The University of Iowa College of Education is celebrating its new brand, "Leaders. Scholars. Innovators," with a launch party from 3-4 p.m. Friday, May 3, in the Teacher Leader Center, N16 Lindquist Center on the UI campus.

The celebration was moved indoors from its original location of the Lindquist Center Courtyard due to the prediction of rain in the forecast.

The event is free and open to the public. The first 100 people will receive free T-shirts. There will be free backpack totes, Fruitzen Frozen Yogurt, and Frozen Fruit Bars as long as supplies last. There will also be live music and a photo booth where participants can declare themselves leaders, scholars, and innovators.

Interim Dean Nicholas Colangelo says the college has a lot to celebrate.

“For more than 165 years, the College of Education, its faculty, staff, students, and alumni, have been at the forefront of national and global initiatives such as standardized testing, gifted education, assistive technology, special education, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education, online learning, cross-disciplinary literacy, rehabilitation counseling, educational leadership, student affairs, counseling psychology, and more,” Colangelo says.

As the college articulates its new strategic communications plan, Colangelo says one of the goals is to strike a balance between embracing the college’s deep heritage and communicating its strengths in new areas of education and research.

“We’ve been through an extensive process to get to know who we are as a college,” he says. “We are educating outstanding teachers, and we are doing so much more. Our rehabilitation counseling program is ranked number two in the nation, and we have notable alumni on the faculty of nearly every college of education in the United States. Our reach is far and wide, and we are proud of that.”

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, contact Cristina Cardenas in advance at 319-335-6111 or cristina-cardenas@uiowa.edu.