Contact:
Michael Blackwell, director, UNI Center for Multicultural Education (319) 273-2250
Gwenne Culpepper, University Marketing and Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa –- At their worst, the years of the late '60s and early '70s were violent, turbulent and traumatic. At their best, they were life-altering, stimulating and visionary. The Vietnam War was raging, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, four students died during a campus protest at Kent State and, although the Civil Rights Act had been signed into law, the country was still wrestling fitfully with the issue. The University of Northern Iowa did not go quietly into this era and was, in 1970, the site of a well-remembered demonstration that would bring to life students' dreams for a multicultural center.
In March 1970, UNI's Afro-American Society proposed a $20,000 budget to build a new Minority Group Cultural Center. The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, vetoed the budget. In protest, society members gathered for a sit-in. Media reports from that day indicate that students forced their way into the president's home and held his family hostage. Both J.W. Maucker, then president, and students deny it happened that way. "They came to the door and knocked," said Maucker. "I let them in."
The district attorney, however, threatened jail time for those involved. In the end, seven students – who came to be known as the UNI-7, were suspended from the university. Maucker continued to work with the Board of Regents and the students, though, and the university opened the Ethnic Minorities and Cultural Education Center in February 1971.
Now known as the Center for Multicutural Education (CME), the center will host a three-day celebration for its 30th anniversary this week. All events take place at the center.
Wed., Feb. 21: open house and reception, 3 to 5 p.m.
Thurs., Feb. 22, a presentation by Poetry in Motion, 7:30 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 23, Chat and Chew, hosted by the Multicultural Graduate Student Association, 7 p.m.
For more information, contact the CME at (319) 273-2250.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Marilyn Drury, director, ITS Educational Technology, (319) 273-2309
Vicki Grimes, University Marketing & Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa –- A collaborative pilot project focused on enhancing the learning for Iowa's students in the area of middle school mathematics is underway at the University of Northern Iowa and several middle schools throughout the state.
The 21st Century Learning Infrastructure Initiative is a collaboration between UNI's Information Technology Services/Educational Technology division, the Iowa Information Technology Department, Iowa Department of Education and the Iowa Communications Network. They are working with
Area Education Agency (AEA) 7, AEA 10, and teachers and administrators at Aplington-Parkersburg, Denver and Jesup Middle Schools; North Tama (Traer) High School; H-L-V (Victor) Junior-Senior High School; and Iowa City's Northwest and Southeast Junior High Schools.
The pilot project, funded by the Iowa legislature, has several primary purposes, according to UNI's Marilyn Drury, project manager. The first is the acquisition and creation of digital educational materials such as digital pictures, audio and video, interactive web sites; electronic presentations; e-books; software; and evaluation mechanisms.
Other project purposes include: to research, test and evaluate indexing systems for easy acquisition of these digital educational materials by putting them on a central server that teachers and students can easily access over the internet with the index system; delivery and use of the content in the classroom; and to provide instructional design and developmental support to the classroom teacher who will incorporate the materials into his or her curriculum.
“We are on the leading edge with the educational technology we have here in our unit-- the server and support technologies," said Drury. "The project is exciting because we are working with the schools, AEAs and the two state departments. We hope to expand to additional schools and subject areas, such as humanities or science, during the next year.”
She said the project addresses the fact that delivering data electronically is changing the way educators receive and exchange classroom information. Newer technologies revolve around the use of DVDs or internet delivery. She cited the example of video streaming—the delivery of video images, which are essentially data, but in a video format.
“Through this streaming, learners and teachers in the state will be able to access the information at any time and any place, as long as they have the connections to the system,” said Drury. “For example, once the index is created, a teacher could search for a topic using several parameters, such as something related to fractions and seventh grade, and come up with some video or audio or digital content appropriate to that level.
“The initiative utilizes a wide range of information technologies to provide learning opportunities within and beyond the traditional classroom. And, it supports life-long learning with the combination of a digital library and a virtual open campus for all learners and institutions.”
Each participating school will receive approximately $12,000 in technology equipment and project teachers will receive $1,000 stipends.
Representing their schools or AEAs in the project are:
AEA 7: Ed Redalen, director of educational services; Beth Kuehl, educational technology specialist; Patty Achey Cutts, technology consultant for teaching & learning; and David Ure, technology consultant.
Aplington-Parkersburg Middle School: Jon T. Thompson, principal; Neil Lundgren, technology coordinator; Kimberly Koch and Becky Koenen, teachers.
Denver Middle School: Robert G. Conway, superintendent; JoAnn R. Butler, principal and curriculum coordinator; Kathy Brady, technology-media coordinator; Dawn Sage and Jan Wilcox, teachers.
Jesup Middle School: Sara McInerny, principal and curriculum coordinator; Terry Christie, superintendent, technical consultant; Larry Baldwin and Dale Rueber, teachers.
North Tama High School: Irvin Laube, principal; Josh Youel, technology coordinator; Judy Boerm and Dean Youngblut, teachers.
