a good example for other businesses by building to the highest possible environmental standards.

Schnieders's interest in philosophy is just one example of his commitment to lifelong learning and the benefits of a liberal arts and sciences education. Many times, he has returned to the Iowa campus to address mathematics classes and other student groups, emphasizing in his talks how his UI liberal arts degree has been critical to his business success.

Richard Schnieders is a true exemplar of the honest, forward-thinking citizens who hail from the Hawkeye State. In the words of close friend David Hiley: "At a time when we tend to identify corporate leadership with its excesses and abuses, I can't imagine anything more important than recognizing a highly successful business leader because he is deeply thoughtful and deeply moral."

Schnieders is a life member of the UI Alumni Association.

Ori J. Sivan, 04BSE, became one of the Midwest's most revered—and youngest—leaders in environmental sustainability by co-founding the Greenmaker Supply Company, Chicago's only major provider of "green" building supplies.

Long before Greenmaker's official debut, the seeds of Sivan's business were sown early in his civil and environmental engineering studies at the UI. As a student, he gained experience in this emerging field as an undergraduate researcher at the internationally renowned UI Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, and he co-created the UI's International Engineering Service Program as well as the Engineers for a Sustainable World group. He also cultivated critical knowledge and experience through several internships, including one in the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Pollution Prevention Program, where he helped a GE manufacturing facility save millions of dollars annually while reducing its environmental impact. In addition, as a student delegate for the Iowa United Nations Association, Sivan presented a paper on environmental economics at the 2002 UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa.

After graduation from the UI with an engineering degree, Sivan moved to Chicago to pursue an M.S. degree at Northwestern and soon established his company. In its first year, the fledgling enterprise boasted revenue of $1.2 million and won a 2006 Innovate Illinois prize, awarded to the state's most innovative small businesses. Greenmaker Supply has also been featured in the Chicago Tribune and Wall Street Journal.

One of Sivan's professors and mentors, College of Engineering Professor Jerald Schnoor, describes him as a top student who contributed boundless ideas, energy, and enthusiasm during his time at the UI. One of Sivan's major accomplishments was bringing Hunter Lovins—a famous author in the environmental field—to campus for a talk after meeting her at the World Summit. Says Schnoor: "Hunter Lovins was so impressed with Ori that she waived her normal speaking fee to come to Iowa for only expenses."

While at the World Summit, Sivan participated in sessions with young business leaders from around the globe focused on helping industry become more sustainable. When Sivan returned to Iowa, he presented lectures on campus about his experience, and his infectious enthusiasm drew more students into the UI environmental engineering program.

Sivan has remained in close contact with UI faculty, staff, and fellow alumni—and he takes time to lend his counsel and energy to current and future students. He recently became one of 11 charter members of the newly organized College of Engineering Young Alumni Advisory Board, whose mission is to share perspectives, knowledge, and experiences in the workplace; to support UIAA and engineering school goals to engage more students and young alumni; and to develop a network of mutually beneficial relationships among alumni, students, and faculty.

Another of Sivan's UI engineering mentors, Professor Keri Hornbuckle, describes him as "a remarkable leader who is well on his way to making a major contribution to our world. Ori was one of the most outstanding student leaders we have had in our college."

For his early accomplishments and the passion he's displayed in making our environment a healthier place for generations to come, Ori Sivan brings pride and distinction to his alma mater.

MaryFran Sowers, 84PhD, is an internationally recognized researcher in musculoskeletal disorders who has spent her career pursuing the answers that will bring relief to legions of women suffering from arthritis, osteoporosis, and bone disease.

Indeed, it is largely through her achievements that the University of Michigan—where Sowers has held a professorship in the Department of Epidemiology for 20 years—has achieved an international reputation for the excellence of its women's health programs.

Sowers completed a B.A. degree in nutrition at Emporia State University in 1968 and a M.S. in nutrition from Oklahoma State University in 1973. In 1984, she graduated from the University of Iowa with a Ph.D. in epidemiology, and she spent another two years as a postdoctoral fellow in endocrine and epidemiology.

Before beginning her distinguished career as a professor and researcher in the University of Michigan's School of Public Health, Sowers spent two years as an assistant professor at Cornell University in New York. At Michigan, she also holds appointments with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Department of Internal Medicine. In 2002, Sowers founded and became director for the UM Center for Integrated Approaches to Complex Diseases.

An expert and groundbreaking researcher in the epidemiology of endocrine function and related disorders in women, Sowers has helped shed light on the physiologic changes associated with various phases of the female life cycle and aging, including the effects of genetic and nutritional factors on bone loss and other problems.

Her field of study is impressive for both its depth and its breadth. Although osteoporosis and bone health are her main focus, Sowers has made significant contributions in the areas of osteoarthritis, nutritional epidemiology, genetic epidemiology, and cardiovascular disease. Further, she is the principal investigator for six National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants that generate more than $11 million for her research projects at the University of Michigan.

A widely published author and gifted teacher, Sowers offers courses on women's health and epidemiology that are sought out by students eager to learn from such an acclaimed expert. She has mentored dozens of doctoral students and investigators across the UM campus on a broad range of topics including environmental health, kinesiology, oncology, obstetrics and gynecology, and sports medicine.

Sowers is dedicated to serving her university, the community, and her profession. Her recent contributions include serving as chair of the UM School of Public Health Advisory Committee on Academic Rank and of the Michigan Statewide Osteoporosis Initiative; providing consulting services to the Federal Trade Commission, the National Arthritis Foundation, and the National Academy of Sciences; serving on the editorial board of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research; co-editing two professional journals; and reviewing grant applications for the NIH.

Sowers has been honored with numerous awards and recognitions, and she was recently appointed as the new John G. Searle Professor of Public Health at the UM. In 2006, the University of Iowa's College of Public Health recognized her outstanding career with a Distinguished Alumni Award.

The University of Iowa is proud to add another Distinguished Alumni Award to this list of honors, in recognition of MaryFran Sowers and her exemplary efforts to improve the state of women's health in the U.S.

Mary Joy Stead knows that with the right help, people can learn to soar. This was true for her when she fulfilled her dream of becoming a licensed pilot. And it also was true of the journey she and her husband, Jerre Stead, 65BBA, made from early years of hard work and sacrifice to a life of professional success and personal philanthropy.

During their humble beginnings as college students in Iowa City, the Steads lived in the Forestview Trailer Court while Jerre completed his B.A. degree in business at the UI. During this time, Mary Joy also took classes and worked hard to help support her family and raise two young sons. After Jerre's graduation in 1965, the high school sweethearts and Maquoketa natives set off for achievement and adventure.

Throughout their years of travel for Jerre's various CEO positions, Mary Joy busied herself with making a home for their family—and establishing community connections—in diverse locations from Minneapolis to Brussels, Belgium.

No matter where they lived, the Steads never forgot about the University of Iowa, and they have continued to be passionate volunteers and philanthropists. Mary Joy is a loyal friend who has devoted generous time and resources to the UI. Not only did she serve as vice chair of the national steering committee for the university's $1 billion, seven-year fund-raising campaign that ended in 2005, she and her husband also made one of the campaign's most generous gifts and one of the largest ever to the UI: a visionary $25 million commitment to benefit the Henry B. Tippie College of Business.

Part of this record-breaking contribution was an outright gift of $2.5 million for several areas, including the establishment of an endowed, named chair in honor of former College of Business dean and former interim UI president Gary Fethke, 64BA, 68PhD; ongoing support for the Stead Technology Center, which provides computer services and related programming within the college; funding for the Kloppenburg-Stead Speaker Series, which will bring prominent speakers to the college's executive M.B.A. program; and continued enhancement and maintenance of the John Pappajohn Business Building. Besides their loyalty to the business school, the Steads also support other areas of the university, including the UI Alumni Association and the Old Capitol Museum.

As a volunteer, Mary Joy has occupied many valuable roles, including membership on the UI Foundation's board of directors and in other educational and civic organizations.

Indicative of her broad interests and generosity, Stead is an officer of Operation QT (Quality Time), which funds educational programming for middle and high school students in economically disadvantaged areas. She has supported the Alzheimer's Institute at Banner Health of Phoenix and the Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, where she and Jerre made a $6 million gift to create the Stead Center for Ethics and Values. She is also involved with a computer learning program in Denver that provides funding for computer education for elementary and middle school children.

In all that she does, Mary Joy Stead lives a life of purpose, generosity, and commitment. Her unwavering friendship has not only opened educational doors for countless students, but has built a stronger University of Iowa.

Mary Joy Stead is a gold-level member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Thomas R. Temple, 77MS, has endeavored for three decades to inspire patient-centered changes in the practice of pharmacy that have substantially improved the health and welfare of Iowans and all U.S. citizens.

After receiving a B.S. degree in biology from Northern Illinois University in 1971 and a B.S. in pharmacy from the University of Illinois in 1975, Temple arrived at the University of Iowa ready to pursue an M.S. degree in pharmacy administration. Soon after graduation from the UI College of Pharmacy, he found his calling. Since 1980, Temple has held one of the pharmacy profession's most critical and influential positions in the state of Iowa. As executive vice president of the Iowa Pharmacy Association and CEO of subsidiary corporations Iowa Pharmacy Foundation and Pharmacy Network of Iowa, Temple has become a nationally respected expert with tremendous achievements to his credit on the local, state, and national levels.

In a profession that has redefined itself over the past two decades, Temple has been instrumental in making fundamental changes in how pharmacy is practiced in this country. No longer just dispensers of medication, pharmacists are now viewed as patient educators and advocates. Many offer immunization services, play a central role in patient case management, and oversee medication therapy management for patientsinnovations that have enabled pharmacists to provide more cost-effective, quality care.

Temple's expertise is frequently called upon by the state's key policymakers, including the governor, the Department of Human Services, Iowa Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Through his long service, Temple has become the senior state pharmacy leader in America. On the national scene, he is a key figure around discussion tables and a compelling advocate of the major economic, educational, and social issues challenging the pharmacy profession. An author of several publications, he has also spoken at numerous professional healthcare meetings nationwide. He is a dedicated member of the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations, the American Pharmacists Association, and other key organizations in the U.S. and abroad.

A loyal supporter of pharmacy education, Temple encourages students to pursue professional involvement early in their careers, and he serves as a role model for many Iowa graduates who have eventually become leaders in their field and in their communities. In recognition of his student advocacy, in 1995 he received his profession's highest honor, the Gloria Niemeyer-Francke Leadership Mentor Award from the American Pharmacists Association. He is also the recipient of distinguished alumni awards from both the University of Illinois and the University of Iowa's College of Pharmacy.

As a proud UI alumnus, Temple is an unequivocal supporter of the University of Iowa, and he continues to give back to the institution in myriad ways, including having served for 20 years as a member of the UI College of Pharmacy advisory council.

With vision and leadership, Thomas Temple has transformed his profession's public service mission and elevated the pharmacist's role in medicine. His impact on comprehensive health care is evident any time a patient consults with a pharmacist at the drugstore counter.

Temple is an annual member of the UI Alumni Association and an associate member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Stephen L. West, 69BBA, the president of West Music Company and Miyazawa Flutes, has made it his professional—and personal—mission to promote music education and music participation on a local, state, and national level.

After graduating from the University of Iowa in 1969 with a marketing degree, West joined his father, Pearl, at West Music Company. Since his start with the family business, West has led the growth of West Music from one location in Iowa City to seven retail music stores, education centers, and distribution outlets in Iowa and western Illinois. To strengthen the store's support of music education, he initiated the dissemination of a catalog to every elementary school in the United States, and expanded access to articles, methods, and products through the development of more than 15 e-commerce and international websites.

For decades, West has generously supported UI programs and departments by repairing instruments and offering constant support to the School of Music's faculty and students, and allowing Hancher Auditorium artists to conduct master classes and workshops in his stores. He provides pianos for local concerts, gives presentations to music education students, helps the School of Music with workshops and conferences, and supports guest artists and clinicians for the benefit of music students and the general public.

West recently made possible the restoration and transportation of a 19th century Steinway grand piano to its new home in the Old Capitol's Senate Chamber. West first worked with UI music faculty to find a piano that met their requirements and then contributed toward its purchase. His generosity enabled the museum to host Piano Sundays, which showcase Iowa's fine musicians and their talents to a broad audience.

West is also active in his community, having served various local arts and educational organizations, including the Iowa City Community Band, New Horizons Senior Band, Cedar Rapids Symphony, Noon Iowa City Rotary Club, Sunrise Optimist Club, and Kirkwood Community College Foundation. In 1990, he co-founded the Iowa City Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership Program, which educates area leaders on the issues facing the community and expands their opportunities for leadership.

West also has made an impact on music education throughout the state. He assists teachers through the Iowa Bandmasters Association and the Iowa Music Education Association. In 1989, he co-founded the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education, an advocacy group for arts programs in Iowa schools.

One of the most respected music dealers in the U.S., West has served for 19 years as a leader on the NAMM, International Music Products Association, board. In 1998, he received Iowa's Small Business Administration Entrepreneurial Success of the Year Award. West is co-founder of the Music Achievement Council, which works to develop and retain instrumental music students and teachers, and the International Foundation for Music Research, which promotes and funds studies on music and behavior. He is also a past president of the National Association of School Music Dealers and was honored in 2006 with Kappa Kappa Psi's Distinguished Service to Music Award.

In Iowa and farther afield, Stephen West is recognized for his abundant efforts to bring the life-enhancing benefits of music education and participation to musicians of all ages and abilities.

West is a member of the UI Alumni Association's Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Joe Brennan can claim a distinguished 43-year career with the University of Iowa, during which he has contributed enormously to the university, the College of Dentistry, and the field of dental education on a national level.

Starting out as an accountant in the UI accounts receivable department from 1960 to 1962, Brennan became administrative assistant to the athletic director from 1962 to 1964, and then served as the faculty housing consultant from 1964 to 1972 and as assistant business manager in the Treasurers Office from 1972 to 1973.

In 1973, Brennans career shifted to the UI College of Dentistry, where he became the colleges business manager. He was promoted to assistant to the dean in 1976 and to assistant dean for finance and facilities in 1981. He then served as associate dean from 1989 until his retirement in 2003.

Brennans career success may be attributed to his unique combination of personal and professional qualities. College of Dentistry Dean David Johnsen says of Brennan, He is extremely dedicated and loyal, has a great attention to detail, is considerate, cooperative, and creative. He was instrumental in moving the college forward during tight budgetary constraints and has positioned the college in such a way whereby it continues to thrive in many areas.

During his 30 years in the college, Brennan was responsible for a budget that grew to well over $32 million. Still, he often had to deal with the fact that needs outweighed resources. He did not flinch in the face of tough decisions, and, even during budget crunches, he earned the respect and gratitude of his colleagues for his fair and cooperative attitude.

Known for his open-door policy, Brennan oversaw the procedural aspect of faculty and staff hiring, salary determination, and the preparation of financial information for planning and decision-making. In particular, he was the driving force behind the design and construction facilitation of the state-of-the-art Simulation Clinic in 1995.

Brennan has also shared his expertise on a national level, serving as a consultant to the Council on Dental Education Commission on Accreditation for the American Dental Association from 1979 to 1985 and 1987 to 1993, and on accreditation site-visit teams for most dental schools in the U.S. Highly regarded by his peers, he continues to be called upon in his retirement by schools throughout the country to serve as a financial consultant.

Says one longtime colleague, Joes efforts with national groups to improve collegiate resource planning gave notice to other dental schools that Iowa had an outstanding program grounded in the best business practices. On campus, Joe was an astute business professional who was the source of sound advice and counsel.

In recognition of his immeasurable contributions to the college, Brennan was named the 2003 Honorary Alumnus of the Year by the UI Dental Alumni Association Board, an award that has been given only four times since its inception in 1986.

Such an honor was truly deserved, for Joe Brennan has been an extraordinary advocate for the College of Dentistry and a statesman for the University of Iowa.

Brennan is a member of the UI Foundations Presidents Club.

Matthew Bucksbaum, 49BA, has been instrumental in transforming the physical and economic landscape of America since creating one of the countrys first shopping malls in 1954.

The son of a small-town grocer, Bucksbaum began his career in real estate and retail soon after graduating from the UI with a degree in economics. Over the last half century, the company he founded, General Growth Properties (GGP), has become one of the largest developers, owners, and managers of retail real estate in the country.

In 1993, General Growth Properties went public for the second time, and, through a series of acquisitions, it has grown to own or manage more than 200 regional shopping malls across the country—including West Des Moines Jordan Creek Town Center and Coralvilles Coral Ridge Mall—with reported sales of $3.2 billion in 2005. In addition to shopping centers, GGP has ownership interest in master planned community developments and commercial office buildings. Formerly headquartered in Des Moines, GGP is now centered in Chicago and is the second largest U.S.-based publicly traded real estate investment trust.

As one of the pioneers of the shopping center industry, Bucksbaum holds the respect of his peers on a national level. He was elected to serve as president of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)—the highest honor awarded in the industry—and he is also a member of both the Urban Land Institute and the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts.

He is a recipient of the 2002 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Urban Land Institute of Chicago; the 1999 Human Rights Medallion Award from the Chicago Chapter of the American Jewish Committee; the 1997 Outstanding CEO Award from the Realty Stock Review; and the 1997 Retail Property Executive of the Year Award from Commercial Property News.

Bucksbaums success has been accompanied by a strong desire to give back—to his alma mater, and to countless other nonprofit, cultural, and educational initiatives. In 2004, he established the Matthew Bucksbaum Family Faculty Fellowship within the UI Tippie College of Business.

He is a director-level member of the Deans Clubs of both the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Tippie College of Business. A strong advocate and supporter of the arts, he has given generously to the Des Moines Metropolitan Opera and the Des Moines Art Center, and he currently serves as a trustee for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Past chairman and a life trustee of the Aspen Music Festival and School, he helped raise millions of dollars for the festivals endowment fund.

