The University of Iowa will celebrate its 175th anniversary in 2022, with special events and activities planned throughout the academic year, including special exhibits at UI Libraries and Pentacrest Museums.

The university plans to mark the occasion with the following events.

Friday, Feb. 25: Presidential Installation
President Barb Wilson be officially installed as the university’s 22nd president. More information will be shared when it is available.

Saturday, Feb. 26: Campus Celebration Events
The university encourages colleges, departments, units, and closely aligned community organizations to schedule anniversary celebration events to take place on Saturday, Feb. 26, so as not to conflict with institutional events on Feb. 25 and Feb. 27. Once colleges, departments, units, and others have scheduled their events, they can be registered to appear on the 175.uiowa.edu website by completing this form.

Sunday, Feb. 27: The 2022 Presidential Lecture
The 2022 Presidential Lecture will showcase the university’s highest excellence in discovery and learning by asking some of the UI’s highest-achieving faculty to share their knowledge with the university and wider community. Rather than one lecturer in 2022, three faculty experts from areas of special renown will broaden the historical and campus scope. The lecturers will be:

• Craig Kletzing, the Donald A. and Marie B. Gurnett Chair in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, to speak on how Iowa has become a destination for faculty and students to explore the wonders of the universe;
• Christopher Merrill, professor of English and director of the International Writing Program, to speak on Iowa’s global prominence in writing and literature; and
• Patricia Winokur, professor of internal medicine–infectious diseases and executive dean of the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, to speak on Iowa’s role in advancing knowledge and treatments of life-threatening infections.

In the UI Libraries Main Library Gallery, an exhibit titled We are Hawkeyes: Celebrating 175 Years of Student Life at the University of Iowa will take place from mid-January until July. The exhibit will include photographs and other memorabilia that highlight evolution of the student experience at Iowa.

In the Old Capitol Museum, the Pentacrest Museums will present 175 Years on the Pentacrest: Then & Now, a comparative photo history of places and programs that have evolved at the heart of campus, the Pentacrest. The exhibit will run from Feb. 25 to Dec. 9, 2022.

Faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends can stay informed about the anniversary by checking 175.uiowa.edu, which will be updated with more information and events as they become available.

Founded on Feb. 25, 1847, the UI is the oldest and largest university in the state. It is organized into 12 colleges and more than 200 areas of study and more than 100 graduate, doctoral, and professional programs. A member of the Association of American Universities since 1909 and the Big Ten Conference since 1899, UI is home to one of the most acclaimed academic medical centers in the country, as well as globally recognized leadership in the study and craft of writing.