University of Iowa leaders say they’re planning their sharp new Art Building based on an 80-year-old idea developed here—the “radical project” of melding art practice and art theory in the same space. (Note: A paid subscription may be required.)

Fourth-generation pig farmer Paul Willis hadn’t planned to return to his family’s farm in north central Iowa after completing a psychology degree at the University of Iowa and joining the Peace Corps. But when his stepfather asked if he could help with the harvest in 1974, he obliged—and never left.

Tori M. Forbes and Sara E. Mason, both assistant professors of chemistry in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, have each been selected by the National Science Foundation to receive a 2013 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award.

University of Iowa Alumni Fellow Simone Ferro and Grant Wood Fellow Esther Baker-Tarpaga will join Department of Dance faculty in providing choreography for this year's Dance Gala, which runs Oct. 17-26.

The University of Iowa Center for New Music, housed within the UI School of Music, will present a free performance by guest clarinetist Michael Norsworthy (with David Gompper, UI professor of composition) at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, in Riverside Recital Hall on the UI campus.

UI student Meghan Ryan will share her Irish heritage and culture through her performance with the Champagne Academy of Irish Dance at the Celebrating Cultural Diversity Festival this Sunday, Sept. 29, held for the first time in Hubbard Park and as the kickoff to Homecoming 2013.

The University of Iowa School of Art and Art History will host “Advancing the Iowa Idea: A Program Celebrating the Beginning of Construction,” from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, in 240 Art Building West on the UI campus. The program will recognize individuals who have contributed to the design and planning for the new Visual Arts Building.

Former Congressman Jim Leach comes home to the University of Iowa and joins the UI faculty to teach the next generation.

In advance of the 2013-14 University of Iowa Theatre Mainstage season's opening production, "Water by the Spoonful," dramaturg Madison Colquette speaks with the playwright and the UI performance's director about the captivating stories found within this Pulitzer-winning work for the stage.

Poets Chris Bolin, Nathan Hoks, and Roger Reeves will read from their work at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, in a free reading at Prairie Lights Books in downtown Iowa City. The reading also will be streamed live on the University of Iowa Writing University website.

Each year since 1989, the Alumni Fellows program has recognized former UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences students for their contributions to their professions, the university, and society. (Note: A paid subscription may be required.)

So how did you spend your summer? Numerous students and faculty in the UI Division of Performing Arts dotted the globe with their summer activities. Students gained valuable experience performing and working in music, theatre, and dance, while faculty taught at workshops, performed at festivals, and conducted research.