Welcome Back

Welcome to campus for a new academic school year at the University of Northern Iowa. We are glad to see familiar faces returning to campus, and we especially welcome all those new faces at UNI.  One of the new faces on campus this fall is Dean Dwight Watson, the newly appointed leader of the College of Education.

As you enter campus, you will note that a great deal of positive energy surrounds UNI.  We are coming off a very educationally inspiring spring semester which included a tremendous series of guest speakers like Dr. Cornel West, author of Race Matters; Ellen Kullman, CEO of Dupont, Inc.; and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. His Holiness mirrored the values of UNI as he stressed the critical importance of education in today's society.

That positive energy and excitement continues as we look forward to the new academic year.  We begin the year implementing the new 2010-15 UNI Strategic Plan. In line with the new strategic plan, and in response to budget challenges, many positive changes are taking place at the university to make us even more efficient and effective at providing the highest quality education and preparing all of our students for success in a rapidly changing and globally competitive world.  

Reflecting the quality of our academic programs, UNI recently gained several large national gifts and grants. Among them is the $11 million gift from Dick Jacobson to create a literacy center at UNI. Also, UNI in conjunction with Stanford University, UCLA, and the Iowa Department of Education have been granted $9 million for the Iowa Teacher Quality Project.

As always, I encourage you to fully engage in the UNI community and make the most of your time here. As you settle in, make certain to take in key fall events such as the Convocation, Family Weekend and Homecoming.  And, as another memorable year begins for us all here at the University of Northern Iowa, I wish you a safe and educationally fulfilling experience.

Ben Allen

August, 2010