Since graduating from the UI, Matthew Bucksbaum has done his alma mater proud as one of the UIs highest-achieving graduates in the world of business. He has further distinguished himself as a fine citizen through his continuing generosity and loyalty to the UI and to many other civic institutions.

Bucksbaum is a member of the UI Alumni Associations Directors Club Honors Circle and the UI Foundations Presidents Club.

William DeKock, 60BA, 63DDS, 67MS, has had a profound influence at every level in his profession of orthodontics. Whether caring for patients, sharing his expertise as an adjunct professor in the UI College of Dentistry, or serving as a national leader and an international diplomat for his profession, this Iowa graduate has greatly enhanced the quality of orthodontic care.

Born in Manson, Iowa, DeKock completed his orthodontic training at the University of Iowa in 1967 and soon started a practice in Cedar Rapids that he would run full-time for 35 years. He became involved in organized dentistry early in his career, serving as the Iowa director to the Midwestern Society of Orthodontists (MSO) from 1974 to 1978 and as MSO president from 1980 to 1981. At the national level, he served from 1985 to 1996 on the board of trustees of the American Association of Orthodontists and as its president from 1994 to 1995.

DeKocks reach and vision have extended far beyond even his national contributions. Recognizing in the 1990s the importance of establishing a global network that could ensure cross-cultural interaction and sharing of ideas among his colleagues, he became the driving force in the formation of the World Federation of Orthodontists (WFO), the first international organization for his field.

After authoring the WFO bylaws, in 1995 DeKock organized the groups initial meeting in San Francisco, successfully convening individuals from 69 orthodontic organizations representing 62 countries. He went on to serve as WFOs first president from 1995 to 2000 and has served as secretary-general since 2000. Now a well-established and thriving organization, the WFO today includes 105 organizations from 100 countries.

DeKock is recognized as an international diplomat with a unique ability to bring together people from a myriad of cultures, including those with deep-seated political differences. His perseverance and sensitivity have helped establish an organization in which, even in todays complex political world, Iraqi, Iranian, Israeli, and Syrian orthodontists sit side-by-side and declare their friendship.

DeKock has received many well-deserved honors and awards, including his designation as University of Iowa Dental Alumnus of the Year in 1993. He recently retired from his practice, and he received the James E. Brophy Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor bestowed by the American Association of Orthodontists in 2005.

DeKocks untiring dedication to his profession at the highest levels has not prevented him from maintaining strong ties to his alma mater. A wonderful role model for the orthodontic graduate students he has advised and taught for the past 38 years, he is also an ardent Hawkeye fan. DeKocks father and father-in-law were both professors at the UI, while his wife, Margie, holds two UI degrees. His father-in-law, Mason Ladd, and brother-in-law, Robert Hogg, are both recipients of distinguished alumni awards from the UI Alumni Association.

Through his dedicated and exemplary efforts to his profession, William DeKock has brought distinction to the University of Iowa and earned the gratitude and respect of countless patients and colleagues all over the world.

DeKock is a life member of the UI Alumni Association and a member of the UI Foundations Presidents Club.

Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr., 78MA, 83PhD, is more than a leading scholar on race and communications in America; hes also a political scientist whose sense of community responsibility has driven his academic career.

Since earning a Ph.D. in political science from Iowa in 1983, Gilliams academic career has taken him from teaching positions at the University of Wisconsin to his current position at the University of California, Los Angeles.

A full professor of political science since 1996, Gilliam also serves as UCLAs associate vice chancellor for community partnerships. In addition, he is founding director of UCLAs Center for Communications and Community, which connects research on communications to neighborhood transformation.

Gilliams lifetime of work has evolved from examining questions about black political participation and empowerment, to investigating how blacks are portrayed in the news media, and to exploring how strategic communications influence public support for a broad range of social issues. The results of his innovative and effective research have consistently appeared in leading social science journals, while a comprehensive account of his recent experimental work will soon be available in a book from Princeton University Press.

Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of Gilliams record is his success in bridging the gap between academics and the broader community. The first person in the University of California system to hold the title of associate vice chancellor, community partnerships, Gilliam directs the Center for Community Partnerships, which identifies and supports university and community leaders to use ideas and research in finding practical solutions for challenges facing the broader Los Angeles community. In less than five years, the center has supported more than 100 projects and provided some $2.5 million for campus-community collaborations.

Gilliams distinctive approach has produced such positive results for Los Angeles that he is now involved in applying the centers strategies to other metropolitan areas across the nation.

Recognized as a leader in this field, Gilliam has a long record of funding both from leading private foundations and from the National Science Foundation. He has consulted on a wide range of projects for groups like the Aspen Institute, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation. He has been quoted in the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and the Boston Globe, and he makes frequent public appearances on the NBC Nightly News, ABC Nightly News, CNN, C-Span, and other television stations.

Despite his many professional obligations, this Iowa graduate has remained connected to the UI Department of Political Science and to the University of Iowa. His loyalty to the Iowa Hawkeyes runs deep (his father was a member of the 1957 Iowa Rose Bowl football team), and he has been a superb ambassador for the university and the state through the years.

As an educator, Gilliam has applied his ideas at a practical level to produce profound results in solving complex social issues within American culture. UI political science professor Doug Madsen says, Franklin Gilliams achievements are of great consequence. This work has deep meaning for him personally, but it also has deep meaning for Los Angeles and, really, for us all.

Ronald W. and Arlene M. Holden have given so generously of their time and resources that they fall in the category of rare and true special friends of the University of Iowa.

Ron Holden hails from a family of visionaries; his father, Roland, founded Holden's Foundation Seeds in 1973. The company, which specialized in research development and production of parent seed corn, became the primary supplier of inbred seed corn for the many independent seed corn companies serving the Corn Belt. In 1971, Ron took over the company's operations from his father, successfully running the business until selling it to Monsanto in 1997. Holden's Seeds continues to operate as a self-contained unit within Monsanto.

After Roland died of cancer in 1995, the Holdens turned their passion and commitment toward finding a cure for the disease that has so deeply affected their lives. In 1998 and 2000, the family made substantial gifts to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) through the Ruby and Roland Holden Foundation, first creating the Roland W. Holden Family Program for Experimental Cancer Therapeutics, and eventually establishing the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center (HCCC).

Today, the HCCC coordinates all cancer-related research, education, and patient care by faculty from 38 departments in six colleges throughout the university and at UIHC. Bringing world-class research and cancer care to Iowa, the Midwest, and beyond, the center delivers hope to thousands of patients every year. The HCCC has been listed by the National Cancer Institute as an "NCI-designated cancer center," joining fewer than 60 centers in the entire country (as of July 2000) that have received this honor in recognition of excellence across the areas of cancer care, research, and education.

Beyond their financial generosity, the Holdens have liberally given their time and expertise to the University of Iowa. They served unflaggingly as lead volunteers on both the Health Sciences Campaign Steering Committee and the National Comprehensive Campaign Steering Committee for the UI's recent successful $1 billion campaign, Good. Better. Best. Iowa: The Campaign to Advance Our Great University.

In addition, Arlene Holden serves on the UI Foundation's board of directors, is a member of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center advisory board, and the founder of the Caring Clown program for cancer patients at UIHC. The Holdens are recognized as steward-level supporters of the UI's Carver College of Medicine. Both ardent Hawkeye fans, the Holdens contributed to the renovation of Kinnick Stadium.

Lifelong Iowa residents who make their primary home in Williamsburg, Ron and Arlene are deeply involved in that community, where they have contributed greatly to the quality of life in numerous ways, including building an elementary school, a family aquatic center and sports complex, a nine-hole golf course, and an independent and assisted living retirement facility. They are also an integral part of the planning committee for the town's sesquicentennial event in July 2007.

For their remarkable combined record of support, involvement, and achievement, Ron and Arlene Holden are certainly among the best friends that the University of Iowa could have.

Ronald W. and Arlene M. Holden have given so generously of their time and resources that they fall in the category of rare and true special friends of the University of Iowa.

Ron Holden hails from a family of visionaries; his father, Roland, founded Holden's Foundation Seeds in 1973. The company, which specialized in research development and production of parent seed corn, became the primary supplier of inbred seed corn for the many independent seed corn companies serving the Corn Belt. In 1971, Ron took over the company's operations from his father, successfully running the business until selling it to Monsanto in 1997. Holden's Seeds continues to operate as a self-contained unit within Monsanto.

After Roland died of cancer in 1995, the Holdens turned their passion and commitment toward finding a cure for the disease that has so deeply affected their lives. In 1998 and 2000, the family made substantial gifts to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) through the Ruby and Roland Holden Foundation, first creating the Roland W. Holden Family Program for Experimental Cancer Therapeutics, and eventually establishing the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center (HCCC).

Today, the HCCC coordinates all cancer-related research, education, and patient care by faculty from 38 departments in six colleges throughout the university and at UIHC. Bringing world-class research and cancer care to Iowa, the Midwest, and beyond, the center delivers hope to thousands of patients every year. The HCCC has been listed by the National Cancer Institute as an "NCI-designated cancer center," joining fewer than 60 centers in the entire country (as of July 2000) that have received this honor in recognition of excellence across the areas of cancer care, research, and education.

Beyond their financial generosity, the Holdens have liberally given their time and expertise to the University of Iowa. They served unflaggingly as lead volunteers on both the Health Sciences Campaign Steering Committee and the National Comprehensive Campaign Steering Committee for the UI's recent successful $1 billion campaign, Good. Better. Best. Iowa: The Campaign to Advance Our Great University.

In addition, Arlene Holden serves on the UI Foundation's board of directors, is a member of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center advisory board, and the founder of the Caring Clown program for cancer patients at UIHC. The Holdens are recognized as steward-level supporters of the UI's Carver College of Medicine. Both ardent Hawkeye fans, the Holdens contributed to the renovation of Kinnick Stadium.

Lifelong Iowa residents who make their primary home in Williamsburg, Ron and Arlene are deeply involved in that community, where they have contributed greatly to the quality of life in numerous ways, including building an elementary school, a family aquatic center and sports complex, a nine-hole golf course, and an independent and assisted living retirement facility. They are also an integral part of the planning committee for the town's sesquicentennial event in July 2007.

For their remarkable combined record of support, involvement, and achievement, Ron and Arlene Holden are certainly among the best friends that the University of Iowa could have.

Ida M. Moore, 73BSN, 78MA, is internationally renowned for her distinguished career as a nurse scientist in the field of pediatric oncology.

The Emmetsburg, Iowa, native received a B.S.N. from the UI College of Nursing in 1973, followed by a masters in nursing in 1978. She left Iowa to continue her nursing education at the University of California, San Francisco College of Nursing, where she earned a D.N.S. in 1985.

Following academic appointments at the UI and the University of California-San Francisco College of Nursing, Moore has spent the past 18 years at the University of Arizona College of Nursing, where she is a professor and director of the Nursing Practice Division and Director of the Center on Injury Mechanisms and Related Responses: Genomics Focus.

A champion of childhood cancer patients and survivors, this Iowa alumna has contributed extensively to the science of pediatric oncology, helped disseminate that new knowledge through publications and presentations, and translated it into improved care of children with cancer.

Moore has devoted her scholarly studies to understanding the impact of cancer treatments on the central nervous systems of children, resulting in landmark findings that have helped alter therapies so that they remain effective weapons against cancer, but do not harm a childs neurocognitive development.

Moore is recognized for her knowledge, passion, vision, leadership, and commitment. Her peers applaud her ability to represent nursing as both a science and an art. As a nurse scholar, Moore has published widely in professional nursing and science journals, and she is in demand as a presenter for regional, national, and international research conferences. She and her multidisciplinary team have received millions of dollars in research funding from governmental agencies and private foundations, including the National Institutes of Health, the Oncology Nursing Foundation, the Arizona Disease Control Research Commission, and the Leukemia Foundation.

As director of the Nursing Practice Division in the University of Arizona College of Nursing, Moore is greatly respected as a mentor for clinical and tenure-track faculty. She also devotes time and service outside the university, serving as a member of community healthcare organizations and as an international consultant to Brazil, Taiwan, and Thailand.

For her groundbreaking work, Moore has earned the respect and recognition of her profession. She is one of six nurse researchers selected to serve as a scholar in the Childrens Oncology Group, the largest international pediatric oncology cooperative in the world.

For her significant contribution to oncology nursing education and nursing research, she has also been honored by the National Institutes of Health, the University of California-San Francisco, the University of Arizona College of Nursing, the Oncology Nursing Society/Schering Laboratory, Sigma Theta Tau International, Roche Laboratories, and the Western Institute of Nursing. In 1994, she was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.

Ida Moore exemplifies the excellence in scholarship, teaching, and service that reflect so positively on the University of Iowa. Most importantly, her dedicated and worthwhile career has helped—and will continue to better the quality of life for—thousands of seriously ill children throughout the world.

Kay Johnson Mussell, 65BA, 70MA, 73PhD, has achieved great distinction for her multiple talents as a scholar, a teacher, and an academic administrator.

Since her graduation from the UI, Mussell has led a long and successful career at American University in Washington, DC, where she has served since 1974. Her career in higher education has earned her national respect as a talented administrator, an esteemed scholar, an author of note, and an active participant and leader in community educational activities.

As a scholar, Mussell quickly established herself as a productive and influential expert in American literature. She is the author of two books, Fantasy and Reconciliation: Contemporary Formulas of Womens Romance Fiction and Womens Gothic and Romantic Fiction: A Reference Guide, as well as dozens of book chapters, articles, and reports, and six edited or co-edited books and special journal issues. This body of work has established her as a major figure in the analysis of romance fiction and a scholar of note in the broader field of popular culture.

In the classroom, Mussell has earned the respect of students and fellow faculty members alike. Cornelius Kerwin, interim president of American University, describes her as one of the finest in her generation of this universitys faculty. Her courses are known for their intellectual rigor, creative pedagogy, and popularity among our students.

In the course of her career, Mussell has become increasingly committed to academic administration. At American University, her positions of responsibility include serving as director of the American Studies Program, director of the College Writing Program, chair of the Department of Literature, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, associate dean for academic affairs, and—since 1999—dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. These roles have showcased her genius for management and her strong leadership skills.

Her work has been recognized through numerous honors and awards from American University, including a Faculty-Administrator Award from the College of Arts and Sciences in 1995 and a University Faculty Award for Outstanding Service in 1980.

Mussell has also generously shared her expertise beyond the university community. For more than 15 years, she welcomed visitors to the Washington International Center and taught courses at the Smithsonian Institution. Her many endeavors on behalf of the District of Columbia public schools include serving as fiscal agent for an enrichment grant funded by the D.C. Community Humanities Council. In all of her volunteer work, she has made significant contributions that have left a profound impact on her community.

Says Kerwin, It has been my good fortune to work with influential scholars, gifted teachers, and highly effective academic leaders. In my experience, it is quite unusual to find an individual who does two of these things at a very high level. It is indeed rare to encounter an individual who is truly distinguished in all three.

For this rare combination of qualities that have distinguished her as a leader in all aspects of academia, Kay Johnson Mussell is truly deserving of this recognition by her alma mater.

Mussell is a bronze-level member of the UI Alumni Associations Old Capitol Club.

Michael J. New, 64BA, 67MA, was president of the University of Iowa Foundation from 1998 until his death in 2006, serving as its very capable leader during the largest capital campaign in the history of the UI and helping to raise $1 billion for the university.

News career at the foundation spanned 30 years. Hired in 1976 as associate director for health sciences development, he worked closely with the organizations legendary president, Darrell Wyrick. In 1986, he was named vice president for development programs. New played a lead role in nearly every major UI fund-raising venture during this time, from the Iowa Endowment 2000 campaign, to the renovation of Hancher Auditorium, to the remarkable expansion of the UIs medical center (both clinical and research), to the building of the Levitt Center for University Advancement, and to special efforts for the Belin-Blank Center, among many others.

Following a nationwide search for new leadership upon Wyricks retirement, New was appointed president of the UI Foundation in 1998, the decision both an obvious and unanimous one. New not only took great pride in his own Iowa roots and connection to the University of Iowa, but he also believed that the many thousands of people whose lives have been positively influenced by the university would commit to giving back once they understood the profound impact their gifts could have on the quality of a UI education.

News gift was in his passion for the university, in recognizing the potential for support among its alumni and friends, and in his ability to recruit, mentor, mobilize, and lead a team of development professionals to raise funds to support and enhance the university. He was well respected and loved by his colleagues, who were motivated by his warmth, wit, intelligence, sincerity, and above all, integrity and generosity of spirit.

Says David Dierks, UI Foundation vice president and News longtime colleague and friend, Michael led the foundation during a period of immense change . . . and his natty, confident, and professional leadership helped to pull the foundation into the 21st century and to become an increasingly important partner with the university—raising funds of critical importance and creating opportunity for greatness within the institution.

The planning for and execution of the UIs seven-year comprehensive campaign from 1998 to 2005 coincided almost exactly with News tenure as president of the UI Foundation. Under his leadership, the foundation significantly expanded its fund-raising capacity and raised more than $1 billion in outright gifts and future commitments for all areas and needs of the university.

Former UI president Mary Sue Coleman said of New, Not only has he created a sense of community within the foundation staff, he has set an ethical standard that is almost without peer.

Before his untimely death from cancer in April 2006, Michael New was able to celebrate the unparalleled success of the Good. Better. Best. Iowa campaign he helped lead, and to know the deep and lasting impact his life work would have on the university he loved.

New was a life and Old Capitol Club member of the UI Alumni Association and a bronze-level member of the UI Foundations Presidents Club.

