The University of Northern Iowa has evolved from its humble beginnings in 1876 as a normal school with 27 students to a thriving educational community with a student body of over 13,000. But as this pictorial history vividly depicts, its founding principles have remained the same: a commitment to high-quality education, an impressive teaching staff, and eager students with a desire to learn. Originally established in a former home for the orphans of Iowa's Civil War veterans, the University of Northern Iowa has matured from a small teacher's college to the university which is internationally known today. Inspired leadership from university presidents helped bridge this transition, and to give guidance to an institution deeply affected by the Great Depression, emerging only to face new challenges brought on by World War II. WAVES and US Army Air Corps personnel trained here, and GIs were educated upon their return from service. Civil Rights, the anti-war movement, and the technology revolution all helped shape the university into the excellent institution it is today.

Gerald L. Peterson, Special Collections Librarian and University Archivist of the University of Northern Iowa, has compiled a fascinating pictorial history that traces each stage in the university's development. He documents changes in the methods of instruction, and the manner in which students lived, behaved, organized, played, and studied. As the University of Northern Iowa prepares to celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2001, students, faculty, and alumni alike are sure to find this thoroughly researched history a delight to read.