2023 Year in Review at Coe

Physics majors started the term with free textbooks provided by the Howard L. Kucera ’58 Scholarship Endowment.

Future Kohawks flocked to campus mid-January for Admitted Student Weekend and Crimson & Gold Visit Day. We can’t wait to see them again soon!

The Coe College Physics Department was a sponsor of the American Physical Society Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics this past weekend.

Once again, Kohawk Startup delivered lots of laughs and impressive ideas. We can't wait to see what the next one brings!

The Coe College men's basketball team competed for the American Rivers Conference championship title and succeeded in just that! That's how #KohawkNation does it.

The president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the host of the Sports Podcast of the Year in 2021, Bob Kendrick, came to Coe College as the guest speaker at the annual Contemporary Issues Forum. We were fortunate to welcome him on campus and listen to him talk about the history of racial injustice in baseball and the start of the civil rights movement.

Future Kohawks are everywhere… and they got to learn about Coe from around the world during our Virtual Crimson & Gold Visit Day!

Students chose from our 60+ available areas of study on Major Declaration Day at the beginning of March!

Our very own Coe College Clay Target team competed in the Division III Classic All-American Championship, where they took home the national title. Go Kohawks!

Coe senior, Kaleb Reeves, finished runner-up at 285-pounds and took 12th at the NCAA Championships. He ended his Kohawk wrestling career as Coe's all-time leads in falls.

Coe and Kirkwood Community College signed an articulation agreement that paves the way for Kirkwood business students to seamlessly earn their bachelor's degree at Coe. Read more about the agreement here.

Our students had the opportunity to showcase their research and original work at the annual Student Research & Discovery Symposium. This all-day event is a great way for students to present their work for potential employers, graduate schools and their fellow peers to see.

We were glad to have a lot of future Kohawks on campus for Admitted Student Weekend. Our guests got to hear from Lauren Dufoe '24 about  what it means to be in the Kohawk family, and it is a BIG family!

Local restaurants and organizations filled Eby for Admitted Student Weekend, giving current and prospective students a "Taste of Cedar Rapids."

Coe has partnered with Drake University Law School to provide a 3+3 option for Kohawks to earn their bachelor's and law degrees in six years. Read more about the partnership here.

Dean of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Donald Jamaal represented Coe at the Diverse Organizational Impact and Transformation (DOIT) Certification and Award Ceremony, where Coe was recognized as a "Certified DOIT Institution." Only three higher education institutions received the inaugural DOIT national certification. Read more about the certification here.

We were taken back to the Jurassic era for this year's Flunk Day! Our students had a dino-mite time celebrating a day away from classes and the semester wrapping up.

Graduating nursing students donned their Coe scrubs, joined hands and took a ceremonial "plunge" into nursing.

The Office of Alumni Engagement helped to send the Class of 2023 off in style during the senior celebration in downtown Cedar Rapids.

The Class of 2023 rang the Victory Bell, walked the stage for Commencement and will now get to spread their wings and take flight into their next endeavors. Remember, once a Kohawk, always a Kohawk!

The Kohawk softball team was dubbed the American Rivers Conference champion AND took home the NCAA Regional Title for the first time since 2009. Way to go, Kohawks!

Coe joined 200 colleges and universities in the Campus Race to Zero Waste challenge with the National Wildlife Federation and won second place for per capita recycling among small colleges!

Nine Coe physics students and faculty attended the Glass and Optical Materials meeting of the American Ceramic Society in New Orleans. If that’s not cool enough, our very own Professor of Physics Dr. Steve Feller accepted the L. David Pye Lifetime Achievement Award!

Our Coe College softball team made it into the 2023 Division III National Championship, but suffered a loss to Trine University in Texas. With the loss, Coe ends the season with a mark of 39-11, registering the fourth-most single-season wins in program history. Go Kohawks!

Board of Trustees member Dr. Tim Sagers met with our Emerging Leaders group to discuss the role of the Board and answer related questions. The Emerging Leaders group spans staff from across campus, most of whom began in their position within the last five years.

