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.