College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

yellow coneflower in the foreground and Old Capitol in the background

Summer is often a quieter season on campus, but it's also a time of momentum across CLAS.

This month, we're celebrating new beginnings, contributions of faculty and staff, and alumni building community. You'll also find opportunities to enjoy music, literature, and the arts before the fall semester begins.

Thank you for everything you do to support our students, colleagues, and the mission of the college. We hope you're finding time to recharge, and we look forward to sharing more stories with you throughout the year.

CLAS announcements

A five-panel photo collage bordered in Hawkeye gold: a tall interior view of Bamberg Cathedral's Gothic vaulted nave on the left, paired on the right with a student pointing at an illustration in a centuries-old rare book, a student writing Ancient Greek verb forms on a whiteboard, a group of students gathered outside Saint Raphael Orthodox Church, and a professor holding up a small painted Tibetan prayer wheel while teaching.

A new chapter for two CLAS departments

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is bringing together two departments that have long helped students understand the ancient world and its lasting influence.

Image: Old Capitol at night with fireworks in the sky

Employee updates

Several new staff members and one faculty member joined CLAS in June. View last month's employee updates and help us welcome our newest colleagues.

Featured achievements

Statistics professor Luke Tierney earns prestigious Rousseeuw Prize

Statistics professor emeritus Luke Tierney is one of five recipients of the $1 million Rousseeuw Prize for Statistics, recognizing the R Core Team's contributions to the open-source R Project that transformed statistical computing and data science worldwide.

CLAS alumnus Tony Tran explores language, culture, and connection

English and creative writing alumnus Tony Tran uses language to build community and examine the human side of technology. Learn how his experiences at Iowa continue to shape his work as a senior editor at Slate and founder of Chicago's Viet Coffee Chats.

Spotlight CLAS

professional individual portraits of Jovana Davidovic, Paul Dilley, Mark Berardi, Brett Johnson

CLAS faculty at the forefront of AI education at Iowa

Faculty in CLAS are helping lead AI education as the University of Iowa's new AI certificate rolls out to undergraduate students this fall.

Jake Mayer champions student success in CLAS

Journalism and cinema alumnus Jake Mayer combines storytelling, marketing, and mentorship as student success and engagement coordinator in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Upcoming events

Four musicians perform on stage before a seated audience, playing two violins, a cello, and percussion. Behind them, a large digital backdrop glows with purple, green, and white abstract patterns, illuminating the concert hall.

Hancher Auditorium's 2026–2027 Season Ticket Sales

Monday, July 20, 2026

Starting at 10:00 a.m.

Online

Tickets for Hancher Auditorium’s exciting 2026–27 events go on sale soon. Highlights for the upcoming season include a concert from Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, a groundbreaking performance with the Kronos Quartet, two festivals, Broadway shows, and more.

The circular Prairie Lights Books sign hangs outside the bookstore in downtown Iowa City.

Live from Prairie Lights: Rogue Workshops Faculty Reading

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

6:30–8:00 p.m.

Prairie Lights Books

Prairie Lights will host a special faculty reading featuring writers from the inaugural Authors at Large Iowa City Rogue Workshops. The evening will feature new and recent work by Xu Xi, Kelly Dwyer, Robin Hemley, Mary Allen, and Hugh Ferrer.