M. Samuel Noordhoff, 54MD, a world leader in cleft lip and palate surgery, has literally brought smiles to the faces of countless children throughout Southeast Asia.

After graduating from the UI College of Medicine in 1954, Noordhoff completed residencies in general and plastic surgery. His entire professional career was spent in Taiwan, where, as superintendent of Mackay Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, he accomplished many healthcare firsts, including establishing an intensive care unit, a burn unit, polio rehabilitation clinic, and immunization services.

Noordhoff also developed a residency program in plastic surgery with his primary interest in craniofacial surgery. Today, the internationally famous Craniofacial Center at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital has provided services for more than 12,000 cleft patients in the past 22 years.

For patients who could not afford surgery, Noordhoff founded in 1989 the nonprofit Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation (NCF) in Taiwan. The NCF expanded operations to the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam in 1999, providing doctors, trained local surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, social workers, speech pathologists, and orthodontists to treat patients in these developing countries. Thanks to Noordhoff and the foundation he created, more than 10,000 children in Taiwan, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines have benefited from surgery and care.

Although Noordhoff retired from active surgery in 1999, he continues his involvement in raising funds, training surgeons, and overseeing the treatment of patients. He has ensured that his work will continue and that future generations of patients will receive the care they need through NCF.

Noordhoffs career has been distinguished by teaching appointments, honorary memberships, and scholarly publications. Special honors include the prestigious Jacques W. Maliniac Lecture (1994), Outstanding Medical Contribution Award by the Ministry of Health Executive Yuan (1966), Order of the Brilliant Star with the Violet Cordon in 1999 (the highest government civilian award presented by the Republic of China), and the Health Medal of First Class Award given by the Ministry of Health, R.O.C. (1999). He also received honorary awards from the Cleft Lip Palate-Craniofacial Association in 2000 and the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgery in 2006 for his leadership, his willingness to share his knowledge through teaching, and his continuous commitment to the field of maxillofacial surgery.

Although the UI graduates life and mission have taken him far from his hometown of Orange City, Iowa, Noordhoffs dedication to excellence and to helping others embodies the very best of Midwestern and University of Iowa values. Says Jeffrey C. Murray, professor and vicechair of research for pediatrics in the UI Carver College of Medicine, Dr. Noordhoff is unique in both a personal commitment he has brought to improving the lives of children in Southeast Asia as well as the technical and medical skill he has provided. He is a genuine physician, scientist, and humanitarian.

Henry R. Mol, a classmate and fellow graduate of the Class of 1954 who has remained a lifelong friend, says, Most of us hope that by our living, we have made this world a little better, but Sam Noordhoff, through his perseverance, intelligence, sense of compassion . . . and faith, has made a fantastic difference in the world.

Samuel Noordhoff is an annual member of the UI Alumni Association.

Glenn Schaeffer, 77MFA, has earned a reputation as a renaissance executive whose substantial success in the business world has been equaled by his contributions to the literary world.

Schaeffers unlikely journey to the top of the hotel and resort industry has its roots in his years at Iowas Writers Workshop. According to his own story, a visiting novelist issued to him a professional warning that is often mentioned to aspiring writers: If you can do anything other than writing, do it.

Schaeffer took this advice to heart. After earning an M.F.A. in fiction writing in 1977, he entertained careers in finance and public relations before joining the hotel industry, where his intelligence, clear-sightedness, and imagination quickly yielded results. From his first job as corporate vice president for Ramada, he worked his way up to become the president and chief financial officer of the multibillion-dollar Mandalay Resort Group. In 2005, the year the Mandalay Bay Resort merged with MGM Mirage, the Mandalay Bay Resort Group rented one percent of all hotel nights in the U.S. With the merger, Schaeffer left the company and has now embarked upon the creation of a new multibillion-dollar hotel resort, the Fountainebleau.

As his worldly success has grown, Schaeffer has become a potent philanthropist in the national and international literary community. At the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, he established the International Institute of Modern Letters—also called the Black Mountain Institute—which promotes, translates, and protects international writers. In 2000, he established Las Vegas as the first U.S. City of Asylum, a refuge for writers who have had to leave their native countries. He has supported young writers worldwide, establishing the Schaeffer Fellowships to enable an exchange program designed to bring emerging American writers in contact with those of New Zealand.

Although his literary interests have taken him all over the world, Schaeffer has maintained his commitment to and respect for the Writers Workshop. He visits Iowa City regularly, has provided students with important opportunities through the Schaeffer Fellowships, and has made generous contributions to the Workshop Library.

Most significantly, Schaeffer is the primary donor for the new Glenn Schaeffer Library and Archives. This beautiful addition to the workshops existing home in the Dey House provides a wonderful space for creative and academic work, as well as a gathering place for community events such as the Writers Workshop Lecture Series.

Schaeffer also continues to pursue his love of literature and the arts in other important ways: he sits on the board of the National Poetry Series, is an avid collector of American minimalist paintings, and has a broad collection of first editions of American poetry, including many works by Walt Whitman, his favorite poet.

Says Writers Workshop director Lan Samantha Chang, Through his generosity that funds this beautiful space, Glenn Schaeffer has enhanced our program, and therefore the university, in a substantial way. All of us at the workshop feel proud of and grateful for his generosity, which enhances our position as the center for the best writing in the nation.

Schaeffer is a gold-level member of the UI Foundations Presidents Club.

Robert P. Stearns, 60BSCE, has made invaluable contributions to the field of environmental engineering at a time when preserving and protecting our natural resources has become one of the nations and the worlds foremost issues.

Since receiving his Iowa degree, Stearns has led two parallel and complementary careers based on his UI engineering education. A widely respected environmental engineer with expertise in the field of solid waste management, he is also a co-founder and chairman of SCS Engineers, an international environmental engineering consulting and contracting firm that has grown from three people in 1970 to more than 550 staff today. In 2006, the company earned revenues exceeding $100 million.

Stearns and SCS Engineers are widely recognized for applying engineering principles in designing facilities that protect the environment, safeguard worker health and safety, and minimize costs. Stearns has helped pioneer techniques and procedures that are now firmly established around the world, including automated refuse collection equipment and bioreactor landfills. His groundbreaking work also formed the basis for many standard industry practices for investigating and controlling sanitary landfill gas emissions, forecasting landfill gas generation rates, designing gas extraction systems, and constructing gas utilization facilities.

In addition to leading SCS Engineers to become one of the most highly regarded companies in his field, Stearns is known for his open and fair approach to business management. In 1986, he led in establishing an employee stock ownership plan for SCS Engineers; today, 100 percent of SCS stock is owned by its employees.

In recognition of Stearns important contributions to the field of environmental engineering, in 2003 he was inducted into the Environmental Industry Associations prestigious Hall of Fame. He is a diplomate of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers, past chairman and board member of the Environmental Research and Education Foundation (EREF), and a former board member of the Solid Waste Association of North America. In 2005, the UI College of Engineering honored Stearns as one of its Distinguished Engineering Alumni.

This proud UI graduate has maintained a strong interest in Iowa students through his generous support of the UI College of Engineering Student Leadership Institute, a bi-annual weekend retreat that exposes students to real-world leadership challenges, immerses them in hypothetical situations, and introduces them to successful leaders including distinguished UI alumni.

Stearns also believes in giving back to the community in other ways. He has been a strong supporter of the emerging participation by women in track and field sports competitions. He also participates in and contributes to educational and cultural foundations and associations in the Southern California area that he now calls home. In addition, through EREF, the Robert P. Stearns/SCS Engineers scholarship fund was established to provide support for college-level environmental engineers and scientists in the solid waste management field.

Through his reputation for excellence, his dynamic and creative approach to protecting the environment, the positive example he sets through his management style, and his significant contributions to his profession, the UI, and his community, Robert P. Stearns has demonstrated that he is one of the University of Iowas most distinguished alumni.

Stearns is a member of the UI Alumni Associations Directors Club Honor Circle.

Stephen L. Ummel, 65MA, is regarded as something of a miracle worker in the complex and challenging healthcare industry.

Born and raised in Iowa, Ummel came to the University of Iowa as a graduate student, earning his M.A. in hospital and health administration in 1965. He began his career as assistant administrator for Ohio Valley Hospital in Steubenville, Ohio, before moving on to become vice president for administration and chief operating officer of Rockford Memorial Hospital in Rockford, Illinois. In 1973, he returned to the UI as associate director and chief operating officer for University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC).

In this role, he provided exemplary support for John W. Colloton, UIHCs longtime executive director and CEO. Former UI president Willard Sandy Boyd says, In his professional career at the University of Iowa, Steve was a key partner with John Colloton in planning, funding, and accomplishing the rebuilding of UIHC. I consider that physical and funding accomplishment an administrative miracle.

Following subsequent positions as president and CEO at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Indiana, and Memorial Health Services in Long Beach, California, Ummel was appointed in 1989 as president and CEO of Lutheran General Health System (LGHS). One of Americas most highly regarded regional systems, LGHS includes more than 70 hospitals, clinics, and other service units throughout the Chicago area.

During Ummels six years in this role, his reputation as a successful leader grew steadily. His strategic thinking and leadership skills were pivotal in the consolidation of LGHS and the Evangelical Health System to create Advocate Health Care, which is now ranked consistently as one of Americas finest integrated healthcare systems.

In 1996, Ummel was recruited by Ernst & Young—one of the worlds largest consulting firms—to the newly created position of principal and national advisor on integrated delivery systems. Then, in 2003, Ummel was invited to join PricewaterhouseCoopers, which recruited him for a leadership role because of his unique balance of successful executive experience and proven consulting skills.

Despite the demands of his career, Ummel has maintained a strong commitment to higher education and to the University of Iowa. Since 1984, he has served as an adjunct faculty member in the UIs Department of Health Management and Policy in the College of Public Health, and as a founding member of the colleges board of advisors.

In addition, he has published numerous articles and given dozens of formal presentations on varied healthcare topics. For decades, he has served as preceptor for summer internships and post-graduate fellowships for students in health services administration, including UI graduates. As a mentor for many students starting out in his profession, Ummel is respected for his attentiveness and for his belief in honesty, integrity, and hard work.

Regarded as a transformative leader willing to challenge the status quo, Stephen Ummel has touched the lives of many people—from the patients he has helped to the students he has mentored. He clearly embodies the best of Iowa: a strong commitment to excellence, deeply held values, and a sincere interest in others.

Ummell is a bronze-level member of the UI Alumni Associations Old Capitol Club.

Thomas Jefferson T. J. Anderson is regarded as one of the most important American composers of our time for his ability to create music that transcends national, cultural, and ethnic boundaries, melding classical Eastern and Western traditions with the modern African-American experience.

Born in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, Anderson pursued an undergraduate degree in music from West Virginia State College and a masters degree from Pennsylvania State University. He attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and then came to the University of Iowa to study composition with professors Philip Bezanson and Richard Hervig and to complete his Ph.D. degree.

After graduating from Iowa, Anderson taught music at Langston University and Tennessee State University. In 1968, celebrated music director Robert Shaw selected him to serve as composer-in-residence with the Atlanta Symphony. In 1972, the same year he would embark on an almost 20-year academic career at Tufts University, Anderson achieved international acclaim for his orchestration of Scott Joplins opera, Treemonisha, which was premiered by Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony.

Anderson has published more than 80 works that include operas, symphonies, and other orchestra works, band music, choral pieces, and chamber music. Renowned musical organizations and artists, including the Symphony of the New World in New York, the American Wind Symphony, the Cantata Singers in Massachusetts, Harvard Musical Association, Yo Yo Ma, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, and Chanticleer, have commissioned Anderson to compose music featuring his trademark rhythmic complexity and instrumental color.

Anderson has also received grants for commissions from leading cultural institutions such as the Fromm Music Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the ASCAP Foundation, and Meet the Composer.

After a long and distinguished academic career, Anderson retired in 1990 as the Austin Fletcher Professor of Music Emeritus at Tufts University, where he served as chair of the department for eight years. As a lecturer, consultant, and visiting composer, he has appeared throughout the U.S., Brazil, Germany, France, and Switzerland. He has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire and at the National Humanities Center, as well as a scholar-in-resident at the Rockefeller Foundations study and conference center in Bellagio, Italy.

Among Andersons many awards and accolades are six honorary doctorates, a Guggenheim fellowship, honorary membership in Phi Beta Kappa, a distinguished alumni award from Penn State University, and a distinguished achievement award from the National Association of Negro Musicians. In 2005, Anderson was the only composer elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Anderson presently lives in North Carolina, where he continues to compose full time. He has retained a strong connection to the UI and, this fall, as part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the School of Music, he will return to Iowa City to present master classes and meet-the-composer sessions. While on campus, Anderson will also attend a premiere concert of an orchestral work commissioned from him by the School of Music. In celebrating its history and legacy, its only fitting that the School of Music should turn to one of its most distinguished alumni.

Marvin Bell, 63MFA, is a poet of international stature and a key contributor to the widespread fame of the UIs creative writing program.

Having graduated from the Iowa Writers Workshop in 1963, Bell returned to teach from 1965 until his retirement in 2005, inspiring generations of poets to find their own voices and confidence as writers. His former students have published more than 200 books, receiving all the major book awards, and three have won Pulitzer Prizes.

A prolific poet with a lifelong habit of always writing the assignments he gives his students, Bell has garnered worldwide attention and critical acclaim for his 18 volumes of poetry and essays. He has received the Lamont Award from the Academy of American Poets, an award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the American Poetry Reviews Shestack Prize, has won Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, and has held Senior Fulbright appointments to Yugoslavia and Australia. His poems have appeared in every major periodical, from the New Yorker to the Atlantic Monthly, and are included in nearly every anthology of the most important poets of the 20th century.

Christopher Merrill, director of the UI International Writing Program, says, Marvin has revealed himself to be not only a poet of depth and grace, who has at his command an astonishing array of formal strategies, techniques, and gifts, but also a relentless explorer&. His concerns—emotional, aesthetic, philosophical—are wide-ranging, as befits his restless imagination. He is by turns a prophet and a comic, a singer and a wise man&.

Respected also for his thoughtful, gentle demeanor as a lecturer and educator, Bell has given readings all over the world, including the White House during the Carter administration, the Library of Congress, and the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC—as well as in Ireland, France, the Czech Republic, Yugoslavia, Australia, and Canada.

He is equally at home reading for the Academy of American Poets or talking with readers at the Iowa City Public Library—where a poem of his written for the expansion of the library hangs near the entrance. In addition to teaching for Iowa, he has taught at scores of writers festivals and conferences. Selected to be the State of Iowas first poet laureate in 2000, Bell was reappointed in 2002 to a second term.

Another part of his literary legacy took shape in 2000, when Bell helped establish an annual workshop for inner-city public-school teachers who serve as after-school poetry coaches for the America SCORES program. Each summer, 20 or so SCORES teachers arrive in Iowa City for the Urban Teachers Workshop. They return to their colleagues armed with inspiration and methods for using poetry writing to foster confidence and imagination.

Well known to the international literary community, Marvin Bell has achieved the stature of one of the great poets of his generation. In addition, he has enriched the lives of his students and colleagues at the University of Iowa. In the words of UI President David Skorton, Marvin Bells service to the UI and to the State runs long and deep.

Greg Ganske, 72BA, 76MD, possesses an exceptional record as a reconstructive surgeon, but his public service as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives is equally commendable and notable.

Born in New Hampton, Iowa, Ganske completed a B.A. degree in political science at the UI in 1972 and an M.D. degree from the UIs Carver College of Medicine in 1976. He continued his postdoctoral medical training at the University of Colorado Medical Center in Denver, Colorado, the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center in Portland, Oregon (from which he later received a distinguished alumni award), and Harvard Medical School, where he trained in plastic surgery.

For more than a decade, Ganske ran a highly successful practice as a reconstructive surgeon in Des Moines before reconnecting with his earlier passion for political science. In 1995, he successfully campaigned to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowas Fourth District—identifying himself by campaigning throughout the state in a beige 1958 De Soto—and served the state in this position from 1994 to 2003. In 1999, Congressional Quarterly named him one of the 50 most effective members of Congress.

Ganskes change in career is both laudable and significant. As health issues continue to take greater prominence in our national life, it is becoming increasingly necessary for the voices of health experts to inform and advise policy-making.

As a representative, Ganske used his medical expertise to promote patients rights and to advance other aspects of healthcare reform. He cosponsored a bill to provide funding for health care and support services for those with the AIDS/HIV virus; he appeared with Vice President Al Gore in a Des Moines-area forum on Iowas growing methamphetamine problem; and he helped pass legislation to provide improved access to healthcare and prescription medication for the poor, the elderly, and for women.

The scope of his work went far beyond the field of health care; throughout his time as a lawmaker, Ganske tackled the nations most pressing issues—from the costs of higher education to renewable energy to the threat of bioterrorism—with unmistakable sincerity and dedication.

Ganske has received numerous awards and honors recognizing his efforts on behalf of many of the important constituencies he served during his distinguished career. These include a Friend of the Farmer Award from American Farm Bureau, a Citizens Against Government Wastes Taxpayers Hero Award, an Iowa Hospitals and Health Systems Coalition for Fairness in Medicare Award, a Leadership in Advocacy for Childrens Health Award from the National Association of Childrens Hospitals, and a United Seniors Associations Guardian of Medicare Award.

In 1997, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society named him its Representative of the Year, and a year later, the American Medical Association honored him with its prestigious Nathan Davis Award for outstanding government service. In 2003, Ganske returned to private practice as a reconstructive surgeon in Des Moines.

Through his dedicated and exemplary efforts as a physician and a lawmaker, Greg Ganske has brought distinction to the University of Iowa and earned the gratitude and respect of countless patients and citizens.

Ganske is a life member of the UI Alumni Association.

