Coe News & Features

Beginning fall 2019, Coe music majors may choose an emphasis in music industry or pre-music therapy. The new emphases are in addition to existing musical theatre and jazz studies options.

Students in Coe College’s new social and criminal justice program began a project this term to fundraise for a Cedar Rapids nonprofit. Reintegration Initiative for Safety and Empowerment (RISE) is an organization aimed at helping individuals recently released from incarceration foster self-esteem, reduce recidivism, advance a safe community and reduce public expenditures.

Emani Brinkman ’21, a Coe College environmental studies, business and economics major, was selected to attend the Bank of America Elevating Careers Diversity & Inclusion Forum in New York City.

Sarah Reilly ’21 and Alison Dassner ’21 are planning to spend a term during the 2019-20 academic year across the pond. Both Coe College students were accepted to the competitive Irish American Scholars Program. Reilly and Dassner each will spend a term studying at Queen’s University Belfast.

Isabella Lopez ’19 is completing her final days as a student at Coe knowing she is headed to Japan in July. Following a six-month, rigorous application and interview process, Lopez received word she was chosen to participate in the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program.

Iowa Campus Compact (IACC) has announced winners and finalists of the 2019 Engaged Campus Awards. Coe College Associate Professor of History Brie Swenson Arnold and Assistant Professor of Psychology Renee Penalver are among those identified.

Allison Stubbs ’19 and Hayley Walton ’19 recently discovered they are headed abroad for the 2019-20 academic year. Both Coe seniors received prestigious Fulbright grants for English Teaching Assistantships. Stubbs and Walton join the elite group of 26 Coe graduates to receive Fulbrights in the past seven years.

Nathan Dvorak ’19, a Coe College physics and mathematics major, recently received a Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Dvorak joins alumni Emily Roberts ’16 and Dahlia Baker ’18 as the third Coe graduate in the past four years to yield this prestigious fellowship.

Each year the nation’s top college students pursuing careers in public service submit their Truman Scholarship application. This year netted 840 applicants from 346 colleges and universities. The scholarship committee narrowed the field to 199 finalists who participated in formal interviews. Of the 2019 finalists, 62 new Truman Scholars were selected. Coe College is the only college in the state of Iowa to produce a Truman recipient.

With book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, music by Tom Kitt and directed by Professor of Theatre Arts Dennis Barnett, “Next to Normal” leads the audience directly into the heart of a family dealing with mental illness and all that accompanies it.

Coe’s students are going places...literally. Neuroscience, psychology and Spanish major Erica Ernzen ’20 is heading to Princeton University for a nine-week summer internship through the Princeton Neuroscience Institute (PNI). Ernzen also gained acceptance to Princeton’s Leadership Alliance Summer Research - Early Identification Program.

Join Alma A. Turechek Professor of Music William Carson as he presents the stories and music of four fantastic big band leaders who dominated the swing era: Count Basie, Duke Ellington, “the King of Swing” Benny Goodman and Iowa’s own Glenn Miller.

For the second year in a row, a Coe College student was granted access to observe negotiations at the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) at the U.N. headquarters in New York City.

Coe College is proud to host political sportswriter Dave Zirin. Named one of UTNE Reader’s “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Our World,” Zirin is nationally known as an author, columnist for The Nation magazine and host of Sirius XM Radio’s popular “Edge of Sports” podcast. Zirin is also a columnist for SLAM magazine and the Progressive.

Once again, Coe College is included on the list of U.S. colleges and universities that produced the most 2018-19 Fulbright students. Coe has been recognized on this prestigious list for five of the past seven years — positioning the college among the top 12 Fulbright-producing bachelor’s institutions in the nation.

Examine how cities can be redesigned to meet modern challenges with Joan and Abbott Lipsky Professor of Political Science Bruce Nesmith and Assistant Professor of Economics Drew Westberg.

The Center for Creativity and Careers hosted its third annual health care career fair for Kohawks on Feb. 6 from 4-6 p.m. Employers from all areas of health care were on hand to discuss internships, volunteer and job opportunities.

For the second year in a row, Coe College has been named a Best Value College by The Princeton Review and is included in its Top 25 Best Schools for Internships list. This year, Coe isn’t just in the top 25 — it’s in the top 15 and remains the only Iowa school on the list. Coe advanced from its previous rank of 23 in 2018 to a current rank of 15.

Coe College is proud to host Cirque Zuma Zuma — a theatrical circus exhibition featuring talented performers from 16 African nations. This production celebrates the rich history of African music, dance and acrobatics, dating back over 2,500 years.

Written by Charles Mee, directed by Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Dr. Deanna L. Downes and choreographed by Alvon Reed ’03, “Big Love” is a modern-day adaptation of Greek dramatist Aeschylus’ play “The Suppliants.” The title may imply a simple love story; however, murder, betrayal, gender issues, societal pressures and heartache are woven throughout the script.