Amanda Elkins, attorney and director of UI’s Student Legal Services, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Lola Lopes Award for Undergraduate Student Advocacy. Elkins has built a reputation for compassion, care, and commitment to ensuring that students receive free, high-quality legal support.

Four Iowa faculty members — Casey DeRoo, Donika Kelly, Greg LeFevre, and Mary Weber — have been selected as recipients of the Iowa Mid-Career Faculty Scholar Awards for 2026. The award provides funding to tenured associate professors who have a national or international reputation in their disciplines and are exceptional teachers.

The University of Iowa has named Colin Gordon the recipient of the 2026 UI Distinguished Chair, honoring his remarkable scholarship, teaching, and service. Gordon, a leading historian of American public policy and political economy, joins a select group of UI faculty who have made a significant impact in their fields and at the university.

The 2026 Lola Lopes Award for Undergraduate Student Advocacy has been awarded to Amanda Elkins, attorney and director of Student Legal Services in the University of Iowa Division of Student Life.