Tom Gelman, 78JD, does more than practice law in his hometown of Iowa City. For many years, he has employed his careful analysis and gentle wit in many volunteer capacities in service to the University of Iowa and other community organizations.

A West High alumnus, Gelman pursued a B.A. degree in social sciences at Harvard University, graduating with honors in 1975, before returning to Iowa to pursue a degree from the UI College of Law. Despite a demanding and successful law practice with the Iowa City law firm of Phelan, Tucker, Mullen, Walker, Tucker & Gelman, he has generously volunteered both his time and his expertise to the University of Iowa.

As a member of the University of Iowa Alumni Association (UIAA) board of directors for seven years, he contributed his considerable insight and understanding. He helped lead the association to reorganize its board of directors into a more efficient body and establish a strategic planning process that continues to provide a blueprint for effective decision-making.

In a professional capacity, he serves as the University of Iowa Foundations legal counsel, while he also volunteered as a campaign leader for the foundations Hancher Auditorium Enrichment Fund. As one of only two non-university members, he represented alumni on the last UI presidential search advisory committee. He also shares his law expertise at an annual seminar for retiring university employees and as an occasional lecturer for the UI College of Law. Most recently, he appeared as a guest speaker in the Philanthropy and Law course and presented at one of the colleges continuing education programs.

His volunteerism and professionalism have earned Gelman respect and gratitude from all levels of the university community. Outside the UI, Gelman has selflessly served the broader community. Some of his current and previous volunteer activities include working with the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, the Iowa City Public Library, the United Way of Johnson County, the Community Leadership Program, the Mercy Hospital Advisory Board, the Visiting Nurse Association of Johnson County, and the Johnson County Heritage Trust. In recognition of his 23 years of volunteer service to such organizations, the Iowa State Bar Association honored Gelman with a Community Service Award in 2001.

Gelman was also named Friend of the Year by the Iowa City Public Library and awarded the librarys Volunteer Recognition Award for his service, including two years as president of the board of trustees. He has also been honored with a Sam Walton Community Leader Award for his exceptional service to the community, respect for his employees, and dedication to customer service.

The Loren Hickerson Distinguished Alumni Award commemorates the UIs first full-time alumni director and a true champion of Iowa. In his dedication to the University of Iowa, the UI Alumni Association, and the greater Iowa City community, Tom Gelman admirably carries forward Loren Hickersons legacy of generous and dedicated service.

Gelman is a member of the UI Alumni Associations Old Capitol Club and the UI Foundations Presidents Club.

Russell and Ann Gerdin have left an indelible mark on the University of Iowa for their commitment to the institution and, in particular, its student athletes.

As founder, president, and chief executive officer of one of Iowas most successful businesses, the Coralville-based trucking company Heartland Express—named one of Americas 200 best small companies by Forbes magazine in ten of the last 13 years—Russ Gerdin has generously shared his own achievement to help ensure the future success of UI students. A former teacher, Ann Gerdin continues to make a difference in the lives of students and others through her philanthropic and community service efforts.

Those familiar with the UIs efforts to ensure that its students-athletes have access to the best possible education are well aware of the Gerdins primary legacy to date on the UI campus: the Russell and Ann Gerdin Athletic Learning Center, which the couple made possible with a leadership gift of $4 million.

To ensure that the universitys commitment to preparing young people for meaningful careers remains front and center, the privately financed, state-of-the-art Gerdin Center—opened in 2003 with a library, tutorial spaces, computer laboratory, and more—enables the UI Athletic Student Services office to fully integrate the athletic and academic development of more than 600 Hawkeye studentathletes each year.

The Gerdins have long combined their commitment to education with their love for the Iowa Hawkeyes. In addition to their extraordinary gift for the learning center, the couple made a $1 million commitment to support the UI Athletics Hall of Fame and have given annually to the UI athletics scholarship fund for more than 20 years.

Director of UI Athletics Bob Bowlsby notes, The quality of our athletics program relies upon first-rate student-athletes who are as strong academically as they are athletically. Russell and Anns gift for the learning center has enabled us to focus even more on the athletic development of our young people and offer potential recruits the best of what the university has to offer. The Gerdins gifts for the learning center and the Hall of Fame are far-reaching, as they touch each and every student athlete who enrolls at the University of Iowa.

The Gerdins' other philanthropic interests are a testament to their belief in the power of education to transform society for the better. Recipients of their generosity include Iowa State University, where the Gerdin Business Building houses the business college; Russs alma mater, Minnesota State University; and various local community initiatives. They have also provided more than $2 million toward the educational pursuits of Heartland employees and their children.

With the Russell and Ann Gerdin Athletic Learning Center, the Gerdin name will be forever connected to academic and athletic excellence at the University of Iowa. Even more important, however, is that the Gerdins hearts are with the UI as it pursues its vital mission of educating the young people who will become future leaders in Iowa and beyond. True Hawkeyes—and true friends of the university—the Gerdins are clearly deserving of this Distinguished Alumni Award.

Russ and Ann Gerdin are members of the UI Presidents Club.

Shanto Iyengar, 71MA, 72PhD, is one of the worlds leading scholars on the relationship between media and politics. During his distinguished career as a professor, author, and speaker, he has earned the respect both of experts in the field and a broad popular audience.

After coming to the United States in 1966 to pursue his chosen field of study, Iyengar quickly distinguished himself. Already the recipient of a bachelors degree in his native India, he completed an American undergraduate degree at Linfield College in Oregon. In 1968, when he entered the UI graduate program in political science, he impressed his professors as an outstanding student.

After graduating from Iowa, Iyengar became a member of the political science faculty at Kansas State until 1980, when he was drawn to Yale University by a postdoctoral fellowship to study political psychology. He taught at Yale and SUNY-Stony Brook before UCLA recruited him in the late 1980s. Stanford University approached him a decade later, and Iyengar now holds senior positions in the political science department, which is ranked second in the country by U.S. News & World Report, and in the Department of Communication, where he is Chandler Chair in Communication and director of the Political Communication Lab.

Considered one of the top political scientists in the nation, Iyengar has published in all of the major journals in this field and received the prestigious Murray Edelman Lifetime Career Award from the American Political Science Association. In addition to this area of expertise, he is viewed as a pioneer in the field of political communication. His achievement in these two areas represents no small triumph in an age of high professional specialization.

Iyengar has published six books and countless academic articles. His work on the effects of negative campaign advertisements in American politics, Going Negative: How Political Advertisements Shrink and Polarize the Electorate, has not only gained widespread attention, but also contributed an important voice in the national debate on the subject. Another book that garnered international attention, Is Anyone Responsible?: How Television Frames Political Issues, appeared in paperback and was reprinted in a Spanish edition.

These works, and many others, are examples of how Iyengars writing combines high standards of scholarship even as it grapples with the most pressing questions our nation and world face about the nature of contemporary politics. His research has been supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the National Science Foundation.

While Iyengar has undoubtedly made his mark in the elite academic world, he has maintained strong ties with the University of Iowa and the Department of Political Science. He regularly collaborates with faculty and graduates from Iowa, returns to offer seminars, helps UI graduates in their careers, and generally remains extraordinarily loyal to the university.

In Iowa and much farther afield, Shanto Iyengar is recognized for his impressive service as a teacher and for his invaluable contributions to the national and international discussion of media and politics.

David Milch, 70MFA, is known across America for his involvement in creating some of the most groundbreaking television programs of the past two decades, including Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue.

A native of Buffalo, New York, Milch received a B.A. degree in English from Yale University in 1966 before pursuing an M.FA. degree at the Iowa Writers Workshop. In 1982, while a lecturer in English literature at Yale University, Milch began to dabble in screenwriting. The premiere episode he wrote for Hill Street Blues third season won an Emmy, a Writers Guild Award, and a Humanitas Prize.

The success of his first script marked the end of Milchs time in academia and the beginning of a career in dramatic television. He spent five seasons with Hill Street Blues, first as executive story editor and subsequently as executive producer. During that time, he earned two more Writers Guild Awards, a second Humanitas prize, and another Emmy.

In the 1980s, Milch worked on two other series, Beverly Hills Buntz and Capital News, but it was in 1992 that he helped make television history. He co-created the police drama NYPD Blue, which set a record by garnering 26 Emmy nominations in its premier season. The show went on to win the award for Best Drama Series in 1994-1995, while Milch took home Emmys for Best Writing in a Drama for the 1996-1997 and 1997-1998 seasons. The first season of this hard-hitting police drama also earned him a Humanitas Prize and an Edgar Allan Poe Award for screenwriting.

While still involved in NYPD Blue, the prolific writer created another police drama, Brooklyn South, co-authored True Blue: The Real Stories Behind NYPD Blue, and served as creative consultant for Steven Bochcos Murder One and Total Security television shows.

Since forming his own production company, Redboard Productions, the Workshop graduate has co-created two new series: 2001s Big Apple, a drama surrounding the FBI in New York City, and the highly popular and somewhat controversial Deadwood series launched on HBO in 2003. In a departure from dramatic, contemporary police dramas, Deadwood is set in the violence- and profanity-filled American Wild West of the late 19th century. The program received 11 Emmy and two Golden Globe Awards nominations in its debut season—and continues to garner a large, faithful following among viewers and critics alike.

Well-known writer and director and fellow UI alumnus Nicholas Meyer, 68BA, says, There can be no doubt that the teleplays of David Milch have significantly altered the contemporary American cultural landscape—for the better. Not content to replicate and recapitulate the reassuring pap designed to keep the nation infantalized, Milch. . .has found favor with audiences by providing and unsettling them with stories and characters for whom there are no easy solutions.

One of the universitys most creative and accomplished alumni, Milch dares audiences to rise above the facile and the superficial. His unflinching artistic vision may eschew the comforting glow of rose-tinted glasses, but David Milch offers compelling insights into the human condition.

Ronald Ross, 75MS, 75MD, is a pioneering researcher whose breakthroughs in understanding the causes and prevention of cancer bring hope to sufferers of this dreaded disease.

Chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California—the nations highest-ranking preventive medicine department in terms of National Institutes of Health funding—and deputy director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ross has blended a professional and research education that began at the University of Iowa into a highly productive and internationally recognized research career.

Born in Muscatine, Iowa, Ross earned a bachelors degree at Rutgers University and then returned to his native state to attend graduate school at the University of Iowa. There, in 1975, he received both his medical degree and his masters in preventive medicine and environmental health. After a year-long fellowship in cancer epidemiology at the UI, he headed west to begin a remarkable 30-year career at the University of Southern California (USC).

Ross joined USC as an instructor in what was then the Department of Community and Family Medicine and took up a succession of increasingly senior positions. Since 1987, he has also served as director of the Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Cancer Surveillance Program, a leader in conducting population-based studies of disease and evaluating demographic patterns of cancer risk.

Ross is now one of USCs top-funded faculty members, attracting research grants, kudos, and awards from the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Center for Environmental Health Sciences. Through his research and more than 300 scientific publications, he has greatly advanced our understanding of cancer.

In particular, Ross is a leading expert in hormone-related cancers, especially of the breast, ovary, endometrium, and prostate. He correctly predicted the potential chronic health risks faced by women who are prescribed hormone replacement therapy, and he was the first researcher to demonstrate that regular use of permanent hair dyes is a strong risk factor for bladder cancer in women. Some of his current research projects aim to prevent prostate cancer by blocking the activity of an enzyme, to determine why certain high-risk populations have lower incidences of bladder cancer, and to help scientists in China identify dietary causes of cancer in their country.

Such far-reaching work has garnered international acclaim, including an award from the International Union Against Cancer, and invitations to teach and study at universities in England, Australia, and Japan. At home and abroad, though, Ross is appreciated for far more than his scientific excellence. Colleagues and peers speak highly of him as an inspirational role model, mentor, and leader who displays integrity and high ethical standards.

Ross is also generous with his time and expertise, having served as an advisor to several cancer and research programs. At his alma mater, he put his expertise in cancer prevention to valuable use as a member of the UIHCs Holden Cancer Comprehensive Center External Advisory Committee. Currently, he is a member of the board of advisors for the College of Public Health, which in 2004 awarded him its Outstanding Alumni of the College Award.

Through his passion and commitment to legions of cancer sufferers, to his alma mater, and to scientific research, Ronald Ross has demonstrated that he is one of the University of Iowas most distinguished alumni.

Jerome K. Sherman, 54PhD, who is known as the father of cryobiology for his pioneering research in the cryopreservation of semen, has offered hope to hundreds of thousands of couples who might not otherwise have been able to conceive. In addition, his groundbreaking work has served as the model for tissue preservation throughout the world.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Sherman completed an A.B. degree in biology from Brown University in 1947 and an M.S. degree in the same discipline from Western Reserve University in 1949. He received a Ph.D. in zoology in 1954 from the University of Iowa. As a doctoral student, Sherman discovered and described a then-controversial technique for freezing and storing human semen. In 1953, he established the worlds first human semen cryobank in Iowa City, from which the first human birth with cryopreserved semen was realized.

Four years later, Sherman joined the faculty in the anatomy department at the University of Arkansas College of Medicine, where he led a long and distinguished career until his retirement in 1992. As a teacher and mentor, Sherman was highly respected for his personal commitment to excellence and his first-class communication and follow-through with his students and colleagues. Recognized by his peers for his thoughtfulness and fairness, he was elected president of the faculty senate.

Throughout the years, Sherman continued his scholarly research in conjunction with a wide range of medical and graduate students, exchange scholars, and visiting faculty; thus, he trained hundreds of colleagues throughout the world. He also developed standards for safe and efficient clinical semen cryobanks. Upon his retirement, he was honored with a Distinguished Faculty Award from the University of Arkansas College of Medicine.

Now an emeritus professor, Sherman has remained active as a consultant on the national and international levels in both the scientific and the operational aspects of semen cryobanking, appearing as an expert witness at various court trials related to required standards of practice. His work continues to have a far-reaching effect in the medical world, as todays methods of organ transplantation, bone marrow transplantation, and vaccine/viral preparation are based on his original work. Such were the high standards he set in the early days of this technology that many of his techniques and methodologies are still followed.

Shermans energy, winning personality, and strong commitment to humankind are also reflected in his service to the community. At age 17, during World War II, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, earned a commission, and served on destroyers in the Pacific. As a retired lieutenant (Commander), Sherman continued a lifelong commitment to servicemen and their families by working as a volunteer at veterans hospitals. From 1989 through 2005, he received the Outstanding Service Award from the Veterans Administration for this work.

Sherman and his wife, Hildegard, are also recognized as leaders in a wide variety of programs for disadvantaged children, racial and religious reconciliation and understanding, and prevention of poverty. At the University of Arkansas, Sherman received the Faculty Volunteer Service Award for his numerous community activities. In addition, he has been a vigorous leader in Boy Scouts of America, the Jewish War Veterans organization, and the Lions Club.

Jerome Sherman serves as a leader and a source of inspiration not only in the field of scientific endeavors but also in his unwavering commitment to humanitarian service.

Sherman is a life member of the UI Alumni Association.

Luther H. Smith, 50BSME, has fought for racial equality in the skies of war-torn Europe and in his peacetime career in America.

As a young boy, Smith dreamed of becoming a pilot—at a time when few blacks had managed to breach the color barrier and enter the field of aviation. So, in 1938, Smith enrolled at the University of Iowa to study engineering, hoping to join the ranks of the countrys military pilots. Two years into his studies, World War II began. Rather than integrate troops, the government formed all-black military units, including the much-lauded Tuskegee Airmen, which Smith joined in 1942.

Between July 1944 and May 1945, the famed troop flew 200 escort missions over nine European countries without the loss of a single bomber to enemy aircraft—a feat that remains an astonishing achievement.

Based in Italy, Captain Smith flew 133 missions and is credited with destroying two enemy aircraft. On his final mission in October 1944, his plane was hit over Yugoslavia. Against all odds, Smith managed to free himself from his burning aircraft and open his parachute—although he sustained severe injuries to his hip and foot.

Smith was captured by German soldiers and endured two years in hospital and prison camps. By the time Allied soldiers liberated him in May 1945, he weighed just 70 pounds. Back in the U.S., he spent another two years in the hospital before being released, his injured leg seven inches shorter than the other. His flying career over, Smith retired at the age of 27 as a captain and a war hero.

Smith then returned to the UI and completed a degree in mechanical engineering in 1950, going on, despite continuing racism, to a long and successful career as an aerospace engineer with General Electric. In the years until his retirement in 1988, he published numerous papers, was awarded two patents, and was frequently called upon by the Department of Defense and defense-related agencies for special assignments. He earned an M.E. degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1977.

Smith represented the U.S. Army Air Corps as one of seven WWII veterans selected by President Clinton to attend the 50th anniversary V-E celebration trip to the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, and Russia. He also served on the evaluation board that selected the WWII memorial on the Mall in Washington, DC, and was instrumental in the establishment of a memorial to the Tuskegee Airmen.

A member of the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame, Smith has received countless honors for his service to his country and for his success in the field of engineering: the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters, a Purple Heart, European and Mediterranean Theaters Campaign Ribbons, a Prisoner of War Medal, the Franklin W. Kolk Aerospace Industry Award from the Society of Automotive Engineers, and election to the UI Distinguished Engineering Alumni Academy.

Now, the University of Iowa is proud to add another medal to that collection. This Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes Luther Smiths courageous wartime service, his outstanding career, and his significant contributions to racial equality in this country.

Gary J. Streit, 75JD, is recognized as one of the best taxation and employee benefits lawyers in America, but perhaps his most rewarding and inspirational service takes place outside his profession.

For three decades, the native of Sibley, Iowa, has dedicated his time and energy to numerous nonprofit organizations, perhaps most significantly in helping the American Cancer Society (ACS) prevent cancer, save lives, and diminish suffering.

