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If you don't see the university event you are looking for, please also visit events.uiowa.edu.

July 14, 2025 - July 25, 2025
100-Word Microstory Contest
All Day ()

Our 100-Word Microstory Contest is a free online writing competition for a variety of age groups. Writing prompts here on Monday, July 14, 2025, at 9 a.m. CDT.

You don´t have to be an Iowa Writers´ Workshop grad-or even have participated in a writing contest before-to join in the fun. Just create a story in 100 words or less that uses one of two specific writing prompts.


The age categories are:

· Grades 3 & 4

· Grades 5 & 6

· Grades 7 & 8

· Grades 9-12

· Adult (University of Iowa Alumni)

· Adult (Friend of the University)

Contact: Tegan Donahue 319-467-3393

Departments: Iowa Writers' Workshop, MFA in Spanish Creative Writing, Center for Advancement, Division of Student Life, The Writing University

July 19, 2025 - July 23, 2025
RAGBRAI & The University of Iowa
8:00 am - 2:00 pm (CDT)
Where: 1 Park Road, Iowa City, IA US 52242

This year, more than 1,200 RAGBRAI riders are University of Iowa alumni and our partners at the University of Iowa will be with you throughout the week to share their Hawkeye pride. Look for them every day. Go Hawks!

Saturday, July 19: RAGBRAI Expo, Orange City
The University of Iowa Stead Family Children´s Hospital "Cool Riders are Safe Riders" RAGBRAI team will provide information about bicycle safety for you and your family and hopes to inspire the next generation of cyclists to ride safely and confidently.

Make sure to also stop at the Iowa Hawk Shop and University Bookstore pop-up shop to stock up on your Hawkeye gear and last-minute items you might need to have a great week on the road. The UI RAGBRAI team also will be handing out free maps of the route that you can carry with you throughout the week.

Daily meet-up towns: Hartley, Brown Park, Bancroft, Latimer, Parkersburg, Fairbank
Members of the University of Iowa RAGBRAI team will be handing out the Hawkeye swag you´ve come to know, love, and rely on throughout the week. Need more sunscreen? How about some lip balm? We´ve got you covered. Look for them while supplies last.

Monday, July 21, Brown Park
Tuesday, July 22, Bancroft
Wednesday, July 23, Latimer
Visit the University of Iowa tent in these meeting towns for fun UI activities and photo ops. If you´re one of the 1,200 Iowa alumni pedaling your way across the state, stop by and ask for an exclusive UI alumni bicycle license plate!

Contact: Lynn Rider (319) 467-3344

Departments: Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Center for Advancement, Graduate College, International Programs, Off Campus, University Honors Program, UI Retirees Association

August 2, 2024 - December 4, 2025
Art & Write Night
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm (CDT)
Where: 39-53 East Jefferson Street, Iowa City, IA US 52240

Join the long, rich, historical tradition of artists creating in our spaces.

Professional, aspiring, and amateur artists alike, make our museum your muse. The return of this popular program series welcomes guests into the Museum of Natural History's magical gallery spaces after-hours to work on sketching or writing projects with other campus and community artists.

Tell a friend, grab a notebook, and join us on the first Friday of each month. We'll provide a new inspo prompt for each session and will sometimes move about the Museum but we'll always start in Mammal Hall on the third Floor of Macbride Hall. Join anytime between 6-8 p.m. and feel free to participate in a themed creation challenge or work on your own project with our exhibits as inspiration. We'll save the last 15-30 minutes of each session to share what we've been working on, connecting with others (optional, of course!).

Please note, the Museum is typically closed during this time, meaning the main entrance to Iowa Hall (atop the large staircase outside on the east side of Macbride Hall) will be closed and locked. All other building doors will be open, offering access to the Ground Floor of Macbride Hall. Mammal Hall is located on the third floor of Macbride Hall and can be reached by stairs or by taking the elevator to the third floor of the building.

Special thanks to Blick Art Materials for supplying extra art materials. Make sure to check in with us in Mammal Hall to check out a variety of special art tools and supplies.

