Iowa Magazine | Fall 2026 by iowamagazine

IOWA MED: A YEAR IN THE LIFE

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Follow Iowa medical student Bailey VandeLune from her White Coat Ceremony to Match Day.

FO R U N I V E R S I T Y O F I OWA A LU M N I A N D F R I E N D S

A fourth-year medical student prepares for a career serving patients in rural communities.

GAME DAY, UNFILTERED

Meet the unsung heroes who make football games possible at Kinnick Stadium.

FROM THE DEPTHS

Iowa Literary Legend Yiyun Li examines grief in her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

TOGETHER, HAWKEYES BRING BREAKTHROUGHS TO LIFE. Maren Denison arrived on campus in 2005 as a premature twin born with cystic fibrosis—a potentially fatal disease. Today, she’s a thriving Iowa student thanks, in part, to UI physician, professor, and researcher Michael Welsh. His revolutionary discoveries in the field are allowing patients to enjoy longer, healthier lives. Read Maren’s story.

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Game Day, Unfiltered

What does it take to host a game at Kinnick Stadium? Iowa Magazine goes beyond the sidelines to find out.

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ON T HE C O V E R

Iowa Med: A Year in the Life After losing her father in a farm accident, one fourth-year medical student sets out to bring lifesaving emergency care to rural Iowans.

WEB EXCLUSIVE The Invisible Band reflects on the “Hawk Rap”—its fun-filled tribute to Hayden Fry and the 1986 Iowa football team. Read at foriowa.info/im26-rap.

ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING

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2 | Big Picture 4 | Campus Mail 7 | On Iowa Retired NASA chief scientist Jim Green (73BA, 76MS, 79PhD) returns to his alma mater to meet students and tour the new Iowa Spaceflight Laboratory.

15 | Go Hawks

51 | For Iowa

Go nine innings with former Hawkeye pitcher Drew Irvine, who plays Banana Ball for the Indianapolis Clowns.

Kirk and Mary Ferentz give in memory of their preemie granddaughter to support groundbreaking neonatal research and care.

45 | Iowa Arts

58 | Always a Hawkeye

Literary Legend Yiyun Li (00MS, 05MFA) speaks on loss, literature, and the Pulitzer Prize.

AmericaSpeaks founder Carolyn Lukensmeyer (67BA), who helped New Yorkers heal after 9/11, releases a documentary on the 25th anniversary.

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Iowa Magazine, Volume 79, Number 3 © 2026 University of Iowa Center for Advancement. The UI Center for Advancement publishes Iowa Magazine four times a year. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Iowa Magazine, UI Center for Advancement, One West Park Road, Iowa City, IA 52242. Opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by the university, the publishers, or the editors. The University of Iowa prohibits discrimination in employment, educational programs, and activities on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), disability, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, service in the U.S. military, sexual orientation, or associational preferences. The university also affirms its commitment to providing equal opportunities and equal access to university facilities.

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Having a Ball

Kinnick Stadium embraced a new sport on July 3 and 4, as Iowa fans welcomed the Savannah Bananas and Firefighters for two sold-out baseball games. From entertaining entrances to choreographed dances between plays, the teams are known for their barnstorming showmanship. The party started long before the teams hit the field. Jesse Cole (pictured left), founder and owner of the Banana Ball Championship League, and Tyler Gillum (at right), the Savannah Bananas head coach, posed for a selfie with fans during pregame festivities. Ahead of the first pitch, the same enthusiasm moved inside the stadium. Fans danced along to the team’s routines, waved to the kids at University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital, and cheered for special guests like Iowa icons Brad Banks (03BA), Dallas Clark (07BA), and Spencer Lee (21BS). PHOTO: BRIAN RAY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM

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Bird is the Word

I applaud the efforts of Dave Conrads and others working on the Iowa Raptor Project [“Band of Birders,” Iowa Magazine, summer 2026, p. 26]. The research they do is vital for the continued survival of raptors in the state. As an alumnus, I’ve been a lover of hawks for more than 40 years. I’ve collected a couple dozen paintings of raptors—mostly red-tailed hawks. I was fortunate enough to have my practice 20 miles away from Nachusa Grasslands near Franklin Grove, Illinois, when it was first established in 1985. I spent a lot of time there watching many raptors as a side benefit of the efforts to maintain the prairie they call home. Keeping the hawk population healthy in Johnson County, Iowa, is crucial. Hopefully the Iowa Raptor Project can continue its efforts after the agreement with MacBride Nature Recreation Area expires in July 2029. Nicholas C. Johnson (79DDS) Conway, Arkansas

Under Their Wings

UI law graduate Eddie Ponce (21JD) [“Rooted in Growth,” summer 2026, p. 24] was my ceramics student in high school. In 39 years of teaching the arts at Whitney High School in Cerritos, California, I considered him one of my favorites because of his work ethic, his sense of humor, and playfulness. I remember that he also had to work to

C ONNE C T W I T H

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help support himself and his mother in high school at McDonald’s, and he would often bring me a cup of coffee just the way I liked it. Eddie has a heart of gold, and I’m so incredibly proud of the hard-working lawyer he has become. I am grateful that he had the patience and guidance of UI College of Law professor emerita Lorie Reins-Schweer. She gave him a rare gift. I have kept in touch with Eddie over the years and have always been so impressed with the direction and perseverance he has shown as he took on life’s challenges. Debra Sposa Orange County, California

The Hawkeyes We’d Carve in Stone

Which four icons would you carve into a Mount Rushmore for Hawkeyes? Recently on Facebook we asked University of Iowa alumni and friends, and these are the four names selected the most:

• Caitlin Clark (24BBA), Iowa women’s basketball great and WNBA star • Nile Kinnick (40BA), Heisman Trophy recipient, law student, and World War II naval aviator • James Van Allen (36MS, 39PhD), physicist who discovered the Van Allen radiation belt • Hayden Fry, Iowa football head coach (1979–98)

Birds of a Feather

I just finished reading through the summer 2026 Iowa Magazine. What a wonderful issue! I absolutely loved the bird theme and found the articles very interesting. The bird illustrations by Michael Hoeweler were beautiful. I’m looking forward to my next visit back to campus to see the Hageboeck Hall of Birds [“Bird by Bird,” p. 6] and the Ding Darling exhibit at the Main Library Gallery [“Darling Ducks,” p. 52]. Emily Gillula (80MA, 81MBA) St. Charles, Missouri We love every issue of Iowa Magazine, but you really outdid yourselves with the recent special edition, “Birds of a Feather.” We enjoyed every article,

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Who would you choose and why? Email your top picks to uimagazine@foriowa.org. illustration, and photo. Back in the ’70s, this English major remembers professors telling us the origin of the Hawkeye for our mascot was James Fenimore Cooper’s Natty Bumppo, whose nickname was Hawkeye. Cooper’s books were bestsellers at the time of the university’s founding, hence the mascot’s name. Similarly, Alan Alda took the name Hawkeye for his doctor

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Letters to the editor may be edited for style, length, and clarity. While we welcome feedback, we regret that we are unable to print or reply to every letter.

role on M-A-S-H, because the character was a doctor trained at University of Iowa Health Care. We’re always proud to let people know we’re Hawkeyes, even 50-plus years later. In fact, we were married at the Danforth Chapel 50 years ago on July 31 during America’s bicentennial celebration. Diana Burke Cain (74BA) and Robert G. Cain (75BA) Murphy, Texas I’m enjoying, as usual, the summer issue of Iowa Magazine. The sheer number of flight and bird references throughout the issue is both entertaining and informative. Yet the triplex stealth metaphor (with an option for quadplex, depending on the means

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of electronic delivery for Field and Stream TV) in the title “A Streaming Success“ [p. 61] is laudable. Dann L. Pierce (85PhD) Portland, Oregon

Spectacular Spring

I read the spring 2026 issue from front to back, and it’s fantastic. From the sad news on the passing of my favorite professor, Jay Holstein [“Remembering Jay Holstein,” p. 5], to the in-depth coverage of the amazing work of Dr. Michael Welsh (71BS, 74MD, 77R) [“Breath of Hope,” p. 24], and the engaging story of Robert Gallery (03BA) and the trauma of CTE [“Shadow of the Mountain,” p. 36], this issue was simply stellar! Keep up the excellent work. Karin Kroll-Ross (88BA) Menasha, Wisconsin Thank you for the inspiring spring issue. The “How to Embrace Aging” feature [p. 30] gave me ideas on how to help fellow octogenarians. The article on Gallery’s struggles was a tribute to a man who, despite his feeling of failure, never gave up. And what a joy to see academics rediscover the literary power of songs through Bob Dylan [“Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Poetry,” p. 46]. Of course, the Nobel Committee had already recognized it a century earlier with a 1913 award to Rabindranath Tagore, who was basically a song lyricist. The magazine was a great read for a Sunday afternoon. Edward Pixley (69PhD) Oneonta, New York

Fighting Cystic Fibrosis

I was so pleased to read “Breath of Hope” about physician-scientist Michael Welsh’s work in developing a successful treatment for cystic fibrosis patients. In 1968, when I was a senior dental student at the UI, I worked as a registered nurse in the pediatric ward. Patients with cystic fibrosis were always placed in separate rooms with low lighting and drab green walls. They lay in iron beds with a humidifier tent. Our uniforms were white and sterile. Nothing about this environment suggested comfort.

I still recall the feeling of helplessness I experienced because of the suffering of the children as well as their families. It is with great respect and gratitude that I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Welsh and the team that developed a better future for these deserving patients. I have always been proud of the UI. Welsh makes me even more proud. Michael L. Patten (68DDS) Plantation, Florida

Brain Health

I’m grateful you published the spring 2026 cover story on Robert Gallery. His words hit me hard because they were so familiar. For years, I knew something wasn’t right, but I didn’t understand what it was or how to deal with it. Like many others, I thought I just had to tough it out. I was 19 when I went to Vietnam. I came home believing strength meant pushing through and staying silent. It took nearly 60 years for me to be diagnosed with PTSD. That’s how long these wounds can stay hidden. If sharing my story helps even one person recognize what they’re going through and reach out for help, then it’s worth it. We are incredibly fortunate to have the UI doctors working with the Iowa City VA Medical Center. Their

ability to recognize the signs and provide real help made a profound difference in my life. No one should have to wait decades to understand what they’re going through. Joel Wells (86MA, 91PhD) Iowa City I’m so glad that Gallery achieved success. I felt like I was reading about myself, minus a football field. I was in a motor vehicle accident in January 2012, my fourth lifetime concussion. This led to the diagnosis of traumatic brain injury with postconcussive syndrome. I too became depressed, angry, and suicidal. My life stopped that day. I could not continue in my chosen profession as an advanced registered nurse practitioner. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1986 from the UI and a master’s in nursing from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1990. I continue to work hard daily to make myself feel better, but it’s a constant struggle. I hope one day I can find me again, with any assistance necessary. Thank you for this article. I have more hope today than yesterday. Katheryne Vos (86BSN) Phoenix

As a journalist for 70 years, I found Wayne Drehs’ (00BA) in-depth story on Gallery’s valiant fight against CTE and other mental issues to be one of the finest pieces of journalism I’ve read in a long time, not only in Iowa Magazine but in national publications. His indepth examination of Gallery’s trials and tribulations went above and beyond. Plaudits also to the Iowa Magazine staff for making what has to be one of the best university publications in the nation. Alan Hoskins (58BA) Kansas City, Kansas Flat-out excellent. It moved me to tears and inspired me. David Byers Woodland Hills, California “Shadows of the Mountain” is an incredible story, very well-written by Drehs. I’m a big Hawkeye fan and remember Gallery’s days at Iowa and in the NFL. Congrats to Gallery for having the courage to work through the terrible times and ultimately seek help. I wish him and his family the best. Robert Carber (70BA) West Des Moines, Iowa

Magazine of the Year

The University of Iowa’s Iowa Magazine for alumni and friends has been recognized with the 2026 Robert Sibley Magazine of the Year Award, the highest magazine honor in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s annual Circle of Excellence Awards. Judges praised Iowa Magazine, stating, “This is an excellent magazine with exceptional design, story selection, and storytelling. [We] liked its food issue, which included articles on everything from favorite Iowa City haunts to what a football player eats on game day to food safety to an alum who was a food critic, and a lot more. The photography is outstanding, and we loved the wraparound cover.” In addition, the publication received gold in the category of Magazines: Alumni/General Interest: Four-Year Colleges and Universities (Printed Three+ Times a Year), silver for Magazines: Single Topic/Special Editions for the summer 2025 food-themed issue, and gold in Design: Covers for the fall 2025 cover featuring a painting of author Kurt Vonnegut by artist Red Danielson (22MFA). This year, CASE received 4,185 entries from 628 institutions and 33 countries for consideration in the Circle of Excellence Awards, the premier recognition program for educational advancement professionals worldwide.

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The Last Dance

Students and faculty in the UI Department of Dance held their final classes this past spring in Halsey Hall, bidding farewell to the program’s longtime home. This fall, the department leaped across the river into the newly renovated Dance Building. The facility, which most recently served as the Performing Arts

Annex, was originally home to the Museum of Art from 1969 to 2008. The move provides the department with a modernized space to train the next generation of dancers while placing them at the heart of the west-side arts campus. For more on Halsey Hall’s history, see p. 65.

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renovations to establish the Iowa Spacef light Laboratory (see p. 9). The building holds a special significance to Green, who credits legendary UI space physicist James Van Allen (36MS, 39PhD) among his most influential mentors. During his visit, Green sat down with students to discuss scientific leadership, exploration, and what it takes to push the boundaries of discovery.

From Iowa to NASA

Today, Green is known as one of NASA’s most influential scientists. But before he helped guide billion-dollar missions, he was just a kid from Burlington, Iowa, spending his days on the river catfishing and waterskiing. During his four decades at NASA—including 12 years as the director of the planetary science division and three as the agency’s chief scientist—Green oversaw missions across the solar system. For his planetary work, the science community honored him by naming an asteroid “Jamesgreen.” He also contributed to more than 125 scientific papers and received numerous awards, including NASA’s Exceptional Achievement Medal and its Distinguished Service Medal, and Japan’s Kotani Prize in recognition of his international science data management activities. In 2015, Green served as a scientific consultant to director Ridley Scott while filming The Martian.

