Today, the UI will host its first giving day, One Day for Iowa, a 24-hour online event.

By Elianna Novitch | [email protected]

Twenty-four hours; 1,440 minutes; 86,400 seconds. One day is all the University of Iowa needs to make a big difference around campus.

Today, the UI will host its first giving day, One Day for Iowa. One Day for Iowa is a 24-hour online giving event during which UI community members can make a difference by donating to a college or featured program.

The event is geared toward alumni, parents, friends, and fans of the UI.

“This event really benefits faculty and students and is about participation. We would love to see Hawkeyes throughout the state, throughout the country, and throughout the world participate and show support for Iowa,” said Dana Larson, the executive director of communications and marketing at the UI Foundation. 

Participants are encouraged to give to departments or programs that mean something to them. Some well-known members of the UI community are setting an example of giving for One Day at Iowa.

Head men’s basketball Coach Fran McCaffrey will give to the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center to find treatments and a cure for cancer. McCaffery is choosing to give to Holden because of a personal connection he has with the center after his son received treatment there.

Another UI community member donating for One Day is former Hawkeye football player and alumnus Nate Kaeding.

“My One Day for Iowa [donation] is for Iowa athletics. I look back on my career as a Hawkeye football player with great pride,” Kaeding said in a statement. “While I always enjoyed celebrating a win on the field, Coach Kirk Ferentz taught me how to embrace adversity, to seek out challenges, and to cultivate my character — lessons I still think about today.

“That’s why I support Hawkeye athletics — to help current and future student-athletes learn those same lessons and to lead them to success.”

The UI Foundation puts on One Day in partnership with the university.

“Everyone is passionate about some facet of our university, whether it’s our outstanding health care, the arts, or our academic and athletics programs,” said Lois Gray, the interim director of the College of Education Office of Strategic Communications in an email statement to The Daily Iowan. This is an opportunity for all to support our institution in a way that is most meaningful to them.”

Throughout the day, online challenges will be held as a chance for different areas of campus to get even more money from challenge grants, which are funded by money from donors.

“We have $100,000 in challenge money that has been given by donors,” Larson said.

Some examples of the challenges that will be held throughout the day include the Dollars Raised Challenge, the Participation Challenge, and a few social-media challenges.

Along with those challenges, there will be hourly challenges held throughout the 24 hours to encourage giving. Information on these can be found on One Day’s official website.

UI leaders are excited to see what this day will do for the university.

“The best way to help Iowa continue offering our students world-class opportunities is by giving back,” President Bruce Harreld said in an email to The Daily Iowan. “I hope all of our alumni and friends participate in One Day for Iowa.”

Larson agreed with Harreld’s statement and said today will show the major impact the UI community can have.

“I am excited to see the participation from all around the country because people support our school in a lot of different ways, like coming back for football games or Homecoming, or they donate to their college,” Larson said. “But you never get to see that collectively, and I think that it will be amazing to see in just one day all these people coming together to support the university.”