Upper Iowa University history

1861 – David B. Henderson, who will later become the first Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from west of the Mississippi, leaves Upper Iowa University to fight in the Civil War.

1862 – The first commencement ceremony for baccalaureate degrees is held on June 26 in J.E. Robertson Grove.

1865 – For the first time, there are women graduates in the May commencement exercises.

1879 – Susan Angeline Collins is the first African-American to become a student on campus; she later becomes a missionary in Africa.

1882 – George Safford Parker, founder of the Parker Pen Company, is a student.

1883 – The first issue of the campus newspaper, The Collegian, appears.

1892 – The first gymnasium is constructed on campus.

1893 – The first football team is organized, with 14 men reporting for the squad.

Doc establishes a dental practice in Fayette and in 1907 becomes football coach at Upper Iowa, a position he will hold for over 50 years. (Doc set the record for having coached football at one college longer than any other person in the United States, and was elected to the Coaches’ Hall of Fame.)

1915 – The Alumnus magazine is begun, keeping alumni informed of campus doings and news of their fellow classmates.

In 1917, UIU male students joined the armed forces during World War I, while women students organized American Red Cross classes on campus; the UIU gym became a barracks, and the athletic field was the scene of military drills.

The peacock becomes the official mascot in 1920 when The Collegian begins using “peacocks” as the name for UIU athletics teams.

These laws are too well known to need statement.” (1922 Student Handbook, page 3)

The Equal Rights Amendment for equality between men and women was first introduced to the U. S. Congress in 1923, and despite many people’s misperceptions, has yet to be ratified on a federal level.

1924 – Upper Iowa University is a charter member of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Association and wins the football championship.

1935 – A watershed student self-help project is instituted: a broom factory that employs many students and gives instruction in the techniques of manufacturing and marketing.

Foster Cass (Class of 1941) grew up in Fayette.

Archivist’s note: Armstrong played at the Fayette High School gymnasium April 12, 1961, sponsored by the Mu Rho chapter of Alpha Phi Omega.

The External Degree program, which began in 1972, has been successfully delivered to more than 10,000 learners.

1973 – Upper Iowa launches an external degree program, one of the first (and most successful) in the United States.

A master landscaping plan for the Fayette campus is developed and approved by the Board of Trustees, and implementation begins in 1991; land adjacent to the University is acquired.

In 1999, with endorsement of North Central, degree programs are begun in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore, and in Vancouver, Canada.

In 2003, centers open in Ankeny (Iowa) and Brooks City-Base (Texas).

In 2004, the new Andres Center for Business and Education was built, and Alan G. Walker was appointed the 20th president of the University.

Associate- and baccalaureate-level tuition for courses taken through External Degree (independent study/correspondence) or at off-campus learning centers (classroom) for 2005–06 was $651 per 3-semester-credit course.

2006 — An RN-to-BSN program and a Master’s in Education degree program are inaugurated, and the University begins preparing for its 150th anniversary.

2007 — The University celebrates its 150th year.

2008 — The adoption of a dynamic strategic plan focusing on global understanding ushers in a new era for the university.

2009 — Classes for the newly approved Master of Higher Education (MHEA) begin in January.

2011 — UIU announces first-ever capital campaign, “Transforming UIU.” University receives two major gifts toward capital campaign: $7.5 million from alumni Steve and Diane Harms to transform football complex, and $4 million from alumna Betty Andres and her family.

2012 — UIU celebrates 155th anniversary.

2015 — As part of the 2015 Homecoming celebration, UIU officially opens the University Archives and Foster Cass Archives Walk at Fayette Campus.

2016 — Upper Iowa University is awarded a $650,000 S-STEM Grant from the National Science Foundation.

2017 — To better align with its innovative spirit while still maintaining a strong commitment to student success and tradition, UIU launches a new brand identity and updates the University and Peacock logos.

2018 — Upper Iowa University and Northeast Iowa Community College signed a Letter of Understanding that creates a new Bridge to Success Program for first-year college students.

2019 — Upper Iowa University’s School of Business, School of Liberal Arts, School of Science and Mathematics, and Andres School of Education are reorganized into three schools: School of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and Professional Studies, and Andres School of Education.