E P H Y S IC S A ND A S T R ONOM Y E

Space to Grow Retired NASA chief scientist Jim Green recently returned to Iowa to encourage students to shoot for the moon. In spaceflight, a gravity assist allows a spacecraft to reach distant places much faster by borrowing momentum from a spinning planet and using the planet’s gravity to change its trajectory. For Jim Green (73BA, 76MS, 79PhD), who retired in 2022 after more than 40 years at NASA, including the last three as its chief scientist, that same concept applies to his life. “Something happens to you—whether it’s a

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person, place, event, even a book—that inspires you, and you get so excited that you change direction and accelerate in a new direction toward a new goal,” Green says. Over the course of his career, Green has experienced many of these “gravity assists.” And he can trace several of those back to one place: the University of Iowa. Green returned this past spring to the UI, where he toured Van Allen Hall as it underwent

Now retired, Green teaches students around the world about space and planetary science and leads a private consulting firm. Green says his success was built not just on technical skill but on habits formed in Iowa, including relentless curiosity and communication. “Iowa set me up to figure out how to teach myself,” he says. “I became a lifelong learner.” He also embraced storytelling in science, a skill he honed during graduate school presentations and later used to bring the public into NASA’s biggest moments—like broadcasting the Curiosity rover landing live. “Science isn’t done until you share it,” he says. Green says the world has witnessed a golden age of planetary science, but he is looking forward to what comes next. “If I had one wish, I wish that I was graduating from the University of Iowa now,” Green says. “Because over the next 50 years, today’s students’ careers are going to be nothing but one unbelievable worldview-changing discovery after another.” B Y E M I LY N E L S O N

PHOTO: JUSTIN TORNER/UI OFFICE OF STR ATEGIC COMMUNICATION

Launching the Next Generation

On Iowa

UI L IB R A RIE S

Birthday Bash

LAB PHOTO: TIM SCHOON/UI OFFICE OF STR ATEGIC COMMUNICATION; POTTER PHOTOS COURTESY UI LIBR ARIES SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES

Iowa Unveils Spaceflight Laboratory The University of Iowa’s new Iowa Spaceflight Laboratory, a $7.2 million investment to expand space flight instruments, propels the UI into position as a frontrunner in space science. Greg Howes, physics and astronomy professor and departmental executive officer, says the development of the laboratory on Van Allen Hall’s seventh floor—which was also supported by a $670,000 grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust—cements the UI’s place as a national and international player in the scientific exploration of space. “We are at the cutting edge of what is going on in space exploration and understanding the science of near-Earth space,” says Howes. From a state-of-the art machine to assemble aerospace printed circuit boards—which are critical to supporting electronics on instruments and spacecraft—to vacuum chambers used to calibrate instruments that measure space radiation, the lab gives students firsthand experience in the science that makes space exploration possible. The specialized facilities will allow for several internal and external projects, including lunar landing programs, small satellite programs, and planetary missions. The UI Department of Physics and Astronomy has a long history of developing spaceflight instrumentation. In 1958, professor James Van Allen (36MS, 39PhD) helped put a cosmic ray instrument on Explorer 1, the first orbiting spacecraft launched by the United States. The UI continued to make history when the TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) spacecraft, containing two identical satellites designed by a UI-led team of scientists and engineers, launched into orbit last year. The $170 million NASA mission was the largest external project ever brought to the UI. “We have a huge capability to be able to design, build, test, and integrate the spacecraft instruments that we need for upcoming missions, all within Van Allen Hall,” says Howes. “Our goal is to be able to lead these efforts, because that’s really where Iowa excels, and that’s the direction that we want to move to maintain our leadership in the field of space exploration,” he adds. BY BRI BR ANDS AND RICHARD LEWIS

The University of Iowa recently celebrated the 160th birthday of Beatrix Potter, the beloved creator of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. UI Libraries Special Collections and Archives partnered with the Beatrix Potter Society and Iowa City Public Library for a day of special events honoring the British author this past summer. Visitors were treated to a Beatrix Potter impersonator, a bustling tea party, presentations by scholars, and an interactive story hour. The Beatrix Potter storybooks in the university’s collection were on display, including a first-edition copy of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, (below right) which Potter had personally published before the books became a sensation. The rare book is one of only 250 printed in 1900 and previously belonged to Potter’s niece.

Beatrix Potter impersonator Debra Ann Miller (left) joins Special Collections Reading Room patron Mary Simmons for a tea party at the Main Library. BY AMANDA R AHN

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As a cancer survivor, Ryan Dwars (pictured at center with his family) continues to participate in UI Health Care Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center programs that support his long-term health and well-being.

cancer-fighting potential of intravenous vitamin C when combined with standard treatments. In recent years, a randomized phase 2 trial at Iowa doubled the median survival time of pancreatic cancer patients who received intravenous vitamin C in addition to chemotherapy compared to those who only received chemotherapy. Cullen’s next step is starting a randomized, multicenter phase 3 clinical trial to confirm the treatment’s safety and effectiveness in a large, diverse group of patients. Unlike the phase 2 trial, which received National Institutes of Health funding, this trial needs private or industry funding to begin. Ultimately, a successful phase 3 trial would make intravenous vitamin C more widely available and affordable to pancreatic cancer patients like Ryan, who pays out of pocket to receive these infusions as part of his immunotherapy treatment.

The Trials of Survivorship

Circle of Care Iowa researchers are helping to improve the lives of cancer patients and survivors. Ryan Dwars is still processing what’s

unfolded since March 2021 when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The countless hospital treatments. The time away from his kids. The friends he’s lost to the disease. Today, the 42-year-old has surpassed five years since diagnosis—a milestone reached by 13% of pancreatic cancer patients, according to the American Cancer Society. Since March 2025, his quarterly scans have shown no evidence of the disease. Still, Ryan and his wife, Brooke Hammond Dwars (07BBA), remain vigilant of recurrence. Ryan undergoes immunotherapy and participates in group and individualized therapy at University of

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Iowa Health Care Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. “When you’re in the thick of it and trying to fight to survive, you don’t even have a chance to think about the mental side,” says Ryan, a father of two. As more Iowans are affected by cancer, UI researchers are working to develop treatments that help extend and improve the lives of cancer patients, while better equipping them to manage long-term side effects.

The Promise of Vitamin C

Joseph Cullen (86MD, 91R), UI professor emeritus

of gastrointestinal surgery, has helped lead three clinical trials at Iowa that have demonstrated the

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Support Cancer Research Visit foriowa.info/im26-cancer to support UI Health Care Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center.

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HE A LT H C A RE

Cancer survivors can experience various long-term side effects, ranging from fatigue and neuropathy to cognitive impairment and mood disorders. Stephanie Gilbertson-White, an associate professor in the College of Nursing and the Supportive Oncology Clinical Research Program leader at Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, says patients experience a drastic shift after they complete treatment that can significantly impact their mood. They must monitor for recurrence, which can cause long-term stress, and they can feel a loss of connection to their care team. To better prepare cancer patients for survivorship, Gilbertson-White is exploring how large data sets like medical records can help predict which patients are at increased risk for specific symptoms. These results could inform personalized treatment plans and monitoring schedules. Gilbertson-White, a research scientist, is also investigating better ways to integrate the perspective of primary caregivers into the research, as they often closely track symptoms and communicate the needs of a patient. Ryan understands the vital importance of a caregiver. His wife, Brooke, has served in that role throughout his cancer journey, managing many of the family’s tasks and his health care needs. “I’m truly blessed that Brooke is there to take that all on,” says Ryan. “I can’t imagine if it was just me.”

On Iowa

BRIEFS Booming Business In response to record-high enrollment, the Henry B. Tippie College of Business is renovating and expanding. A groundbreaking will be held Sept. 18 for the $60 million project, which will add 65,000 square feet. For more information, visit foriowa.org/tippie.

Pulitzer Prizewinners

P UB L IC HE A LT H

Roots of Disease

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: NICK BEECHER

A new initiative examines how environmental conditions affect Iowans’ health. Research from the University of Iowabased Iowa Cancer Registry has revealed the state has the second-highest cancer rates in the nation, leading scientists to investigate what factors may be at play. Iowa’s high cancer rate is alarming to Des Moines philanthropists Kyle Krause (85BBA) and Sharon Krause (94MBA). “Kyle and I have spent a great deal of time thinking about Iowa’s future, the people that live here, and the responsibility all of us share in protecting both our communities and the environment,” says Sharon Krause. That is why the Kyle J. and Sharon Krause Family Foundation donated $5 million to launch the Iowa Integrated Network for Science, Information, and Geospatial Health Tracking, or Iowa INSIGHT. Created this past summer in partnership with the UI’s Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination (CHEEC) and IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering, Iowa INSIGHT gathers data to better understand how environmental factors influence Iowans’ health.

The first-of-its-kind initiative prioritizes research on cancer, maternal and newborn health, and neurodevelopmental diseases. By expanding Iowa’s environmental monitoring of air and water and analyzing environmental chemicals in human tissues and fluids, Iowa INSIGHT plans to share data that raises awareness of the issues and motivates action across the state. While current funding—including gifts from the Roy J. Carver Trust and Des Moines entrepreneur Walter Lauriden—allows Iowa INSIGHT to gather data for the next five years, the initiative aims to continue its mission as long as it has the financial resources. That is why the program hopes to reach $10 million in funding. “There’s an opportunity here to make sure we can contribute to help Iowa,” says CHEEC Director David Cwiertny, the William D. Ashton Professor of Civil Engineering. “It’s very fulfilling.” For more on Iowa INSIGHT and to give, visit iihr.uiowa.edu/iowa-insight.

Five Hawkeyes have received the 2026 Pulitzer Prize. The honorees include Erika Slife (99BA) and Kate Perez (25BA) of the Chicago Tribune for local reporting; Eleanor Hildebrandt (23BA) of the Minnesota Star Tribune for breaking news reporting; and authors Daniel Kraus (97BA) and Yiyun Li (00MS, 05MFA) in literature. Read a Q&A with Li on p. 46.

Eyes to the Sky The University of Iowa Institute for Vision Research is featured in the documentary Looking Up about a young man who faces encroaching blindness and climbs Yosemite’s El Capitan. The film is available on Amazon Prime.

Respected Rankings Twenty-four UI colleges and programs are among the top 25 in the nation in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate School rankings. The nurse anesthesia program at the College of Nursing and the physician assistant program at the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine take the top spots in their categories.

BY E M M A C O N WAY

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“

Is this technology adding to my life or detracting from it?”

—Jack Cantorna

Offline Mode Through a new campus ‘Appstinence’ chapter, a UI undergrad invites fellow students to rethink their relationship with technology. On New Year’s Day, Jack Cantorna looked up directions to the airport, wrote them down on a piece of paper, and drove there without GPS. Cantorna, a University of Iowa undergraduate studying economics and philosophy, is part of a growing movement to ditch smartphones. While driving without GPS has been a bit tricky—he did have to stop and ask for help from a friendly worker at a pizza shop—he says the inconvenience is worth it. “One of the biggest differences between life with a smartphone and life with a flip phone is that there’s no general sense of anxiety. I’m just happier,” Cantorna says. That feeling of freedom is what Cantorna hopes to share with other students through the UI chapter of Appstinence, a student club he launched this past spring. The Appstinence movement began at Harvard University, and the Iowa chapter is the first offshoot of the organization.

Appstinence at Iowa

The negative effects of technology on young people are well documented. Studies show technology addiction can affect a student’s ability to focus in school, sleep, and socialize.

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Digital Detox

Part of the chapter’s mission is to encourage students to deeply consider the impact technology has on their lives during a 30-day period, a concept from the book Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cam Newport. During that month, students take a break from any technology they deem as optional while attending in-person Appstinence at Iowa events where phones stay tucked into backpacks. “At the end of the 30 days, hopefully you found out which things in real life you like, then you consciously and intentionally bring back the technology that serves your values,” says Cantorna. “It’s different for everybody. The aim is to experience life without excess, without persuasive technology.” Cantorna will graduate in December and hopes to have another digital minimalist take the lead for the Iowa chapter. Post graduation, he plans to commission as an officer in the Air Force. While he doesn’t know exactly what the future holds, he does know that he won’t be scrolling Instagram on his lunch break. BY AMANDA R AHN

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: NICK BEECHER

S T UDE N T CL UB S

“When I was walking home from the library, or just moving from place to place, I used to interrupt all these small moments with my phone, but I didn’t even realize I was doing it,” Cantorna says. “It was hijacking my attention, and I didn’t appreciate that.” The first goal for Appstinence at Iowa was to get students thinking about the role technology plays in their lives. Cantorna wants students to ask themselves, “Is this technology adding to my life or detracting from it?” The group’s digital management workshop offers actionable tools for students to take control of their technology such as using a browser extension that hides suggested videos while watching YouTube.

On Iowa

Abigail Crabtree

ago into the top 50 last year in the U.S. News & World Report rankings for best environmental law school. This year, Iowa Law sits at No. 39.

Expanding Iowa Law

L AW

Environment for Success An alumni couple’s gift provides new opportunities for students to study environmental law.

PHOTO COURTESY UI COLLEGE OF LAW

Abigail Crabtree (21BA, 26JD) left

a law fair in 2021 disappointed—her top choice, the University of Iowa College of Law, told her it didn’t have the specific environmental law classes and research opportunities she was looking for. Crabtree grew up on a farm in Dubuque, Iowa, and can’t remember a time when she didn’t care deeply about agriculture. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in ethics and public policy and a certificate in sustainability from the UI, she was set on attending a law school where she could dive deeper into environmental law, learning the ins and outs of litigating land disputes and sinking her teeth into landmark legislation like the Clean Water Act. “I was bummed,” she says. She took a year and a half off and was weighing her options when she

received some life-changing news. Iowa Law had just launched a program seemingly perfect for her: the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative, or HELI. HELI launched in 2022 thanks to law alumni Charlotte Beyer Hubbell (76JD) and Fred Hubbell (76JD), who committed $5 million to establish the program. The gift, which was the largest in Iowa Law history, was intended to create a forum for interdisciplinary engagement on important environmental issues, support law students and curriculum, and ultimately strengthen the environmental law bar in Iowa. “I picked Iowa,” Crabtree says. “It was kind of a no brainer once HELI was off the ground.” After the establishment of HELI, Iowa Law soared from an unranked position just four years

The U I has a long and storied histor y in environmental law. UI environmental law professors have played a part in consequential legal decisions, from upholding indigenous land rights as a matter of international law to novel scholarship on nuclear waste. HELI builds on this tradition. The initiative has brought in premier speakers like Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer and journalist Elizabeth Kolbert, funded travel for students to compete in national law competitions, and added leading environmental scholars to its faculty. These opportunities have given students a voice in state and national environmental issues. Students like Crabtree have used the HELI to its full potential. She took advantage of funded travel to national competitions with the Environmental Moot Court and sat in on a speaker series featuring experts in water quality law. Crabtree’s active involvement at Iowa Law, as well as her past position as president of the Graduate and Professional Student Government and Notes and Comments editor of the Journal of Corporation Law, earned her a Hancher-Finkbine Medallion this past spring.

The HELI Effect

Crabtree recently landed a job at a firm in Des Moines where she hopes to gradually take on more cases focused on environmental law. She credits the real-world experience gained through HELI with standing out in the candidate pool. “I’m going into the workforce a more developed person and professional,” she says. “Having those opportunities provided by HELI has been really impactful.” BY AMANDA R AHN

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WHERE LIFE TAKES YOU.

