Check out the top CLAS stories from 2023

As we enter a new year, look back at some of the accomplishments and highlights from faculty and staff in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Revisit the most popular stories in CLAS during 2023.
Monday, December 18, 2023

Faculty and staff in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences have been busy this year with research, supporting students, interdisciplinary collaboration, and more.  

About 100 articles were published on the CLAS news site highlighting accomplishments and other impressive work happening in the college.  

Check out this list of those most-read stories from this past year. We can’t wait to see what 2024 brings!  

Have a story idea for us to consider in 2024? Email clas-marcom@uiowa.edu.  


CLAS graduate makes history while presiding over the U.S. House during Speaker slog 
Cheryl Johnson made history in January as she controlled the U.S. House of Representatives for four days until a new Speaker was elected. Johnson received a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism and Mass Communication in 1980. 

Long-time CLAS employee celebrates 55-year work anniversary at Iowa 
Margaret Driscol, administrator in the Department of Mathematics, has seen and been part of the many changes and experiences of the last fifty-plus years on campus. She joined the university in 1967 and is set to retire in February 2024. 


Mathematics department administrator Margaret Driscol has worked for the University of Iowa for more than half a century.
Mathematics department administrator Margaret Driscol is retiring after having worked for the University of Iowa for more than half a century. 
Photo credit: Jill Tobin, CLAS


More than 100 classrooms to receive upgrades before classes begin 
The university invested $2 million to modernize 175 classrooms across 25 buildings — mostly used by CLAS students and faculty. The improvements were made over the summer in time for the start of the fall semester. 

CLAS art professor embarks on bike trip across Iceland 
Professor Steve McGuire traveled to Iceland to bike 601 miles across the country and collect climate information about the area. 

CLAS department opens new pediatric play lab as part of child life and therapeutic recreation programs 
The Department of Health and Human Physiology opened Pediatric Play Lab during the fall semester, which allows students to get a more hands-on approach to their studies and is a space for facilitating research. 


Department of Health and Human Physiology has just opened its new Pediatric Play Lab in the Field House.
The Department of Health and Human Physiology opened its new Pediatric Play Lab in the Field House.
Photo credit: Jill Tobin and Alice Eberhart, CLAS


A comprehensive guide to literary magazines at the University of Iowa 
Iowa has a long-standing reputation as one of the best universities for writing in the country and offers eight literary magazines, which provide students with experiential learning opportunities and direct writing and publishing experience. 

CLAS psychology professor awarded two NIH grants totaling $7.3 million 
Professor Bruce Bartholow, who joined the University of Iowa over the summer, has two upcoming research projects funded by significant grants from the National Institutes of Health. 

CLAS department trains first responders on how to approach people with limited speech 
Krista Davidson, a faculty member in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, and her graduate student clinicians created a training course to teach first responders in Iowa how to approach emergencies where they encounter individuals with limited speech. 

Four CLAS faculty honored with new named professorships in classics 
All four professors — Bob Cargill, Paul Dilley, Sarah Bond, and Brenda Longfellow — come from varying backgrounds and areas of expertise, promoting a unique interdisciplinary approach to the prestigious appointments in the classics. 


Bob Cargill, Paul Dilley, Sarah Bond, and Brenda Longfellow, received named professorships in the classics.
Bob Cargill, Paul Dilley, Sarah Bond, and Brenda Longfellow, received named professorships in the classics. 
Photo credit: Jill Tobin, CLAS


Iowa STEM students explore sustainability across the Atlantic 
CLAS students visited various locations in France, Switzerland, and Germany to experience the applications of sustainable chemistry on a global scale. The trip was led by Department of Chemistry lecturer Adam Brummett and Director of the Office of Sustainability and the Environment Stratis Giannakouros. 


The University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers about 70 majors across the humanities; fine, performing and literary arts; natural and mathematical sciences; social and behavioral sciences; and communication disciplines. About 15,000 undergraduate and nearly 2,000 graduate students study each year in the college’s 37 departments, led by faculty at the forefront of teaching and research in their disciplines. The college teaches all Iowa undergraduates through the college's general education program, CLAS CORE. About 80 percent of all Iowa undergraduates begin their academic journey in CLAS. The college confers about 60 percent of the university's bachelor's degrees each academic year.