Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds awarded University of Iowa Veterans Center Coordinator John Mikelson a 2012 Governor’s Volunteer Award June 29 during a special recognition ceremony in Cedar Rapids.

Mikelson is a UI graduate with a master’s degree in higher education from the UI College of Education, according to a UI press release.

The Governor’s Volunteer Awards Program was created in 1982, and hundreds of volunteers are recognized each year.

— by Kristen East