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16 C A R V E R ' S F U T U R E 18 C L A S S Y C L O W N 19 G O A L - O R I E N T E D

Thunderstruck

In June, Bennett Stirtz became the 12th Iowa men’s basketball player to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft. Stirtz, who began his collegiate career in Division II, was picked 16th and will play for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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BRIEFS

UI Athletics installed the court used in the NCAA Houston Regional Elite Eight at Carver-Hawkeye Arena this past spring.

Bars in Brazil Hawkeye gymnast Aurélie Tran won gold on the uneven bars for Team Canada at the 2026 Pan American Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rio de Janeiro.

Draft Domination

Special Olympic Moment University of Iowa students and staff involved in Unified Sports—a program that brings athletes with and without intellectual disabilities together on one team— competed in flag football at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis. The team, which included four UI REACH students, received a silver medal in intercollegiate competition.

Shoe-In Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark (24BBA), who is one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in Sports, unveiled her Caitlin 1 Nike signature shoe. The initial drop is set for Oct. 1.

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FA CIL I T IE S

A New Era for Carver The 43-year-old arena is set for a privately funded modernization project. What it will look like has yet to be determined. But the modernization of Carver-Hawkeye Arena is coming. The 43-year-old arena will undergo renovation after approval to move forward with planning came from the Iowa Board of Regents in June. The cost estimate of the project is between $5070 million dollars, funded primarily through private gifts. The specifics haven’t been finalized, but the goal is clear: modernize the arena to improve the game-day experience for fans. The improvements being considered include additional premium seating options and club space, as well as upgrades to the concourse, concession areas, restrooms, and the arena’s seating bowl. “I love it; I think it’s going to be great for our program, great for our fans,” says Iowa men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum. The arena, which received a 1984 American Institute of Architects Honor Award, is the longtime home for Iowa’s basketball, wrestling, and gymnastics programs, and it hosts commencement ceremonies each year. Recent improvements have been made. Risers were added behind the south basket for student seating during games last season. A new basketball court—the one the Iowa men’s team played on

during the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games of the NCAA Tournament in Houston in March—was installed this summer. Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair Beth Goetz said in a statement that the proposal to modernize the arena came from a feasibility study done in 2023. “Recent improvements like the student section risers and new court have shown what’s possible,” she said. “These renovations will take that next step—making events more exciting, more comfortable, and ensuring we preserve the intimidating atmosphere that helps our teams compete at the highest level.” Beginning as early as next summer, the project is expected to be completed in sequenced phases, potentially over two years, to minimize disruption during the sports season and major events. “There are a lot of things we have to take care of that won’t be noticed,” says P. Sue Beckwith, MD, Head Women’s Basketball Coach Jan Jensen. “I think it will be fun to see this interior change, the concourse, the seating. And I think it will help us up our game as well. “It will be great for the fans. It’s a really exciting era that we’re entering into.” BY JOHN BOHNENK AMP

TRAN PHOTO: BRIAN RAY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM; CARVER PHOTO: STEPHEN MALLY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM

The Hawkeye football team set a program record when seven players were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, the most in a single draft under head coach Kirk Ferentz. The drafted players were Logan Jones (24BS), Gennings Dunker (25BS), Kaden Wetjen (24BA), Beau Stephens (25BA), Karson Sharar (25BS), TJ Hall (25BA), and Max Llewellyn (25BS).

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Amy Herrig Tanny (99BS, 01MBA) Women’s Basketball, 1995–99 How did being a Hawkeye student-athlete shape the person you became?

It taught me that success doesn’t happen overnight— it comes from hard work, dedication, discipline, and a willingness to keep showing up, even when things are difficult. I learned how to persevere through challenges, how to be accountable to a team, and how to be a leader. Matt McDonough (13BA) Men’s Wrestling, 2010–13 Sedrick Shaw, who is the only Hawkeye to rush for 1,000-plus yards in three consecutive seasons (1994–96), is among this year’s UI Athletics Hall of Fame inductees.

H A L L OF FA ME

Gold Standard Iowa enshrines seven star student-athletes of yesteryear. The Iowa Letterwinners Club and University of Iowa Athletics Department recently welcomed the newest members of the UI Athletics Hall of Fame. Ahead of their induction earlier this month, Iowa Magazine caught up with the honorees. Here are excerpts from their Q&As, which can be read in full at foriowa.info/im26-hof. Kim Baker-El Abiad (96BA, 00MD, 07F, 08R) Women’s Gymnastics, 1993–96 Where has life taken you since your days at Iowa?

PHOTOS: HAWKEYESPORTS.COM

After I graduated, I went to medical school at Iowa. I met my husband during my fellowship training, and we both subsequently joined the faculty at UI Health Care. As a pulmonologist, my focus has been on lung cancer and interventional pulmonology/ bronchoscopy. I love the work that I do, and I consider it a privilege to care for and interact with patients each and every day. Klas Bergstrom (94BBA) Men’s Tennis, 1991–93 Who were your mentors at Iowa?

Firstly, the person who made me pick Iowa— assistant coach Lars Nordmark (89BBA, 91MBA).

He acted as my first mentor coming to Iowa. Then of course head coach Steve Houghton (71BA, 73MA), who always supported me and cared about everybody on the team, on and off the court. Diane DeMiro Simmons (97BA) Field Hockey, 1993–96

Is there a particular moment as a Hawkeye that still stands out to you today?

Beating Nico Megaludis my senior year at CarverHawkeye Arena in double overtime, which helped Iowa win the dual against returning national champion Penn State. I vividly remember the crowd cheering louder than I had ever heard before as I got my hand raised. Janet Moylan Ritter (92BSPh, 94PharmD) Volleyball, 1987–90 Do you still have any treasured keepsakes from your Iowa days?

I have so much! I have sweatshirts, coats, hats, my first Iowa T-shirt, all of my recruiting letters and media books, volleyball schedules, notes from Professor Jay Holstein’s religion classes, newspaper clippings, and other cool memorabilia. When my two oldest children went to Iowa, they wore my old clothes because it was “very cool!” Sedrick Shaw (97BA) Football, 1993–96

What achievement from your time as a Hawkeye makes you most proud?

Why is being inducted into the UI Athletics Hall of Fame meaningful to you?

In 1994, we were a very young team and were often called “the comeback kids” for earning big wins late in games. That season included winning the Big Ten Tournament championship against Northwestern in penalty strokes and an NCAA Tournament victory over Old Dominion on its home field. Those experiences helped get us to the Final Four.

My years as a Hawkeye shaped me both as an athlete and as a person, and the lessons I learned continue to influence my life today. This recognition reflects not only my efforts, but also the support of my family, coaches, teammates, and the entire Iowa community. To be included among the greats who have worn the black and gold is both humbling and deeply meaningful. BY JOSH O’LE ARY

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West Des Moines native Drew Irvine, who pitched at Iowa from 2019–21, is now a member of the Indianapolis Clowns in the Banana Ball Championship League.

Why did you choose to donate to Stead Family Children’s Hospital? 2

Every time we did the Wave, it was hard to not be touched by it, to get chills. Any chance to go see the kids was absolutely amazing. 3

Can you tell us about your Iowa roots?

I grew up in West Des Moines, and I went to Waukee High School. Our whole basement is an Iowa Hawkeye man cave, so that was my goal growing up: to wear the black and gold. How did your time at Iowa prepare you for today? 4

The people who sculpted me—my coaches, my professors—they care about you so deeply at Iowa. It felt like home and made me the person I am today. Those Midwestern values kept me humble. Do you have any advice for the current generation of Hawkeye athletes? 5

Going Bananas Nine innings with former Hawkeye and current Banana Ball League pitcher Drew Irvine Drew Irvine is a professional baseball

pitcher. His job involves grueling training sessions, throwing fastballs— and juggling. Irvine pitches for the Indianapolis Clowns in the Banana Ball League. He plays real baseball, but it’s the sped-up version that the barnstorming exhibition league is known for. Plus, he has to learn choreographed dances. As a former Hawkeye baseball player and current student taking classes online, Irvine has fond memories of the Iowa Wave and visiting University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital with his teammates. This Banana Ball season, he’s donating $20 for every strikeout he records to the children’s hospital.

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Iowa Magazine recently caught up with Irvine for a nine-inning interview to get the Banana Ball scoop. 1

What was your path to Banana Ball?

I played three years at Iowa before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates. I played two and a half years with them in the minor leagues. After I was released, I played in the Australian Baseball League and fractured my elbow. I did some rehab, and my mom suggested I try out for the Banana Ball League since she’s a big fan. It’s amazing—I went from thinking I was done to now getting to play in sold-out stadiums.

It’s so cliché, but it goes so fast, and just to take any opportunity you can to better yourself and help the people around you. Do you have a special move or trick in Banana Ball? 6

There’s an entertainment pitcher who goes out to do the trick pitches, but I am on the more competitive side of things. My dancing is … not great. I’m much better at juggling. My number is also 67, so that’s a big thing with the kids. How do players prepare for the Banana Ball games? 7

All our teams are based out of Savannah, Georgia, so we all train and live there. That’s our home base. We practice, work out, and live together. 8

What’s your favorite baseball movie?

Every time A League of Their Own is on TV, I always have to watch it. Are you really playing to win or are the games scripted? 9

The only thing that’s scripted is the dancing! We’re playing to win out there. BY AMANDA R AHN

PHOTO: ANNA ROUCH/FANS FIRST ENTERTAINMENT

BASEBALL

Go Hawks

“

You can tell women’s sports are important here.” — Iowa’s new women’s soccer coach Dean Ward

The Wards have one child, Lucy, who is nearly 2 years old. When he’s not ingrained in soccer, he’s at home with his family. “I have two things in my life—my family and my team,” says Ward, whose hobbies include watching soccer, running, and working out.

Why Iowa

S OC CE R

Ward’s Way

PHOTO: STEPHEN MALLY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM

The new coach aims to bring balance to the program. One moment shaped Dean Ward ’s outlook on the pitch and life. While an assistant coach at the University of Dayton several years ago, Ward was home with his wife, Jeri, when she suffered a stroke. His then 30-year-old wife spent the next six months recovering by relearning how to walk, talk, and manage daily tasks. “That experience changed me and the way I approach the game,” says Ward, Iowa’s first-year women’s soccer coach. “I didn’t have a lot of balance in my life, and I was spending too much time chasing wins and recruits. Balance is now essential in my life, but it’s also important for our studentathletes. They need time to rest and recover.” Ward comes to Iowa after spending the past two seasons as head coach at Xavier University in Cincinnati. He’s striving to maintain a strong Hawkeye program that has gone 40-13-12 over the past three seasons.

An Early Love for Soccer

Ward, like many young kids in England, was drawn to soccer at an early age. “My dad was a coach, and it became part of my life,” he says. “My brother, my dad, and I would go to Birmingham games every week—and we were around the game all the time.” Ward played competitively until his early 20s. His first full-time coaching job was at Loyola Marymount University, and, just like his dad, he hasn’t left the sidelines since.

All About Family

Ward met his wife while working as an assistant coach at the University of Tennessee. “We got talking at a coffee shop, and it grew from there,” says Ward. “I convinced her to move to Dayton, Ohio, in 2017, and we began the next chapter in our lives.”

Ward elevated Xavier to a top 20 program, yet he realized that the gap between mid-major programs and schools like Iowa in the Big Ten Conference is only growing. “I wanted to compete at the highest level and consistently against NCAA Tournament-level teams—that was a draw for me,” says Ward. “Athletic director Beth Goetz was also a big factor. She’s the only AD at a Power 4 school who played and coached collegiate soccer. Soccer is important to her, and you can tell women’s sports are important here.” Ward also fell in love with Iowa City, which made the move from Cincinnati easier. “I hadn’t been to Iowa before stepping foot on campus, and I didn’t know what to expect,” he says. “Iowa City and the campus—it’s a pretty cool spot.”

Biggest Changes on the Pitch

Ward believes Iowa soccer is in a strong position, yet he sees room to improve on offense. “The team has been great on the defensive side—limiting goals scored and dictating the pace of the game,” says Ward. “But they have struggled to score as many goals as they want. I’m working with the team on how we can attack more. We’re working on putting people in the right positions to succeed and giving them a bit more freedom on the attacking side.” Despite all the changes, Ward has high expectations for 2026. “We want to win and compete for championships,” he says. BY BEN FROTSCHER

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GAME DAY, UNFILTERED REPORTING AND PHOTO ESSAY BY TYLER STRAND, JOHN EMIGH, AND CALEB SAUNDERS

Iowa Magazine went behind the scenes at Kinnick Stadium during two games last season, including November’s rainsoaked thriller against Oregon, to offer an exclusive look at the action happening beyond the field.

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07:00 AM Seven miles southwest a racing shell breaches the calm of Coventry Lake as the women’s rowing team begins hour two of its daily practice. The varsity squad is on the lake pre-sunrise every weekday through the ﬁrst week of November and again as the lake thaws around mid-March. At that time of day — and year — they tend to have it to themselves. “Most of the time, the mornings are peaceful and gorgeous,” says head coach Jennifer Sanford.

PHOTO: JOHN EMIGH

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PHOTOS: CALEB SAUNDERS

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CALM BEFORE THE SWARM

Two days before kickoff, Iowa’s student managers and equipment staff strategically place every item in the locker room—from jerseys and pants to chairs and chewing gum. Any helmet dent or scratch is repaired, and every misaligned decal and broken face mask is replaced. Afterward, the student managers enjoy a brief game of what they call “two ball” to unwind.

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PHOTOS: JOHN EMIGH

STRONG SAFETY

First responders throughout the stadium are ready to assist fans in first aid rooms or transport them to the adjacent hospital. In the command center on the fourth floor of the press box, dispatchers field calls and triage issues. Meanwhile, Dave Visin (00BS, 14MBA), senior director for administrative and security services for UI Campus Safety (pictured with binoculars), and other key decision makers from organizations such as UI Health Care and the Iowa State Patrol monitor fan safety.

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PHOTOS: JOHN EMIGH

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CORNER BLITZ

Not all heroes wear capes. Once the stadium’s southwest corner gate opens nearly two hours before kickoff, Iowa students rush through the concourse to secure the best seats in their designated sections. Meanwhile, select UI Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital pediatric patients, known as Kid Captains, and their families receive star treatment before each game (including Harper Atkinson, pictured below in a black jersey). They meet Iowa coaches, enjoy on-field recognition, and pick a song to be played during the Iowa Wave—a post-first quarter tradition when fans, coaches, and players acknowledge the resilient patients watching and waving back from the top floor of the children’s hospital.