AEA 10: Cliff Ehlinger, executive director; Bob Furnio, Barb Rydberg and Colleen Kemps (Cedar Rapids Community Schools), technical consultants.
Iowa City Community Schools: Lane Plugge, superintendent; Bill Dutton, district curriculum director; Troy Wentzien, district technology coordinator; Vicki Burketta, math education consultant; Debra Wretman, Southeast Junior High principal; Bob Brems, Southeast teacher; Bryce Hansen, Northwest principal; Jan Hollis, Northwest curriculum consultant; Nancy Proctor, Northwest teacher.
H-L-V Junior-Senior High School: Bill Lynch, superintendent; Manfred Columbus, principal; Cathy Kinzenbaw and Sheryl Peters, teachers.
For more information, contact Marilyn Drury, project manager, at (319) 273-2309.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Rachel L. Flint, acting director, UNI Gallery of Art (319) 273-3095
James O'Connor, University Marketing and Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Gallery of Art is presenting the 2001 "Magic Silver Show" now through March 7.
The Magic Silver Show is an annual national photography competition, which began in 1988 in collaboration with Murray State University. Its purpose is to present a broad range of photographic material.
This year, 104 artists entered 496 works. Juror Jeffrey Hoone, director of Light Work, a consortium of professional photographers in Syracuse, New York, selected 64 works by 18 artists for the exhibit. According to Hoone, the range of work is striking. Especially notable is the increase in digitally produced work from previous years.
The exhibition at the UNI Gallery of Art is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday; Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. The Gallery is located at the corner of Hudson Road and West 27th street in Cedar Falls on the main floor of the Kamerick Art Building. For more information, call (319) 273-3095 or visit www.uni.edu/artdept/gallery.
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2/19/01 -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Ann Vernon, UNI professor of education and director of counseling education, (319) 273-2226
Vicki Grimes, University Marketing and Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- A school counselors and administrators conference, "Counseling: The Greatest Show on Earth," will be held Thursday, Feb. 22, in Waterloo, hosted by the University of Northern Iowa's Department of Educational Leadership, Counseling, and Postsecondary Education. The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at the Waterloo Holiday Inn Convention Center, West 4th and Commercial Streets.
Counselors at all levels will examine current issues relating to school counseling, and administrators will learn how to establish a successful K-12 comprehensive counseling program. The conference also will examine ways to better meet students' needs by working more effectively as a team with counselors, parents and the community.
The conference is co-sponsored by the UNI Continuing Education division, Iowa Department of Education, Iowa School Counseling Association, Iowa Counselors Association, and the School Administrators of Iowa. The conference will feature key note speaker Stan Maliszewski, assistant professor and director of school counseling and guidance at the University of Arizona.
According to conference chair, Ann Vernon, UNI professor and coordinator of counseling at UNI, Maliszewski is a driving force behind the comprehensive guidance plan in Nebraska which includes services for all students in the areas of personal/social, academic and career development. Maliszewski will discuss how to implement a comprehensive program and why it is so critical to provide services to all children in order to help them grow up without experiencing serious problems.
In addition to two presentations by Maliszewski, the conference will include a wide variety of concurrent sessions dealing with students, home, school and community issues; and the unveiling of the Iowa Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance Plan, designed by a statewide project task force.
The National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) has approved the program for five contact hours, or participants can request .6 General Continuing Education Units (CEUs), for a $5 fee.
The regular registration fee is $79, and student registration is $39. For more information on the conference, contact conference chair, Ann Vernon, (319) 273-2226. For registration information, contact Linda Love, (319) 273-6855. ###
2/19/01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Gregory Bruess, associate professor of history, (319) 273-2752
Vicki Grimes, University Marketing and Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – "The Roles of African Americans in the Civil War" will be the topic for a history lecture at the University of Northern Iowa at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 21, in Room 115 Seerley Hall. Funded by a grant to UNI's Phi Alpha Theta history honor society from Humanities Iowa, the lecture will be presented by Joseph McGill, Jr., director of the African American Heritage Foundation of Iowa.
McGill's address is open to the public free of charge. Humanities Iowa, a cultural resource for Iowans since 1971, offers many cultural and historical programs and grants to Iowa's communities. It is a private, non-profit state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
McGill's presentation will explore the African American experience in the Civil War. Presenting in a Civil War uniform, McGill will take on the character of James Carroll, a soldier from Ottumwa, who served in the First Regiment Iowa African Infantry. McGill also will talk about Civil War uniforms and equipment, the history of the First Regiment Iowa African Infantry and the purpose of re-enacting.
McGill is the director of the African American Heritage Foundation of Iowa in Cedar Rapids. He previously served as director of history and culture at Penn Center, St. Helena Island, S.C., and was a park ranger at Fort Sumter National Monument in Charleston, S.C. As a Civil War re-enactor, McGill participates in parades, living history presentations and battle re-enactments.
Persons with a disability who require special assistance and plan to attend the lecture, are asked to call (319) 273-2097 in advance so that arrangements may be made.
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