Coe News & Features

Coe College Director of Athletics & Recreation Steve Cook announced the addition of women’s wrestling as an NCAA sport on July 30, and he is adamant Coe will be “all in” on building the program.

Beginning this academic year, students at Coe College can study risk management/insurance as a concentration within the college’s Stead Department of Business Administration & Economics. There is increasing demand for a risk management skill set, particularly across the insurance and financial industries. The growth is driven by global economic uncertainties, regulatory changes, changing weather patterns and increasing reliance on risk mitigation strategies.

With the aviation industry approaching an employment gap in critical positions across the field, CID has established the Aviation Workforce Development Campus (AWDC) at CID, partnering with Coe College and Kirkwood Community College to provide essential education and training.

The college is announcing its first online degree — a bachelor of arts in business administration with a strategic leadership concentration, offered through the Stead Department of Business Administration & Economics. The online degree will be an affordable route for those looking to improve their career readiness, and is designed specifically to be a flexible option for working students.

Coe College continues to cultivate the best opportunities for future pilots within its aviation management and flight operations program. A partnership with ATD Flight Systems brings an elevated level of experience and expertise to enrolled students who will be training out of the Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) while taking classes on Coe’s campus adjacent to downtown Cedar Rapids.

Kohawks stepping into nonprofit careers are becoming powerful forces for change in their communities. In choosing paths that prioritize purpose, these graduates embody the values of service, leadership and community entrenched in a Coe College education. They remind us of the power of channeling education, skills and passion into meaningful work and that success can be defined by the lives changed through their compassion and commitment to their neighbors.

This spring, Kat Davis was awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, which is sponsored by the United States Department of State. The scholarship provides financial assistance to students, facilitating opportunities to participate in study abroad programs and international internships. Davis is Coe’s sixth Gilman recipient in the past five years, which is particularly impressive considering there were 17,000 applicants and only 3,500 recipients this year.

Tyler Salrin ’25 is Coe College's newest National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. The fellowship will cover financial costs for three years of Salrin’s five year graduate study, which he will begin this fall within a material science and engineering graduate program after a second summer internship with SpaceX.

A prominent Eastern Iowa businessman, philanthropist and Coe College alumnus, as well as an accomplished current student will address the Class of 2025 during Coe’s Commencement Sunday, May 4. Forest Brown ’90, president of Brown's Family of Dealerships, will address Kohawk graduates as Coe College’s 2025 Commencement guest speaker. Celestte Panduro Orellana ’25 will address her classmates as the student speaker.

Two Coe College students will be the first to engage in an enlightening diplomatic internship. The immersive learning experience, named the Global Pathways Program, is a collaboration between Coe and the Consulate of the Republic of Kosovo in Des Moines, Iowa’s only foreign consulate. Supporting organizations include the Iowa Economic Development Authority, Iowa National Guard and the Iowa International Center.

Kohawk Sangai Dukuly ’25 is packing her bags as she prepares to join the Peace Corps in Sri Lanka in September, where she will be stationed for 27 months teaching English.

Retired President & CEO of Mercy Medical Center, Tim Charles, is teaching Exploration in Health and Society this term. Charles is thrilled to be bringing his wealth of expertise and experience into the Coe classroom. He is the latest prominent local industry leader to bring their first-hand knowledge and connections straight to Kohawks.

Coe College Associate Professor of English and National Fellowship Advisor Dr. Amber Shaw has been named an Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) Academic Leadership Fellow. Only 10 fellows were chosen, representing nine ACM institutions. Recipients of the fellowship are tenured faculty in the arts, humanities and humanistic social sciences.

Coe College’s Justice Learning Initiative will host its annual reentry simulation on Thursday, March 6, from 6:00-8:00 PM in rooms 218/219 of the Athletics & Recreation Complex (ARC) on the Coe campus. The public is invited, and there is no charge to attend.

We are proud to be partnering with a thriving airport for our aviation management and flight operations program. Kohawks at Coe’s aeronautical field station at the Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) will benefit from the bustling environment and all the associated hands-on opportunities, including a dedicated summer internship. The future of aviation is bright! Congratulations to our partners at CID!

Coe College held a heartfelt memorial event to honor the life and legacy of Dr. W. Kent “Doc” Herron, a beloved faculty member whose generosity continues to impact the institution. A major highlight of the event was the announcement of a remarkable gift — a nearly $4 million gift from Dr. Herron’s estate, which will endow a faculty chair and advance Coe’s academic mission through scholarships.

Coe College is the recipient of four grants through the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) Faculty Career Enhancement (FaCE) initiative. The grants are in conjunction with other ACM member colleges, and are meant to create original and valuable educational knowledge for faculty, staff and leaders across higher education.

Marty Lenss has a wealth of experience across the aviation spectrum, but he’s recently added another entry to his professional profile: professor. The airport director of the Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) is teaching the first introduction to aviation course at Coe, as the college launches its aviation management and flight operations program.

Coe College is pleased to announce physician-scientist, inventor, entrepreneur and investor Daniel Kraft, MD as the 2025 K. Raymond Clark Contemporary Issues Forum speaker. Kraft will be on Coe’s campus Tuesday, February 18 at 7:30 p.m., and his speaking engagement in Sinclair Auditorium is open to the public.

An awareness of health care disparities between urban and rural areas is driving a Coe College senior to take advantage of Coe’s 3+2 degree partnership program in public health. Hailey Meacham ’25 is a current Kohawk pursuing a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Health (MPH at the University of Iowa) dual degree, utilizing the expedited program which allows students to earn a bachelor's and MPH in just five years, compared to the usual six. Participating students are able to study the health care ecosystem deeply, but can enter the workforce earlier.