Contact: Jessica Smith 319-335-3591

Departments: Department of Biology, Department of English, Iowa Writers' Workshop, Iowa Youth Writing Project, Leadership and Engagement, Magid Center for Writing, Museum of Natural History, Pentacrest Museums, Art Library

August 13, 2025
Santa Fe Hawkeye Reception
6:00 pm (CDT)
Where: 150 W Marcy St STE 103, Santa Fe, NM US 87501

You´re invited to a special alumni event recognizing three generations of influential artists: the late Mauricio Lasansky, Tomás Lasansky, and Diego Lasansky. Hear firsthand from Tomás and Diego about their creative journeys, connections to the University of Iowa, and how art has shaped their lives.

Santa Fe Hawkeye Reception
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
6 p.m.

Faust Gallery
150 W. Marcy St., Suite 103
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501

Contact: Katharine Lasansky (319) 335-3305

Departments: Center for Advancement

August 18, 2025
Hawkeye Night at Wrigley Field
7:05 pm (CDT)
Where: 1060 W Addison St, Chicago, IL US 60613

Join fellow Hawkeyes at Wrigley Field to watch the Chicago Cubs take on the Milwaukee Brewers.

Hawkeye Night at Wrigley Field

Monday, August 18, 2025

Cubs vs. Brewers

7:05 p.m.

Wrigley Field

We hope to see you there!

The University of Iowa Center for Advancement is dedicated to providing an inclusive, respectful, and safe environment for everyone. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Annabelle Vinson at annabelle.vinson@foriowa.org.

Contact: Annabelle Vinson (319) 335-3305

Departments: Center for Advancement

August 21, 2025
Johnson County I-Club Hawk Party
6:30 pm (CDT)
Where: 901 Melrose Ave, Iowa City, IA US 52246

Join the Johnson County I-Club at 45th annual Hawk Party! This year´s Hawk Party is presented by McGrath Toyota of Iowa City; Deery Ford Lincoln; Billion Automotive of Iowa City; and Carousel Auto Group.

The event will feature a silent and live auction with a chance to bid on items such as season football and basketball tickets, hotel stays, unique Hawkeye autographed items, and more. All the proceeds go to support Iowa athletics.

Ticket and sponsorship opportunities for this year include:

  • General admission ticket-$75 per person

    • All-inclusive food and refreshments

    • Commemorative Hawk Party gift

  • Reserved table for 10-$1,000

    • General admission items

    • Reserved, named table in a premium location near the stage

  • Supporting Sponsorships for 10-$1,500

    • General admission items

    • Reserved, named table in a premium location near the stage

    • Logo recognition on all materials including ticketing website, fliers, event signage, and program (if applicable)

    • Recognition as supporting sponsor during the program with company name and logo rotating through the slide show

Availability is limited for reserved tables and sponsorships, so do not wait!

Contact a member of the Johnson County I-Club Board with any questions regarding the event. You may also contact the Hawkeye Events team at 319-467-3410 or hawkeyeevents@foriowa.org.

For more information about other Hawkeye events, visit jointheiclub.com/events. To learn how you can support Hawkeye student-athletes, visit jointheiclub.com.

Contact: Iowa Athletics Development 319-467-3410

Departments: Center for Advancement

August 29, 2025
2025 Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
5:30 pm (CDT)
Where: 1 Elliott Drive, Iowa City, IA US 52242

Join the University of Iowa Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and the Iowa Letterwinners Club as we celebrate our 2025 Hall of Fame inductees.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. There will be a cocktail reception with heavy hors d´oeuvres and drinks available for purchase. The induction ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $25 per person.

Contact: Iowa Letterwinners Club 319-467-3410

Departments: Center for Advancement

September 19, 2025
Application Deadline: Obermann International Fellowships (Spring 2026)
11:59 pm (CDT)
Where: 111 Church Street, Iowa City, IA US 52245

The UI Obermann Center for Advanced studies is accepting applications for Spring 2026 Obermann International Fellowships. This program offers dedicated space, time, and funding for interdisciplinary scholars to collaborate on innovative research at the University of Iowa. Up to eight international fellowships will be granted every academic year. Applicants must be active researchers at an accredited institution of higher learning outside of the United States or independent researchers/artists with a track record of excellence based outside of the U.S. Their area of research must have a direct equivalent at the University of Iowa. 