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TWO-MINUTE DRILL

PHOTOS: JOHN EMIGH

At right, student managers have only minutes to chow down between tasks. On game day, they set up coaches’ headset communications, warm up quarterbacks, retrieve balls for officials, and record the formation and result of each snap. Above, three rows of stadiumstyle seating in the fourth floor of the press box accommodate media members and staff. No cheering is allowed in this quiet workspace, where crowd noise is significantly reduced behind the windowpane and key stats are relayed over the internal public address system.

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After a possession, players—such as former quarterback Mark Gronowski, pictured—talk with a position coach in the press box. They review sideline, end zone, and telecast camera views of video from the previous series of plays on an iPad. The NCAA allows each team to use up to 18 active tablets during a game. 30

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PHOTO: OWEN AANESTAD/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM

FILM STUDY

PHOTOS: JOHN EMIGH

POCKET PRESENCE

Hawkeye host Laura VandeBerg (16BA) ad-libs most of her on-field interviews—including this one with former defensive back Jordan Lomax (15BA)—adapting to the crowd’s energy, her guest, and the game. She doesn’t know how a featured speaker will respond—or whether a mic will malfunction—until it's live in front of 70,000 fans. Says VandeBerg: “It’s a little bit more about who I’m interviewing and not so much about what I need to say.”

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DJ Demarcus Heglar plays the song that inspires a goal-line stand. Videographer Matt Little (19BA, 19BBA) captures the touchdown that goes viral on social media. And video board replay operator Carolyn Lyon James (89BA) finds the angle that confirms a pivotal call. Up in the public address booth, down on the field, and over at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, where HawkVision's main control room is located, dedicated staff help create and magnify the moments that define the Hawkeye fan experience.

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DJ AND VIDEOGRAPHER PHOTOS: JOHN EMIGH; HAWKVISION PHOTO: TYLER STRAND

SPECIAL TEAMS

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FALL 2026

IN THE TRENCHES

PHOTO: BRIAN RAY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM

Everyone puts in a level of effort at Kinnick Stadium. Fans demonstrate patience and agility on packed press box elevators. Concessions workers exhibit endurance and calmness during eight to 10-hour shifts. And collectively, more than 1,200 staff and volunteers help create a safe and fun environment. These endeavors ultimately feel more rewarding when the day ends with a postgame celebration in the Hawkeye locker room.

Extra View more behind-the-scenes photos and read insider stories at foriowa.info/kinnick-stadium.

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Bailey VandeLune

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IOWA MED: A YEAR IN THE LIFE BY J O S H O’LE A RY

Few academic programs are as demanding as medical school, and few face more high-stakes drama than a fourth-year med student. Iowa Magazine followed one future physician through her final year at the PHOTO: SETH DIEHL

Carver College of Medicine—a journey shaped by family tragedy and a calling to provide care for rural Iowans.

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ailey Jackson VandeLune (20BS, 26MD) is among the 144

fourth-year medical students gathered for Match Day in the thrumming atrium of the University of Iowa’s Medical Education Research Facility. Alongside family and friends, she’ll soon open a letter that will determine where she’ll spend the next three years training as a physician. The Winterset, Iowa, native has high hopes that she’ll be staying close to home for her residency program. But that hasn’t helped with the sleepless nights. Sometimes she wakes up in a panic that she’s forgotten to submit her residency rankings. Other times she dreams her envelope is empty. This isn’t the first time VandeLune has attended Match Day, the annual spring event when soon-to-be graduates from the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine learn their residency destinations after a gauntlet of interviews with teaching hospitals around the nation. Two years ago, her now husband, Christian VandeLune (19BS, 24MD), matched with UI Health Care. That same day, Bailey’s older brother, Kyle Jackson (24MD), also learned he’d be staying in Iowa City for his residency.

“T his day rea lly represents a ll that you have been work ing towa rds in you r medica l education. It’s the cu lmination of a lot of long day s a nd ha rd work. ” —DENISE JAMIESON, DEAN OF THE CARVER COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, ON MATCH DAY

Now it’s Bailey’s turn. Iowa is her first choice, but there’s a chance that VandeLune could match elsewhere and be forced to move away from her husband of less than a year. While residency programs consider the location of students’ support systems, including spouses, the National Resident Matching Program is ultimately an algorithm—and for students, a leap of faith. From the podium, Denise Jamieson , vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Carver College of Medicine, tells the class to savor the moment. “This day really represents all that you have been working towards in your medical education,” she says. “It’s the culmination of a lot of long days and hard work.” VandeLune feels the comforting weight of her necklace. On one side of the silver pendant is the thumbprint of her father. On the other, in his handwriting, taken from a card he once signed, is “Dad.” It’s been nearly five years since Jeff Jackson died in a tragic farm accident, and VandeLune has worn this necklace nearly every day of med school. She’s kept her father especially close to her heart in this fourth and final year filled with milestones, when Iowa Magazine followed her on the path to becoming a physician.

UNIVERSITY OF IOWA PRESIDENT BARBARA J. WILSON CONGRATULATES BAILEY VANDELUNE ON HER GRADUATION THIS PAST SPRING FROM THE CARVER COLLEGE OF MEDICINE.

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It’s midway through her final fall semester—five months before Match Day—and an important week for VandeLune. She’s preparing for her first of more than 15 residency interviews with teaching hospitals in the Midwest. Ranging from three to six hours each, these videoconferences are her chance to impress programs’ selection committees. After the interviews, she’ll travel to the hospitals that ranked her highly for what’s known as “second looks” to find the right fit.

PHOTO: LIZ MARTIN/UI HEALTH CARE

OCTOBER 2025

Dad

BAILEY VANDELUNE KEEPS HER DAD’S MEMORY ALIVE THROUGH HER WORK IN EMERGENCY MEDICINE AND THE

PHOTOS COURTESY BAILEY VANDELUNE

THUMBPRINT NECKLACE SHE WEARS IN HIS HONOR.

For more than 150 years, the Carver College of Medicine has prepared physicians to serve Iowa and beyond. About half of the state’s practicing doctors received their education or training at the UI. VandeLune represents the latest generation to continue that legacy. As a member of the Carver College of Medicine Rural Iowa Scholars Program, or CRISP, she’s preparing for a career in rural Iowa. The program provides mentorship, clinical experiences, and loan repayment incentives for students who commit to practicing in these underserved communities after residency. Prepping for interviews has been a welcome change of pace from the long nights of studying and even longer rotation shifts that defined VandeLune’s first three years of med school. In Year 1, she immersed herself in rigorous core science courses. In Year 2, she began clinical rotations. In Year 3, she took her Step 1 and Step 2 boards—the high-pressure licensing exams required to

practice medicine. Now, in Year 4, she’s completing her advanced rotations, working on a capstone project, and exploring residency options. Earlier this month, VandeLune finalized her decision to specialize in emergency medicine, following her older brother into the field. The decision traces back to a day she has replayed countless times. It was late afternoon, May 15, 2021, when she received the frantic phone call from her mother, Wendi. Bailey’s dad had been in a lawn tractor rollover accident on the farm. VandeLune, who was working as a nursing assistant, rushed back to Madison County Memorial Hospital in Winterset. In a blinding white hospital room, she saw the endotracheal tube and emergency equipment scattered on the counters from the medical team’s attempts to save her father’s life. VandeLune stood in shock as the doctor offered words of comfort to her family. Jeff didn’t survive. He was just 55.

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Medicine and Health Sciences. VandeLune came to the UI as an undergrad to study human physiology, and after graduation she worked as a nursing assistant with UI Health Care for two years. During the height of the pandemic, VandeLune’s hospital unit became the designated COVID-19 ward. Wearing gowns, gloves, masks, and face shields, she cared for patients who were often critically ill. Helping COVID patients navigate the uncertainty and fear while isolated from their families underscored the importance of human connection and compassionate care. That experience gave VandeLune the confidence to pursue emergency medicine, a specialty that requires quick decisions and compassion under pressure. “One of the things that drew me into emergency medicine is that, on one shift, you could have something as severe as a car accident, to someone else that has a headache, to a little kid that got stung by a bee,” she says. “You get to see every age range and a multitude of health problems. I really enjoy the fact that every shift is different.”

FEBRUARY 2026

VandeLune’s Match Day is less than a month away, and she and husband, Christian, have a rare night at home together. Many days, Christian, a second-year resident in otolaryngology, is up before dawn and doesn’t get home until late. Meanwhile, Bailey’s clinical rotations have taken her away from home for weeks at a time, including clerkships at Regions Hospital in the Twin Cities, MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City, and back home at Madison County Memorial Hospital. This has been life for the VandeLunes in the months since they were married in June 2025. The couple met as undergrads at Iowa in the romantically titled course Viruses and Human Disease and have built a life in Iowa City around their shared ambitions. One day, they hope to have schedules that align, maybe even practicing at the same hospital. But for now, these quiet moments spent together in their townhouse in Coralville keep them going. On the agenda tonight is ordering wings from Jethro’s BBQ—a Thursday ritual. “I feel like people are very polarized by whether it’s good or not to have a spouse in medicine,” Bailey says. “We’ve found that it’s actually really helpful, because we know what each other has gone through as far as medical school and some of the longer rotations and studying for really hard board exams. With him being two years ahead of me, I also feel like it’s given me a realistic expectation of what residency is going to look like.” Her interviews now complete, VandeLune has begun finalizing her rank list for submission to the National Resident Matching Program. In this system, applicants rank their preferred residency destinations while programs simultaneously rank candidates. The NRMP algorithm then matches applicants to available positions based on these rankings. No. 1 for VandeLune remains UI Health Care’s emergency medicine residency program, which accepts 10 residents each year into its three-year training track. Second is Regions in St. Paul, where a couple of physicians who were Iowa alums made her feel at home during her visiting rotation.

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PHOTO: SETH DIEHL

Jeff Jackson couldn’t be there a year later, in fall 2022, when his daughter walked across the stage at Hancher Auditorium during the White Coat Ceremony, a rite of passage in which new students receive their first physician’s jacket. But he was a big part of why Bailey had set her sights on med school. “He didn’t go to college, but he always would tell us you’ve got to go to college to get smart,” she says. “He always believed in us.” Growing up on the farm, VandeLune rode on the combine with her dad through the corn and bean fields. When she wasn’t helping with chores, she drove four-wheelers and dirt bikes, played baseball in the yard, and cared for the family’s many pets. Some days, her dad would come back to the house with a bump or scrape. “Dr. Bailey, I have an injury for you to fix,” he would call out. She and her brother would grab the hydrogen peroxide, cotton swabs, and tweezers and spring into action. Bailey, wearing a headlamp, carefully bandaged his bruises and removed his splinters. In high school, VandeLune’s AP biology and anatomy teacher stoked her interest in science and opened her eyes to a career in medicine. She was fascinated when her class visited a cadaver lab at Des Moines University

“I feel like people a re ver y pola rized by whether it’s good or not to have a spouse in medicine. We’ve fou nd that it’s actu a lly rea lly helpf u l, because we k now what each other has gone throug h as fa r as medica l school.” —BAILEY VANDELUNE ON HER RELATIONSHIP

PHOTO: SETH DIEHL

WITH HER HUSBAND, CHRISTIAN

“I think the hardest part is trying to plan ahead and not being able to know what my life is going to look like in a few short months when I start residency,” VandeLune says. Life these days isn’t all interviews and rounds. The VandeLunes make time for Hawkeye games and long walks. Bailey goes for runs and attends fitness classes with her sisterin-law to decompress. She’s also made plenty of good friends among her tight-knit class, including the members of her fourperson CRISP cohort and her anatomy lab group that dubbed itself Table 22. Soon, they will be parting ways for residencies around the country. “It will be kind of a bittersweet moment,” VandeLune says. “You’re really excited for your friends and also really sad that life’s going to change.” Before graduation, however, VandeLune must complete her CRISP capstone project—a scholarly paper and presentation in which students apply what they’ve learned to real-world health care problems. For her project, VandeLune surveyed more than three dozen Iowa emergency health care workers about the disparities they see in rural communities. The big takeaway:

Small-town hospitals are struggling with resources and staffing. “There’s just difficulty finding staff that want to come to rural communities and then want to stay in rural communities,” VandeLune says. The CRISP program, which began in 2012 and recently expanded from four to eight students per class, is among the ways the Carver College of Medicine is working to address Iowa’s rural physician shortage. Through the program, VandeLune took a monthlong agricultural medicine course focused on issues specific to rural communities, including injuries from handling livestock, pesticides, and machinery. She also took part in the Medical Education Community Orientation Program ahead of her second year that took her back to Winterset for 10 weeks of clinical training. Spending that summer in her hometown emergency department was deeply personal. It brought back memories of being treated there after tearing her ACL during a high school soccer game—and of saying goodbye to her father in the same ER.

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“I’ve been successf u l mostly because I had a ll these people that were cheering me on a nd helping me when times were toug h.” —BAILEY VANDELUNE

MARCH 2026

Morning sunlight streams into the atrium as VandeLune waits for a moment years in the making. The envelopes are drawn from a spinning Bingo hopper, names ring out, and bursts of celebration follow each match reveal. UCLA. University of Texas Southwestern. Mayo Clinic. Northwestern. New York Presbyterian. By the end of Match Day, 144 pins representing residency destinations will dot the map at the front of the room. A class that began in Iowa City will scatter across the country, creating the latest Hawkeye residency network that spans 32 states and 29 specialties. Forty graduates will be staying in Iowa, including through residencies in Des Moines, Davenport, and Iowa City. VandeLune has good reason to feel hopeful about her top choice. She earned strong evaluations during her emergency medicine rotations at UI Health Care—essentially her residency auditions—and impressed the program during her interview. Still, when her name is called, her heart climbs into her throat. Around the room are the people who helped her reach this moment: mentors, classmates, her husband, and family members who stood beside her through every exam, rotation, setback, and success. “Just the sheer amount of mentors and people for one person to be successful in medicine is huge,” she says. “So it makes me really grateful to have all of that. I’ve been successful mostly because I had all these people that were cheering me on and helping me when times were tough.” When the nerves become overwhelming, VandeLune sometimes scrolls through screenshots of old text messages from her father. During stressful weeks as an undergraduate, he would remind her she had nothing to worry about as long as she tried her best. Once again, he was right. VandeLune tears open the envelope and embraces Christian. Congratulations, you have matched! Institution: UI Health Care Medical Center Program: Emergency Medicine

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MAY 2026

VandeLune breathes in the sea air and looks out over the Caribbean. She and Christian have been planning this trip to Jamaica for months—a celebration of her graduation earlier in May and the beginning of residency. After presenting her capstone projects and walking across the stage at Hancher Auditorium to receive her degree, medical school is behind her. Next comes residency, where the lessons of the classroom give way to the realities of patient care. She’s ready for this next step in her education. Working under UI Health Care faculty physicians, she’ll face long shifts, nights, weekends, and the weight of complex decisions that can mean life or death. She’ll begin in June alongside her brother, now a third-year emergency medicine resident, while Christian continues his otolaryngology training. She knows her dad would be proud. Even here among the crashing Caribbean waves—just like back home in the quiet farm fields, or amid the clamor of the ER in Iowa City—Bailey VandeLune, MD, can still hear his voice. Dr. Bailey, I have an injury for you to fix.

