UNI News - February 2002

UNI Alumni Association Presents General H. Norman Schwarzkopf

The UNI Alumni Association will host General Norman Schwarzkopf's first ever visit to the state of Iowa on Saturday, April 6, 2002. General Schwarzkopf will present his program entitled "Leadership in Difficult Times" at 7:30 pm in UNI's Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center. Tickets for the event go on sale Monday, February 4, 2002, and all Alumni Association members will receive a 10% discount (on up to 2 tickets per member). For more information, contact the UNI Alumni Association toll free at 888-864-2586.

Alumni Association to Host 2002 Legislative Breakfast

The 2002 Legislative Breakfast will be held at the Iowa State Capitol on February 27th. This breakfast was established in 1994 as a forum for UNI alumni and friends to meet and speak with members of the Iowa General Assembly in an informal setting. In a year of deep budget cuts for the University of Northern Iowa, we encourage all alumni to get involved and tell their legislators about the important role UNI plays in the state of Iowa. This breakfast is a wonderful opportunity to meet those legislators face-to-face and encourage them to continue their support for the university. Please join us at 7:30am in room 118 of the Iowa State Capitol. To register, please call the Alumni Association toll free at 888-864-2586 or visit us online at http://www.unialum.org/secure/eventreg.html.

UNI Students Qualify for International Business Case Competition Finals

A team of four UNI students has qualified for the finals of the 7th International Business Case Competition. This year, teams from 64 universities began the preliminary rounds of the competition. Only the top seven teams were invited to compete in the finals to be held at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, in March 2002. The competition is designed to challenge teams' abilities to work under pressure, to interact as a team, determine the problem plaguing the case organization, make a thorough business analysis and finally, present a sound argument for their recommendation. The university with the overall championship team will host next year's competition. For more information, please contact Christine Schrage at 319-273-2126.

Upcoming Alumni Events - You Don't Want to Miss Them!

The Alumni Association is sponsoring several alumni events in February and March. You won't want to miss out on these great opportunities to meet other alumni and reconnect with UNI!

California - February 9th
Alumni Tour of Wine Country - Join other alumni and friends for a tour of several Napa Valley wineries. The tour begins in Napa, California at 10am and will include visits and wine tastings at 3-4 local wineries. The group will enjoy a gourmet lunch at the V. Sattui winery in St. Helena before returning to Napa by 4pm.

Phoenix, Arizona - February 23rd
Alumni Social at the Arizona Science Center - Join us for an alumni social featuring UNI's head football coach, Mark Farley '87. Following the social, the museum will be open for tours, including the new Titanic Exhibit, which features the largest collection of Titanic artifacts ever recovered. For more information on the exhibit, visit http://www.azscience.org.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa - March 1
Alumni Social and RoughRiders Hockey Game - Join us for an alumni social and stay for the interstate rivalry game between the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and the Waterloo Blackhawks! This is a great event for adults and children alike.

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis, MO - March 1-4
Come watch the Panther Men's Basketball team take on the rest of the Missouri Valley at the Conference Tournament! The Alumni Association will be organizing a gathering for alumni and friends during the tournament - watch our website for details!

Washington DC - March 26th
Join us for an evening with University President Robert Koob '62. Come meet other alumni and friends in the Washington DC area and hear about the wonderful things that are happening for the University of Northern Iowa. Exact time and location will be available soon.

For more information on these events or to register online, visit

http://www.unialum.org/secure/eventreg.html. We hope to see you there!

McLeodUSA Center Update

McLeodUSA Center is a major step closer to groundbreaking thanks to a generous gift from Cedar Valley resident Betty McCoy. The arena's main court will be named in honor of Robert J. McCoy, Betty's late husband. Robert McCoy was the former Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier publisher who died in April 2000. This gift is the largest from Black Hawk County for the project. In October, fundraising hit the $12 million mark and the Regents approved hiring an architect. The UNI Foundation board increased the goal for McLeodUSA Center to $18-$20 million. To date, approximately $15 million has been raised. The outstanding support UNI alumni and friends have given this project so far makes it possible to achieve this goal, providing the means to build a truly outstanding facility that will seat 5,000-6,000 people. The exact site for the Center has not been determined. It will be located near the UNI-Dome and the Wellness & Recreation Center. Construction could begin as early as next fall. For more information, please contact the UNI Foundation toll free at 1-800-782-9522 or send an email to advancement@uni.edu.

Women's Rugby Team Successfully Defends Midwest Title

In November of 2001, the University of Northern Iowa Women's Rugby team successfully defended their Midwest title. The team beat both Bowling Green and the University of Minnesota to secure the Midwest title for the second year in a row. UNI will now compete in the Elite 8, which will be held in Cedar Falls the weekend of April 21-22. If the team wins at Elite 8, they will travel to Blaine, Minnesota to defend their National Title the weekend of May 4-5. For more information on UNI's Women's Rugby team, please send an email to jennifer.murra@uni.edu.

Lux Award Nomination Forms Now Available

The UNI Alumni Association and UNI Foundation are once again sponsoring the Lux Service Award. The Lux Service Award is the highest honor awarded to undergraduate students for service to the University of Northern Iowa. Each year, two recipients and three finalists are selected in the Spring and honored during Homecoming weekend in the Fall. Nominees must demonstrate outstanding service to the University, hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above, and be of senior standing. If you would like to nominate a student for the 2002 award, please visit http://www.unialum.org/proserv/lux/lux.html or call the Alumni Association at 1-888-864-2586 for more information on nomination procedures.

Alumni Association Seeks Volunteers for Des Moines Arts Festival

The University of Northern Iowa and the UNI Alumni Association have teamed up with the 2002 Des Moines Arts Festival to be held June 28-30th. UNI will sponsor a group of ice cream stands with profits supporting the UNI Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship Fund. Alumni volunteers are needed to help staff the ice cream stand locations throughout the festival. Each volunteer will receive all festival volunteer perks, including a free UNI t-shirt. With your help, we can continue to increase the amount of the scholarship and help make an education more affordable for current UNI students. For more information or to volunteer, please contact Stacey Christensen at 319-273-3170 or send an email to stacey.christensen@uni.edu