Obermann International Fellows will receive:

  • A $2,000 stipend to help defray the cost of travel and lodging

  • University of Iowa health insurance coverage for the duration of the fellowship

  • Office space at the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies

  • Temporary University of Iowa affiliation, including access to UI libraries

  • Structured opportunities for scholarly exchange (seminars, lectures, introduction to UI researchers, etc.)

  • An official letter of invitation for institutional and visa purposes

  • Information about accommodations and other practical needs

Read more about the program and application process at https://obermann.uiowa.edu/obermann-international-fellowships. Applications for the Spring 2026 semester are due October 24, 2025. 

Obermann International Fellowships are funded by the University of Iowa's Obermann Center for Advanced Studies with generous additional support from International Programs and the Center for Social Science Innovation.

Contact: Erin Hackathorn 319-335-4034

Departments: Obermann Center, Center for Advancement, International Programs, International Writing Program, Office of the Vice President for Research, Department of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures

September 25, 2025 - September 27, 2025
2025 Alumni Band Homecoming Reunion
All Day ()
Where: 225 South Grand Avenue, Iowa City, IA US 52246

This year we are celebrating our drum majors, Golden Girls, twirlers, and flag line. We will also debut new flags featuring our Alumni Band logos!

The postgame concert tune honors all Hawkeye Marching Band members who have performed John Philip Sousa´s "The Stars and Stripes Forever" throughout the years.

Registration closes Aug. 8; however, registration for Saturday´s pregame performance closes when we reach 325 registrants, which may be earlier. Saturday morning walk-in registrations will not be accepted.

When you complete your registration, you will receive a confirmation email from alumni.engagement@foriowa.org. Review the confirmation to make sure all information and charges are correct, then screenshot (or print) and save your confirmation for event check-in.

Be sure to follow and like the University of Iowa Alumni Band on Facebook for Iowa Homecoming updates and additional information.

Contact: Amanda Remington 319-467-3505

Departments: School of Music, Center for Advancement

December 2, 2025
Student Impact Grant Presentations
4:00 pm (CST)

Hear from the eight 2025 Student Impact Grant recipients and learn how private support enhanced their Iowa experience. Student Impact Grants are made possible by generous gifts from alumni and friends who provide unrestricted support to the university.

About Student Impact Grants

The University of Iowa Office of the President and the Student Advancement Network have partnered to create Student Impact Grants, which provide funding for undergraduate and graduate student activities outside of the classroom-including research, travel, and service projects. These grants enable students to pursue opportunities that might not otherwise be possible without financial assistance.

Contact: Holly Jones 319-467-3377

Departments: Carver College of Medicine, Center for Advancement, University Honors Program