Since earning a B.S. degree in industrial administration from Iowa State University in 1972 and his J.D. from the University of Iowa in 1975, Streit has enjoyed a successful career as an attorney at Shuttleworth & Ingersoll in Cedar Rapids, where he has served since 2002 as president of the firm. For the past 16 years, Streit has been listed in the Best Lawyers in America, and he is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, an honor extended only to the countrys most accomplished trust and estate lawyers.

Even as he has achieved three decades of dedicated service to the law profession, Streit has contributed to the betterment of humanity through his work for the American Cancer Society. He has selflessly served at the local, regional, state, and national levels on ACS committees almost too numerous to count—including as president of the Iowa Division of ACS, the first president of the societys Midwest Division, and chair or vice-chair of many national committees and workgroups. He also founded the societys sister advocacy organization, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

Streit has been a member of the ACS national assembly since 1991 and a member of the national board of directors since 1998. After being elected chair of the latter organization in 2003, he put his remarkable leadership skills and energy to good use on the national and international level, leading an ACS delegation to China in 2004.

Streit has been recognized through numerous awards for his volunteer efforts, including the Community Service Award from the Iowa State Bar Association, a Citation of Achievement from the Iowa State University College of Business, the ACS Outstanding Division Volunteer Award in 1989, and the ACSs Saint George Medal in 1992.

Streit also willingly commits his considerable energy and expertise to many other charitable and civic organizations, as well as the University of Iowa. He has served as a prolific volunteer lecturer at UI College of Law continuing legal education seminars (having made presentations at 19 programs), and he has helped arrange funding from his law firm to host a cookout before a football game each year for several hundred alumni and friends of the UI College of Law.

A friend who notes Streits integrity, energy, and compassion says that this distinguished alumnuss middle name could well be Service. Indeed, as a volunteer and leader, Gary J. Streit truly exemplifies the University of Iowas ethos of service to others.

Streit is a life member of the UI Alumni Association and an associate member of the UI Presidents Club.

Ruth Van Roekel McGregor, 64BA, 65MA, has devoted her life to the law, bringing to it qualities of calm, practicality, and fairness derived from her Iowa roots. Recognized as one of the leading judges in the nation, McGregor was appointed as Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court in 2005.

A native of Manson, Iowa, McGregor graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. degree in communication and theater studies from the University of Iowa in 1964. She then pursued an M.A. degree in the same discipline at Iowa before completing a J.D. degree from Arizona State University College of Law in 1974—where she graduated summa cum laude and received the Armstrong Award as the outstanding graduate. In 1998, she was awarded an LL.M. degree from the University of Virginia.

McGregor worked in a private law practice for 15 years with the Phoenix law firm of Fennemore Craig, one of Arizonas largest and most respected firms. She interrupted a very successful labor and employment practice to accept a one-year judicial clerkship with United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day OConnor when OConnor joined the Supreme Court in 1981.

McGregor returned to private practice for seven years before becoming a member of the Arizona Court of Appeals from 1989 to 1998, serving as Chief Judge from 1995 to 1997. She has been a member of the Arizona Supreme Court since 1998.

In 2005, McGregor was honored as the second-ever recipient of the American Judicature Societys Dwight D. Opperman Award for Judicial Excellence. The award was presented on September 19, 2005, at a ceremony presided over by McGregors friend and mentor, Justice OConnor.

McGregors distinguished career on the bench has also been reflected in her exemplary history of public service. She has been active in the Arizona Judicial Council for the past 15 years and is currently serving her second term as a council member. She is a member of the Arizona Judges Association and served as its president in 1993 and 1994. She has been a member of the National Association of Women Judges since 1990, serving six years on its executive committee and two years as vice president, and she has also contributed her skills on behalf of the American Inns of Court Foundation and the Arizona Inns of Court.

McGregor has shared her considerable wisdom and experience on the international level, too. As a member of the American Bar Association, she has been a participating member of the Central and East European Law Initiative since 1991, including two tours in Lithuania to help that countrys parliament draft a constitution and restructure its judicial system. She also served as a member of a training seminar for members of the Constitutional Court of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In addition to being noted for her intellect, integrity, and non-partisan approach to law, Justice McGregor is well respected and loved by many in her field, who praise her warmth, generosity, humanity, empathy, and mischievous sense of humor.

The University of Iowa is proud to recognize Ruth Van Roekel McGregor for her distinguished legal career that bestows so much credit upon this institution and this state.

Jude West, 69PhD, is professor emeritus of the UIs Henry B. Tippie College of Business, where he is recognized as a superb teacher knowledgeable in all areas of organizational operations. For more than 40 years, he has also quietly assisted dozens of troubled university departments and units with his gift for mediation, counseling, crisis intervention, and negotiation.

Originally from Chicago, West received a B.A. degree in philosophy from the University of Saint Mary of the Lake in 1953 and an M.B.A. degree from the University of Chicago in 1961. After working briefly as the director of education for Motorola, West came to the UI in 1963 to serve as programdirector of the Bureau of Labor and Management in the College of Business and to pursue a Ph.D. degree in social foundation of education, which he completed in 1969. He has worked for and with the University of Iowa ever since.

As a professor, West is known for treating his students as colleagues, respecting their opinions while he helps them learn. In 1998, he was recognized by Business Week magazine as one of the six most popular M.B.A. professors at the UI, and he was invited to give the commencement address to B.B.A. graduates in 1994.

Because of his expertise in conflict management in the business setting, West has been called upon to serve as a campus mediator and has frequently helped resolve conflict issues within and among departments and units on campus. The contributions he has made to the university in this role, often in response to requests from UI presidents, are incalculable. West has clearly proven his integrity and trustworthiness—and earned the respect of many across the campus—as he has helped to bring these critical issues to resolution.

While West officially retired from teaching in 2001, he became co-director with president emeritus Willard Sandy Boyd of the Larned A. Waterman Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center in 2002. In that role, he has assisted the Endow Iowa program at the state level, taught short courses on nonprofit organizations throughout the state, and pioneered a very successful Nonprofit Organizational Effectiveness class—bringing together some 22 different faculty members to make it happen.

Wests work has been recognized with numerous awards and honors. He was named a Friend of Systems Unlimited for his long years of service to that organization; he received the Ruth Becker Award for Outstanding Contribution to The Arc of Johnson County; and he was given an Isabel Turner Award by the Iowa City Human Rights Commission. In 2000, he received the universitys Michael J. Brody Award for Faculty Excellence in Service; and in 1985, he earned a Hancher-Finkbine Medallion for learning, leadership, and loyalty from the UI.

As a highly respected and admired faculty member, whose dedicated decades of service have improved the lives of so many, Jude West richly deserves this award. Throughout his career, he has made countless friends for the university—in Iowa and beyond.

West is a member of the UI Alumni Associations Old Capitol Club.

Albert Bandura, 51MA, 52PhD, is one of the most eminent psychologists of our time, having been recently ranked in the Review of General Psychology among the top psychologists of the 20th century—fourth only to B. F. Skinner, Jean Piaget, and Sigmund Freud.

Bandura is known as psychologys most cited contributor for his many influential theories, innovative experimental research programs, and significant applications of that wisdom to practical domains. His brilliant scholarship has been an invaluable resource for academics, practitioners, and public policymakers.

Best known as a leading proponent of Social Learning Theory, Bandura has influenced many areas of psychology, from psychotherapy and behavior modification, to the fields of medicine and criminology and the roots of aggression. His Social Cognitive Theory is regarded as one of the most powerful and frequently quoted formulations ever developed. It is recognized by psychologists and other social scientists and educators throughout the world.

Banduras original insights into the links between mind, behavior, environment, and culture are having an enormous impact through their translation into social action, and he has contributed to public television programs around the globe that are promoting personal and society-wide changes that are bettering peoples lives.

The David Starr Jordan Professor of Social Science in Psychology at Stanford University, Bandura holds honorary degrees from Penn State and Indiana University, as well as a dozen other universities in this country and abroad.

A direct indication of Banduras far-reaching impact is the phenomenal number of his scholarly articles that have come to be considered major works in the field; his original paper on self-efficacy and its role in performance, psychopathology, and personality development has been cited nearly 5,000 times. His publications have been translated into several languages, attesting to the importance of his work on an international scale.

Among his many awards and accolades, he is the recipient of the William James Award of the American Psychological Society and the Thorndike Award for Distinguished Contributions of Psychology to Education. The American Psychological Association honored Bandura for his work with its Outstanding Lifetime Contribution Award in 2004. He has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.

Bandura served as president of the American Psychological Association in 1974 and chair of the board of directors of the American Psychological Association from 1972 to 1976. He was president of the Western Psychological Association in 1980, honorary president of the Canadian Psychological Association in 1999, and has served on numerous other national and international boards and committees in his field.

Bandura has brought distinction to the University of Iowa, most particularly to the Department of Psychology. For his unparalleled career as one of psychologys premier theorists, scholars, researchers, and social reformers, the UI Alumni Association is proud to present him with this Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award.

James A. Dixon, 52BM, 56MA, chose to lead the majority of his career from his position as conductor of the University of Iowa Symphony Orchestra, a post he held for 40 years. Focused always on the music and showing a remarkable empathy for the musicians under his baton, Dixon, now an emeritus professor, has brought national attention to Iowas School of Music and made this region a center for American orchestral music.

In addition, Dixon served for 29 years as music director and conductor of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, retiring from that position in 1994. He is widely credited with building the Quad City Symphony Orchestra into an ensemble of musical distinction that is respected to this day for the innovation of its programming and unquestionable artistic integrity.

Born in Estherville, Iowa, and raised in Guthrie Center, Dixon studied privately for nine years with his friend and mentor, the renowned Greek conductor, pianist, and composer Dimitri Mitropoulos. It was when he returned to his home state that Dixons musical life crystallized. When he was awarded the Ditson Conductors Award for 1980 by Columbia University, the presentation included the following words: You were born, nurtured, and educated in this part of our countrys heartland. After whatever sojourns&you have returned. At a time when it is tempting to identify conductors by their rootlessness and their ability to be on two continents at the same time&your centeredness is becoming.

One of the proudest moments for the UI Symphony and the University of Iowa came in 1976, when the International Society for Contemporary Music met for the first time in the U.S. The society selected just three orchestras from across the country to perform the extensive program of new works, and the UI Symphony was one of these. Seiji Ozawa, world-renowned conductor of the Boston Symphony, gave the UI Symphony further recognition following its performance, when he commended its excellence.

A great part of Dixons achievement came as the result of earning the highest admiration and respect of his orchestra members through his musical sensitivity and talent, self-discipline, and warm personality. Many attribute his success as a conductor to his ability to inspire his musicians to want to perform well.

Through his long career, Dixon won countless awards recognizing his significant contributions to the field of music, from the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Medal in 1955, given to the finest young artist of the year for conducting, to the Gustav Mahler Medal in 1963, to a 1978 Laurel Leaf Award from the American Composers Alliance in New York, to several honorary doctorates awarded in the 1980s. He has mentored more than 30 conducting students and conducted world premieres of nearly 40 new works.

A life member of the University of Iowa Alumni Association and a member of the UI Foundations Presidents Club, Dixon has contributed greatly to the cultural life of his alma mater, his state, and beyond. For his complete commitment to an outstanding career as a musician and educator, he is most deserving of the UIAA Distinguished Faculty/Staff Award.

Nolden I. Gentry, Jr., 60BA, 64JD, has proven time and again in his life that he is a man to be counted on.

In 1955, when Rockford West High School played Elgin for the Illinois basketball title, it was Nolden Gentry who tipped in the victory basket in the final seconds of the game. Gentry was a natural on the court and considered playing pro basketball before pursuing a J.D. degree in the UI College of Law, which he completed in 1964.

Teacher and mentor Willard Sandy Boyd recalls that Gentry was outstanding in every respect. Nonetheless, it was a difficult time for black professionals. Deterred by the lack of opportunities for black lawyers after graduating from Iowa in the 1960s, Gentry began his legal career as a special agent for the F.B.I. A year later, he was hired as an assistant attorney general for the State of Iowa. Today, the Rockford, Illinois, native is an attorney and shareholder with the Des Moines law firm of Brick, Gentry, Bowers, Swartz, Stoltze, Schuling & Levis.

Gentry has served the university and state with distinction through his private law practice and as a citizen deeply committed to civic matters, and he has been recognized in return with several awards and honors. In 1997, he was awarded the UIs Hancher/Finkbine Medallion. He has also been honored by the Des Moines Chapter of Links, the Des Moines Human Rights Commission, and the Des Moines National Conference for Community and Justice.

Gentry was a member of the University of Iowa Foundation Board from 1973 to 1976 and rejoined the board in 2004. He is a lifetime honorary director of the Iowa Law School Foundation and serves on the board of directors of the National I-Club and the UI Black Alumni Association.

A longtime financial supporter of the University of Iowa, he made his first gift to the Iowa Law School Foundation in 1963. Since then, he and his wife, Barbara J. Gentry, have been consistent and generous supporters of the Iowa College of Law and of UI Athletics.

Gentry has contributed greatly to the civic life of Iowa. He has served on the board of directors for the Delta Dental Plan of Iowa, Firstar Bank Iowa, MidAmerican Energy, the Mid-Iowa Health Foundation, Bankers Trust, Prairie Meadows, and the Iowa Public Television Foundation. He has also been a member of the State Board of Public Instruction and the Des Moines Independent School District board of directors, which he has served as president. He is a member of the Polk County and Iowa State Bar Associations.

In addition, Gentry worked on a committee studying government ethics for the Iowa State Legislature, served on the executive committee for United Way, as governor of the Greater Des Moines Community Foundation, president of the Des Moines Housing Corporation, and former legal counsel for the Greater Des Moines Chamber of Commerce.

A life member of the UI Alumni Association, Nolden Gentry has exhibited selfless service to the University of Iowa and to his adopted state, making him a deserving recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award for Service.

Albert B. Hood, professor of education at the University of Iowa from 1965 to 2000 and now an active emeritus professor, has been one of the outstanding researchers in the field of student development for 40 years.

Hood became one of the leading forces in the college student development (student personnel) movement, devising important instrumentation to measure the effects of college experiences on college students intellect and identity. Over the course of his leadership in the Student Development Program, he cultivated the scholarly careers of many important figures in the profession in this country and around the world. His former students include deans, professors, and vice presidents at institutions in the U.S., Portugal, Hong Kong, Japan, and Indonesia who speak frequently and humbly of the intellectual debt they owe Hood and whose work multiplies exponentially his impact.

As editor of the Journal of College Student Personnel from 1970 to 1976, Hoods influence on the development of the field has rarely been equaled. He has actively integrated his interests in psychology, counseling, and his study of college students and student affairs work, all the while demonstrating again and again his commitment to his students and supporting them through personal trials.

For his outstanding work, Hood has been honored by the American Psychological Association, the American College Personnel Association, the American Counseling Association, and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. Not only has his scholarship been recognized over the years, but also his teaching and service.

At the University of Iowa, Hood founded the Graduate Program in Student Development and initiated the Substance Abuse Counseling Program. He has conducted numerous studies that have helped shape a better understanding of a diverse variety of college-level concerns, including issues of college student athletes, the recreational habits of UI students, the impact of part-time work on academic pursuits, and the effects of alcohol use on students. He has published more than 100 scholarly articles and written six books. In addition, he has given generously to the institution, earning membership in the UI Foundations Presidents Club.

Since 2000, Hood has approached his retirement with the same intellectual curiosity and energy that he has brought to every other project he has undertaken, and he continues to serve others with enthusiasm. As a member of the Aging Studies program, an interdisciplinary program on campus, he has been engaged in a lively study of health and vigor in the aging populace. He also served as president of the UI Emeritus Faculty Council.

One of his most significant recent accomplishments is his work with the Senior College, which he helped create, and in which his leadership has brought together a group of active volunteers who have provided opportunities for intellectual growth in the retired community of Iowa City and beyond. Even in its first year, Senior College classes filled every term. His success in this initiative is not only a tribute to his energy and creativity, but also honors the rich resource Iowa City has in its retirees.

For his tremendous academic accomplishments—as well as his values, compassion, and unwavering commitment to all that is good—Al Hood is truly deserving of this UIAA Distinguished Faculty/Staff Award.

Brian H. Hook, 99JD, has an office in the West Wing of the White House, just steps away from the Oval Office and only five years after graduating with distinction from the UI College of Law.

As a student in the Iowa law school, Hook proved his leadership potential, serving effectively and imaginatively as president of the Federalist Society, where he worked well with those holding political views different from his own. Respect for all and good humor are the hallmarks he honed in that positioncharacteristics that would serve him well in his later career.

Hooks career in politics began even before he finished law school. In the early 1990s, he was legislative assistant to Iowa Congressman James Leach, advising him on defense issues and national security policy.

He served Iowa Governor Terry Branstad as deputy legislative liaison from 1996 to 1997, and, in a short time, his intelligence and personality allowed him to have an impact in a legislative body often dominated by people who had served as long as he had lived.

After graduating with distinction from law school, Hook spent four years as an associate in the Washington, D.C., firm of Hogan & Hartson, the largest and oldest law firm in the nations capital. Among other assignments, he acted as counsel to various corporations regarding mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. During his time in private practice, he also testified before the House Intelligence Committee on information sharing between the intelligence and law enforcement communities.

In 2003, Hook joined the U.S. Department of Justice as counsel in the Office of Legal Policy, where he represented the executive branch before the 9-11 Commission and worked with the U.S. Senate to confirm the presidents judicial nominees. He also developed federal regulations to address corporate fraud in the wake of the Enron scandal.

