Celebrating Excellence

Okoboji principal Brian Downing earns Ed Lead Legacy award

Brian Downing, principal, Okoboji High School, received the 2024 UNI Educational Leadership Legacy Award in May.

This award goes to educational leadership graduates of the University of Northern Iowa principalship, superintendency or doctoral programs who demonstrate the core values of educational leadership as leaders of learning, service and/or change.

Downing earned his Master of Arts and advanced studies certificate in principalship in 2006 from UNI and a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University. Prior to joining Okoboji High in 2010, he served as secondary principal at Lisbon Community School District. He was named Iowa Secondary Principal of the Year in 2021 by the School Administrators of Iowa.

Kaufmann receives national and state teaching recognition 

Brenda Kaufmann (‘21, MAE), a second grade science and math teacher in the North Tama County Community School District in Traer, Iowa, was named the science teaching finalist by the Iowa Department of Education (DOE) for the 2024 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and
Science Teaching. Kaufmann also serves as an adjunct instructor at the College of Education. 

Kaufmann was also a finalist in the 2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year awards by the Iowa DOE. Nicole Schroeder (‘14, BA), a Saydel Community School District elementary teacher, and Daniel Black (‘18, ‘17 Principalship ASC/MAE; ‘08, BA), a Council Bluffs schools music teacher, were also among the six finalists.

Graduate & online programming leads to U.S. News rankings 

Ten College of Education master’s degrees and the doctoral program were among UNI areas of study represented in the 2024 rankings for “Best Graduate Schools: Education” by U.S. News and World Report. Earlier, the magazine ranked UNI among the top 20% in 2024 for online master’s in education programs for programs including early childhood education, elementary education, principalship and school library studies. Many programs are offered in conjunction with the Division of Online Education and Individual Studies in the College of Graduate, Research and Online Education.

Historical book garners community history award 

The State Historical Society of Iowa Board of Trustees selected “Cedar Rock,” a book co-authored by Rodney Dieser, professor, recreation, tourism and nonprofit leadership, as the recipient of a 2024 Loren Horton Community History Award Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Research or Publication. 

This historical souvenir book is sold at Cedar Rock State Park near Independence, Iowa, and the UNESCO World Heritage Taliesin Preserve in Wisconsin and accepted into the Frank Lloyd Wright Collection at Columbia University. Book profits go to the nonprofit Friends of Cedar in
support of the Wright-designed Walter Estate at Cedar Rock. 

A COE summer fellowship funded Dieser’s work.

Faculty and staff honors 

University of Northern Iowa

2023-24 Beverly Funk Barnes Educator Excellence Award: Megan Balong, Teaching
2023-24 UNI Outstanding Teaching Award: Sunah Chung, Curriculum and Instruction
Graduate College Outstanding Graduate Coordinators’ Award: Joan Bessman Taylor, C&I, and Nicole Skaar, Educational Psychology, Foundations and Leadership Studies (EPFLS)
Milestone Award for faculty who have chaired 10 or more graduate student culminating projects: Julianne Gassman, Health Recreation and Community Services (HRCS); and Timothy Gilson, Kenneth Hayes, Kim Huckstadt, Roark Horn, Matt Townsley, Theophile Muhayimana,(EPFLS)

College of Education Faculty Awards

Teaching Award: Theophile Muhayimana, EPFLS
Scholarship Award: David Hernandez-Saca, Special Education
Service Award: Laura Edwards, C&I
Dean’s Diversity & Equity Award: Kenneth Hayes, EPFLS

College of Education Staff Excellence Award

Alisa Weeks, Secretary III, Health, Recreation and Community Services

Dissertation earns Muhammad honor from Iowa Academy

Lamont Muhammad (‘10, MAE; ‘22, EdD) was honored with the David Bills Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award from the Iowa Academy of Education in October 2023.

