The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Hawkeye spirit means generosity

A+chalkboard+for+Phil+Week+sits+at+the+Public+Health+Building+on+October+11+2016+%28The+Daily+Iowan%2FOsama+Khalid%29
A chalkboard for Phil Week sits at the Public Health Building on October 11 2016 (The Daily Iowan/Osama Khalid)

As the leaves turn colors this time of year, those hues conjure a great sense of tradition on our beautiful campus. We have recently enjoyed one of those great fall traditions — Homecoming at Iowa — which brings out the Hawkeye spirit with boundless excitement. This week, we are celebrating another great Hawkeye tradition, though a newer one than Homecoming — “We Are Phil.”

While we don’t have parades and football games for We Are Phil, this annual celebration of philanthropy nevertheless exemplifies important core values at the heart of the Hawkeye spirit — generosity, giving back, and making our university the best it can possibly be. As I near the end of my first year as University of Iowa president, every day shows me more and more how important Phil is to all of us.

I have seen firsthand how students are enthusiastically engaged with learning in the Main Library’s Learning Commons, in well-appointed classrooms, and in labs and studios across campus. I have now had the privilege of participating in several investitures of named chairs and professorships for some of our most talented faculty members all across campus. I have enjoyed and been uplifted by numerous concerts, lectures, readings, and exhibits by our amazingly gifted faculty, staff, and students, including in the spectacular new Hancher Auditorium. The excellence displayed among all of these could not have been possible without a vibrant culture of philanthropy across our campus and throughout the Hawkeye family of alumni, friends, and donors everywhere.

Since we began this special focus on philanthropy, the celebration has taken on its own special traditions as well. In the fall, the We Are Phil faculty and staff campaign encourages our university community members to extend their impact all across campus by giving back to the institution we all care deeply about. I encourage everyone to take part in the special programs, luncheons, and other events taking place during the week and to attend the fall “Life with Phil” lecture on Oct. 20 with Ted Waitt, the founder and chairman of the Waitt Foundation and cofounder of Gateway 2000 Inc.

But most importantly, I ask that everyone tap the spirit of philanthropy and join those faculty and staff members making donations to support the university, whose numbers grow each year. Make it an annual tradition to contribute to the excellence of the university in this special way. As our friends at the University of Iowa Foundation say, “Private support touches everyone on this campus. We all are Phil.”

— J. Bruce Harreld UI president

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