Today, Hook holds the position of special assistant to the president for policy, office of the chief of staff. In this role, he develops and coordinates domestic and homeland security policy for the president and his chief of staff, Andrew Card.

Despite his work inside the Beltway, Hook has never forgotten his Iowa roots. He has been called upon numerous times in Washington to speak to Iowa gatherings and to welcome Iowans visiting the White House, always serving as a warm and willing host.

A long-time season ticket holder for both Iowa basketball and Iowa football, he can often be found on football Saturdays not in the White House Rose Garden, but in Kinnick Stadium (or with the Washington, D.C., Iowa Club) avidly enjoying his Hawkeye team.

In only a short time since his graduation from the UI College of Law, Hook has risen to professional success on a national level. He has certainly distinguished himself as one of the universitys most impressive young alumni and he richly deserves this recognition from the University of Iowa.

John W. Irving, 67MFA, may be one of the university's best-known alumni, having achieved this distinction as a highly acclaimed writer of novels and screenplays. For the University of Iowa to applaud a writer is not unusual, but to recognize a writer who is also both a wrestler and dyslexic is unusual indeed.

Irving came to the University of Iowa Writers Workshop in 1965, where he worked closely with author and teacher Kurt Vonnegut. To this day, Vonnegut remains a very close friend.

Irving s first novel, Setting Free the Bears, was published in 1968 and was followed in 1972 by The Water Method Man, much of which is set in Iowa City. It was while Irving was a teacher at the Writers Workshop, from 1972 to 1975, that he wrote his third novel, The 158-Pound Marriage.

He moved back to New England in 1975, and in 1978 he published The World According to Garp. Although his earlier novels had received critical acclaim, Garp was a huge success both critically and commercially and was later made into a film starring Glenn Close and Robin Williams.

His subsequent novels include The Hotel New Hampshire (1981), The Cider House Rules (1985), A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989), A Son of the Circus (1994), and The Fourth Hand (2001). Other books include Trying to Save Piggy Sneed (1996); The Imaginary Girlfriend (1997); and My Movie Business (1999), documenting the struggles Irving faced in adapting The Cider House Rules into a film. This summer, Random House will release Irvings latest novel, Until I Find You.

Among other honors, John Irving has won the OHenry Award and the National Book Award. He has received grants and fellowships from the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Foundation. In 1992, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame; his screenplay for The Cider House Rules won an Oscar in 2000; and he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2001.

Reluctant to give up his IBM Selectric typewriter, Irving also writes in longhand in prose inspired by Charles Dickens. He sets a goal of working seven days a week, eight hours a day, to produce one substantial novel every four years. Irving has also continued wrestling and coaching.

Since spending time at Iowa as both a student and a teacher, Irving has maintained a strong interest in both the writing and the wrestling programs at the University of Iowa, and he has been enormously helpful in assisting the university in its recruiting endeavors through his enthusiasm for these programs. He continues to celebrate his Iowa connection both in his novels and with his periodic campus visits.

There are few living writers associated with the University of Iowa—or any college or university—who have earned the critical and commercial acclaim of John Irving. For this reason, he richly deserves to be recognized with this Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award.

Al Jarreau, 64MA, has achieved artistic success with a musical talent and innovative style that have made him one of the most exciting performers of our time.

Jarreau began singing at the age of four, harmonizing with his brothers and performing solo in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He received an undergraduate degree from Ripon College in Wisconsin and enrolled at the University of Iowa in 1962, earning his masters degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from the UI College of Education two years later. While at the UI, Jarreau pursued his musical interests by playing and singing in local clubs.

After graduation, Jarreau moved to San Francisco, where he worked as a rehabilitation counselor and performed part-time as a singer. In 1975, Warner Bros. Records signed him to a recording contract, and his debut album, We Got By, was released to unanimous acclaim, winning a German Grammy for Best New International Soloist. He won a second German Grammy for his follow-up album, Glow.

Jarreau embarked on his first world tour in 1977 and made a live recording, Look to the Rainbow, for which he won his first American Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. In 1978, his fourth album, All Fly Home, garnered a second Grammy for Best Jazz Vocalist. A string of innovative recordings followed, including This Time and the million-selling Breakin Away, which received Grammys for Best Male Pop Vocalist and Best Male Jazz Vocalist.

Since then, Jarreau has released recordings in a range of musical styles, including Al Jarreau Live in London, L is for Lover, and Hearts Horizon, which earned him another Grammy nomination, this time for best R&B album. His next recording, Heaven and Earth, received a fifth Grammy for Best R&B performance, making Jarreau one of the rare artists to win Grammys in the three categories of jazz, pop, and rhythm and blues.

In 1994, he released the album Tenderness, and in 1996 he accepted a three-month stint on Broadway playing the role of Teen Angel in the musical Grease! In 2001, Jarreau released the Best of Al Jarreau, and he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Also that year, Jarreau returned to Iowa City to perform at Hancher Auditorium, at which time he publicly expressed his deep regard and affection for the University of Iowa. In June 2002, he taped an interview for the kickoff event for the UIs Good. Better. Best. Iowa campaign, which featured a student dance performance to his recording, Tomorrow Today.

At the heart of Jarreaus view of life is Accentuate the Positive, also the title of his most recent recording. According to a Rolling Stone magazine writer, the album is an important moment in the career of an important singer. By applying a masterful maturity to brilliant material, [Jarreau] has extended his reach and deepened his expression. His vocal performances are nothing short of astounding.

Jarreau continues to tour extensively throughout the world, and he is a Literacy Champion national spokesperson for the Verizon Reads program. Throughout his stellar career, Jarreau has remained a staunch supporter and an ambassador for the University of Iowa and is truly one of the most distinguished of the universitys alumni.

Colleen Konicki DiIorio, 69BSN, has had a tremendous impact on the lives of people with epilepsy and AIDS during a career that has earned her national respect and recognition.

After earning her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa, DiIorio completed her master's and doctoral degrees in nursing from New York University. Early in her career, she worked in a variety of clinical services as a staff nurse and supervisor. After pursuing her advanced degrees, she began her academic career, starting at East Carolina University School of Nursing and culminating with her current position as a professor at Emory University in the Rollins School of Public Health.

Raised in Iowa, DiIorio has excelled as an educator. She is highly respected as a classroom teacher, as an advisor to graduate students in research projects at the masters and doctoral levels, and as a mentor to faculty members in their acquisition of research skills. She has directed theses for more than 120 masters students, ten doctoral students, and 13 special project initiatives of students, fellows, and junior faculty members. As the first director of nursing research at Emory, a position she held from 1987 to 1993, DiIorio provided resources and support for faculty seeking funding for research programs.

DiIorio has most distinguished herself for the significant body of work she has created and disseminated as a researcher in the areas of AIDS and epilepsy. Working across disciplines with physicians, clinical psychologists, community leaders, and others, she has been awarded $26 million of research funding from organizations including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control, and the Epilepsy Foundation. Her colleagues recognize her as the first in the nursing profession to receive funding for HIV prevention and to publish epilepsy self-management research findings.

With more than 100 published articles to her credit, DiIorio also works tirelessly on behalf of countless professional organizations, including the Epilepsy Foundation of America, the American Nurses Association, the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, the American Public Health Association, the World Federation of Neuroscience Nurses, and the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care.

She is also currently associate editor for the Journal of Nursing Measurement and has previously served on the editorial boards of several major publications in her field. As one of her peers states, DiIorio has made an &invaluable contribution to scientific review at NIH.

DiIorios impact on the profession has not gone unrecognized. In 1991, she was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing. She recently received the Pioneer in HIV Award from the Morehouse University School of Medicine. She has also been honored with the 2004 Distinguished Scholarship in Nursing Award, Division of Nursing, New York University and the Distinguished Nurse Researcher Recognition from the National Institute of Nursing Research in 2002. From Emory University, she received the Emory Williams Distinguished Teacher Award, as well as the Professor of the Year Award from the Rollins School of Public Health.

A member of the UI Alumni Associations Old Capitol Club, DiIorio has brought great honor to the College of Nursing through her contributions to the advancement of science and the health and well-being of humankind. As an outstanding researcher, mentor, and teacher, she is simply one of the best in the world in her field.

Norm R. Nielsen, 86PhD, has served public education in Iowa for more than 40 years as a teacher and coach, high school principal, school district superintendent, and administrator of a community college.

For 19 years prior to his retirement in 2004, Nielsen was president of Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, where he exhibited a great understanding of the community college mission and the notion of connectivity between the community and the college. Under his leadership, Kirkwood opened the doors of educational opportunity to thousands of nontraditional students, as well as people and businesses seeking workforce training.

Kirkwood has continually been recognized as a leading community college in the nation. In 2001, the National Alliance of Business selected Kirkwood as Community College of the Year, and in the same year, the Association of Community Colleges selected Nielsen as Executive Officer of the Year from 1,240 community college leaders nationally.

Kirkwood Community College offers career training and college preparation in more than 100 areas of study for its more than 15,000 students, partnering with numerous state and local government agencies and private businesses to assist with job development and training. Thanks to Nielsens educational entrepreneurship, Kirkwood was able to translate regional learning needs into innovative and valuable programs, thus educating critical components of the areas workforce.

Nielsen has also made significant contributions to the community and the social infrastructure of Iowa through his commitment to volunteer work for health care and other organizations. He served for ten years as director of St. Lukes Hospital in Cedar Rapids and was one of the longest serving directors of Iowa Health System, the states oldest and largest integrated healthcare organization. He is also an advisory board member for the UIs Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Nielsen has been an active Rotarian since 1971 and was chairman of Priority One, Cedar Rapids highly regarded economic development program. He has served as a director of the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce and on the board of directors of U.S. Bank, Iowa City Area Development, United Way of East Central Iowa, and Junior Achievement.

On the state and national levels, Nielsen has participated as a board member of Iowa Economic Development, Workforce Development Council, Iowa Student Loan Corporation (president), Iowa Association of Community College Presidents, American Association of Community Colleges, League for Innovation in the Community College (past president), and Community College for International Development.

Beyond his considerable accomplishments in transforming the face of community colleges in America, Nielsen has generously shared his experience with others. University of Iowa President David Skorton has called Nielsen a mentor, the exemplar of a higher education leader who is interested in the excellence of the students experience, the importance of attending to faculty and staff concerns in the institution, and the greater service role of higher education in the community and state.

Lloyd J. Palmer, 49BSC, is a loyal UI supporter and accomplished businessman who has spent a lifetime giving to others, both in time and resources. This Postville, Iowa, native has made significant contributions to the University of Iowa and to his many other personal and professional communities.

Palmers many decades of tireless personal and professional contributions began at the UI business college, where he earned a B.S.C. degree in accounting after serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. The talented graduate, one of Henry B. Tippies classmates, became a rising star in the world of business.

After spending ten years with Ernst & Ernst in Chicago—and earning his C.P.A.—Palmer joined the Nalco Chemical Company in 1959. There, he rose to the rank of chief financial officer in just seven years and subsequently held a number of high-level positions within the company, becoming vice president, executive vice president, chief administrative officer, and ultimately a member of the board of directors.

Though he retired in 1986, the longtime civic contributor has continued to work on behalf of the causes that matter most to him. In 1999, he and his wife established the Lloyd J. and Thelma W. Palmer Faculty Fellowship Fund to support distinguished faculty fellowships in the Tippie College of Business. Since that time, five business faculty members have received Lloyd J. and Thelma W. Palmer Research Fellowships, which have supported teaching and research initiatives and contributed to retaining outstanding faculty in the college. In 2000, Iowas business college recognized Palmer with an Outstanding Accounting Alumnus award.

The Palmers also gave generously to support artistic commissions for the Hancher Millennium Festival in 1999. In addition, they have given to the UI Libraries, Old Capitol Museum, the UI Museum of Art, and to mens and womens athletics. These important gifts helped earn the Palmers membership in the University of Iowa Foundation Presidents Club Silver and the Tippie College Deans Club, which recognize the universitys and colleges most generous donors.

In addition to the familys financial contributions to the university, Palmer has given selflessly of his time. He has served on the board of directors of the UI Foundation and has been the chairman of its audit committee. He was a member of the IE2000 National Steering Committee and served on the Chicago Regional Campaign Cabinet. He has served the broader community as a member of the board of trustees for Elmhurst College for 21 years—with five years as chair. For 11 years, he served on the board of the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago.

A member of the University of Iowa Alumni Associations Old Capitol Club, Palmer celebrated in the spring of 2001, when two granddaughters received B.B.A. degrees from Iowas Tippie College of Business.

The pride Palmer feels for the University of Iowa is the same pride the university takes in his accomplishments. Palmer truly stands out in his commitment to his alma mater, and for that reason is most deserving of the UIAA Distinguished Alumni Award for Service.

William Phelan has played a vital, though often behind-the-scenes, role for the University of Iowa for many years, inspiring confidence, offering wise counsel to its leaders, and lending a hand to make the university the best it can be.

As legal counsel to the UI Foundation since 1963, Phelan has worked side by side with the UI Foundation board of directors and staff. A supporter of the university both professionally and privately, Phelan has taken time away from his role as partner with the Iowa City law firm of Phelan, Tucker, Mullen, Walker, Tucker & Gelman to regularly serve as a lecturer in the UI College of Law, where he taught courses in estate planning; probate practice; and income, estate, and gift taxes, state and local taxation from 1955 to 1991.

He assisted in organizing the universitys Oakdale Research Park Corporation and served as a member of its board of directors from the time of its organization until 2004. He has served as a director of the Musser-Davis Land Company since it became wholly owned by the university until 2004. It goes without saying that the UI Foundation board and staff, members of the university administration, and the university community as a whole have great confidence in Phelan and have benefited enormously from his perspective.

Phelan has provided annual support to the University of Iowa for 41 years and has been recognized for his generous giving to the university as a Presidents Club member. He is also a member of the University of Iowa Alumni Association, emeritus member of the Friends of the Library advisory board, emeritus member of the Museum of Art Friends Development Council, and a Hancher Gold Circle member. In his longtime role as legal counsel for the UI Foundation, he has assisted the staff in raising millions of dollars through the planning and legal considerations of numerous major gifts.

He has participated in UI Alumni Association and Presidents Club tours and donated artwork to the Levitt Center for University Advancement. His interests are varied but, true to the UI spirit, he has cheered on the Hawkeyes as a season ticket holder for multiple sports.

Beyond this, Phelan is a true friend to Iowa City, the state of Iowa, and the legal profession. He is renowned as one of the best planned giving attorneys in the country, and he was listed in the initial publication in 1983 and annually thereafter in the prestigious Best Lawyers In America, recognized specifically for excelling in the areas of trusts and estates. He is a member of the Johnson County, Iowa State, and American Bar Associations, serving one term as president of the county association, and serving as member and chairman of the state associations tax committee for several years.

A good citizen, Phelan served the Iowa City Community School District for six years as a director, with one term as president. In addition, he served as a director of the Mercy Hospital Foundation and as a member of the Advisory Board for Mercy Hospital in Iowa City. One of the universitys most passionate advocates, he is truly deserving of the UIAA Distinguished Friend of the University Award.

Brian E. Ross, 71BA, is a familiar face on network television, where he has achieved a reputation for unquestioned professionalism and ethics while gaining national acclaim as an investigative journalist.

Born and raised in Chicago, Ross developed a keen interest in revealing corruption and seeking justice. As a journalism student at the University of Iowa, he worked for KWWL-TV in Waterloo, where his coverage of the Vietnam anti-war demonstrations won him early recognition. Since then, he has broken national and international stories that have made headlines around the world—covering everything from Colombian drug cartels to exploitation of workers to the links between politics and money to the Teamsters Union to organized crime. His hard work has earned him nearly every major award in journalism.

From his first full-time job at KWWL, Ross moved on to work for WCKT-TV in Miami and WKYC-TV in Cleveland, before joining NBC News in New York City. From 1975 to 1994 he served as a correspondent for NBC News, and from 1994 to the present he has been chief investigative correspondent for ABC News. He has reported extensively for World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, 20/20, and Good Morning America.

It is not just the breadth of Rosss reporting that has won his work national acclaim, but the depth of his belief in telling the public the truth. Even in his most controversial stories, which have explored topics from campaign finance reform to child labor in third world countries, he focuses on the facts and the larger truths they reveal. I put my heart and soul into every single story, Ross has said. I owe that to these people to bring every ounce of skill to a story.

Rosss numerous honors include the Robert F. Kennedy Award in 1979, two Sigma Delta Chi Awards for excellence in journalism, four National Emmy Awards, three Overseas Press Club Awards, four National Headliner Awards, and two Peabody Awards. In 1998, he was inducted into the University of Iowa Journalism School Hall of Fame.

When he spoke at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications Fourth Estate Banquet in 2000, Ross called his UI degree one of his greatest accomplishments. He has shown his appreciation by giving back to the school in valuable ways.

Ross serves on the professional advisory board for the journalism school, where he helps guide the curriculum and ensure that students are learning the skills they will need in real-world journalism. He shares his expertise both as a consultant and through presentations to UI faculty and students. Ross is also a member of the fund-raising campaign committee for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where he has been a strong advocate for the new journalism building, participating in key fund-raising events and appearing in the schools campaign video. His ongoing support has proven invaluable in reinforcing the UI programs excellent reputation and ensuring its growth far into the future.

A life member of the UI Alumni Association, Ross warrants media coverage as one of the most prominent and respected graduates of the University of Iowa.

James L. Watson, 65BA, who grew up in the tiny southwestern Iowa town of New Market, credits opportunities afforded him at the University of Iowa for launching a career that has gained him international recognition as one of the most distinguished and important anthropologists of China.

One of the first graduates of Iowas Chinese Studies program, Watson went on to graduate studies in anthropology at the University of California-Berkeley. After holding faculty positions at the University of Hawaii, the University of London (where he also served as director of Londons Contemporary China Center), and the University of Pittsburgh, he has taught since 1989 at Harvard.

