2023 Magazine

Welcome

One hundred twenty-five years ago, when William McKinley was president, the automobile was a novelty, and the airplane was just a dream, five women began their education at the brand-new State University of Iowa Training School for Nurses. These women, and the women who followed them soon after, were trailblazers. When I hear stories about the college’s history from older alumni and their families, I am always impressed with the fortitude students showed. Many of them were the first in their family to reach this level of education, leaving their small hometowns on buses.

The name, the curriculum, and the uniform have all changed over the years, but that fortitude has not. The Iowa Nurse continues to be courageous—in the Cadet Nurse Corps, in the pursuit of evidence-based practice, and in research dedicated to improving patients’ lives; the Iowa Nurse continues to be a leader—in their community, in the state, and around the world; and the Iowa Nurse continues to be purposeful—guided by a mission to promote the health of individuals, families, communities, and populations.

We are incredibly proud of the nurses who built this college, fought for its independence, and grew it into the renowned institution it is today, and we are proud of the thousands of alumni who have carried on the tradition of the Iowa Nurse wherever their lives have taken them.

It is an honor to lead the University of Iowa College of Nursing as we reach this milestone, sharing and celebrating the past, while looking forward to a bright future.

Go Hawks!