Any comments? Email uimagazine@foriowa.org.

PHOTOS: LIZ MARTIN/UI HEALTH CARE

Those defining moments now provide VandeLune with a sense of purpose. “I feel like I recognize a lot of the terror and sadness and all the emotion that can happen in the emergency department,” she says. “My experiences definitely have made me more sensitive to that and ultimately will make me better at handling those situations.”

On Match Day, Bailey VandeLune celebrates her residency placement in Iowa with her brother, Kyle Jackson; husband, Christian VandeLune; and mother, Wendi Jackson. Kyle and Christian are also resident physicians at UI Health Care.

PHOTO: SETH DIEHL

Extra Watch a video on Bailey VandeLune’s journey to Match Day.

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Channel your creativity by participating in our next free online writing contest. Scan the code or visit foriowa.org/write-now for contest details.

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46 W R I T I N G T H R O U G H L O S S 47 B O O K S H E L F P I C K S 48 G O L D E N H O M E C O M I N G

ART

PHOTO: CATHY CARVER

Hawkeyes and Hockney

David Hockney, the artist hailed among the greatest in Britain’s history, died on June 11 at age 88. While Hockney lived in England for much of his life, he was captivated by American culture. Hockney’s devotion to the sun-bleached landscapes of the American West was temporarily put on hold by a stint at the University of Iowa as a visiting professor in 1964. The painting featured above—titled Iowa, 1964—is among the four artworks completed during his six weeks spent at the university.

ABOVE: David Hockney Iowa, 1964 Acrylic on canvas 64 7/8 x 64 7/8 in. (164.8 x 164.8 cm) Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1966 Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

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How did you choose this book’s title? What did you want it to reveal about your central themes?

I did not have a title for the book while writing it; I kept referring to it as “the book for James.” That summer, I also did a lot of gardening and posted some of my garden pictures on a private Instagram account, always under the caption, “Things in nature merely grow.” At the end of the book, that felt like a natural title.

Yiyun Li A U T HOR Q & A

From the Depths A globally acclaimed author and Iowa graduate reflects on the power of memory, words, and ’radical acceptance’ in her Pulitzer Prize-winning work.

You left Beijing to study immunology at the University of Iowa before switching tracks and enrolling in the Nonfiction Writing Program and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. What inspired that radical shift?

I loved all things science—and still do. I often read scientific news and papers with interest. However, I changed my career because I felt compelled to try something new, something different and challenging, that would have less of a clear path forward than if I had stayed in science.

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How did your workshop experiences influence the writer you’ve become?

I greatly benefited from studying and talking with my mentor, James Alan McPherson (71MFA), and Marilynne Robinson (17LHD) has left an indelible mark on my reading and writing. Several visiting authors— Elizabeth McCracken (90MFA), Edward Carey, Jim Crace, Stuart Dybek (73MFA), and Francine Prose —also shaped me as an author. You began writing in English after growing up speaking Chinese. How has this shaped your voice?

To quote a Wallace Stevens poem, my goal for this book, or any of my writing, is “to speak humanly from the height or from the depth/Of human things, that is the acutest speech.” In other interviews, you’ve referenced the framework of “radical acceptance”—which you credit to psychologist Marsha Linehan—as a way in which to live with your sons’ deaths. What does the concept mean to you?

For me, it means to always start with the facts and not to be entangled by questions of “what if?” As I wrote in my book, “what if?” belongs in fiction, and “what now?” belongs to life. Radical acceptance means to be in the “what now?” What literary ideas continue to engage you?

I write out of curiosity and bafflement. I remain curious about many things, and I feel baffled by many things. Most recently, I have been working on a trilogy that’s set in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and I think I shall be spending my life with those characters for a while. The first work in the trilogy, Music Against the Night, will be published in October.

I think through everything carefully. A word must be scrutinized before being put down on the page. I value clarity and precision, and writing in a second language makes it both easier and harder to achieve this. Why did you decide to write a memoir about your sons, Vincent and James? And how did you find a way to begin the work?

I consider myself mainly a fiction writer. But life happens, and sometimes life makes fiction look tame. I write nonfiction when things happen to me that make it necessary to do so. And the way to begin writing about my life is always to start with the facts.

B Y L E A H K L E VA R

LITERARY LEGENDS Featuring Pulitzer Prize winner Yiyun Li Friday, Oct. 23 | 7:30 p.m. Levitt Center for University Advancement Come for a special evening with acclaimed author Yiyun Li, one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2026, held in conjunction with the Iowa City Book Festival.

PHOTO: BASSO CANNARSA/AGENCE OPALE

The reporter’s call came while Yiyun Li (00MS, 05MFA) was attempting to soothe her geriatric dog during a drive to the vet. That’s how the Beijing-born writer learned she’d just won a 2026 Pulitzer Prize for her achingly spare memoir, Things in Nature Merely Grow, which chronicles the devastating aftermath of her sons’ suicides, six years apart. This bright moment within the mundane mirrors one of her book’s main themes: that facts, language, and life persist, even in the face of unthinkable tragedy. Li, an award-winning novelist who is the Robert F. Goheen Professor in the Humanities at Princeton University, spoke about loss and literature in an interview with Iowa Magazine.

Both readers and reviewers have remarked on the extraordinary precision and restraint of your prose. What role did language play in helping you make sense of your sons’ suicides?

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Bookshelf Picks From timely thrillers to lighthearted hits, this fall’s selections have something for every reader. EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams by Caitlin Clark (24BBA) Illustrated by Adriana Predoi Random House Books for Young Readers Available Nov. 3 In her debut picture book, the former Iowa women’s basketball star and record-setting Indiana Fever player shares a personal message to young readers—that joy and love matter most, both on and off the court.

The Hill by Harriet Clark (07MFA) Farrar, Straus and Giroux In this coming-of-age novel, a young girl finds herself caught between her caretaker grandmother and her mother who’s in prison for a politically motivated crime.

Angel Down by Daniel Kraus (97BA) Atria Books

The Occidental Book of the Dead by T. Geronimo Johnson (08MFA) William Morrow Available Oct. 6 A Black police officer determined to build a new life in Atlanta must confront corruption and conspiracy after the highly publicized murder of a white teenager divides the nation.

The winner of the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Angel Down is a single-sentence novel that follows five World War I soldiers. When the group stumbles upon a fallen angel, they wrestle with whether they can put aside their individual desires and work together to end the war.

We’re So Lucky to Live Here by Rachel Pastan (90MFA) Delphinium Books Available Sept. 15 In the wake of her mother’s death, a young theater director moves back to her childhood home in a Philadelphia suburb. As the main character navigates grief, love, and housing expenses, she redefines family and stages a transformative show.

B Y E M M A C O N WAY

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P E R S ON A L E S S AY

Fifty Years My Alma Mater An alumnus reflects on what the University of Iowa means to him, a half-century since graduation.

At the heart of my rusting body is still the soul of a college boy. But last New Year’s Eve while I watched Iowa beat Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl, I was ambushed by the realization that 2026 marks 50 years since I graduated from the University of Iowa. Much reflection ensued. I took my diploma down from the shelf to use as a prompt. It was like plugging in a flash drive loaded with memories from a time when classwork was still accomplished with paper, Bic pens, and typewriters. Just a few weeks later, one of my classmates died of dementia and another was diagnosed, a solemn one-two punch of reminders that old golden memories can fade to black without notice. That leaves my recollections of those halcyon Hawkeye years more treasured now than ever. Sifting through them at work on this postgraduate assignment—an essay for Iowa Magazine—I appreciated my affiliation with the university in newfound ways and discovered that my diploma is worth more to me than ever, despite the fact that I’m several years retired. My degree is a Bachelor of General Studies, even though I logged enough hours in both English and journalism to qualify for those majors. I had a part-

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FALL 2026

time work-study gig writing sports for The Daily Iowan. My beat was primarily intramurals, but my editors let me cover Hawkeye football and basketball occasionally too. Freshly graduated, I landed an entry-level job in the sports department at the Des Moines Register, in part because the managing editor was impressed that I spelled the word “emphases” correctly on my résumé (as in BGS with emphases in English and journalism). But I soon made a shortsighted decision, shifting into the hospitality sector for many years before eventually resuming the writing life that college prepared me for. Besides academics, a vital aspect of any collegiate experience is extracurricular. Football games were a highlight of mine, even in the winless season of 1973. How historic, the one and only time the Hawks lost them all. When a 12-game losing streak was snapped in the first home game of 1974 against No. 12 UCLA, the student section—me included—stormed the field like a wildebeest stampede. I also witnessed the dawning of the Lute Olson era of men’s basketball. I was there when Iowa gave Indiana, the eventual 1975-76 national champion,

PHOTOS COURTESY MICHAEL WELLMAN

BY MICHAEL WELLMAN

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Spring commencement at CarverHawkeye Arena sparked memories for Michael Wellman, who still has newspaper articles and Hawkeye memorabilia from his time at Iowa.

a run for its money on a raucous night at the old Field House with the crowd stomping up a din on the steel bleachers. That Hoosier team was the last to go undefeated. Streaking was a fad in the mid-1970s. One night a few of us were meandering back toward the dorms after a night of revelry downtown. Dares were exchanged. What happened next is a blur that dissolves after an image appears in my mind’s eye of standing on the Pentacrest with my pants around my ankles. The rest is repressed. Thank goodness those days were pre-cell phones and social media. And then there were the concerts, highlighted by Bruce Springsteen at Hancher in fall 1975, just as he was soaring into superstardom. The iconic Born to Run album he’d just released became the soundtrack to my senior year. So much fun was had that the student loan check I deposited in my Iowa City bank account when I returned to campus that last year—the check that was supposed to fund both semesters—only lasted one. I still remember the amount of my monthly loan repayments: $58.46, for however many years. Two death-defying incidents occurred while I matriculated that remain vivid in the rearview. One fine spring day in my sophomore year, we rented canoes to paddle the Iowa River behind Currier Hall. A mock naval battle broke out at close range, and my craft capsized. I swam for shore, dressed in long pants, a sweater, and a brand new pair of tennis shoes that almost dragged me under. I made it, but not without worrying that I wouldn’t, to the point where I kicked off those new kicks and let them sink away, so I could manage the last strokes to shallow water and stagger onto dry land. Another time I caught a ride home to Des Moines for the winter break with a roommate in his little MG roadster. It was the beautiful day after a blizzard, and we hit a patch of black ice on I-80. The car spun in circles before coming to a stop in the median pointing backward. Mark and I looked at each other for a long moment without speaking. Then he broke out laughing and said, “You’re white as a ghost!” Those close calls notwithstanding, I generally behaved like immortality was as much a part of

college as U-Bills and final exams. No one flunked out of life before getting a real crack at it. These senior years include an altogether different perspective on the big picture. None of my three children attended Iowa, but my 8-year-old grandson has his eyes on it. We were part of the record crowd drawn to the Crossover at Kinnick scrimmage that launched Caitlin Clark ’s senior season, and my grandson even experienced her magic touch when they slapped hands when she was leaving the field at game’s end. Time will tell the extent to which she rubbed off on him. I swell with pride whenever and however fellow Hawkeyes do us all proud and bristle with concern over meddlesome state and federal government intrusions into academia. I’m not a big donor or a season ticket holder. But occasionally I throw a few bucks into The Daily Iowan fund or make a point to see the Hawkeye women’s basketball team when they come to play at Drake in Des Moines. I’ve attended the Iowa Summer Writing Festival and enter the university’s Write Now contests from time to time in a spirit of continuing education. I sport a fair share of Hawkeye gear, but it tends to predate the Tigerhawk logo era ushered in by Coach Hayden Fry. No surprise there; at 50 years removed from campus, I’m decidedly old school. When I graduated in spring 1976, I didn’t attend the commencement ceremony. My diploma was mailed to me. I never gave my indifference about that pomp and circumstance a second thought until mid-May of this year when I was sitting in the stands at Principal Park in Des Moines watching the Iowa baseball team hosting Purdue. With this essay in mind, I wondered when the Class of 2026 was slated to receive its walking papers. Sure enough, it was the following day at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. I thought it might be worth it to go the extra 100 miles and change in hopes of bolstering this term paper. So homecoming came early for me this year. I left first thing in the morning for the first of two UI College of Liberal Arts & Sciences commencement ceremonies, driving straight at the rising sun. Not unlike the soon-to-be grads, I mused, alone in the car with my thoughts and the diploma that I brought along to ride shotgun. I arrived right on time or half a century late, depending on how you reckon. From the top row, the capped and gowned black sea below seemed to shimmer because so many programs were being used as fans. I walked a lap of the concourse, listening to the student chosen to represent and address her classmates. She spoke about the future but also about memories

of her years in Iowa City. The 20-page paper she wrote when she was truly ill on top of her postThanksgiving homesickness in her freshman year. The good Samaritans who rescued her—a California girl, I think she said—when she got stranded in an Iowa blizzard. Her roommate who woke up at 5 a.m. every day to drive a Cambus shift before classes to help pay for college. Her focus was understandably on how much work it took to get where she and her classmates finally were at that milestone moment. But just you wait 50 years, I thought on my way out after the flipping of the cap tassels. Fonder memories will ripen and come to the forefront. It was a good hike from Carver-Hawkeye Arena back to my car. I was relegated to overflow parking, just as I’d been to overflow housing, barracks style, in the basement at Currier for my first few days on campus way back when. I felt jealous of the brand new graduates, just commencing their adult lives. The finish line of mine, while not imminent, is foreseeable. That latent sense of immortality is long gone, having given way to an irresistible contemplation of life’s exit ramps. But I drove away also more than a little worried on the newbies’ behalf. We their forebears are passing the buck(s) to them. They’ve got what college grads all go looking for—jobs to do. It won’t be easy, but we’re all counting on their success. I won’t be in Iowa City for the off icial homecoming events during the last week in October. But in other ways, this calendar year has been a slow-rolling homecoming for me right from the start. In some traditions, a 50th anniversary year is one of restoration and referred to as a jubilee. So let that faithful and fervent spirit carry the day in Iowa’s homecoming football game against Wisconsin. It’s on Halloween, an occasion for costumes and masquerade. But I’ll come to it, via television, as I am, have been for a half-century-plus, and ever shall be—a Hawkeye. Michael Wellman (76BGS) is the author of four books and a two-time finalist in the Indie Book Awards. His work has also appeared in the Des Moines Register, The Iowan, dsm Magazine, Cityview Magazine, Lyrical Iowa, and on Iowa Public Radio. He’s written previously for Iowa Magazine and is retired from the Des Moines Public Schools, where he was the staff writer in the Office of Communications & Public Affairs.

