Women's wrestling, deans and building construction highlight new year at the University of Iowa

With classes kicking off next week at the University of Iowa, dorm move-in underway, and U-Hauls flying around town, a lot is happening around campus.

Here are a few things to keep an eye on as fall classes begin Monday, Aug. 21:

Women’s wrestling begins

Iowa women’s wrestling will make history during the 2023-24 season, establishing the nation's first NCAA Division I Power 5 women’s wrestling program.

The team is led by hall-of-fame wrestler Clarissa Chun, who spent five years as an assistant coach for the U.S. women’s wrestling team before being hired by the Hawkeyes in 2021.

She won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics at 48 kg and placed fifth at the 2008 summer games. She also won gold at the 2008 Senior World Championships.

Chun was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2022. She is one of four females inducted into the hall with distinguished member honors.

More: Jayce Foeller, a two-time national finalist, joins Iowa women's wrestling program

The roster boasts 11 freshmen, two Iowa natives, and wrestlers from Pennsylvania to Hawaii.

The new home for the UI’s men’s and women’s wrestling teams will open next to Carver-Hawkeye Arena in the summer of 2024.

The 38,500-square-foot Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center, which began construction in the summer of 2022, will house both the men’s and women’s wrestling teams, connected to Carver by an underground tunnel. The new building is roughly double the square footage of the current training space in the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex.

New deans head colleges of medicine, engineering

Denise Jamieson was recently named Vice President for Medical Affairs and dean of the Carver College of Medicine. She assumed her new role on Aug. 1.

Jamieson earned a bachelor’s from Pennsylvania University, an M.D. from Duke University and a Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also completed postgraduate education at the University of California in addition to her role as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer in the Division of Reproductive Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Jamieson hails from Emory University, where she was chair of the gynecology and obstetrics department. SHe succeeds Brooks Jackson, who resigned in 2022. The university searched thoroughly to fill the position, and even offered another candidate earlier this year.

Ann McKenna was named dean of the College of Engineering in June and will begin her new role Wednesday. McKenna was previously the vice dean of strategic advancement at the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University.

She holds a Ph.D. in engineering education from the University of California in 2001, returning to the Midwest after working as the director of education improvement in the College of Engineering at Northwestern University.

Art remains alive and well

The University of Iowa remains a hotbed for artists, and this year is no different.

From Brittany Howard and Rhiannon Giddens to Caroline Shaw, Jason Isbell and other award-winning performers, Hancher's 2023-24 performance season will surely be a hit.

More: A mix of Genres: Brittany Howard, Jason Isbell and Coco highlight Hancher's new season

The showcase begins Friday, Aug. 25, bringing the first week of classes to a close with Howard, lead singer of Alabama Shakes. Her solo act is scheduled alongside Oskaloosa, Iowa native Elizabeth Moen and Dawn Richard.

Hancher also will initiate the new Infinite Dream festival in mid-October, featuring performances and an artistic installation.

The full programming schedule for Hancher this year runs through June 2024 where more than 50 events will take place, from musical performances to lectures.

Iowa City's Summer of the Arts will offer performances through September, highlighted by their Friday night concerts in the Ped Mall. The full schedule is available online at https://summerofthearts.org/calendar/.

Iowa Memorial Union gets a makeover

Though a bulk of the Iowa Memorial Union's renovations to “better serve students” will take place next summer, a few minor projects begin this fall.

The building’s clothing closet and food pantry will have a new home on the first floor meant to improve visibility. Old Gold Creamery will also move in, providing students with additional access to ice cream.

Next summer’s renovations will add a new Well-Being and Mental Health Center, among other cosmetic changes. The renovations are estimated to cost $81.1 million funded through an additional student fee of less than $100 per semester.

Swan song for Mayflower dorm

The UI announced in February that it would seek to sell the long-time student housing space at Mayflower Residence Hall in order to build a new residence hall closer to the heart of campus.

The university listed the building for sale with a $45 million price tag, revealing plans for Mayflower to hand over possession as early as next summer. Meaning the upcoming academic year is the final time students will occupy the 55-year-old building.

More: The 55-year old Mayflower Residence Hall's sale is part of Iowa's push to centralize student housing

The UI has no buyer preference, though a real estate agent assisting with the sale said both the university and the city of Iowa City desire an owner who will care for the building.

The UI plans to start work on a new dorm once Mayflower is sold, which sits a mile from downtown Iowa City.

The impending sale will naturally reduce dorm capacity, the university said.

Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on Twitter @ryanhansen01.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: What to know for as University of Iowa students begin classes Aug. 21