Overall, the University of Northern Iowa Campanile is a remarkable symbol, both of the success of the early years of the Iowa State College and of the environment it provides for students. It stands today as a symbol for prospective and current undergraduates, graduate students, parents, faculty, staff, and alumni of how the dedication of a few individuals in 1876 grew into an institution that instructs over 13,000 students every year. To alumni, it stands as a memorial of their college days, when they were young and free from many of the responsibilities associated with families and jobs. To current students, it symbolizes how dedication and perseverance can lead to great things, regardless of the cost or obstacle. The UNI Campanile is a time-honored memorial that was built, as the inscription around the base reads, "In Memory of Founders and Builders of Iowa State Teachers College."³¹ This is a truly fitting inscription for such a stately structure; one that puts in a few words everything that the campanile was, and has come to be, for the University of Northern Iowa.

Written by Darik Anderson

Fall 1998

Edited by Amy Stover