E-News - May 2026
175th anniversary Oral History Project collects 1,500 stories and counting
Starting in April, Coe alumni received postcards and emails with invitations to participate in a comprehensive alumni data verification and Oral History Project through Publishing Concepts (PCI). Over 1,500 stories have already been collected for a commemorative hardbound book that celebrates
the collective history of Coe College. Coe turns 175 this upcoming academic year, and the Oral History Project is the perfect way to celebrate our vibrant history. Learn more about the Oral History Project on our site.
Story collection goes through October 19, 2026, so alumni will have the chance to call in and speak to a PCI associate while back on campus for Homecoming 2026, October 1-3. Make plans to celebrate Homecoming by attending your reunion to reconnect with classmates and join our 175th anniversary celebration.
President Hayes’ Progress with Purpose Tour continues through the summer
Throughout the year, Coe College President David Hayes ’93 has traveled across the country to connect with alumni and share Coe’s exciting path forward via the Progress with Purpose Strategic Framework. So far, President Hayes has visited Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Dallas — and has trips to Milwaukee and Chicago this week — where each stop is an opportunity to gather with fellow Kohawks, understand the Strategic Framework guiding Coe’s future and enjoy conversation and connection with local alumni and Board of Trustees members.
The first event, at Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano in Des Moines, kicked off the tour with plenty of Kohawk pride and support. At Pickle Palace in Cedar Rapids, Board of Trustees Chair H
ank Taylor ’75 and Past President of Alumni Council Lauren Gilbertson ’13 joined President Hayes for remarks. Dallas-area Kohawks gathered at Sixty Vines in Plano, proving the Coe spirit is strong near and far. This week’s events in the Milwaukee and Chicago areas are sure to be more successes to add to the list.
To finish out the summer, there are three more stops on the Progress with Purpose Tour. We invite alumni to join us and register to attend one of the upcoming gatherings:
June 9 - Denver, Colorado
June 11 - Washington, D.C.
July 9 - Twin Cities, Minnesota
Each event is free — just bring your Coe spirit! Read more at the links above.
Come (back) to Coe with the prospective student in your family
A visit day at Coe is an experience. We pass along more than information — current students impart wisdom, tour guides hand out vibes and professors are on hand to ease your mind about the transition to college.
Your visit to Coe is a dip into the student experience, and you can take the dip this summer on Friday, June 12 during our Kohawk Kick-Off Day. This on-campus visit day is designed for rising high school seniors just starting their college search.
Relive Commencement
It was a perfect day for Commencement at Coe. Relive just a few of the scenes that always make the day so special...the clang of the Victory Bell, the camaraderie on display and all the pomp and circumstance.
Behind the scenes is ‘fascinating’ for Kohawk hired as the Eastern Iowa Airport’s first aviation management intern
What started as a “really enjoyable” Intro to Aviation course with Eastern Iowa Airport Director Marty Lenss has evolved into a full-fledged aviation management internship for Kohawk aviation management & flight operations student Arian Kantarevic ’29. This summer, Kantarevic will have an expanded aviation experience as the airport’s first aviation management intern.
Coe College has been named a Top 25 Best Private School for Internships in the country six of the last eight years by The Princeton Review. The 10-week paid aviation management internship will be available each summer and will provide a first-hand experience across the airport’s organizational structure.
“I really enjoyed the aviation management class with Marty. I found it so fascinating whenever he would take us behind the scenes. I knew instantly that I would want this internship. Seeing the logistics and reasoning behind everything was so cool in class and I knew I needed more,” Kantarevic said.
Kantarevic will interact with administration, operations, finance, facilities, guest services, IT, marketing, maintenance and public safety.
“The idea is that the widespread exposure to operations helps the students in this internship now and in the future identify the area of aviation they would like to specialize in post-graduation,” Lenss said.
“I’m really excited to meet and connect with new people at the airport, as well as understand the effort and precision that goes into ensuring an airport runs as smoothly as CID does. I think I will see a lot of cool stuff most people have no idea about, which is also why I am very excited to be a small part of CID's big journey this summer,” Kantarevic said.
The first class of Kohawk aviators just completed their first year of flight training, and Kantarevic has almost earned his private pilot license. He plans to fly out of the airport over the summer to get flight hours and sightsee over Cedar Rapids.