He holds a well-deserved reputation for in-depth and influential studies in a number of aspects of Chinese culture, including the changing face of village life, family and kinship, popular religion and ritual, and migration and globalization. He is particularly known for challenging long-held beliefs that have traditionally separated the work of anthropologists and historians and for bringing the two disciplines closer together.

Watson has published a great deal on a range of topics and is known for writing about his areas of expertise in a way that makes his knowledge broadly accessible. He has written or edited eight books, most recently the widely reviewed Golden Arches East: McDonalds in East Asia. In addition, he has scores of articles to his credit, some of which, such as Standardizing the Gods: The Promotion of Tien Hou (Empress of Heaven) Along the South China Coast, 960-1960, have been extremely influential and are regularly cited by experts in the field. His writings on the Chinese kinship system are fascinating, showing how powerful land-owning lineages, or clans, operate in many ways like corporations.

Watson has a reputation as an extraordinary mentor to students and younger scholars, having produced a host of Ph.D.s who have become productive scholars in their own rights. He is also well-respected among his colleagues, and was elected to the presidency of the Association of Asian Studies (AAS), the single highest honor for someone in his field.

A life member of the University of Iowa Alumni Association, Watson remains a proud Iowan and retains strong ties to Iowa and the University of Iowa, returning often with his wife, Rubie, also a well-known anthropologist and a native Midwesterner. Despite a hectic professional calendar, he has accepted invitations to visit the UI campus to speak with classes and to share his expertise.

Watsons tremendous achievements in his academic career certainly distinguish him as one of the UIs most accomplished alumni, and his commitment to enhancing understanding across cultures—particularly at a time when such communication is greatly needed in the world—is precisely in keeping with the universitys values. Finally, his eminence as a scholar, writer, teacher, and educational administrator are matched by his generous disposition.

For all of these excellent qualities and their positive reflection on the University of Iowa, Woody Watson is greatly deserving of this University of Iowa Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award.

Donald E. Bently, 49BSEE, 50MS, possesses the mind of a scientist and the spirit of an entrepreneur, which is why this Muscatine, Iowa, native has been able to craft a lifetime of accomplishments as an inventor, scholar, engineer, business owner, and environmental advocate. The University of Iowa graduate not only started a company in his garage that eventually transformed the world of industrial machinery, but also has championed the cause of environmentally sustainable agriculture and renewable resources.

Bently launched this career not in a classroom, but on a battleship in the Pacific, where he served with the U.S. Navy during World War II and took University of Iowa extension courses at the same time. After earning five battle stars, the serviceman returned home to complete his engineering studies and then worked briefly at the family bowling alley after graduation.

Once he tired of setting pins, Bently took a job as the lead azide and mercury fulminate assembly line engineer at the Iowa Ordnance Plant in Burlington, Iowa, going on to a stint as an engineer with North American Aviation/Rocketdyne in California. Throughout these years, Bently brainstormed ideas and tinkered with gadgets. By 1955, he had created the Bently Scientific Company and was selling instruments from his garage via mail order. One particularly hot seller was his own invention: an eddy current proximity transducer that measured vibrations and other parameters in rotating machinery.

This device revolutionized the industry of protecting and diagnosing machinery and also led to safer machinery operation. In addition, it helped launch the Bently Nevada Corporation, which has grown to 1,700 employees—with more than 100 offices in 43 countries and nearly $300 million in annual sales. Though Bently sold this company to General Electric in 2002, he is the owner, chairman, and chief executive officer of Bently Pressurized Bearing Company and also runs Bently Agrowdynamics, which focuses on using renewable resources and efficient practices to protect the scarce water resources in Nevadas Carson Valley.

Despite his business commitments, Bently still has found time to conduct research and publish his findings. The globally recognized authority on rotor dynamics and vibration monitoring and diagnostics has authored or co-authored more than 140 papers, is the holder of two patents, and recently published a book, Fundamentals of Rotating Machinery Diagnostics.

Such achievements have brought Bently numerous awards and distinctions. He is a foreign member of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Engineering in Russia and a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In addition, Bently is one of only 43 Iowa engineering alumni in the colleges Distinguished Engineering Alumni Academy. This is not the loyal graduates only connection to his alma mater, where he is a member of the UI Foundations Presidents Club. He continues to mentor UI engineering students and faculty and also has provided visionary private support for the college.

Thanks to his Iowa-bred work ethic—and his unflagging commitment to innovation and inspiration—Donald E. Bently has earned his place among the universitys most eminent alumni as someone who cares not just about the life of the mind, but also about the quality of life for others.

Orville W. Bloethe, 41BSC, 47JD, knows that it takes roots to grow anything worthwhile. This understanding helped the Victor, Iowa, farm boy nurture a notable and nationally recognized legal career that has spanned more than half a century. Its also what inspired him to return home after finishing law school at the University of Iowa—and to devote the rest of his life to giving back.

Bloethe learned at an early age how to help others. When his father died, the young man and his two brothers provided for their family by farming near Victor; however, this commitment did not stop Bloethe from attending college. After finishing his undergraduate degree and serving during World War II, he followed in the footsteps of a favorite uncle and pursued law school.

During his years at the UI College of Law, Bloethe excelled. He was famous for his Bloethe books, which were summaries of legal concepts and case theories that he shared with classmates. In addition, Bloethe was a member of the Order of the Coif, which recognizes academic achievement.

The intelligence and community spirit that set Bloethe apart during his student days also have defined his professional life, which he spent in his hometown after graduation. Bloethe has been Victors city attorney for 56 years—even representing those without adequate financial resources—and school board secretary for some 40 years, but his service is not limited to that community. Throughout his career, Bloethe has distinguished himself as a nationally recognized expert in tax and estate planning and is a leading authority on estate planning for farmers.

This attorney and civic leader has provided important advice to national legislators and, along with two other lawyers, wrote the Iowa State Bar Associations widely used Income Tax Manual. He did likewise with the Fiduciary Manual. Bloethe also is a prolific speaker and author who has presented numerous lectures on tax and estate planning across the state and nation.

Though such career contributions have kept him busy, philanthropy is his first priority. Bloethe has been a significant contributor to numerous causes, including the UI College of Law, where he has helped with fund-raising and served as class agent for his 50-year reunion. In addition, he and his wife, Loanna Schnoor Bloethe, 44BA, are members of the colleges Deans Club, which recognizes generous contributors. A member of the UI Foundations Presidents Club, Bloethe is also a member of the UI Alumni Associations Old Capitol Club.

Bloethe has found numerous other ways to support education as well. He is a significant contributor to the State Bar Association and served with distinction as a fund-raising leader for Kirkwood Community College. On a local level, he and his wife invest in student scholarships and also sponsor an innovative program that brings Victor high school students to Iowa City for dinner and a Hancher Auditorium event.

Bloethe and his wife gave a challenge gift of $100,000 if the Victor community would provide the balance of twice that to build a new modern medical clinic. The community met the challenge.

No matter what cause or legal case he is championing, Orville W. Bloethe knows that his Iowa background gives his efforts meaning. He steadfastly states that none of this would have been possible except for the University of Iowa believing in a country boy who continues to be proud of his roots.

James A. Clifton, 51R, possesses the vision to see both the small details and the big picture. Thats what made this Midwestern transplant such an adept physician and accomplished administrator. Its also what allowed the former UI resident, faculty member, and leader to help implement extraordinary changes on Iowas health-sciences campus.

Though he was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and educated in Nashville, Tennessee—where he received both his bachelors and medical degrees from Vanderbilt University—this Southerner eventually became an Iowan at heart. After completing his internal medicine residency at the University of Iowa in 1951, Clifton returned to a faculty position at Vanderbilt; it wasnt long, however, before Iowa called him back.

At the urging of William Bean, a well-known UI physician and student mentor, Clifton returned to the university in 1953 and immediately became involved in a pivotal expansion and reorganization of its health sciences. This transformation helped establish Iowa as the world-class center for biomedical research, education, and health care that it is today.

While these changes were taking place, Clifton was hard at work, serving as chief of the Division of Gastroenterology from 1955 to 1971 and then as head of the UI Department of Internal Medicine. During these years, he also demonstrated national leadership skills. Clifton led committees at the National Institutes of Health and the American Gastroenterological Association, an organization of which he was president from 1970 to 1971. In addition, this distinguished UI leader was president of the American College of Physicians in 1977 and was a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine from 1972 to 1981, serving as chairman from 1980 to 1981.

Later in his Iowa career, Clifton also spearheaded the creation of the innovative UI Center for Digestive Diseases, which coordinated the clinical activities of several departments within the College of Medicine. The center was named after him in 1991.

It was such leadership skills that prompted UI President Hunter Rawlings to ask Clifton to return from a short retirement in 1990 to serve as interim dean of what is now the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. Clifton held this position for two years, guiding the college through a significant reorganization.

Though he began his second official retirement in 1993, Clifton remains a tireless UI supporter as a member of the UI Foundations Presidents Club and the UI Alumni Associations Old Capitol Club. He helped form a group of retired faculty, the UI Emeritus Faculty Council, and was its first president. He and his wife, Kathy Rathe Clifton, 49BA, have been generous contributors to the UI Foundation for 39 years.

From the beginning, this dedicated physician knew what UI health care could achieve. By paying attention to both the small details and the big picture, James A. Clifton has helped transform Iowas health-sciences community.

Norm B. Coleman, 76JD, knows how to accomplish change through action. Even as a University of Iowa law student, the Brooklyn, New York, native was honing the leadership skills he would need to implement local and global change throughout his professional life. These skills would inform his work in law, public policy, and politics—and eventually would help launch his career as a prominent United States senator.

Long before he was elected to this prestigious position, however, the UI graduate was busy working at the grassroots level. After finishing his undergraduate degree at New Yorks Hofstra University in 1971, Coleman arrived at the University of Iowa law school and quickly became involved in student government. He was president of the Student Bar Association and also chaired the Collegiate Associations Council, where he served with representatives from all of the UI colleges in addressing students academic concerns.

During his senior year at Iowa, Coleman received the Hancher-Finkbine Medallion in recognition of his outstanding academic and leadership achievements. He sustained this record of success after graduation, when he moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota, to work in the attorney generals office. Throughout his 17-year tenure with that office, the UI lawyer served as chief prosecutor and solicitor general and tried several high-profile and difficult cases.

In 1994, Coleman shifted his leadership focus to become Saint Pauls mayor, a position that allowed him to play a visionary role in transforming the city. By forging new partnerships between business and government, the transplanted Midwesterner revitalized Minnesotas capital. He created 18,000 new jobs through more than $3 billion in new development. In addition, he secured a National Hockey League franchise; helped create a new $90 million Science Museum of Minnesota; and made public safety, school initiatives, and land renewal among his top priorities.

These accomplishments did not go unnoticed: Coleman received the United States Conference of Mayors Award of Excellence in Public/Private Partnership in 2001 and also was the recipient of a public-service award from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Colemans terms as mayor reinforced his interest in government, and in 1998, he was the Republican nominee for governor, narrowly losing to Jesse Ventura. This did not dampen Colemans enthusiasm for politics, however. One year after leaving the mayors office in 2001, he was elected to the United States Senate.

In his new leadership role, Senator Coleman serves as chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and also sits on the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Narcotics Affairs. He also is a member of four committees: the Committee on Foreign Relations; the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship; and the Committee on Governmental Affairs.

Though Washington, DC, is a long way from the University of Iowa campus, Senator Norm B. Coleman still uses the skills he honed as a young law student. His UI values of commitment and service continue to define the quality of his leadership.

Senator Coleman is a life member of the University of Iowa Alumni Association.

Kent P. Falb, 65BS, 65PT, knows the true meaning of the phrase blood, sweat, and tears in the world of professional football. As one of the nations most respected athletic trainers, he has helped generations of athletes both prevent and recover from a host of sports-related injuries. With a talent that took shape on the University of Iowa campus, Falb has achieved a lifetime of accomplishments.

The Elgin, Iowa, native first worked as an assistant athletic trainer for the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1959. Soon after returning to the University of Iowa campus, he began work as a student athletic trainer, eventually moving up to the role of assistant athletic trainer—and also working two summers for the Minnesota Vikings before completing his undergraduate work.

After his Iowa graduation, Falb put his UI experience to work as the head athletic trainer for Boston College. It wasnt long, however, before this small-town boy landed a high- profile position with the Detroit Lions—and joined a team to which he would belong for 34 years. Falb began his lengthy tenure with the Detroit Lions as assistant athletic trainer but quickly became head athletic trainer, a job he would hold until his retirement in 2000.

Throughout these years with the National Football League, the dedicated trainer also found time to make other important contributions to his field. He devoted his career to promoting athletic-trainer advancement, both as a lecturer on the subject and as a leader in various related organizations. Falb served as president of the Michigan Athletic Trainers Society (MATS) from 1989 to 1990 and became president of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA), where he served two terms, from 1996 to 2000.

The NATA recognized his achievements by naming him Professional Athletic Trainer of the Year in 1984 and inducting him into its Hall of Fame in 1999. Falb also is a member of the MATS Hall of Fame, and he received the Fain-Cain Award as the Outstanding NFL Athletic Trainer in 1999. These are just a few of the numerous awards and honors he has earned from a lifetime of hard work and distinguished service.

Though he has retired from his position with the Detroit Lions, the Aiken, South Carolina, resident has not stopped working. Falb has been a tireless athletic-training advocate, encouraging athletic trainers, physical therapists, and students to pursue their dreams in this field. He continues to travel the nation—visiting 35 different states to date—as a professional speaker on the topics of athletic training and sports medicine and he currently lectures in the Athletic Training Program at Erskine College in South Carolina.

Kent P. Falb embodies the commitment and discipline of a true UI graduate. After experiencing both the glory and agony of life as an athletic trainer in professional sports, this dedicated leader has continued to inspire others with the valuable lessons he learned from his teamwork at Iowa and the NFL.

Anne Hawley, 66BA, keenly understands the art of nonprofit management. The one-time Iowa farm girl grew up to distinguish herself in the world of arts and humanities by expertly leading a variety of important cultural initiatives and institutions on the East Coast. Throughout this lengthy and prestigious career, Hawleys interdisciplinary University of Iowa education has shaped her innovations and accomplishments.

Though Hawley traveled only about 20 miles from her hometown of West Liberty, Iowa, to become a UI English major and member of Pi Beta Phi, her career eventually would take her far from Iowas rolling hills. After her UI graduation, Hawley completed a masters program at George Washington University in Washington, DC.

These experiences led to her early professional work, first as a research associate with the National Urban League and then as a research associate with the Ford Foundation Study in Leadership in Public Education. It was not long, however, before she left Washington, DC, for Boston, where she founded the Cultural Education Collaborative and assumed the position of executive director in 1974. She stayed in this role until 1977, when she became executive director of the Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities, a state agency.

Under her entrepreneurial leadership, the council instituted a variety of forward-looking programs. Hawley developed a number of art, conservation, preservation, and public-design initiatives. She also was instrumental in the passage of three new laws designed to significantly enhance the states cultural life. This work earned her the Lyman Ziegler Award for Outstanding Service to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1988. While at the Massachusetts Council, she completed the Senior Executive Program of Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government.

Such success helped prepare Hawley for a challenging—and rewarding—career as the first female director of Bostons famous Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. When Hawley started her work there in 1989, the Gardner had a deficit of $150,000. By 1999, she had tripled the museums budget and increased its attendance by 45 percent.

Hawley implemented other bold changes as well. To broaden the museums focus beyond the visual arts, she inaugurated an artist-in-residency program, established a community education program with five neighborhood schools, and began an annual scholarly symposia and exhibition program. In addition, Hawley launched the ambitious Second Century Capital Campaign, which raised $26 million.

Publications such as the New York Times and the Christian Science Monitor have praised Hawley for her outstanding work at the museum, and she holds honorary doctorates from Babson College, Lesley College, Williams College, and Montserrat College of Art. Though she maintains a busy museum schedule, Hawley still finds time to serve as a trustee on the boards of the Association of Art Museum Directors, Save Venice, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and the Fenway Alliance of Boston. Hawley is also an active member of the Massachusetts Historical Society and the Massachusetts Womans Forum.

Such broadly diverse experiences have helped define Anne Hawley as a visionary cultural leader. She is living proof that a liberal arts education from the University of Iowa can prepare students for lifetimes of exceptional achievement.

L.D. McMullen, 68BSCE, 72MS, 75PhD, believes in achieving quality in all he does, whether hes guiding water management, providing educational leadership, or brainstorming innovative solutions. This skilled engineer applies the best of his University of Iowa experience—academic expertise and practical know-how—to all the challenges he tackles.

From his earliest days at the UI, the Cresco, Iowa, native distinguished himself as an able leader with a talent for the field of water management. While he was an undergraduate, McMullen worked as a plant operator and supervisor at the universitys water treatment plant, an operator at the Oakdale wastewater treatment plant, and a plant chemist at the Iowa City water pollution control plant. This diverse background prepared him for a position he took after graduation in 1968 as a sanitary engineer for the U.S. Public Health Service.

McMullen stayed in this role for two years and then returned to the UI to complete his masters and doctoral degrees, beginning a job as assistant professor in the College of Engineering in 1975. He remained at Iowa until 1978, when he made a career change, to the Des Moines Water Works, that would shape the rest of his professional life.

Though he began at the Des Moines Water Works as a design engineer, McMullen quickly rose through the ranks to become the plants CEO and general manager in 1986. Since then, he has expertly guided the citys water resources through times of both calm and crisis. When the infamous floods of 1993 hit the Midwest, McMullen skillfully restored the citys water supply through some remarkable engineering.