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52 G I V I N G T H R O U G H G R I E F 54 D I S T I N G U I S H E D A U T H O R H O N O R E D 56 A D V A N C I N G T H E M I S S I O N

PHOTO COURTESY SHEILA BALDWIN

Dancing Through Time

As a first-year student at the University of Iowa in 1995, Sheila Frein Baldwin (98BBA)— pictured in the front row wearing red—became a founding member of UI Dance Marathon. She served as executive director her senior year and now leads her alma mater as president and CEO of the UI Center for Advancement. See p. 56 for the story.

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Hope From Heartbreak A gift from the Ferentzes in memory of their granddaughter helps advance Iowa’s cutting-edge preemie research and improve outcomes for the hospital’s tiniest patients.

and hope.

For t he fa mi l ies of babies bor n prematurely, weeks—or even days—can mean the difference between heartbreak

Mary Ferentz still remembers the phone call in August 2014. Football season would soon arrive in Iowa City. A few days earlier, Kirk Ferentz had opened preseason practice for his 16th season as Iowa’s head coach. Life had other plans.

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Their daughter-in-law went into labor far earlier than expected. She was rushed to University of Iowa Health Care, which was building a reputation for its care of infants born on the edge of viability. Kirk and Mary’s grandchild, Savvy Elizabeth Ferentz, was born days later at just 21 weeks and 5 days gestation. A decade later and things might have been different, but in 2014, 22 weeks was widely considered the earliest point at which intensive care

could offer the possible hope of survival. Mary asked one question: “Is she alive?” “We had just sort of accepted the inevitable, you know?” says Mary. “At 21 weeks, that was unheard of.” Savvy was alive. When she and Kirk arrived at the hospital, they were greeted with warmth. “Grandma, Grandpa, come on in.” More than a decade later, the moment still stands out. Mary remembers the tubes. The monitors. A baby so small she could fit inside the palms of adult hands. Savvy fought for two days before she died. The days that followed brought unbearable grief. But along with the pain came something unexpected. People wanted to help. Flowers arrived. Notes appeared. Checks and donations showed up from friends, former players, opposing coaches, and total strangers. The gifts eventually totaled some $15,000. The grieving parents asked Mary to help determine what should be done with it all.

PHOTO: SETH DIEHL

NE ON ATA L C A RE

For Iowa

Iowa’s neonatal team had been achieving remarkable outcomes with premature babies, but the researchers needed support to advance their work. “I remember thinking, ‘Why don’t we provide that?’”

PHOTO: BRIAN RAY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM

— Mary Ferentz

Mary knew UI Health Care’s neonatal team had been achieving remarkable outcomes with premature babies, but that researchers needed support to advance their work. “I remember thinking, ‘Why don’t we provide that?’” says Mary. The donations became the foundation of the Savvy Ferentz Program in Neonatal Research. Kirk and Mary later expanded the effort with a $1 million gift, transforming a memorial fund into a permanent source of research support. The funding became a catalyst for junior researchers to explore additional avenues of healing, while supporting the establishment of new programs such as neonatal hemodynamics. UI Health Care’s neonatal intensive care unit became one of the first in the country to monitor the cardiovascular health of its preterm patients using this advanced form of imaging. The approach cut the combined risk of death or severe brain bleeding by nearly half for babies born before 27 weeks’ gestation. The additional funding also led to a new software platform that allows clinicians to monitor real-time medical data remotely to improve patient outcomes. And then came July 5, 2024, and a baby named Nash Keen. On that day, a mother from Ankeny, Iowa, gave birth at UI Health Care to a boy at 21 weeks and 0 days gestation. Nash weighed just 10 ounces. For the baby’s first 21 days of life, his parents, Mollie and Randall Keen, couldn’t hold him. But thanks to medical research breakthroughs—funded by thousands of other families in honor and memory of children loved and some lost—in January 2025 he was able to go home.

OPPOSITE PAGE: Kirk and Mary Ferentz sit at their home in Iowa City. ABOVE: Coach Kirk Ferentz participates in the Iowa Wave to pediatric patients at UI Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

On Nash’s first birthday, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized him as the most premature baby to survive. Five days younger than Savvy. Against odds once thought impossible, Nash thrived. Today, now 2, he looks less like a medical miracle and more like what doctors hoped he would become: a happy little boy with bright eyes and an infectious smile. “My ultimate goal for Nash is that by the time he goes to kindergarten, no one will know that he was born so early,” says UI Health Care neonatologist Amy Stanford (14MD, 17R, 20F, 21F). For the Ferentzes, stories like Nash’s don’t erase what their family endured. Asked what comes to mind when they think of Savvy today, Kirk lowers his head. He talks about the nurses, physicians,

and researchers who devoted their careers to helping children many hospitals once considered too premature to save. Between Savvy and Nash, the line moved. “History absolutely guarantees results,” says Mary. “But they’re never fast enough or immediate enough. When we got involved, we had no idea where [neonatal research and care] was going. But it’s a wonderful thing.” B Y WAY N E D R E H S

Give Support the Savvy Ferentz Program in Neonatal Research at foriowa.info/im26-savvy.

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For Iowa

Marilynne Robinson receives the UI’s Distinguished Alumni Award for faculty this fall. DI S T INGUI S HE D A L UMNI AWA RD S

A Return to Iowa Author Marilynne Robinson will collect the UI’s top honor this fall.

You’ve received many honors; what makes the UI’s Distinguished Alumni Award meaningful?

I taught at Iowa for many years. I did a lot of my writing here. The place and the people were wonderful. Iowa City is a great town. And I liked being part of a great big public university, where things can be done at the highest level without pretension. I hope the award gives me a chance to tell Iowans again what a fine institution they have made, over many generations.

What has life looked like since retiring from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop?

I’m not good at retirement. I just keep working—writing, lecturing, and so on. What first brought you to Iowa, and what led you to stay for 25 years?

I was offered a two-year appointment. And I found that Iowa was a good place for me. It has a beautiful, generous history that was important to my fiction. Looking back, what are you most proud of from your time at the workshop?

I still feel proud when a workshop graduate does something amazing, as they do fairly often. I feel proud even though it’s a long time since I worked with any of them. How did working with students shape your own writing?

It kept me aware of issues like voice and characterization—always good things to be reminded of. I benefited from their criticisms of one another’s work.

Where do you call home these days, and what do you miss about Iowa City?

Are you working on any projects readers can look forward to?

I divide the year between upstate New York and rural California. Home is where my grandchildren are. But I do miss that atmosphere of Iowa City well-being. People there know they are part of a very good thing.

I hope so.

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BY JOSH O’LE ARY

PHOTO: ALEC SOTH/MAGNUM PHOTOS

Some of America’s greatest novelists have received the University of Iowa’s Distinguished Alumni Award, including Gail Godwin (68MA, 71PhD), John Irving (67MFA), and Jane Smiley (75MA, 76MFA, 79PhD). This fall, another acclaimed author joins their ranks. Iowa Writers’ Workshop professor emerita Marilynne Robinson (17LHD) headlines a class of six honorees set to receive the UI’s top honor for alumni, faculty, and friends of the university. Iowa Magazine recently caught up with Robinson—best known for her celebrated novels set in the fictional town of Gilead, Iowa—for a Q&A ahead of her return to Iowa City for the Oct. 29 award ceremony.

For Iowa

2026 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD HONOREES SERVICE AWARD RECENT GRADUATE AWARD

Barrett Anderson (08BA, 08BS)

Graduating with degrees in economics and political science, Anderson built a strong foundation at Iowa for a successful legal career. As a student, Anderson was president of the Undergraduate Student Government, president of his Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, and captain of Iowa’s mock trial program. He interned in 2008 with the office of U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa and in 2009 at the White House under former President Barack Obama. Anderson attended Yale Law School, where he edited the Yale Law Journal and performed pro bono work through the Supreme Court Advocacy Clinic. Following graduation, Anderson was a fellow with the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary and a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, then practiced law at firms in Washington, D.C., and San Diego. He currently serves as a senior trial attorney with the Federal Trade Commission and volunteers on the alumni advisory board for the UI Department of Political Science.

Jimmy A. Reyes (04BSN, 07MSN, 10DNP)

From his position as associate director of practice and education at the Iowa Board of Nursing to his work as founder and leader of MyHealthIowa, Reyes has spent his career in service to his community. Reyes has strived to improve the health of underserved communities, testing innovative training models to promote the most effective and sustainable diabetes practices. At MyHealthIowa, Reyes helped design culturally responsive health programs to reach immigrant, refugee, migrant, rural, and underserved communities throughout the state. As chairman of the Iowa Community HUB Board of Directors, Reyes has been instrumental in advancing statewide, cross-sector collaboration to address chronic disease and social determinants of health. Reyes is also a force for change around the world. He currently works with the American University of Nigeria to research the effects and treatment of kidney disease within internally displaced persons camps in the state of Adamawa.

HICKERSON AWARD

Thomas Schnack (72BBA, 75MA)

FACULT Y AWARD

Marilynne Robinson (17LHD)

Schnack is a prime example of an alumnus who pays it forward. In 2008, Schnack’s son followed his father’s footsteps to Iowa and became part of the first class of UI REACH—a comprehensive transition program for college-age students with intellectual, cognitive, and learning disabilities. Schnack led UI REACH’s scholarship fundraising for its first director and continues to work diligently to ensure the program’s continued success. Schnack serves as chair of the UI REACH board alongside his career as executive vice president of Ecolab in St. Paul, Minnesota. Ecolab provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions globally. Schnack has connected REACH students to several certifications offered by the company. Recently, he and his wife, Jeanne, established the Adam V. Schnack UI REACH Scholarship Fund. Additionally, Schnack serves as a board member for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities, a role he’s fulfilled for nearly 20 years. Thanks to his leadership, local chapters assist the UI REACH program with referrals for its high school youth programs.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and one of the most influential figures in the history of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Robinson shaped a generation of writers over her 25-year tenure as the F. Wendell Miller Professor of English and Creative Writing. While at Iowa, she significantly enhanced the university’s academic stature, cultural influence, and global reputation as the nation’s premier writing university. An author of five novels, Robinson has been awarded the highest distinctions possible in the literary world—and some outside of that world too. In 2013, former President Barack Obama awarded Robinson the National Humanities Medal and described her novels as life-changing. Robinson’s dedication to teaching and mentorship has molded numerous students and scholars. In addition to her service at Iowa, she has held visiting appointments and writer-in-residence roles at other institutions. Her contributions have been recognized with 16 honorary degrees, including from Iowa.

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Lisa Hindson (89MA, 89MBA, 90PhD)

Hindson uprooted from her native Australia for the promise of a first-class education in sports management. Over the course of three years at the UI, she earned three degrees and studied French with a goal of working for the International Olympic Committee. Hindson was hired to work for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games Organizing Committee, and in 2000 her role at the Sydney Olympics so impressed the IOC that she was awarded the Golden Rings Award. Hindson then moved to Switzerland to become head of IOC Games Operations and a member of the senior management team. Hindson launched the sport consulting firm LHC Global in 2007 but continued to work with the IOC as a contractor until 2023. The firm provides expertise to Olympic and Paralympic Games, including the 2026 Winter Olympics. FRIEND AWARD

N. William Hines

During his 28 years at the UI College of Law, Hines became the longest serving dean in the university’s history and helped establish the college as one of the nation’s top 10 public law schools. He educated more than 10,000 students, but his impact resonates far beyond campus. His scholarship—which focused on property law, estate planning, and environmental law—had a major impact on the development of Iowa law in those fields. Hines joined the facult y in 1962 as an assistant professor and was named director of the Agricultural Law Clinic the following year. In 1973 he was named Joseph F. Rosenfield Distinguished Professor of Law and in 1976 assumed the role of dean. He served as president of the Association of American Law Schools in 2005 and was editor-inchief at the Iowa Advocate for 28 years. Since his retirement, Hines has continued to teach part-time and provides long-term support to the Iowa Law School Foundation. BY AMANDA R AHN

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For Iowa

The Levitt Center is home to the UI Center for Advancement.

L E A DE R S HIP

Forward Together Alumna and longtime health care fundraiser Sheila Baldwin becomes the fourth president and CEO of the UI Center for Advancement. $3 million for children’s medicine or working with Jerre Melrose Avenue in Iowa City countless times. (65BBA, 11LHD) and Mary Joy Stead to secure a lead gift to But this time was different. name Stead Family Children’s Hospital and support early career Heading downtown to eat dinner with her family in February medical research scholars at the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. 2017, Baldwin saw lights on and activity in the patient rooms for Leading the UI Center for Advancement, Baldwin aims to the first time in the new University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital. It was a moment Baldwin—then advance the university in innovative ways and deepen engagement Sheila Baldwin, the lead fundraiser for the children's hospital—will never forget. with alumni and friends. She also hopes to build upon the UI Center for “I got incredibly emotional thinking about how hard we had organization’s strong workplace culture, drawing inspiration Advancement worked, how many conversations we had to raise the money that from one of her favorite teams—Iowa women’s basketball. President and CEO Baldwin; her husband, Brad (98BBA, 02MBA); and their enabled that facility to be built,” she says. “And it actually happened. two daughters are longtime Iowa women’s basketball fans and In that moment, I knew that the work we do makes a difference.” Baldwin is now the fourth president and CEO of the UI Center for season ticket holders. They have enjoyed many memorable moments in recent Advancement—succeeding Lynette Marshall, who held the position for the years, including watching Iowa beat No. 1 South Carolina in person at the past two decades. A native of Garner, Iowa, Baldwin says that her student 2023 NCAA Women’s Final Four. experiences supporting pediatric cancer patients at Iowa as a founding member “Since our girls were toddlers, we’ve been supportive of the culture [coaches] of UI Dance Marathon shaped her career aspirations. Lisa Bluder and Jan Jensen have created at Iowa,” says Baldwin. “They’ve “Having that visibility into Dance Marathon at Iowa really planted the created a program that has strong, successful young women who also genuinely seed that I wanted to pursue a fundraising career,” she says. enjoy being around each other. They have fun doing what they do, and when During her 27 years at the UI Center for Advancement, Baldwin I think about leading this organization, I want our staff to have fun while established a dedicated fundraising program for children’s medicine, which doing this important work. I’m incredibly passionate about the impact Iowa is now one of the largest areas that garners donor support at Iowa. She’s also has on people’s lives, and I feel privileged to play a role in that.” been adept at producing productive partnerships—whether it’s collaborating BY BEN FROTSCHER with Mary Ferentz to create the Ladies Football Academy and raise

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FILE PHOTOS

Sheila Frein Baldwin (98BBA) has driven down

For Iowa

LEFT: Golden Girl Carissa Wolfe performs at the 2025 UI Homecoming parade. BELOW: New drum major Annabelle Temple is pictured at Voxman Music Building.