All Coe aviation students can progress to that first flight training milestone as all Kohawks start flight training right away in their first term. Many will eventually earn their air transport license and become commercial or freight pilots. The current pilot shortage is estimated to be at 17,000, and that gap is driving starting salaries for commercial pilots toward $90,000 in some instances.
Celebrating Flunk Day, a beloved Coe tradition
Flunk Day 2026 arrived on Wednesday, April 15 with a “CoeCoeCabana” theme.
Kohawks made the most of the rainy day by enjoying an obstacle course, a mechanical bull, yard games, giveaways, food trucks and more. Alumni celebrated, too, with a pop-up hosted by the Office of Alumni Engagement at Homeport in Cedar Rapids. From the student fun to the stories shared by alumni, it is no surprise that Flunk Day is one of the best Coe traditions.
Incoming Coe first-year student No. 1 pick in pro Wiffle ball league
Cael Foreman, a Mount Vernon, Iowa senior and soon-to-be Coe student-athlete, was the first overall pick in the inaugural Big League Wiffle Ball draft on April 18.
According to the Cedar Rapids Gazette, the eight-team league — Foreman went to the San Diego Orcas — can be found on ESPN platforms this summer. In its inaugural draft, the league selected players from 13 states. Teams are made up of seven players and play in a smaller version of the standard baseball stadium.
Foreman will play as both a pitcher and a hitter. Finishing out his high school career for Mount Vernon, Foreman will travel for Wiffle ball games on the weekends and for high school baseball games on weekdays.
“I originally found Wiffle ball on YouTube, videos of guys throwing crazy Wiffle balls,” said Foreman. “It is wild. I’ve been playing Wiffle ball for seven years at competitive tournaments all over the country. They saw how dedicated I am.”
In the fall, Foreman plans to balance his Wiffle ball career with his Kohawk baseball career.
Fresh banners on Murray Hall bring new attention to Coe’s campus
Murray Hall has always been a prominent landmark on the ‘S-curve’ of Interstate 380 through downtown Cedar Rapids. Now, the nine-story residence hall is drawing second glances with new banners thanks to the generosity of Jack ’70 and Nancy ’71 Evans.
Persistence does pay off: Rebecca Gabrielsson ’27 earns a Goldwater scholarship
For Rebecca Gabrielsson ’27, the path to one of the nation's mos
t prestigious undergraduate awards was an exercise in persistence.
In April, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation announced Gabrielsson as a 2026 Goldwater Scholar. A mathematics and physics double major from Ankeny, Iowa, Gabrielsson joins an elite group of students recognized for their potential to become the next generation of research leaders in STEM fields.
The Goldwater Scholarship is widely considered the most preeminent undergraduate award in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. This year, 454 scholarships were awarded out of more than 5,000 applicants and Gabrielsson was one of only five students from an Iowa college or university to earn the honor.
The news was equal parts shocking and sweet for Gabrielsson, who first applied for the scholarship during her sophomore year. When she didn't receive the award then, she used the experience to bolster for academic standing and deepen her research portfolio.
Elevating potential: Coe College’s national fellowship culture drives distinguished student achievements
At Coe College, the path to a prestigious national fellowship or scholarship is engineered through a dedicated ecosystem of expertise and mentorship. This commitment to fellowship culture and assisting students leveled up when both Assistant Professor of Sociology Alissa Boguslaw and Alma A. Turechek Professor of Music Bill Carson were named Fulbright specialists. The appointments serve as powerful testaments to the caliber of faculty who mentor Coe students and the robust resources available on campus to help the Coe community secure world-renowned honors.
The Fulbright specialist program is the United States government’s flagship international exchange initiative, connecting top-tier faculty scholars with global institutions to tackle critical short-term projects. Boguslaw and Carson expect to be matched with an international institution where they can directly impart their wisdom and experience on that campus. The academic collaborations they would take part in tend to involve activities such as program development, capacity-building and curricular innovation.
“Being selected to the Fulbright program roster recognizes a scholar’s expertise and contributions to the field, so it’s a really big honor,” Coe College Provost Angela Ziskowski explained.