The award is presented annually to the author of an outstanding dissertation written by a student at an Iowa university that focuses on an issue of significant policy importance to education in Iowa. Through his dissertation, “The Writing Identity of a Hip Hop Lyricist and Educator: An Autoethnography,” Muhammad examined the topic of writer’s identity, noting that historically marginalized students may not see themselves as “school writers” and traditional curricula do not always take into consideration social and community backgrounds. He explored howhis own identity as a hip hop lyricist influenced his writer’s identity— personally, socially, culturally, and professionally. Recipients receive a $500 award. Muhammad is currently dean of culture at the Academy for Integrated Arts in Kansas City, Missouri.

Student honors

Graduate College Student Awards

Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award: First place to Landon Wood, for “OUT in Education: A Qualitative Study Examining the Intersectionality
and the Lived OUT Experiences of PreK–12 LGBTQ+ Educators”; second place to Jesus Lizarraga Estrada, for “No Contaban Con Mi Resiliencia: Mental Health of Undocumented/DACAmented Undergraduate Latino Men in the 45 Era”; advised by David Schmid, Postsecondary Education: Student Affairs.

Outstanding Master’s Research Paper Award to Payton Cannon, Paige Kayvan, Samantha Doyle, Traci Jolley, MAE alumni, for “Communicating Emotions through Art and Conversation,” advised by Sarah Montgomery, previously with Curriculum and Instruction (C&I). The four also presented their findings on how to use art and communication as part of a trauma-sensitive approach to students at this year’s Social and Emotional
Learning Conference.

Student Leadership Awards

Among those celebrated at the 2024 Student Leadership Awardsceremony this year were these College of Education students:

• Drake Martin Gold Star Award, Kylee Klimes, elementary education; and Emily Waldon,
  elementary education.
• Beverly Funk Barnes Student Excellence Award, Madelyn Stepanek, elementary education and middle level education: dual major.
• Mental Health Ally Award, Kayla Kellogg, elementary education.
• Most Promising New Leader in a Student Organization Award, Ashlyn Utech, early childhood education.
• Servant Leadership Award, Jenna Becker, recreation, tourism, and nonprofit leadership; and Allison
  Flanscha, elementary education and middle level education: dual major.

The newly formed Outdoor Education and Leadership Alliance received several nominations, including for outstanding new student organization and
outstanding officer (Alaina Wilson and Courtney Johnson).

Community engagement brings additional rewards 

Honored at this year’s Community Engagement Celebration Day in April were:

• Marissa Schweinfurth, JacobsonCenter for Comprehensive Literacy, and Denise Tallakson, Curriculum
  and Instruction (C&I), recipients of the Veridian Community Engagement Fellowships.
• Jenna Becker, recreation, tourism and nonprofit leadership major, for her Thanksgiving food basket project;
• Taraneh Matloob Haghnikar, C&I, for collaboration with students and staff at the Waterloo Career Center.

UNI alums 'sweep' Black Hawk County Gold Star teaching recognition

It was a full sweep at the spring 2024 recognition ceremonies for Black Hawk County Gold Star teachers, as all 10 recipients for the 2024 honors
are UNI alumni. Among those 10 were College of Education alums:

• Jed Batterson (‘21, MAE), fourth grade, Aldrich Elementary
• Tiffiany Evans, (‘99, BA, ‘14, MA), librarian, Irving Elementary
• Timothy Hopper (‘24, MAE), social studies, Central Middle School
• Jennifer Schlader (‘03,BA), Lowell Elementary Early Childhood Center
• Megann Tresemer (‘15, MA), English, Holmes Junior High
• Chad Van Cleve (‘07, ASC-Principalship), social studies, Cedar Falls High
• Kelli Zimmerman (‘00, BA), English/language arts, Immaculate Conception

Child Development Center re-accredited

The UNI Child Development Center has earned another five years of accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young
Children (NAEYC). 

NAEYC accreditation signifies the center is meeting national standards of quality to ensure the best learning experiences for young children and quality professional preparation for student educators. The CDC passed with an overall rating of 96%, with all three classrooms specifically earning scores of 100%.

The center, led by Maria Ackerson, has 10 lead teachers, 50 student staff and cares for 62 children of UNI faculty, staff and students. It also serves
as a learning site for College of Education students.