This kind of innovation has secured McMullens standing as a national leader in the arena of water resource management. He has been a consultant to the National Drinking Water Advisory Council, has published numerous professional papers, and is a national speaker on the issues of water quality. He was a key developer of the Partnership for Safe Water, an initiative that the Environmental Protection Agency and large water utilities have adopted, and he now is working with planners and engineers in Cherkassy, Ukraine, to help that community solve its water-quality challenges.

McMullen does not just excel at water management; he also is a savvy educational leader. As a past president and former executive member of the UI Alumni Association Board of Directors, he chaired the boards finance committee and helped guide its strategic planning during six years of service. McMullen is a member of the UI Alumni Associations Old Capitol Club.

He also was a member and chair of the UI College of Engineering Advisory Board from 1990 to 1998 and was influential in persuading the state of Iowa to invest in the colleges facility renovation. In recognition of such accomplishments, the College of Engineering inducted him into its Distinguished Alumni Academy in 2000; he is one of only 43 UI alumni who have earned this honor.

Whether the challenges that face him have to do with education or water, L.D. McMullen is committed to giving it his best. The accomplished Iowa graduate has devoted his career—and his life—to ensuring that quality matters.

Elizabeth Sele Mulbah, 77MA, has devoted her life to helping heal both people and places. This nurse educator, teacher, and humanitarian has used educational experiences from her home country of Liberia and from the University of Iowa to effect significant changes in the areas of health care and community action.

As the 11th of 15 children born to a tribal chief, Mulbah had few educational opportunities. She obtained much of her schooling at home but eventually attended a Liberian high school, where she was one of just three women to graduate.

The disciplined scholar went on to receive a bachelors degree in nursing from Liberias Cuttington University College in 1972. After graduation, she became a lecturer, clinical instructor, and director of nursing services at the Curran Lutheran Hospital and the Esther Bacon School of Nursing. She remained in these positions from 1973 to 1980, even while completing a masters degree in nursing service administration at the University of Iowa, where she distinguished herself as an outstanding student.

Mulbah soon put her Iowa education to work helping people in her war-torn country. When she returned to Liberia, the UI graduate took a job as a lecturer, clinical supervisor, and chair for Cuttington University Colleges Department of Nursing, where she worked from 1980 to 1986. During this time, she also sat on the Liberian Board for Nursing and Midwifery, serving as its president from 1983 to 1986.

Eventually, Mulbah left her job at Cuttington to spend a decade as the primary healthcare coordinator, program manager, and executive director of the Christian Health Association of Liberia. Through this position, Mulbah served as a community health development officer, helping to demobilize Liberian fighters and government soldiers.

In addition, she has worked with the United Nations Development Program, first as the community development officer for the Microcredit Program and then as community development specialist for the Reconstruction of Rural Housing in Liberia Program. She also has drafted training manuals on the topics of community development, leadership training, and holistic healing and has devoted herself to the areas of trauma healing, reconciliation, community leadership, and community health. She is currently serving in her countrys transitional government as advisor to the National Chairman on Health and Social Welfare.

This indefatigable educator is a recognized peace promoter who co-facilitated a four-day peace meeting with leaders of her countrys warring factions and also is a founding member of the Mano River Women for Peace Network. Her home has been a refuge for hundreds of people seeking shelter during Liberias civil war.

Such actions have earned Mulbah international recognition, and she is a prolific public speaker, lecturing in places such as the Carter Center in Atlanta, the Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, and the International Peace Academy in New York, as well as in countries throughout Africa. Mulbah is currently working on a story about these and other experiences in her autobiography, Blessed Tears.

Elizabeth Sele Mulbah has transformed her Iowa education into a global experience. She is a true citizen of the world, working at the local, national, and international levels to bring healing and change to her many communities.

Ignacio Vives Ponseti, 44R, 07DSC, has changed the future for literally thousands of people worldwide. When the Spanish-born and -educated physician arrived at the University of Iowa in 1941 to begin his residency, he embarked upon a decades-long career in orthopaedic surgery that would transform countless lives.

This distinguished journey started at the University of Barcelona in Spain, where Ponseti completed a B.S. degree in 1932 and a medical degree in 1936. After graduation, the young doctor served as a captain in the Spanish Republican Army, treating hundreds of soldiers wounded during his country's civil war.

Such experiences marked the beginning of Ponseti's commitment to caring for others. When the war ended, he traveled first to France and then to Mexico, where he operated a medical practice until deciding to come to Iowa to pursue his residency. Once he arrived on the UI campus, Ponseti began working with Arthur Steindler, a skilled surgeon and the well-known chair of the UI Department of Orthopaedics.

Throughout his years as a resident and then as an instructor and professor in the department—roles he assumed in 1944—Ponseti observed how Steindler and other surgeons treated clubfoot, a condition that causes babies to be born with severely twisted ankles, which often turn the feet almost completely upside down. Ponsetis conclusion that surgery was not the most effective treatment prompted him to develop an innovative, nonsurgical method, which he began applying in the early 1950s.

This approach, now known as the Ponseti Method, has earned global accolades for the UI professor emeritus. His technique for gently stretching ligaments and applying a series of plaster casts to painlessly mold feet into the proper shape has been in use by hundreds of doctors for more than five decades. It has allowed children around the world to walk, run, and jump without pain.

Though Ponseti left the operating room at the age of 70 in 1984, he continues to see patients, whose parents seek him out because of his gentle technique and special way with children. He also continues his research and has published a book, Congenital Clubfoot: Fundamentals of Treatment, which came out in 1996.

In recognition of the renowned physicians many accomplishments, the UI dedicated the Ponseti Clubfoot Treatment Center within the Reginald R. Cooper Orthopaedic Surgery Clinic. New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases named its clubfoot treatment center in Ponsetis honor as well.

Recently, a group of former colleagues and grateful patients and parents established an endowed chair in Ponsetis name to sustain his legacy. This legacy includes a commitment to Iowa. In addition to his professional contributions, Ponseti also gives generously, supporting a variety of UI programs and projects, including the Museum of Art and Hancher Auditorium. He is a member of the UI Foundations Presidents Club, as well as the UI Alumni Associations Old Capitol Club.

This Spanish watchmakers son is many years—and many miles—from his professional beginnings in medicine. However, since then, Ignacio Vives Ponseti has used his Iowa career to make every year and every mile count for his lucky patients.

Ronald W. Roskens, 58PhD, has gone from his boyhood on an Iowa farm to the national and global arenas of higher education and international relations. This accomplished University of Iowa graduate finished his doctoral degree and went on to a lifetime of exceptional achievements that have allowed him to share his UI experiences with the world.

After completing an undergraduate and masters degree at the University of Northern Iowa and a doctoral degree at the UI, the Spencer, Iowa, native began his professional career in 1959 as a professor at Kent State University, where he eventually was named executive vice president. This role became the springboard for a lengthy and distinguished tenure in higher education, including a position as chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Omaha and as president of the four campuses of the University of Nebraska system. During this period, he also served as chairman of the board of the American Council on Education.

Roskens has been an indefatigable educational leader who has brought an international perspective to his lifes work. He developed faculty exchange programs for the University of Nebraska system that encompassed partnerships with Kabul University in Afghanistan and with higher education and medical institutions in the Soviet Union and China.

Such global vision earned the UI graduate the recognition of former President George H. Bush in 1990, when he appointed Roskens as the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. In this role, Roskens served as chief executive officer of an $8.1 billion annual program offering economic and humanitarian assistance to more than 100 countries throughout the developing world.

In 1993, Roskens became president and chief executive officer of Action International, a think tank comprised of 35 former heads of state and other policy leaders. Just two years later, the Omaha, Nebraska, resident was named honorary consul general of Japan and was elected to the board of the Friends of the World Food Programme, a United Nations agency headquartered in Rome, Italy.

This kind of work in the international community helped Roskens begin a business consulting firm—Global Communications—in Omaha in 1997. While continuing as president of Global Communications, Roskens also has served as director of ConAgra Foods, the Russian Farm Community Project, and the Capitol Federal Foundation of Topeka, Kansas.

Despite his international focus, Roskens still makes time for causes closer to home. He served as interim executive officer of the Omaha Public Library from 1996 to 1998 and has served since 1997 as chairman of the Omaha/Douglas County Building Commission. In addition, he has served on numerous national boards and committees—including the U.S. Department of Educations National Advisory Committee on Institutional Eligibility—and currently is a member of the University of Iowas National Campaign Steering Committee. He is a member of the UI Foundations Presidents Club, as well as a life member of the UI Alumni Association. Roskens credits his wife, Lois, as an invaluable partner throughout his successful career.

Ronald W. Roskens has made diverse and significant contributions to the field of higher education and policy. Though his work has taken him from an Iowa farm to a much broader global arena, he has stayed true to his most important UI values and has used them to shape a career of international significance.

Mark S. Shapiro, 92BA, knew what it takes to achieve a competitive advantage in the world of sports as early as third grade. Thats why its easy to understand how this University of Iowa graduate launched a cable-access sports show in high school, landed an internship with NBC Sports while he was still in college, and began a prestigious career with ESPN right after his UI graduation.

The Glenville, Illinois, native made good use of his time at Iowa, completing a bachelors degree in communication studies while simultaneously interning—and then working—for NBC Sports. He got started on his career path as an intern in Cedar Rapids for a CBS affiliate, then as an intern with NBCs SportsWorld in 1989. He quickly moved up the ranks to become a production assistant for a variety of events and shows, including the NBA Finals, the Super Bowl, Wimbledon, NFL Live, and the Breeders Cup.

In 1991, the hardworking student was promoted to associate producer, a role he held while covering a variety of national and international sporting events, including Notre Dame football and the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. By the time Shapiro graduated from Iowa in 1992, he already had four years experience in television production and programming to his credit.

Such experience might help explain his swift rise to professional fame. Within just ten years of graduation, Shapiro had earned a place among Sports Business Dailys Top 40 Under 40, Sporting Newss Power 100, and Hollywood Reporters 35 Promising Executives on the Rise, and had six Emmy Awards to his credit. In 2003, Shapiro was named a rising star in Entertainment Weeklys annual 101 Most Powerful People in Show Business. His meteoric ascent in the field of sports broadcasting took off at ESPN, which hired the accomplished UI alumnus as a production assistant on the call-in show Talk2 with Jim Rome in 1993. One year later, Shapiro became a producer, working on the daily interview show Up Close and eventually producing ESPNs Emmy and Peabody Award-winning SportsCentury: the Top 50 and Beyond.

Only nine years older than the ESPN network itself, Shapiro has distinguished himself there as a visionary and energetic leader. In 2001, he became senior vice president and general manager of programming. Just one year later, he was promoted to executive vice president of programming and production.

Today, Shapiro is responsible for the development, acquisition, and scheduling of all programming for ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Regional Television, and ESPN Radio. He oversees all remote and studio production for ESPNs domestic and international entities and for ESPN Original Entertainment (EOE), which includes the X Games and ESPN Outdoors.

The Westport, Connecticut, resident doesnt have a typical desk job, however; his office has no desk at all. It contains a podium, telephone, sports memorabilia, and a coffee maker. Shapiro thinks on his feet, pacing his office and fielding fast-paced work demands.

By combining his personal passion and professional experience with his valuable UI education, Mark S. Shapiro has established himself as a talented and unstoppable force in the arena of sports production and programming.

Edward J. Wegman, 67MS, 68PhD, has skillfully used the life of the mind to transform the role of machines. The visionary professor and statistician has blended theory and practice throughout a lifetime of teaching, research, and discovery. He built his career, which gave birth to the field of computational statistics, on experience he gained at the University of Iowa.

When the Saint Louis, Missouri, native finished his undergraduate degree in mathematics at Saint Louis University in 1965, he headed for the UI campus. It was here at Iowa that Wegman began narrowing his passion for numbers into the field of mathematical statistics. Combined with his talent, this passion eventually earned the UI graduate a faculty position in the premier Department of Statistics at the University of North Carolina (UNC).

During his decade at UNC, Wegman researched theories of mathematical statistics, a background he used to inform his work in the Office of Naval Research (ONR), which he joined in 1978. He began at ONR as director of the Statistics and Probability Program and became head of its Mathematical Sciences Division in 1982. These positions, which gave Wegman responsibility for research programs in a range of mathematical fields, ultimately allowed him to revolutionize contemporary statistics. His ONR research helped him coin the phrase computational statistics and develop a high-profile research program around the concept that computing resources could transform statistical techniques and methodologies.

This innovation not only launched a new field, but also propelled Wegman to new heights of professional recognition. He joined the faculty at George Mason University in 1986, the same year in which he created the Center for Computational Statistics and developed a masters degree program in statistical science.

More recently, Wegman has helped establish the Institute for Computational Science and Informatics—as well as a new doctoral program in computational sciences and informatics. He currently is the Bernard J. Dunn Professor of Information Technology and Applied Statistics and the director of the Center for Computational Statistics at George Mason University. Wegman was also the founding chair of the Department of Applied and Engineering Statistics.

Despite the demands of such academic commitments, Wegman still has found time to serve as consultant for a variety of private-sector and governmental organizations, including the Strategic Defense Initiatives Innovative Science and Technology Office. He also has been the associate editor of seven academic journals, a member of numerous editorial boards, and the author of more than 160 papers and five books.

Wegmans numerous honors and accolades include his election as a fellow of the American Statistical Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Washington Academy of Science, and the Institute of Mathematical Science. In addition, he has received numerous military and academic awards for outstanding research, teaching, and service.

Edward J. Wegman has been a guiding force in the evolution of statistics into modern computational science. This achievement, which has broad applications across disciplines, is just one of many that show the UI graduates commitment to the life of the mind.

Patrick Baird, 76BBA, serves as president and chief executive officer of AEGON USA, the fifth largest insurance company in the U.S., where he has received national recognition for his successes throughout his 20 years with the company.

Baird's achievements have extended to his support of the University of Iowa. A former member of Iowa's golf team, he was the driving force behind the AEGON Advantage Golf Tournament, which has raised more than $400,000 for the Athletics Hall of Fame and the renovation of the Finkbine Golf Course.

Baird's Iowa upbringing and education have served him well during his successful career. Raised in the small town of Vinton, he attended Vinton High School and practiced his leadership skills early as the manager of the Vinton Municipal Swimming Pool for two summers. After enrolling at the UI, he completed an accounting degree in 1976 and became a Certified Public Accountant.

He was soon hired at AEGON, where his hard work and business acumen helped move him quickly up the ranks. Baird served in various key positions including executive vice president and chief operating officer, chief tax officer, and chief financial officer. Since 1990, he has held responsibility for leading the major acquisitions of the company.

In 2002, Baird became president and chief executive officer of AEGON USA. In this role, he leads the U.S. operations, which generate 63 percent of the revenues for the entire worldwide operations of AEGON NV, one of the top ten insurance companies in the world.

While his accomplishments have lead to international success, some of his greatest business contributions have been to the UI and the state of Iowa. Under Baird's leadership, AEGON has opened career opportunities for many graduates of the Henry B. Tippie College of Business by recruiting them for AEGON's Leadership Development program. He has also been committed to bringing new business units and jobs to the Cedar Rapids area. AEGON employs 14,000 staff across North America, close to 2,300 of them in the Cedar Rapids offices.

Beyond his business contributions to his home state, Baird serves the community through his participation on numerous boards that share a common theme of making the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City corridor a better place to do business and raise a family. Currently, he serves on the Waypoint board, the Kirkwood Foundation board, the Financial Services Roundtable, the Institute for Legal Reform, and the Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust board. Believing in the valuable lessons that young people learn through competition-and the recognition that the UI and the state receive from the university's outstanding Hawkeye teams-one of his priorities is supporting the UI athletics programs in which he once participated.

While Baird has gone far in his career, he remains close to the people he grew up with and to his alma mater, and his exceptional life achievements and long commitment to Iowa have made him one of the university's most valued alumni.

Baird is a member of the UI Foundation's Presidents Club.

Doris J. Biester, 63BSN, has distinguished herself as a pioneer in pediatric health care. The president and chief executive officer of the Children's Hospital of Denver, she is the first nurse and woman to serve the institution as its CEO. Biester is also the first nurse CEO to hold the position of chair of board of trustees for the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions.

Biester's interest in helping others came to her early in life, when she chose to enroll in the University of Iowa College of Nursing. After completing her degree, she worked in several positions at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where she demonstrated her exceptional leadership skills. She served from 1963 to 1965 as a pediatrics staff nurse, and from 1969 to 1972 as head nurse in the pediatric nursery and special care clinic and as a clinical nursing specialist and administrator in pediatrics.

From Iowa, she took a position as assistant director of pediatric and obstetric nursing at the Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, then went on to The Children's Hospital in Denver, Colorado, where she has made a long career of influencing the world of children's health. She began as senior vice president, director of nursing, and continued up the ranks to become chief operating officer in 1995, before achieving her current role as president and CEO of the hospital in 1998.

The key to her success includes both excellent judgment and strong interpersonal skills. When the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center moved its department of pediatrics into the Children's Hospital in 1990, she helped oversee the challenge. Biester worked thoughtfully to explore the best approach and help bring the two boards to agreement, keeping as her guiding principle at all times the question, "What is best for the children?" Not only did her efforts result in a smooth transition, she was instrumental in ultimately raising the position of the hospital to the number four ranking in the nation given by U.S. News & World Report.

Biester is known as a visionary who combines commitment with strategic, thoughtful action, and in so doing, inspires and motivates others. She has made a mark on the nursing profession with her innovative ideas, including finding ways to increase nurse retention rates, establishing an all-registered nurse staff for direct patient care, and establishing the baccalaureate nursing degree for entry into practice as a means of enhancing qualit