Hundreds of donors and faculty came together in the Iowa Memorial Union ballroom for the IMU Centennial Gala on Feb. 14, rounding out months of celebrations commemorating 100 years of the historic building in a cozily lit black tie affair, also functioning as a symbolic kick-off for an $81.4 million renovation project. 

The renovations are funded by student fees, with a small portion coming from donations and Student Health reserves. Construction has begun and is expected to conclude by 2027. 

The gala was attended by 280 donors, faculty members, alumni, and university students, according to Associate Dean and Executive Director of the IMU Bill Nelson.

The season of IMU celebrations began in September 2025 with an open house event featuring food trucks and activities like a caricature artist and a photo booth, a time capsule workshop where students could leave notes and photos to be sealed away in the IMU for 50 years, and more. 

The gala began with a social cocktail hour at 5:30 p.m. before transitioning into a dinner hour featuring four guest speakers at 6:45 p.m., all accented by live cocktail piano. 

Guest speakers included Maj. Gen. Stewart Wallace, who is a military adviser at the Iowa Technology Institute, Lana Zak, a Fulbright and Truman scholar from the UI, and 2024-25 Undergraduate Student Government President and Vice President Addison Eckard and Brenda Ramirez.

Nelson showed excitement for the event coming together and said the planning process for the gala and other preceding events during the centennial celebration, headed by a set planning committee, began in July. 

“This event has far exceeded my expectations,” he said. “We have about 280 people that are joining us tonight to celebrate something that’s really important to a lot of people, our union. This whole thing’s been remarkable.”

Leaders from USG and the Graduate and Professional Student Government, or GPSG, from past and present also attended. Ramirez, Eckard, GPSG President Abby Crabtree, and USG President Thomas Knudsen all described contentment with the gala as a means of celebrating work directed toward supporting student life on campus. 

“Being able to celebrate the building that means so much to so many students is a cool opportunity, and it’s also the opportunity to network with a lot of cool alumni and people who are central to the mission of the university and also the union,” Knudsen said. 

Knudsen said USG has a specific role in the building’s renovations, citing a “sustainability-focused green mural,” designed by USG’s Sustainability Committee. Knudsen said the mural is “biophilic,” an architectural concept that models indoor spaces after the outdoors to boost mental wellness and, by extension, productivity, through natural designs.  

The mural will be located on the building’s second floor after renovations are complete.

Ramirez said, since graduating, she has happily seen Knudsen and USG Vice President Emily Cross continue with ideas her and Eckard’s term did not have the time to accomplish, adding that their return for the gala demonstrates continued dedication by UI students and staff to positive relationships with students, new and old.  

“Saving students money on parking tickets, that was an idea that me and Addison had, just floated around, and the fact that they got to do it was so cool,” Ramirez said. “And then we worked on the student government alumni, and that’s something that I’ve been working on with them since graduating. And so I think that we’ve been able to keep that connection since graduating.”

Eckard said the gala is a tremendous opportunity to see their work continue to bear fruit, even after graduation. 

“It’s really fun to be able to look back and kind of see the way that our legacy has impacted people and how we did things that carry on,” she said. 

She said she and Ramirez have continued to work with the university as alumni to bolster USG’s abilities and help the current administration both in their transition to power and their ongoing work. 

“And it’s been so cool to be able to uplift, like, the up-and-coming leaders and kind of help onboard them and help them navigate,” Eckard said. “It’s a crazy role, and it’s amazing and awesome, but it’s also very overwhelming. So it’s been really cool to watch them succeed so much and do so well at what they do, and know that we got to be a part of that.”

Eckard spoke at the gala and said beforehand that a point for her speech to highlight is the IMU’s importance as both a gathering place for students but a symbol for the university. 

“The IMU is like a second home to all students,” she said. “It’s where they come to congregate, it’s where they come to do homework. It’s where they come to talk to advisors. For me, as an out-of-state student, my parents are 2,000 miles away, so when I come into the IMU, I know that there are adults who care about me and are looking out for me and will listen to me.”

Crabtree said her involvement with alumni and student groups to put together both the series of centennial celebratory events and the renovation process has been a great opportunity for her and other student leaders to work on an impactful project for students’ benefit.

“I’ve just been so impressed with the work that Bill’s group does, our alumni group does, and I really love to be a part of that,” Crabtree said. “The IMU is such a smart building, and so it’s meant a lot to me to be a part of the centennial.”