The Coe Music Department returned from their May Term abroad through the Netherlands and Belgium. This group included Coe faculty, students, alumni and friends.

Coe College is a recipient of a three-year grant to enhance the transfer experience for Iowa community college students who want to transfer to a 4-year private college. Read more here.

Faith Webb ’25 earned a highly competitive Gilman scholarship sponsored by the U.S. Department of State — the third Kohawk to receive the award in the past three years! Read more about it here.

Some of our Kohawks stayed on campus to conduct physics research this summer. Coe's free nano-physics workshop for high school juniors and seniors also took place mid-July. This event allowed students the opportunity to interact with award-winning faculty, utilize top-notch laboratories and learn state-of-the-art research techniques. 

We’ve done it yet again! Coe College is top ten in the nation — and the only college or university ranked in Iowa — for Most Accessible Professors (No. 7 nationally) and Best Career Services (No. 8 nationally) by The Princeton Review. These rankings land us well within the recommendations for one of the “Best 389 Colleges and Universities” in the nation! Read more about it here.

We welcomed the incoming class of international students — the largest we've ever had, representing 27 countries!

Our Coe Class of 2027 flocked to campus for New Student Orientation, earned their Kohawk wings and are learning how to SOAR through their first year of college! We couldn’t be more thrilled to have welcomed them home. Read more about Move-In Day here!

New Student Orientation was a success! Our Kohawk Class of 2027 participated in fun activities and events, made new memories and created friendships that could last a lifetime!

Our students had their first day of classes for the Fall 2023 term! Happy studying, Kohawks!

Coe continues to be one of the top colleges in the nation when it comes to contributing to the public good. Read all about our inclusion in the latest Washington Monthly list!

Six students and two professors attended the Society of Glass Technology conference at the University of Cambridge. Coe students and faculty had six research presentations! 

We welcomed our alumni back to campus for Homecoming 2023 where they got to participate in fun events, catch up with one another and watch great athletic competitions! Talons out, Kohawks!

Amidst Homecoming 2023, we unveiled a new, supplemental theme and visual for Kohawk Athletics:  “Fly Fast. Fly Fierce. Talons Out!

We had our first Crimson & Gold Visit Day of the academic year! It was so nice to have prospective students and future Kohawks on our campus. We can’t wait to welcome some of them back as students!

Toby Lister ʼ24, Kylie Hoy ʼ25, Cael Schmitt ʼ24, Max Gorden Mercer ʼ24 and Abigail Collins ʼ24 (not pictured) were named 2023-2024 Clark Merit Scholars. Each of these outstanding students were selected for their involvement at Coe, their academic excellence, their commitment to bettering the world around them and — above all else — their clear passion for their academic and extracurricular pursuits.

Coe student Amit Sharma and physics professor James Wetzel spent a week in Tucson, Arizona, at the Winer Observatory conducting maintenance on the Robert L. Mutel Telescope. Coe shares access to this state-of-the-art Cassegrain reflector telescope as part of its membership in the MACRO Consortium.

The Coe International Club hosted their 50th Annual Culture Show with performances from students from around the world, a fashion show, food and more.

Future Kohawks visited from Washington to Ohio (19 states total!) for Admitted Student Weekend.

Coe's women's volleyball team won the conference tournament, earning their second straight A-R-C Postseason Title and solidifying their place in the DIII Women's Volleyball National Championship. Their season ended in the opening round of the NCAA DIII Volleyball tournament.

Kohawk Football earned an at-large bid to the DIII Football NCAA Championship. The Coe College football team saw its season come to a close in the opening round of the DIII Football Championship.

The fall edition of the Courier was published. 

At the beginning of December students got to take a break from studying to pet a llama, get a free chair massage or create crafts during De-Stress Fest. 

Students enjoyed the tradition of Late Night Breakfast before finals week began. 

Coe College was named to The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges — a list of the nation’s most environmentally responsible colleges — for the fifth time in seven years. 

We wished our Kohawks a happy holidays as they headed home for winter break. We're excited to see them back for the spring term!