Annual Joint Service Club Luncheon
Upon request, today’s program was not recorded.
The Annual Joint Service Club Luncheon was called to order at 12:03 p.m. by Iowa City Noon Rotary President Barb Thomas, who then led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Rtn. Devin van Holsteijn shared Zoom tips.
Members of all of the area clubs introduced their clubs. The clubs are listed below.
Altrusa Club of Iowa City, Pilot Club of Iowa City, Iowa City Noon Optimist, Iowa City AM Rotary, Downtown Kiwanis, Old Capitol Kiwanis, North Liberty Lions, ICAM Tuesday morning club, Iowa City Noon Lions, Coralville North Corridor Rotary; and of course the Iowa City Noon Rotary.
Announcements:
Rtn. Charlie Funk shared a Rotary Moment of Positivity and Gratitude. Charlie acknowledged that this year has been challenging for almost every person. Charlie started running marathons at age 52 and has run the Boston Marathon four times. When you get to mile 18, 20, 22, you get to the point you want to give up. But Charlie shared that if you look for sign posts along the way, they can help lift you up. He also shared that he and his wife became grandparents for the first time. May we all endure these tough times with the belief that we’ll come out better and stronger on the other side.
PROGRAM: Bruce Harreld, President of the University of Iowa
Rtn. Lynette Marshall introduced University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld.
President Harreld shared that this pandemic is causing change and will reshape our future. He believes that students will continue to desire a residential, in-person campus education as opposed to fully online education in the future. Many creative students have been able to create new thoughts, artwork, and processes during this challenging time, to the depths that perhaps wouldn’t have been reached during normal times.
COVID-19: The University is working on a nanovaccine along with Iowa State University. The number of positive cases for University of Iowa Students is down dramatically since a peak at the end of August/beginning of September.
The University has a goal to be a Destination University, meaning it is a first choice for most of the students attending.
Headwinds in higher education include less students due to lower birth rates. Also, the percentage of high school students going to higher education has flattened after many years of increases. Another challenge is decreasing public funding and increasing expenses. In 2018, under President Harreld, the University of Iowa switched to locally empowered budget, shifting some power and decision-making to departments.
The meeting ended at 1:05 P.M.
