Hawkeyes flocked to the nation’s capitol this week to take part in the second Hawkeye Caucus in Washington, D.C.

The event, held Wednesday, Nov. 13, gave University of Iowa President Sally Mason, deans, student leaders, and even Herky a chance to meet with congressional representatives and alumni and showcase the best the UI has to offer Iowa and the nation.

The Hawkeye Caucus came on the heels of Mason's visit to the White House Tuesday, when she and five other university presidents met with Gene B.Sperling, assistant to the president on economic policy, to discuss strategies for helping more students from low-income families attend college. Read more here.

In addition to hosting 275 guests for a reception Wednesday as part of the Hawkeye Caucus event, college representatives set up tables in the Cannon House Office Building near the U.S. Capitol to provide information about their programs, public engagement activities, and alumni living and working in Washington.

Peter Matthes, the UI’s director of federal relations and organizer of the Hawkeye Caucus, says one of the messages Hawkeye Caucus participants sought to convey was the university’s significant impact across Iowa.

The UI is also a hub of education and discovery and relies on federal research funding from agencies like the National Institutes for Health, the National Science Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities to seek cures for cancer, unlock the mysteries of the brain, and develop solutions relevant to the nation—and world—economy.

Matthes says Mason met with all the members of Iowa’s congressional delegation to discuss these issues and more.

“The University of Iowa is lucky to have such a supportive, engaged and responsive federal delegation,” says Matthes says. “We are happy that Herky was able to fly out to D.C. to bring some black and gold to the nation’s capitol.”

Learn more about the Hawkeye Caucus here.