EPFLS Alumni Awards

The achievements of our alumni in Educational Psychology, Foundations and Leadership Studies are contributing to multiple professions and organizations. Each year, distinguished alumni are honored with these awards:

  • UNI Educational Leadership Legacy Award
  • PSE IDEAL Award 
Educational Psychology, Foundations & Leadership Studies

Educational Leadership Legacy Award

Brian Downing Legacy Award

Each year, the Educational Leadership team selects a distinguished graduate of University of Northern Iowa principalship, superintendency or doctoral programs who has demonstrated exemplary educational leadership as a leader of learning, service and/or change, the core values of educational leadership at the College of Education. 

The annual award was established with support of a gift from the family of Vernon Kirlin ('46, BA), a longtime educator and school administrator, to honor his legacy of educational leadership.

Honored in 2024 was Brian Downing, principal at Okoboji High School in Milford, Iowa. Downing earned his Master of Arts in Education in principalship in 2006 from UNI and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Iowa State University. Prior to joining Okoboji High in 2010, he served as secondary principal at Lisbon Community School District and a teacher at South Tama High School. He was named Iowa Secondary Principal of the Year in 2021 by the School Administrators of Iowa. 

Recent previous winners of the award include:

2023: John Speer, '94, BA; '00, MA; '02 ASC-Principalship & Superintendency; '17 EdD
2022: Autumn Pino, '21, ASC/Superintendency
2021: Amy Schmidt, '99, BA; '14 ASC-Principalship 
2019: Jo Ellen Latham, BA, MA, EdD, K-12 Administrative Certificate
2017: Anel Garza 

PSE IDEAL Award 

IDEAL Award Wall DisplayThe IDEAL award is given annually to a postsecondary education: student affairs alumnus who has demonstrated exemplary achievement in the field of student affairs. The IDEAL award represents: 

  • Innovative 
  • Dedicated
  • Educational
  • Alumni
  • Leader

Past UNI IDEAL Award winners include:

  • Leah Rozeboom (2023)
  • Jenny Connolly (2022)
  • Sarah Goblirsch (2021)
  • Wilfred M. Johnson (2020)
  • Kimberly Matteson (2019)
    Kristi Van Gorder (2018)
    Jon Buse (2017)

Award Criteria:
Nominators may focus on the nominee’s work as it aligns with the ACPA / NASPA Competencies.
Nominations should include:

  • Nominator’s Name, Address, Email, Phone
  • Nominee’s Name, Job Title, Address, Email, Phone
  • Nominations should not exceed three word-processed pages.

Nominations should be e-mailed to David “Schmiddy” Schmid at david.schmid@uni.edu with the subject heading as “UNI PSE IDEAL Award Nomination.”
All nominations are due by April 1 with the award being presented no later than May 1 of each calendar year.

PSE IDEAL Award winners are listed on the wall outside the educational leadership and postsecondary education offices on sixth floor of Schindler Education Center.