Endless Possibilities

When the 100-plus girls took to the floor at this past summer's volleyball sports camp, their first big challenge wasn't getting the ball over the 7-foot, 4 1/4-inch net. It was getting over their awe of the woman who ran the camp. "Once they met me and we got a chance to talk, it was fine," laughs Rita Crockett. "They saw I was just another human being. Then we settled down to having fun and improving their game." Crockett is so easy-going that, if you met her socially, you'd probably just think of her as a very friendly, rather tall, woman. Which she is. But she is also "The Rocket," with a 42-inch vertical leap, who pounds out 100-mph kills, a two-time Olympian with a silver medal, a former professional star here in the States (where she was voted Most Valuable Player in 1986) and in Europe and Japan, and the woman Sports Illustrated once called "the world's best athlete." This year, more than 4,000 Iowa schoolchildren attended one of the 16 week-long summer sports camps sponsored by the University and coached by experts such as Crockett, who was named head coach of the UI's women's volleyball team in 1998-99. "This first year has been a great experience," Crockett says. "But I'm an ambitious woman with a lot of dreams. That's something I try to instill in my players. They can always grow; they can always be better. I want them to see the future as a clean field with endless possibilities."

 

Alumni Association Experiences Largest Growth in 132-Year History

Alumni Association Experiences Largest Growth in 132-Year History The University of Iowa Alumni Association has experienced a record-setting increase in membership. The UIAA achieved its June 2000 goal of 50,000 members 15 months ahead of schedule, as membership increased from 46,339 members as of Jan. 1, 1999, to 50,467 as of June 1, 1999. Communication with its members through marketing, a redesigned alumni magazine, and an award-winning UIAA web site has reached alumni and encouraged them to reestablish their ties to the University.

 

New Era for Hawkeye Fans

In December 1998, Kirk Ferentz was named Iowa's 25th head football coach, replacing Hayden Fry, who announced his retirement after 20 years, 143 victories, and three trips to the Rose Bowl. Ferentz was a member of Fry's staff from 1981 to 1989 as offensive line coach. For the last six years, he served as assistant head coach and offensive line coach of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. During his nine-year stint at Iowa, the Hawkeyes appeared in eight bowl games, including Rose Bowls in 1982 and 1986.

Steve Alford, the high-scoring Indiana point guard from the mid-1980s, became Iowa's 20th men's basketball coach in March. Alford, who began his coaching career after four years in the NBA, replaces Tom Davis, whose 13-year record made him Iowa's winningest coach. Alford, who holds honors as Indiana's Mr. Basketball (1983), Olympic gold medalist (1984), NCAA champion (1987), and the Hoosiers' all-time scoring leader with 2,438 points, led his 1999 Southwest Missouri State team to the NCAA Sweet 16.

 

Saturday Scholars

In the fall of 1998, Saturday Scholars, a new College of Liberal Arts program, offered six faculty presentations during home football weekends, which were free of charge and open to the public. Topics included fascinating frogs, development of behavior before birth, art and life in Africa, and Walt Whitman and 19th-century photography.

 

Family Care Center Experiences Healthy First Year

The University of Iowa Family Care Center in the Pomerantz Family Pavilion at University Hospitals and Clinics has delivered its first year of patient-friendly, family-centered primary health care. The center provides amenities such as on-site laboratory, radiology, and pharmacy services that allow for comprehensive patient care. The Family Care Center's staff is composed of primary care specialists in family practice, internal medicine, and general pediatrics. In addition, Counseling and Health Promotion Services staff are available to help patients achieve and maintain a state of personal wellness.

 

Most UI Athletes Graduate Within Six Years

According to the University's 1999 NCAA Graduation-Rates Disclosure Form, approximately 75 percent of UI student-athletes who received athletic grants-in-aid during their freshman year earned a degree within six years or less. The highest graduation rates are found among students who compete for their full four years of eligibility. The 1999 graduation rate is the highest in the 10-year history of the report. Graduation rates of student-athletes in 1991 and 1992 were 71.9 percent and 63.9 percent, respectively.

 

University of Iowa Health Care

The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and the College of medicine have earned international reputations for excellence in patient care, health care education, and medical research. Now these two partners have taken a new name to emphasize the breadth and scope of their commitment to serve the health needs of all Iowans. The new name--University of Iowa Health Care--is used along with the individual names of all the organization's components to describe the world-class services and programs they provide. According to R. Edward Howell, director and CEO of the UI hospitals and Clinics, and Robert Kelch, dean of the UI College of Medicine, University of Iowa Health Care demonstrates that all of the health and medical entities at The University of Iowa collaborate as one organization. The new identity includes a logo that incorporates the familiar Old Capitol dome with "University of Iowa Health Care" in black and gold.