About This Project

Synonymous with this project is collaboration.  We started with each class member researching and writing an article about a specific year of the Iowa State Daily, it was then through a collaborative effort that each decade worked together to create one article detailing the events and context of that decade.  The collaboration has continued with our web team from another journalism class helping to create the images and layout of this website.

As I reflect of this experience, I can’t help in thinking:  what a great teachable moment.  This project has given one journalism class and shortly all internet-users an opportunity to learn about the history of the Iowa State Daily and University.  In researching my year, I was impressed by how “alive” this college has been from the beginning.  The professors have been innovative and always looking for ways to add to the body of knowledge through research with an emphasis on the academic programs offered here.

Starting as an undergraduate at Iowa State and now as a graduate student, there is an increased sense of pride, I feel when walking through central campus.  I notice buildings such as Beardshear Hall, Curtiss Hall, and Catt Hall and although these buildings represent people who have left their imprint on Iowa State University.  This is just the beginning, there is also a great history behind each of them, one of honor, others of prestige and still others of turmoil and compromise.

In looking at this Web site, I hope that you will see how a student newspaper and the University for which it is apart are directly related.  That the events the newspaper chooses to write about have effected the direction of the University and its policy and in turn have a greater respect for the job of those reporters, editors, and advisors.  Unlike any other, the Iowa State Daily is a student-run newspaper that has been at the cutting edge of college journalism.

If you didn’t look closely, you, like I did as an undergraduate could go through your entire academic program and not even realize what you are a part of.  This University has been the pride and joy of Ames and the state of Iowa since its conception and has continued to grow as one of the premier academic institutions.  I hope that by looking at this website, you too, can feel the excitement and suspense of our history which has surrounded this University for more than 100 years.