Dear Alumni and Friends,
Our students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community partners are making a meaningful difference in our communities every day — especially when it comes to strengthening Iowa’s workforce.
We remain deeply committed to our mission: advancing education and mental health in Iowa and beyond to ensure the best possible outcomes for all.
Thanks to Rural Health Care Partnership state funding, we’ve significantly expanded our Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, growing enrollment by nearly 50% from fall 2024 to fall 2025. This fall, nearly 50 students are enrolled, up from 33 last year.
Our cover story highlights innovative work by faculty and graduate students in this program, including Animal-Assisted Therapy in Counseling and Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy. Their research explores the powerful role of human-animal interaction in mental health care–helping everyone from preschoolers to seniors, students to Veterans.
These students are poised to help meet critical mental health needs across the state, especially in rural areas facing provider shortages.
You’ll also meet Brynn Storhoff, a standout student-athlete in our first undergraduate Counseling and Behavioral Health Services cohort. After continuing to obtain her Master of Arts in School Counseling in our college, Brynn plans to return to her hometown of Decorah, Iowa, to become a school counselor, and give back to the community that supported her journey.
We also feature Andrew Armstead, a soon-to-be graduate of our Doctor of Education program in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies, who now serves as superintendent of Estherville Lincoln Central Schools in northwest Iowa.
And you’ll read about UI REACH alumna Caroline Keenan, one of the first two students at the University of Iowa to earn paraeducator certification from the state–providing essential support in K–12 schools.
These are just a few of the thousands of exceptional people who make our world a better place to live. Whether in classrooms, counseling offices, or leadership roles, our students, faculty, staff, and alumni are transforming lives in communities across Iowa and beyond.
To all of you – our alumni, donors, faculty, staff, community partners, and friends—thank you. Your support makes this work possible. Whether you contribute through a private gift, professional development, mentorship, or advocacy, we are grateful.
Please stay connected. Together, we can continue to meet any challenge that lies ahead.
Sincerely,
Daniel L. Clay, PhD, MBA
Dean and Professor