The magic of supporting the UI

When I came to the University of Iowa as a student, I had the opportunity to change who I was. I loved being a finance major. The education I received allowed me to achieve relative professional success. But I also thoroughly enjoyed my numerous opportunities outside of the College of Business. Studying ancient Greek, literature, and music appreciation, enjoying Hawkeye football Saturdays, and even playing alto sax in the Johnson County Landmark jazz orchestra — all of these are part of the fabric of my UI experience.

When students choose the UI, they are giving themselves the opportunities of a lifetime. Never again will they be exposed to such a breadth of unique experiences that have the potential to change who they are, what they believe, and how they think.

I want to be a part of that. One of the ways I can help is to financially support a variety of areas that make attending the UI such a magical experience. I wish I could support more. I wish I could attend more. The magic of this university comes in so many forms — from a standing ovation for scientists as they explain how their experiment just left the Solar System to the beauty of people sharing their written words, from the joy of a hard-fought victory in a challenging sporting event to the bringing together of a thoughtful set of experts to respectfully share ideas on how to resolve some of the world’s most intractable situations. These things make the UI special.

Private support is critical to the success of many of these activities. The UI does so much with the state funds and tuition it receives, but there is no way the campus would be the same without philanthropic support. And the beauty is that your gifts can be directed to the areas that mean the most to you. As someone who has contributed to a wide array of campus activities, I have always found the ability to support the UI in ways that are meaningful to me. I hope you will join me in making a gift to support our amazing university — this week as part of We Are Phil, and every year as a way of recognizing what we love most about the UI. On Iowa.

Cathy Zaharis (1982 B.B.A.)