WOLFE PHOTO: JUSTIN TORNER/UI OFFICE OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION; TEMPLE PHOTO: AVA NEUMAIER/DAILY IOWAN

H AW K E Y E M A R CHING B A ND

Homecoming Harmony Iowa’s Golden Girl and drum major lead fall traditions. When Iowa’s Golden Girl leaps across the field and the drum major struts toward the 50-yard line at Kinnick Stadium, nearly 300 marching Hawkeyes are not far behind. The Hawkeye Marching Band begins playing “On Iowa” with 70,000 fans clapping along. For every spirited performance, the Hawkeye Marching Band devotes many hours behind the scenes to prepare—especially during homecoming week. Golden Girl Carissa Wolfe and new drum major Annabelle Temple will lead the band through all the homecoming festivities Oct. 25–31, including an alumni performance at Voxman Music Building, the parade in downtown Iowa City, and the football game against Wisconsin. Band members spend extra time preparing for homecoming, but typically put in at least two hours a day, not including specialty practices, performances, and travel time. They receive only one course credit for their efforts, but Temple and Wolfe say it’s worth it to gain a rewarding experience they will treasure for the rest of their lives. Wolfe began twirling at age 3, with her mom acting as her coach until she was 9. Last year was her first homecoming as the Golden Girl. The international award-winning twirler and sophomore communication studies major says, “It was one of my favorite weeks to twirl with the band because I got to meet so many people.”

This year will be Temple’s first homecoming as the drum major, the third woman to hold the role since World War II. “I’m beyond excited for the opportunity,” says Temple, a junior studying music education and clarinet performance. “I can’t wait to see how the band is going to develop and change within these next two years.” B Y E M M A C O N WAY

Visit homecoming.uiowa.edu for more on Iowa Homecoming.

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Through a New Lens

Earlier this year, Iowa Writers’ Workshop alum Joshua J. Miller (03MFA) and his partner, M.A. Fortin, released The Marilyn Monroe Century—an account of the iconic actor’s rise to fame. The visual biography highlights photos and diary entries from Bruno Bernard, who was Miller’s grandfather and the photographer who helped make Monroe a star. While Monroe would have celebrated her 100th birthday this past June, Miller

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says he debuted the book now, because “I think I finally had enough distance to write about Marilyn and my grandfather.” Miller, a novelist, actor, and director, says, “I had always avoided it; I thought it was kitschy at times; I thought it was overexposed; I thought it was something that haunted my family in a really painful way. I realized the only way out was the way through.” Read the full story at foriowa.info/im26-miller.

PHOTO: BERNARD OF HOLLYWOOD FOUNDATION

59 B R I D G I N G T H E D I V I D E 60 S Y M P H O N Y O F C I N E M A 61 I N S I D E E S P N

A lways a Hawkeye

AmericaSpeaks founder Carolyn Lukensmeyer, who serves as executive producer for the new documentary 9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero, is pictured in the home she designed on the Damariscotta River in Midcoast Maine.

P R OF IL E

C A R OLY N L UK E N S ME Y E R (67 B A )

Common Ground

PHOTO: JOSHUA LANGLAIS

The subject of a new film on the 9/11 memorial in New York reflects on a career spent bringing citizen voices to the table. In the aftermath of 9/11, a grieving New York was faced with the problem of what to do at the site of the deadliest terrorist attack in the country’s history. Some were adamant that the towers should be rebuilt—beam by beam—to the exact specifications of the originals. Others were convinced that to build on the site where nearly 3,000 victims died was morally wrong. Bringing together the demands of so many people was a staggering task. The city was at an impasse—how do you find a consensus on something so polarizing? It took University of Iowa alumna Carolyn Lukensmeyer (67BA), founder of AmericaSpeaks, to devise a plan to bridge the divide. Lukensmeyer founded AmericaSpeaks in 1995. The nonpartisan nonprofit gave 5,000 New

Yorkers a voice in rebuilding ground zero while revolutionizing town hall meetings by incorporating technology like computers and voting devices—a groundbreaking move at the time. The nonprofit’s breakthrough success in New York is the subject of a new documentary, 9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero. The film’s world premiere is planned for the 25th anniversary of 9/11 this year. “When I was approached to make this film, I understood how much work it would be for me, so I said I would do it under one condition: that the importance of democracy be a throughline in the documentary,” Lukensmeyer says.

A Lifetime of Public Service

Lukensmeyer says her upbringing in Iowa, followed by opportunities at the UI to lead student-faculty engagement, sparked her interest in nonpartisan

discourse and deliberative democracy. “I grew up in a large, multigenerational family, so I saw all kinds of differences at my own dinner table,” says Lukensmeyer, a native of Hampton, Iowa. “I grew up in a context where it doesn’t matter what party you are; it matters what your values are and what you do in the world as a reflection of those values.” Growing up in Iowa taught her that every human life matters, she says, and her experiences studying English and political science at the UI helped her place those values into a larger context from which she launched her career. “What I learned at the University of Iowa was how to think about the world,” she says. “Every person has a worldview that comes from their life experience and what they have been exposed to, so when you feel in conflict with another person’s worldview, what you need to be is curious.” After 20 years spent engaging citizen voices with AmericaSpeaks, Lukensmeyer became the founding executive director of the National Institute for Civil Discourse at the University of Arizona. She stepped away in 2020 and has co-led the nonprofit National Civic League’s Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map as the next chapter of her public service. In 2012, her book Bringing Citizen Voices to the Table: A Guide for Public Managers was published, and in 2019 she returned to her alma mater as a UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Alumni Fellow. For a career in service of citizen power, Lukensmeyer earned the UI Eight Over 80 Award earlier this spring. Just as she helped amplify the voices of New Yorkers after 9/11, she continues to inspire and implore Americans to be active, engaged citizens. “Every single one of us needs to step up to our responsibility as citizens to ensure the next 250 years of our democracy,” she says. BY AMANDA R AHN

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Scott Dunn conducts an orchestra that celebrates the music of Hollywood.

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S C O T T DUNN ( 7 5B M, 8 1MD)

Music, Medicine, and Movies A distinguished conductor and pianist reflects on his unconventional career.

as a concert pianist, he entered several international piano competitions. “I wasn’t quite ready for primetime,” he says. “I got very discouraged.” Dunn changed course, finishing premed at the University of Southern California and receiving a Doctor of Medicine at Iowa. He returned to California to complete a residency and board certification in ophthalmology at USC. Then a chance encounter brought him permanently back to music. Dunn was practicing ophthalmology in Los Angeles when he met Leonard Rosenman, an Academy Award-winning film composer known for his scores for East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause. Rosenman had come to tour Dunn’s home, which was on the market. Spotting virtuosic sheet music on Dunn’s Steinway piano, Rosenman told the broker, “I thought you told me this guy was a doctor! He looks like a real musician.” When the two met, Rosenman urged Dunn to reenter music competitions. Dunn went on to win several, including one with the U.S. State Department that awarded him a solo tour through the Soviet Union. After returning to the States, Dunn moved back to New York to pursue a master’s at the Manhattan School of Music. In New York, he made connections and studied with musical luminaries such as Lukas Foss, Byron Janis, and Sir Richard Rodney Bennett—all of whom continue to inspire Dunn. Dunn is a frequent guest conductor throughout the U.S. and UK and commutes bet ween Los Angeles and New York. Still, he remains grateful for his home state. He and his husband, Robert Moray, are proud supporters of the University of Iowa who are particularly enthused about the UI School of Music and Hancher Auditorium, which work to expose the Hawkeye community to world-class art. If aspiring musicians take one thing away from his story, Dunn says, “You find out where you want to go by going.” B Y E M M A C O N WAY

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Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California. The SDO has the express mission to celebrate film scores—and to draw new audiences to orchestral music. “For too long, especially for classical music, there was this highfalutin attitude that audiences and performers should just suffer through it,” says Dunn. At his concerts, he seeks to make programs enjoyable for musicians and the audience alike. Originally from Eagle Grove, Iowa, Dunn graduated with honors and a Bachelor of Music after only five semesters at Iowa. Hoping to start a career

Extra Watch Scott Dunn discuss his arrangement of composer Leonard Rosenman’s score to Rebel Without a Cause at foriowa.info/im26-dunn.

PHOTO: KEVIN PARRY

Iconic movies like Jaws, The Godfather, and the Harry Potter series have one thing in common: engrossing film music. Without it, they wouldn’t be the same. Yet music from the movies has traditionally been overlooked by orchestras. Scott Dunn (75BM, 81MD)—an internationally renowned pianist, conductor, and orchestrator—aims to bring what has often been regarded as background music to the forefront with his new film music orchestra. The Scott Dunn Orchestra launched last year in conjunction with the Wallis Annenberg

A lways a Hawkeye

Roxanna Scott, pictured bottom right at a tennis match during the 2024 Paris Olympics, now leads the ESPN newsroom.

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R OX A NN A S C O T T ( 96 B A )

SCOTT PHOTO: ANDY HALL/ESPN COMMUNICATIONS; OLYMPIC PHOTO COURTESY ROXANNA SCOTT

Rewriting the Playbook A Daily Iowan alumna leads ESPN's sports coverage. Despite attaining top sports posts at The Dallas Morning News, USA Today, and now ESPN over the past 30 years, Roxanna Pellin Scott (96BA) doesn’t consider herself a trailblazer. To her, the women’s shoulders she stands upon today are the true pioneers. “When I think of trailblazers, I think of Lesley Visser, Christine Brennan, Melissa Ludtke, Claire Smith, Cathy Henkel, and many others who gained the access and signaled to the world that women belong in sports media,” says Scott, who began as a reporter but eventually became sports editor and managing editor at The Daily Iowan. “If it hadn’t been for these women and others, I wouldn’t have had role models and mentors who showed that women could thrive in our industry. I hope that I can provide that same inspiration to young journalists who look at a career in sports media.” An interest in journalism that originated from a shared family love for sports fueled her path to work in the sports department at The Quad-City Times as a 16-year-old. That early exposure sparked a lifelong passion for storytelling developed at Iowa—where she covered the first Hawkeye women’s basketball team to make it to the NCAA Final Four in 1993.

After graduating from Iowa, Scott built a reputation as a rising voice in sports journalism. Following an internship, she stayed on with The Dallas Morning News and spent a decade in a range of editorial roles. The experience prepared her for the national stage in 2007 when she joined USA Today. There, Scott worked her way up to executive editor and vice president of USA Today Sports—one of the few women in the country leading a major sports department. Over 18 years, she covered two Olympic Games and led coverage of nine others. “Working with great reporters around the clock on highly competitive stories is one of the great joys of this job,” says Scott, a member of the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication Professional Advisory Board and past president of the Association for Women in Sports Media. “Being at the Olympics brings out the best and worst in us, because you are working your butt off for the 17 days of the Games, and you’re not really sleeping or eating because the schedules are so crazy.” Scott left USA Today in July 2025 to take a breath and assess next steps in her career. After a couple of months as managing editor for The Athletic, conversations with ESPN led to a newly created role as senior vice president and editor in chief. She started this past January—a month before a team from ESPN covered the Olympics in Milan. In this new position, Scott oversees digital editorial, investigative, and enterprise journalism across the network’s sports platforms, managing a team of more than 250 who work in streaming, traditional TV, digital, and radio. The role places Scott at the center of one of the most influential sports newsrooms in the world. As it has always been, her goal at ESPN is to ensure the next generation of sports journalists—especially women—find doors already open. “As a newsroom leader, I want us to have a culture that’s inclusive and collaborative,” says Scott, who was inducted in 2023 into the UI School of Journalism and Mass Communication Hall of Fame. “I want us to continue to build that connection with sports fans that view us as essential to following their teams and favorite athletes.”

B Y M I K E W AT K I N S

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2020s

Nathan Chaplin (26PhD) is a history faculty member on the tenure track at Eastern Iowa Community College in Muscatine, Iowa. Molly Davis (24BA), a former Hawkeye women’s basketball letter winner, is an assistant women’s basketball coach with Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond. Rupsa Dey (25MFA), an author, is named on the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize Shortlist with “Fighting Elsewhere.” Josie Durr (21BA), a former Hawkeye women’s soccer letter winner, is director of operations with the Hawkeye women’s soccer team. Erin Gray (25BA) is an associate literary agent with The Kepner Agency. Hajar Hussaini (21MFA), author of Disbound: Poems and an assistant teaching professor of English at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, is a recipient of the 2026 Whiting Award in poetry. Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo (20MFA) has been named to the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize longlist for her novel The Tiny Things Are Heavier.

