The University of Iowa Faculty Senate elected Roxanna Curto as president and Sarah Vigmostad as vice president for the 2026-27 school year on April 28.
Curto served as the Faculty Senate vice president for the 2025-26 academic year. She will succeed Craig Just, a professor in the UI College of Engineering, who filled a vacancy in June 2025 when former president Rodica Curtu stepped down from the role.
Vigmostad ran against Anthony Panos, a cardiothoracic surgeon at UI Health Care. Dawn Anderson was appointed Faculty Senate secretary and ran unopposed, succeeding the outgoing secretary, Naomi Greyser.
Curto introduced herself to the senate, describing how her childhood in Iowa City and parents — both professors in the UI’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences — instilled a love of learning and respect for academia within her from a young age.
Curto earned her bachelor’s degree at Harvard University and her Ph.D. at Yale University. She joined the UI in 2011 as an associate professor of French and Spanish, stepping up to the Faculty Senate in fall 2015.
Curto said she has seen the senate develop president searching guidelines that led to the appointment of UI President Barbara Wilson and the varying faculty debates regarding the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’ve greatly enjoyed serving as vice president of the senate since the fall, and I’m very much looking forward to the coming year,” she said.
Curto said the Faculty Senate will need to be fierce advocates for the value of shared governance and faculty voices in university decision making. She said the senate will need to be prepared for continuing debates on free speech and academic freedom.
“We will have to assert these fundamental principles as well as the vital role that faculty must play in defining the curriculum as experts who are in the best position to determine the knowledge and skills that students need to succeed in the world, their lives, and society,” she said.
Curto said she also plans to implement more discussion surrounding the Faculty Senate budget to give senators a better understanding of the impact of their decision making.
“As the university renews its strategic plan in the following year, it is imperative that faculty have a strong voice in this process,” she said. “I am looking into ways in which the Senate and Council can play a role by providing feedback and communicating faculty perspectives.”
Curto said she will also brainstorm ways to provide a welcoming environment for international students, staff, faculty, and visitors, and discuss guidelines for artificial intelligence, or AI, as it changes the academic environment.
Vigmostad, an associate professor in UI’s College of Engineering, was not present at the meeting but provided a written statement. She serves on the UI International Programs Faculty Advisory Council, which advises UI college deans on ways to internationalize teaching and engagement.
“In every role I take on, I strive to be a fair collaborative team member, eager to listen, build connections, and work towards decisions that serve the faculty community as a whole,” she wrote. “I look forward to the opportunity to continue advocating for and amplifying the voices of faculty across the University of Iowa.”
In his closing remarks, Just said he is thankful, encouraged, and optimistic. He said the senate improved communication within the Faculty Senate and has shown a growing willingness to speak up to higher officials such as the Iowa Board of Regents.
“I’m thankful for our returning senators. I’m very thankful to those who are leaving,” he said. “I am convinced that the overwhelming majority of the general public sees value in what we do.”