2008 Woodie Awards
Metro briefs
DI Metro Staff
Issue date: 5/3/07 Section: Metro
Grant to aid young entrepreneurs
In a $3 million gift to the UI Foundation, a Des Moines-area businessman has created an institute for elementary and secondary education at the UI.
The Richard O. Jacobson Institute for Youth Entrepreneurship, named for its founder, will provide business-related opportunities for K-12 students in Iowa.
The Jacobson Institute is just one of several efforts at the UI to encourage entrepreneurship, starting with the Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center in 1996 and including the Bedell Entrepreneurship Learning Laboratory in 2004.
The Jacobson Institute will focus on pre-college youths, teaching them about business skills and how to start their own ventures.
Jacobson, a former UI business student, founded Jacobson Companies in Des Moines in 1968 with only $3,500, and quickly expanded nationwide. As a member of the Presidents Club, Jacobson is recognized as a major contributor to the UI, and he has contributed to more than 50 other organizations.
Jacobson said in a statement that he hoped the gift to the UI would aid K-12 students in learning entrepreneurial skills at an early age. Jacobson received the UI's Distinguished Friend of the University Award in 2000 and Hawk of the Year Award in 1995.
- by Matt Nelson
UI honored for alcohol program
The UI was honored with the 2006-07 Prevention Excellence award for its efforts in promoting and using the AlcoholEdu program on campus.
Sponsored by Outside the Classroom Inc., the AlcoholEdu program is used by roughly 500 colleges and universities in the United States.
Though no research has determined the effectiveness of the program in reducing alcohol abuse, Angela Reams, the director of campus and community relations for Student Services, noted in a statement that recent health surveys have shown a decrease in alcohol abuse-related symptoms, such as hangovers and blackouts, and an overall increase in knowledge about alcohol.
Based on a report to college presidents titled "A Call to Action," and instituted in July 2006, the mandatory, online course aims to educate freshman students on alcohol consumption and curb alcohol abuse on campus.
Roughly 98 percent of freshmen completed the course before the deadline in October 2006.
After four years, UI officials will re-evaluate the system with Outside the Classroom Inc. before deciding whether to continue the program in 2010.
The award was determined by a third-party system that rated the UI on several criteria, including implementation and evaluation of the AlcoholEdu program.
- by Matt Nelson
Iowa City girl missing
A 6-year-old Iowa City girl is missing, police reported Wednesday night.
Krystal Halter, a white female with shoulder-length hair and hazel eyes, was last seen in the vicinity of 48 Coneflower Court in Iowa City. Krystal is 4-7 and roughly 65-75 pounds, and she was last seen wearing a tan T-shirt and blue jeans.
As of 10 p.m. Wednesday, she had not been located.
Individuals with information about Krystal's whereabouts are asked to call the Iowa City police at 356-5276.
- by Matt Nelson
In a $3 million gift to the UI Foundation, a Des Moines-area businessman has created an institute for elementary and secondary education at the UI.
The Richard O. Jacobson Institute for Youth Entrepreneurship, named for its founder, will provide business-related opportunities for K-12 students in Iowa.
The Jacobson Institute is just one of several efforts at the UI to encourage entrepreneurship, starting with the Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center in 1996 and including the Bedell Entrepreneurship Learning Laboratory in 2004.
The Jacobson Institute will focus on pre-college youths, teaching them about business skills and how to start their own ventures.
Jacobson, a former UI business student, founded Jacobson Companies in Des Moines in 1968 with only $3,500, and quickly expanded nationwide. As a member of the Presidents Club, Jacobson is recognized as a major contributor to the UI, and he has contributed to more than 50 other organizations.
Jacobson said in a statement that he hoped the gift to the UI would aid K-12 students in learning entrepreneurial skills at an early age. Jacobson received the UI's Distinguished Friend of the University Award in 2000 and Hawk of the Year Award in 1995.
- by Matt Nelson
UI honored for alcohol program
The UI was honored with the 2006-07 Prevention Excellence award for its efforts in promoting and using the AlcoholEdu program on campus.
Sponsored by Outside the Classroom Inc., the AlcoholEdu program is used by roughly 500 colleges and universities in the United States.
Though no research has determined the effectiveness of the program in reducing alcohol abuse, Angela Reams, the director of campus and community relations for Student Services, noted in a statement that recent health surveys have shown a decrease in alcohol abuse-related symptoms, such as hangovers and blackouts, and an overall increase in knowledge about alcohol.
Based on a report to college presidents titled "A Call to Action," and instituted in July 2006, the mandatory, online course aims to educate freshman students on alcohol consumption and curb alcohol abuse on campus.
Roughly 98 percent of freshmen completed the course before the deadline in October 2006.
After four years, UI officials will re-evaluate the system with Outside the Classroom Inc. before deciding whether to continue the program in 2010.
The award was determined by a third-party system that rated the UI on several criteria, including implementation and evaluation of the AlcoholEdu program.
- by Matt Nelson
Iowa City girl missing
A 6-year-old Iowa City girl is missing, police reported Wednesday night.
Krystal Halter, a white female with shoulder-length hair and hazel eyes, was last seen in the vicinity of 48 Coneflower Court in Iowa City. Krystal is 4-7 and roughly 65-75 pounds, and she was last seen wearing a tan T-shirt and blue jeans.
As of 10 p.m. Wednesday, she had not been located.
Individuals with information about Krystal's whereabouts are asked to call the Iowa City police at 356-5276.
- by Matt Nelson
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