2010s

Eva Adderley (13BFA), a playwright, teacher, and artist based in Minneapolis, is the author of Raised. Morgan Brittain (16BA, 20MA), a PhD candidate in American studies at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, is one of seven emerging scholars awarded the Henry Luce Foundation and American Council of Learned Societies’ Dissertation Fellowship in American Art. Laura Smith Capp (10PhD, 13MFA) is the owner and operator of Postscript, a boutique and coffee shop in Ashland, Nebraska, which offers workshops in skills such as calligraphy, bookbinding, and painting. Alexander Crider (13BS) is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago. Leah DeGrazia (14BA) is an associate at the Maslon law firm in Minneapolis. Paige Wallace Jaeger (12BBA, 14MHA), chief operating officer

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2000s

Hayk Arsenyan (09DMA), a professor of music at New York University, director at the Armenian General Benevolent Union, pianist, and composer, recently released the album S tratu m in collaboration with bassist Matt Hare (03DMA) and recording, mixing, and mastering engineer Loren Stata (05MA). Ryan Evans (09BA), former Hawkeye men’s swimming letter winner, is head swim and dive coach at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. Emily Reagh Harris (03JD) is a special counsel with the Dentons Davis Brown law firm in Des Moines. Bret Anthony Johnston (02MFA), director of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin, is author of the short story collection Encounters with Unexpected Animals. Rod Lehnertz (02MBA), senior vice president for finance and operations at the UI and university architect, also serves as the new public address announcer for Iowa home football games at Kinnick Stadium. Shelly Buster Maharry (01BA), president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Johnson County in Iowa, has been named one of the Corridor Business Journal’s 2026 Women of Influence. Vivek Neelakantan (08MA), a medical historian in India, is author of a new academic monograph, The Emergence of International Health Policy in Southeast Asia, India, and Sri Lanka. Michael Roston (01BA) is deputy editor on Express at The New York Times. Gerald Sim (07PhD), a professor of film and media studies at Florida Atlantic

At the Root of the Mission As the newly appointed chief of the U.S. Army Dental Corps, Col. Paul M. Colthirst (08MS) guides dental policies that affect over 400,000 activeduty personnel worldwide. His journey to becoming a senior military officer did not begin through traditional recruitment means, however. Instead, it began at his local movie theater. In 1995, Colthirst saw the blockbuster film Outbreak. Starring Patrick Dempsey, Morgan Freeman, and Donald Sutherland, the psychological thriller imagines how top U.S. Army officers and officials might respond to the spread of a deadly, contagious virus. When the credits began to roll, Colthirst knew exactly what he wanted to do. “I left the movie theater, and I went directly to the recruiting center,” he says. Colthirst joined the Army that same day and went on to earn a Doctor of Dental Surgery at Meharry Medical College in Nashville. Colthirst’s decision to attend the University of Iowa happened in another unexpected place. While deployed in Iraq, Colthirst was a brigade dental surgeon attached to an infantry unit. His job was to move from one battlefield to the next and provide dental care to the soldiers. In this role, Colthirst says he discovered a disconnect between the medical policy and its implementation. According to Colthirst, who is being honored this month as the UI Dental Alumni Association’s 2026 Dental Service Recognition Awardee, “It’s my inquisitiveness of asking ‘why’ that led me to dental public health.” He says that he is especially grateful for Alice Wright-Ruth Vogt Bush-Dr. Paul & Mabel Shreves Endowed Professor of Research Steven Levy, professor John Warren (81BS, 86DDS, 91MS), professor Peter Damiano (82BS, 86DDS), and UI College of Public Health senior research scientist Elizabeth Momany (82BS, 84MA, 88PhD), who helped him conceptualize solving large-scale problems. After completing Iowa’s two-year Master of Science program in dental public health, Colthirst held many leadership roles, including at Dental Health Commands in the Pacific and at Fort Hood and policymaking positions at the headquarters of the Army Medical Department and the Office of the Surgeon General. When Colthirst got the call about his latest appointment, he says, “It was very humbling.” From the movie theater to battlefields in Iraq, he says, “I know all my experiences have led me to this moment.” B Y E M M A C O N WAY

PHOTO COURTESY PAUL M. COLTHIRST

Class Notes

at ChildServe in Des Moines, is a Des Moines Business Record 40 Under 40 honoree for 2026. Jake Kadel (15BS), a women’s wrestling assistant coach at Iowa State and former Hawkeye men’s wrestler, is the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Coach of the Year for his achievements coaching women’s wrestling at William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Paige Mundy-Young Moore (10MHA), Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Iowa CEO, is a Des Moines Business Record 40 under 40 honoree for 2026.

A lways a Hawkeye

University in Boca Raton, is author of Screening Big Data: Films That Shape Our Algorithmic Literacy. Audra Smith (03BS) is a podiatrist in the Division of Vascular Surgery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. Paige Towers (08BA) is author of What They Stole: A Familicide Rooted in Intercountry Adoption, which explores an Iowa City case. Brian Wolf (02R, 06MS) is chair and department executive officer of the UI Health Care Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation.

IMAGES COURTESY ROBERT C. SMITH

1990s

Sasha Boros (96BA, 99JD), former Hawkeye women’s tennis letter winner and current Hawkeye head coach, is the winningest coach in Iowa tennis history. Traevena Potter Byrd (94BA, 97JD) is the vice president and general counsel at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Shawn Hsiang-Yin Chen (96MA, 98PharmD) is associate dean at the Taipei Medical University College of Pharmacy in Taiwan. Daniel J. DeRoos (98BA), an award-winning journalist in Cleveland, has been inducted into the National Academy of Television Ar ts and Sciences Central Great Lakes Silver Circle. Andrea “Ande” Bennett Kolp (95BM) is CEO of The Arc Maryland, a nonprofit organization that supports children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Marc Kolp (98BA) is director of the Center for Leadership and Innovation at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Rohini Kolhekar Kuner (95PhD), director of the Institute of Pharmacology at Heidelberg University’s Faculty of Medicine in Germany, has been awarded the 2026 Jung Prize for Medicine for her pain research. Tangela Smith (98BS), a former Hawkeye women’s basketball letter winner and UI Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, is an assistant coach for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA. Jaci-Marie Nitschke Thomson (97BM) has been appointed deputy director of the Interagency Support Division at the California Department of General Services.

Brian A. White (99BA, 02JD) is the vice president and general council for Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

1980s

Steve Belay (80BA, 83JD) is executive director of the Iowa Center for Children’s Justice in Des Moines. Raymond L. M. Bianchi (89BA) is the senior vice president of INFORMA Agriculture in Boone, Iowa. Daniel R. Campion (89PhD) is author of Star Anchors, his four th poetry book. Scott E. Douglas (86BBA) is chief social officer for Ramblin’ Man RV Tours in Pahrump, Nevada. Kevin Dresser (88BGS), a former Hawkeye men’s wrestling letter winner, is director of men’s and women’s wrestling at Iowa S tate. Gerald Fleshner (80BSPh), owner and pharmacist at Lincoln Highway Pharmacy in

Carroll, Iowa, recently received the Iowa Pharmacy Association’s Bowl of Hygeia, which recognizes a pharmacist with sustained community commitment. Tim Sheedy (82MA), a former pastor at parishes within the Diocese of Davenport, celebrated the 50 th anniversary of his priestly ordination. Ed Tormey (86BA, 90JD, 90MA), an environmental services division administrator, recently retired from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources after 22 years of service.

1970s

Richard Cherwitz (74BA , 75MA , 78PhD), a communication studies professor emeritus at the University of Texas at Austin, received the National Debate Tournament’s 2026 Laurence H. Tribe Distinguished Alumni Award. J. Doug Davis (73BS),

a former Hawkeye men’s wrestling letter winner, recently celebrated 50 years of service with Northwestern Mutual as a senior financial advisor. Randy R. Evans (72BA), president and chief executive of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, has been inducted into the UI School of Journalism and Mass Communication Hall of Fame. Peter W. Hansen (79BGS, 82JD), a lawyer with Hansen Law Offices in Burlington, Iowa, has been included in the 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Bankruptcy and Restructuring Lawyers guide. Sandra Larew Kemp (77BA, 97MA) is a Healing Touch practitioner at Acupuncture of Iowa in Iowa City. Robert A. Logan (77PhD), a former professor and dean at the University of Missouri and senior staff member at the U.S. National Library of Medicine, has been inducted into the UI School of Journalism and Mass Communication Hall of Fame. James Roelofs (70MD, 76R), a retired radiologist, is author of Buddy: Overcoming Cerebral Palsy, Abandonment, and Poverty. Sandra Goldberg Wendel (71BA), a nonfiction book editor, is author of Cover to Cover: What First-Time Authors Need to Know About Editing.

faculty & friends

Medicine on the Mind Mental illnesses affect tens of millions of people in the United States each year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Yet general internist Robert C. Smith (59BA, 62MD, 68R) says only 2% of total medical training time is devoted to mental health care. Instead, Western health systems focus primarily on physical ailments, which he says can lead to patients’ mental health needs being overlooked. In his book Has Medicine Lost Its Mind? Why Our Mental Health System is Failing Us and What Should Be Done to Cure It, the distinguished professor of medicine and psychiatry emeritus at Michigan State University argues for medical training that integrates treatments for both mind and body. As his book garners national attention, Smith hopes to raise awareness, so “the public may be activated and demand change in medicine.” B Y E M M A C O N WAY

Sharyl Grim, who recently retired after serving as secretary for the UI Reserve Officers’ Training Corps for 36 years, received a Meritorious Public Service Medal. Jo Hendrickson, founding UI REACH program director and professor emeritus in the UI College of Education, completed an 11-day climb up the Himalayas in Nepal. Bob Jeter, the late former Hawkeye football letter winner who broke two Rose Bowl records in 1959, has been inducted into the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame. Nick Yablon, a UI history professor, is author of From the Skyscraper to the Wildflower: C.G. Hine’s 1905 Photographic Survey of Broadway.

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A lways A Hawkeye

In Memory

of St. Charles, Illinois, on March 15, 2026. Shirley R. Vargason Fasbender (78BS) of Madison, Wisconsin, on April 19, 2026. William A. Feld (71PhD) of Beavercreek, Ohio, on May 3, 2026. William H. Mitchell (73BBA, 75MA) of Naperville, Illinois, on April 10, 2026. Rick Naber (70BSCE) of Marble Falls, Texas, on Feb. 7, 2026. David A. Nelson (76BS) of Portland, Oregon, on Jan. 11, 2026. Karen S. Gintz Nelson (76BBA, 79JD) of Portland, Oregon, on March 18, 2025.

1950s

John R. Kemp (55BSCE) of Phoenix on April 6, 2026. Martin J. Kimmel (57BA) of Roslyn, New York, on April 10, 2026. Annette Robinson Knoepfler (58BA) of Omaha, Nebraska, on April 24, 2026. Wilfred F. “Bill” Loebig Jr. (58BSC, 60MA) of San Antonio, Texas, on April 19, 2026. Edris J. Rinella McCarthy (50GN) of Iowa City on Feb. 10, 2026. Gloria G. Martens McIntyre (58BA) of Twin Lakes, Iowa, on April 23, 2026. Boyd E. Metzger (59MD) of Chicago on Dec. 22, 2025. Cephas R. Morley (58BSC) of Chatfield, Minnesota, on March 9, 2026. Lois Scott Peterson (52BA, 56MA) of Minneapolis on July 26, 2025. Winifred “Teddy” Allen Shuttleworth (50BA, 78MA) of Cedar Rapids on Feb. 28, 2026. Larry D. Smith (59BBA) of Melbourne, Iowa, on March 25, 2026. George T. Waaser Jr. (50BA, 51MS) of Earlysville, Virginia, on Dec. 20, 2025.

1960s

Paul M. Brown (62BA) of Omaha, Nebraska, on April 19, 2026. Karma Z. Cahill (62BA, 65MA) of Ankeny, Iowa, on June 1, 2026. Joan L. Nagel Chadima (61BA) of Cedar Rapids on April 24, 2026. Bill M. Culbertson (62MS, 63PhD) of Winter Haven, Florida, on March 20, 2026. Paul J. DiBlasio (67BA) of Sacramento, California, on March 28, 2024. Victor G. Edwards (63MD) of Coralville on April 11, 2026. Gary S. Fletcher (65BBA) of Des Moines on April 22, 2026. Donald R. Gerhard (69BBA) of Shawnee, Kansas, on March 24, 2026. Terry Smith Gillam (63BA) of Winter Park, Florida, on May 28, 2025. Melvin L. Glazer (66MD, 70R) of Seattle on April 28, 2026. Mary F. Boller Hacker (69MD, 71R) of Iowa City on Feb. 11, 2026. Geraldine M. Schwabbauer Hanson (66BA, 86MA) of Iowa City on March 29, 2026. Larry L. Herb (65BS) of West Bloomfield, Michigan, on May 12, 2026. Roger A. Hughes (66BA, 67MA) of Urbandale, Iowa, on March 4, 2026. Robert J.

IOWA MAGAZINE

FALL 2026

1980s

Daryl Granner Daryl Granner (58BA, 62MD, 62MS), professor emeritus in the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine Departments of Internal Medicine and Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, became a world-renowned leader in diabetes research and training. For more than 50 years at the UI and Vanderbilt University, Granner made tremendous contributions to the scientific understanding of pathophysiology and diabetes treatment. A prolific scholar, Granner authored over 260 peer-reviewed research papers and delivered more than 250 lectures around the world. His research and expertise were instrumental in characterizing the role of altered hepatic metabolism in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. In 1975, Granner became the director of the UI Department of Internal Medicine’s endocrinology and metabolism division, where he established the molecular endocrinology training program and the Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center. Granner later became the founding director of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center at Iowa. Granner received numerous awards for his work and his impact on diabetes research, education, and treatment. In 2001, he received the UI Distinguished Alumni Award for Achievement. His legacy is carried on through the Daryl and Nancy Granner (58BA) Distinguished Mentor Award and Lecture at the Carver College of Medicine. The annual celebration established in 2022 recognizes medical faculty with longtime service at Iowa whose mentees have gone on to successful careers. Granner died April 17 in Iowa City. He was 89.

Johnson III (64MD, 69R) of Shelburne, Vermont, on Feb. 2, 2026. Patricia Caldwell Kamath (61BA) of Iowa City on April 14, 2026. Bruce E. Leep (66MA) of Highland, Indiana, on Oct. 12, 2025. Bernard D. Mouw (67BS, 71MD) of Des Moines on April 9, 2026. Don Nelson (64BS) of Dallas on Aug. 9, 2026. J. Michael Patterson (68BBA) of San Francisco on April 7, 2026.

1970s

Marcia L. Adams (78MA) of Iowa City on March 6, 2026. James L. Bartlett (77BSCE, 79MS) of Concord, California, on Jan. 24, 2026. David P. Bradtke (74JD) of Flower Mound, Texas, on Dec. 26, 2025. Catherine M. Breitenbucher (79BS) of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, on June 12, 2026. Sherri L. Casterline (74BA, 84EdS)

Patricia A. Farrant (81PhD) of Iowa City on March 25, 2026. Sharon Aleta Mitchell Haskell (81BA) of Hamden, Connecticut, on April 14, 2026. Pamela J. Rienhold Longoria (80MA) of San Antonio on May 13, 2026. Chris K. Miller (89BBA, 92JD) of Arvada, Colorado, on March 20, 2026. Joan E. Sivers (81DDS, 83ProsS), of Lincoln, Nebraska, on Feb. 2, 2026. Marly A. Swick (86MFA) of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, on March 5, 2026.

1990s

Bernard Fallon (93MBA) of North Liber ty, Iowa, on April 10, 2026. Geoffrey R. Hammond (94BA) of Wilmette, Illinois, on April 9, 2026. Andrea L. Quinn (90MA) of Swisher, Iowa, on Feb. 24, 2026.

2000s

Kevin S. Keith (04MBA) of Coralville on April 15, 2026.

2010s

Richard E. Myers (11LHD) of Coralville on March 19, 2026.

faculty & friends

Lauren Rabinovitz of Longmont, Colorado, in September 2025. Arnold M. Small Jr. of Cape Coral, Florida, on May 30, 2026.

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A lways a Hawkeye

RE F L E C T

Halsey Hop

Since 1915, Halsey Hall has been home to many gym and dance classes. In this 1950s photo, JoAnn Juhl Nichol (56BA) jumps on a trampoline—which was invented by Hawkeye gymnast George Nissen (37BSC) and Coach Larry Griswold (32BSPE)—in what was then called the Women’s Gymnasium. Renamed in 1975 for University of Iowa women’s physical education director Elizabeth A. Halsey, the building recently bid farewell to the Department of Dance (see p. 7). PHOTO: IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES

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Photographer John Emigh (pictured at lower left) and sports editor Tyler Strand (bottom right) take readers behind the scenes of game day at Kinnick Stadium on p. 20 and at foriowa.info/kinnick-stadium.