Notable University of Iowa Alums

• Nancy Andreasen — Psychiatrist, internationally renowned for her work on schizophrenia and creativity. MD, 1970.
• B.J. Armstrong — Professional basketball player with the Golden State Warriors, formerly with the Chicago Bulls. Played on the Bulls' NBA Championship teams in 1991, 1992, and 1993. BA, 1989, Communication Studies
• Mildred Wirt Benson — Creator of the Nancy Drew mystery story collection. BA, 1925; MA 1927, Journalism and Mass Communication
• Terry Branstad — Former Governor of Iowa, and longest-tenured Governor in the nation. BA, 1969, Political Science
• Robert Olen Butler Jr. — Won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, among other literary awards. MA, 1969, Communication and Theatre Arts
• Elizabeth Catlett — Acclaimed painter who studied under Grant Wood and is the first African American woman to earn the MFA from the University of Iowa. MFA, 1940, Art
• Max A. Collins, Jr. — Writer of the comic strip "Dick Tracy." (Chester Gould was the creator of the strip and Collins took over in 1977 when Gould retired.) Collins also writes mystery novels. BA, 1970; MFA, 1972, English
• Paul Conrad — Former editorial cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1964, 1971, and 1984. BA, 1950, Art
• Rita Dove — Won Pulitzer Prize for poetry and was the 1993 Poet Laureate of the United States. MFA, 1977
• Paul Engle — Poet and director of the Iowa Writers' Workshop for 24 years. Engle also founded the International Writing Program. MA, 1932, English
• Simon Estes — World famous baritone, formerly of the New York Metropolitan Opera. BM, 1986
• George Gallup — Founder of the Gallup Poll. BA, 1923.
• Jorie Graham — Pulitzer Prize winning poet and MacArthur Fellow who is on the faculty of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. MFA, 1978, English
• Charles Guggenheim — A Washington, D.C. — based documentary filmmaker who has won three Academy Awards and been nominated for eight others. BA, 1948, Communication and Theatre Arts
• Katherine Hammer — A former professor of linguistics, Hammer is co-founder, president and CEO of Evolutionary Technologies International, a company that is revolutionizing the way corporations worldwide modernize and consolidate incompatible computer systems. BA, 1967; MA, 1969; PhD, 1973.
• Robert C. Hardin — Developed blood bank protocols during World War II. BA, 1935; MD 1937.
• John W. Irving — Novelist who wrote The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and several others. MFA, 1967, English
• Al Jarreau — Jazz singer and 1982 Grammy Award winner for best male pop performance. MA, 1964, Education
• Donald R. Justice — Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry. PhD, 1954, English
• Barry M. Kemp — Executive producer of several television series including "Coach" and "Newhart." BA, 1971, Communication & Theatre Arts
• Tracy Kidder — Author of The Soul of a New Machine, Among Schoolchildren, House and Old Friends. M.F.A, 1974.
• W.P. Kinsella — Author of critically-acclaimed bestseller Field of Dreams, which was made into a major motion picture. MFA, 1978, English
• E.F. Linquist — Co-founder of American College Testing (ACT) PhD Education, 1927
• Richard W. Maibaum — Screenwriter and producer who wrote Broadway plays and thirteen James Bond scripts/films. BA, 1931; MA, 1932, Communication and Theatre Arts. Died 1991.
• James Alan McPherson — Pulitzer Prize winning author and MacArthur Fellow who is currently on the faculty of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. MFA, 1971, English
• Nicholas Meyer — Film writer and director whose film credits include "Time After Time," "The Seven Percent Solution,"and "Star Trek II." BA, 1968, Communication and Theatre Arts
• Herbert Nipson — Award-winning journalist who spent nearly forty years of his professional career at Ebony magazine. Executive editor 1972-87. MFA, 1948.
• (Mary) Flannery O'Connor — Novelist and author of numerous short stories. MFA, 1947, English. Died 1964.
• Marian J. Rees — Hollywood television and film producer of such films as "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman", "Foxfire", and "Between Friends." BA, 1951, Sociology.
• W. Ann Reynolds — Chancellor of the City University of New York and former Chancellor, California State University. MS, 1960; PhD, 1962, Zoology
• Cory SerVaas — Editor and publisher of The Saturday Evening Post. Inventor, medical doctor, and the mother of five children. BA, 1946, Journalism and Mass Communication, MD, Indiana University School of Medicine
• Jane Smiley — 1992 Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction for the novel A Thousand Acres. MA, 1975; MFA, 1976; PhD, 1978, English
• Mary Louise Smith — Former chair of the National Republican Committee, and former vice chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. BA, 1935, Business Administration
• Juanita Kidd Stout — First woman appointed as a federal judge; Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice. BA, 1939, Music
• Michael F. Toner — 1993 Pulitzer Prize winner for explanatory journalism. BA, 1966, Journalism and Mass Communication
• James Van Allen — World famous physicist and discoverer of two radiation belts (the Van Allen Belts) that surround the earth. Emeritus Carver Professor of Physics at the University of Iowa. MS, 1936; PhD, 1939, Physics
• Tennessee Williams — Author of "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." BA, 1938.
• Gene Wilder — Comedic film and television actor whose credits include "Silver Streak," "Young Frankenstein," and "Stir Crazy." BA, 1955, Communication and Theatre Arts