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L.A.-based artist Charles Ray to receive CLAS Alumni Fellow award, give talks this month. Unpainted sculpture by Charles Ray, 1997, fiberglass and paint, 60x78x171 inches. Photograph by Josh White and courtesy of the Matthew Marks Gallery. Charles Ray (75BFA) was walking through the UI physics and astronomy department one day when he came across an inspiring scene. Ray, an art student whose curiosity extended far beyond the studio, hoped to hitch a ride out to the observatory for some evening stargazing. Instead, he found a group of students constructing a satellite bound for a space mission. "It just blew my mind," recalls Ray. Just as mind-blowing were the sculptures Ray was creating across the river, years before he would establish himself as one of the world's most important artists. For one physics-defying piece, he fashioned a 2,000-pound slab of concrete atop a slender tree trunk. For another, he dropped a massive wrecking ball onto a crumpled steel plate, as if Sputnik had just crashed outside the old Art Building. Charles Ray "It was such a formative experience for me," the Los Angeles-based sculptor says of his time in Iowa City. "It did something to my soul and my brain. Even though I was young, the university and my mentors gave me a great deal of independence. My curiosity was endless." A professor emeritus at the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, Ray returns to campus this month to speak and receive the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences' Alumni Fellow award. Rather than just waxing nostalgic about his time at Iowa, Ray has organized a three-day lecture series April 16-18 with two fellow art scholars. Iowa native Graham Harman, a philosophy professor at the Southern California Institute of Architecture, will open the series by discussing his theory of aesthetics known as object-oriented ontology. On the second day, Ray will speak about the nature of sculptural objects. And Richard Neer, an art historian at the University of Chicago, will bookend the series by lecturing on the question of provenance, or art's origin. Ray will also give a separate public lecture April 17 in Art Building West titled "My Soul is an Object." Recognized as one of the leading artists of his generation, Ray is known for his strange and enigmatic sculptures so loaded with nods to the past that they've been called "catnip for art historians." His 2014 Horse and Rider, for example, is a 10-ton solid stainless steel work in the tradition of a war memorial, but depicts the artist slouch-shouldered atop a weary nag. Ray is also famous for his wry re-imaginings of familiar objects, like the 47-foot-long replica of a red toy fire truck that he parked in front of New York's Whitney Museum of American Art for a 1993 biennial exhibition. Ray and his studio team often spend years working on a given piece, which can fetch as much as seven figures at auction. His sculptures can be found at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and the Art Institute of Chicago, among other major U.S. museums. Ray is currently preparing for a retrospective show in Paris next year?one of several upcoming international exhibitions. Isabel Barbuzza, UI associate professor of sculpture, describes Ray's work as beautiful and witty, while using scale in unexpected ways. Ray's 8-foot-tall Boy with Frog?commissioned for a prominent spot in Venice, Italy, then removed after some controversy (a version now stands outside the Getty Museum in Los Angeles)?is among Barbuzza's favorites. "His sculptures have a presence you can only see when you're in front of the work," she says. "They're very moving, and to me it's interesting what happens with scale?the viewer relates to the piece in a very profound way." Steve McGuire (83MA, 90PhD), director of the School of Art and Art History, says few others have contributed more to contemporary art than Ray. "This is a big deal for us to be able to celebrate his career," McGuire says of presenting Ray with the alumni fellow award. "I think it's pretty meaningful to him, and of course it's really meaningful for our school." A Chicago native, Ray arrived at Iowa as a gifted artist but hardly a model student. Ray's dyslexia made schoolwork a chore, and his parents had sent him to military school with the hopes of straightening out his academics. It was at the UI, however, where he finally found his language in the studio and, in turn, his footing in the classroom. "Through the syntax of sculpture, I could express myself intellectually for the first time," Ray says. "That gave me a kind of confidence." Ray studied under UI art school pillars like Wallace Tomasini, Julius Schmidt, and Hans Breder. But it was his bond with Roland Brenner?a South African professor and former pupil of sculptor Anthony Caro?that proved to be the most influential. Ray still remembers his first sculpture in Brenner's class, a steel configuration with long stems and discs at the end. Its bouquet-like resemblance didn't sit well with Brenner. "That showed me you made something, but didn't want to discover something," Ray recalls Brenner telling him. "Don't ever do that in my class again." The two would become lifelong friends. Iowa City is a different place today than the 1970s, particularly the transformation of the arts campus after the flood of 2008, Ray says. Still, his visits back to campus over the years always remind him of those crisp and clear Iowa nights at the observatory and gazing out the studio window while exploring the frontiers of sculpture. "It feels like you can see right through the galaxy when you look up," Ray says. Handheld bird by Charles Ray, 2006, painted steel, 2x4x3 inches The UI is home to six pieces by Ray, all found in the Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building and displayed through the university's Art on Campus program. Among them is Handheld bird, a tiny but ornate piece depicting a creature in an embryonic state. Lunchtime Lecture Series What: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences fellow Charles Ray and two guest art scholars?Graham Harman and Richard Neer?will deliver a series of public lectures this month at the UI. When, where: 12:20 p.m. April 16?18 at Art Building West, room 240, 141 N. Riverside Drive, Iowa City More information: events.uiowa.edu/26915 My Soul is an Object: Artist Talk with Charles Ray What: A public lecture by renowned sculptor and UI alumnus Charles Ray When, where: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 17, at Art Building West, room 240, 141 N. Riverside Drive, Iowa City More about Ray: charlesraysculpture.com/ Support the UI School of Art and Art History

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