News & Notes

Teach Studio: New Name, Expanded Resources

A refreshed home for teacher preparation and classroom experimentation opened this fall as the new TEACH Studio, the space formerly known as Instructional Resources and Technology Services (IRTS) in Schindler Education Center.

The model media center, a partnership of Rod Library and the College of Education, features:

• UNI’s premier youth collection, which moved from the Rod Library into the TEACH Studio in June.
• Cutting-edge and hands- on educational technology curated by ed tech faculty.
• A tech-enhanced stage for book talks, presentations and author interviews.
• A fully equipped classroom to use the collections, services and technology of the Studio.
• Resources to support traditional and online best practices in teaching.
• Collaborative group study and presentation spaces to support teamwork.
• Comfortable and cozy areas for reading and studying.

Katie Nedwick joined UNI as the TEACH Studio coordinator in July.

New faces among faculty and staff 

The College of Education welcomed five new faculty in fall 2025, including:

• Educational Foundations and Professional Experiences: Chelsie Byram, clinical assistant professor
• Learning, Leadership and Community: Papia Bawa, assistant professor, instructional design and learning technologies; Xumei Fan, assistant professor, quantitative methods and assessment
• Elementary and Middle Level Education: Seunghoon Han, assistant professor
• Literacy, Early Childhood and Special Education: Oluwaseun “Seun” Oti, assistant professor, literacy education

Other key professional staff in new positions this year included Danielle Jennings, academic advisor, and Maxine Davis, a longtime administrator with Instructional Resources and Technology Services who transitioned to program administrator in the Doctor of Education program.

Seven faculty earn promotions, tenure

Seven College of Education faculty earned promotion and tenure advancements in spring 2025. Receiving this academic recognition were:

• Full Professor: Soh Meacham, Dean’s Office/Office of Graduate Studies and Research.
• Associate Professor with Tenure: Morgan Anderson, Theophile Muhiyamana, Shelley Price-Williams, Learning, Leadership and Community (LLC).
• Associate Professor of Instruction: Kenneth Hayes, LLC
• Clinical Associate Professor: Melanie Hill and Kady Korbel, Educational Foundations and Professional Experiences.

Lucy Gipple appointed to Board of Regents

Lucy Gipple, an elementary education major with a minor in social and emotional learning, was named to the Iowa Board of Regents this past February as the student representative for Iowa’s three public universities.

The New Sharon, Iowa, native is a graduate of North Mahaska High School.

Science of Reading Makerspace Opens

A new Science of Reading Makerspace offers a dynamic, hands-on learning lab where students, faculty and staff can explore creative, research- based approaches to literacy instruction.

“Rooted in a broad, inclusive view of literacy, the Makerspace empowers pre-service educators to bridge theory and practice,” said Sunah Chung, assistant professor, Literacy, Early Childhood and Special Education.

Guided by the interdisciplinary Science of Reading framework, students can design and build classroom-ready tools using resources like a 3D printer, Cricut, laminator and tactile craft materials supported by evidence-based strategy. The space is housed in SEC 512. Video tutorials and QR-coded instructions support independent use. Workshops and research opportunities are planned as engagement grows.

DMPS Principalship Cohort earn degrees, agreement extended

The first cohort of 12 principalship candidates enrolled through a special agreement with Des Moines Public Schools graduated this past spring just as a new six-year agreement was announced to continue the partnership.

Known as the Purple Pathway for School Administrators, the synchronous/asynchronous program helps meet a need for administrative positions within the district, earning candidates either an advanced studies certificate or master’s in education. The 2025 cohort attended orientation at the DMACC Urban Campus in June; three more cohorts will follow beginning in 2027, 2029 and 2031.

Farewell to retiring faculty and staff

The past months have led to good-byes to faculty and staff who collectively have impacted students, colleagues and the university community through nearly 160 years of service to UNI. Our best wishes to each:

• Shuaib Meacham, associate professor, literacy education, 11 years
• Kim Miller, clinical associate professor, teaching, 40 years
• Karen Phillips, secretary III, Dean’s Office, 38 years (12 with COE)
• Denise Tallakson, associate professor of instruction, 39 years
• Deanne Ubben, secretary III, curriculum and instruction, 26 years (9 with COE)

New Holmes Scholars attend AACTE

Two new UNI Holmes Scholars, both focused on educational leadership, were among the UNI contingent at the AACTE national conference, part of UNI’s support for the AACTE program which mentors graduate students for positions of leadership within the field of education. They include:

• Carrie Romo, currently principal of Goodrell Middle School, part of Des Moines Public Schools.
• Raven Kapayou, a special education teacher at Meskwaki Elementary School for the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi.

The first two Holmes Scholars, Tiffiany Evans and Nimisha Joshi, completed their doctoral programs this past spring.

Mini-Grant supports summer literature project

Taraneh Matloob Haghanikar, associate professor, literacy education, received a $5,000 Environmental Health Mini-Grant from the Center for Energy and Environmental Education to fund a project for the summer 2025 course, Children’s Literature for Diversity and Social Justice.

Social & emotional learning conference draws 400

Keynote speaker David Adams, CEO of the Urban Assembly in New York, explored how fostering emotional intelligence, resilience and belonging will be as critical as academic achievement in a complex future at this year’s Social and Emotional Learning Conference. Guest children’s author and practicing attorney Marc Colagiovanni shared his journey to create conversations between children and adults on important issues.

About 400 attended the day-long April event sponsored by the college with support from Cedar Valley United Way.

Future teachers pledge commitment at convocation

Students pledging their commitment to the teaching profession were honored at the 61st Teacher Education Convocation held in September 2024. Waterloo Schools Superintendent Jared Smith ('04, BA) served as the featured speaker. The 62nd event was held September 13, 2025.

Tubbs teaching connections ponders future of teaching

The 2024 Bill and Linda Tubbs Teaching Connections focused on “The Future of Teaching,” with topics ranging from an updated approach to the education workforce and how public charter schools work to how AI and technology continue to impact education.

Carole Basile, dean, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers’ College at Arizona State University, shared ASU’s road map for the “Next Education Workforce,” a strategic team approach to teaching-related staffing in K-12 schools now applied in 151 schools in 16 states.

As the event began, Linda Tubbs (‘69, BA) shared a special message honoring her husband Bill Tubbs, who died in September 2024. The two have supported this event since 2017 through a donation to the UNI Foundation.

Carlton-Mellichamp Lecture: 'Teaching literacy fearlessly'

Carlton-Mellichamp Lecture in Education guest speaker Bianca Nightengale-Lee, Western Michigan University, addressed literacy education and its future with perspectives that spoke to both today’s and tomorrow’s educators during February’s lecture series.

Through a keynote address titled “Teaching Literacy Fearlessly: How to Get Into ‘Good Trouble’ for the Literacy Future of All Students,” to a faculty conversation and hip hop literacy teaching demonstration, she delved into topics ranging from “reading wars” to showing how hip hop can help educate young learners on “accuracy, automaticity and prosody.”

The lecture is supported annually by a donation to the UNI Foundation from Suzanne Carlton (‘63, BA) and Duncan Mellichamp.

African American Read-in reaches 92 classrooms

The virtual 19th African American Read-In drew about 1,800 first graders from 92 classrooms across Iowa in February. It featured Michelle Martin, PhD, University of Washington, as guest reader; and Bryan Collier, author and illustrator, for a draw- along. Leigh Zeitz, professor emeritus, joined in as Zeon the Magician. Students received a copy of “All Because You Matter,” illustrated by Collier and written by Tami Charles.

This educational initiative is hosted by the college in conjunction with the National Council of Teachers of English's national read-in efforts.