Coe News & Features

It was a windy autumn afternoon with thick grey clouds threatening rain, and by pure coincidence, Coe College was receiving the Stormwater and Urban Watershed Partner of the Year Award.

Joe Demarest and his role as director of community and civic engagement at Coe College is a match made in...upstate New York with a soccer ball nearby. Trading the soccer field for Coe’s nest, Joe is living his dream after joining Coe’s C3: Creativity, Careers, Community center four years ago as an internship specialist.

Coe College faculty and staff will receive paid time off to serve as poll workers on Election Day, November 3. The college is encouraging any employee interested to help support poll sites that may be facing staffing issues due to COVID-19.

Sisters (and Kohawks) Gretchen Oelrich ’19 and Leeann Oelrich ’16 share a passion for international travel, study and culture that has led them to share one more thing: the honor of receiving Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships.

With Coe’s wide range of classes and course flexibility, Sean customized his studies to fit his interests.

After witnessing the devastation of the August 10 derecho, Cedar Rapids native Maddye Cavanagh ’21 wanted to help her hometown and college town recover. As the Coe College Panhellenic Council Vice President of Philanthropy, Cavanagh organized a storm relief donation drive for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids and East Central Iowa.

Vice President for Advancement and Professor of Business Administration and Economics David Hayes will serve as interim president of Coe College. On January 1, 2021, Hayes will begin serving in this role, and current president Dave McInally will become chancellor to ensure continuity prior to McInally’s retirement in June.

Each year the crimson and gold leaves of autumn dress our campus in school spirit. This fall, campus also is beaming with Kohawk pride as Coe once again is recognized nationally by a multitude of college ranking sources.

Coe College is home to a vibrant visual and performing arts scene. Amid the challenges of a global public health crisis, Coe is committed to showcasing student and faculty work in the arts while maintaining the health and safety of our community. The 2020-2021 Arts@Coe season will be available virtually and, when safe to do so, in person. Here is a sampling of opportunities for alumni and friends of Coe to experience the Arts@Coe.

Coe College is one of the nation's best institutions for undergraduates to earn their college degree, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company profiles and recommends Coe in the 2021 edition of its annual college guide, “The Best 386 Colleges.”

Luke Smailes ’21, an economics major and Yoseloff Scholarship winner, represented Coe College with distinction at the 2020 Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Analytics Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, last March.

Hannah Daley ’20 excitedly anticipates her teaching adventure in Asia. Hannah, who majored in international business, Asian studies and English and minored in international economics, will be teaching English in Laos as part of the U.S. Fulbright program.

Maggie Welchhance ’08 jumped at the opportunity to play a key role in the defense against COVID-19. Currently working as a lab technician at Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) in Coralville, Iowa, she makes COVID-19 test kit components.

Rebecca Welch ’20, a physics major and National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellow, discovered her passion for glass research at Coe College.

An internship with FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) is the perfect opportunity for a public relations and kinesiology major like Marley Carviou ’22. Carviou is the first Kohawk chosen for this studio programming internship that is exclusive to Coe students and made possible by co-host of “FOX NFL Sunday” Curt Menefee ’87.

In spring 2018, Hayley Walton ’19 was a junior in Coe’s Advanced Experimental Psychology class. Two years later her work alongside Assistant Professor of Psychology Scout Kelly has culminated in publication.

Emergency department physician Sarah Hemming-Meyer ’05 is currently serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a member of East Central Iowa Acute Care, Hemming-Meyer works in the emergency department (ED) at UnityPoint Health - St. Luke’s Hospital.

Five Coe students have been selected as Clark Merit Scholars for the 2020-2021 academic year. This prestigious scholarship carries an award equal to one year's tuition. Clark Merit Scholars are chosen each year by a committee of two faculty members and one member of the Board of Trustees. Award recipients are chosen based on demonstrated qualities of character, integrity, intellect, leadership and social responsibility.