The Hawkeye Life Program

Providing Student-Athletes with a Game Plan for Life

Hawkeye Life Program is an all-encompassing life skills student development model that enhances the student-athlete experience and helps today's Hawkeyes engage in the world around them. Student-athletes participate in nearly 10,000 hours of programming across five pillars of education and experiential learning:

The Hawkeye Life Program is an all-encompassing life skills student development model that enhances the student-athlete experience and helps today's Hawkeyes engage in the world around them. The program has five pillars

Academic success
Mid-American Energy Community Engagement
Health and well-being
Leadership
Career development

Your support will help us to continue to provide robust experiences for our student-athletes. Our goal is for Iowa's student-athletes to find success in competition, in the classroom, and in their future careers. You can help us continue to provide the level of support and service our Hawkeyes require. Please contact us at 319-335-3305 or iclub@foriowa.org for more information.

Please note: All naming opportunities are subject to the applicable policies and approval processes of the University of Iowa.

Information Guide

Academic Success

Supporting an Environment of Achievement

Nearly 90 percent of Iowa's student-athletes graduate within five years. They also boast a higher cumulative grade point average compared to traditional students, yet we know that many of our student-athletes still need to be better prepared for classroom and professional success.

To help our student-athletes receive a world-class experience, we need additional support. Your philanthropic guidance will help us continue to provide the level of support and service our Hawkeyes require.

How You Can Help

Endowed Academic Support

A gift of $1 million will create an endowed fund in support of student-athlete academic success and will allow you to name the academic success pillar. Earnings will be used, at the discretion of the Senior Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Academic Services and the Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair, to fund academic success initiatives.

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Funding Opportunities

A gift of $100,000 will create a named, endowed fund to support our tutoring program, or you can make a non-endowed gift of $40,000 to provide resources for these important services. Your support will further one of the most important academic services offered to our student-athletes. Cumulatively, they attend an average of 1,100 tutoring appointments per month and recording nearly 30,000 hours of tutoring inside the Gerdin Athletic Learning Center.
A gift of $115,000 will support graduate assistant positions dedicated to student retention. This support will help student-athletes receive individualized academic support, including those who participate in the Iowa LINK program, as well as implement software programs that assist them with composing term papers via dictation and address the larger challenges faced by student-athletes with learning challenges.
A gift of $25,000 will fund our scheduling software programming for one calendar year. This software helps athletic academic advisors, administrators, and tutors at the Gerdin Athletic Learning Center engage and support all student-athletes, with some specific applications for at-risk student-athletes.
A gift of $20,000 will allow the Gerdin Athletic Learning Center to purchase additional laptops to meet the needs of our student-athletes.

MidAmerican Energy Community Engagement

Making an Impact in Our Communities

Giving back to the local community is an important piece of the Iowa student-athlete experience. Our intercollegiate sports teams take incredible pride in their efforts to make a difference outside of competition, and it's something our student-athletes have been doing for more than 20 years.

Through the MidAmerican Community Engagement Pillar, an endowed fund within the Hawkeye Life Program, our student-athletes have the opportunity to excel as active role models and community leaders. Iowa's student-athletes contribute, on average, more than 3,000 hours annually to local communities through the Iowa Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (ISACC) Day of Caring, United Way, University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, and more.

The Hawkeye Life Program connects student-athletes with these worthwhile endeavors, and while these service projects greatly impact numerous organizations in local communities, they also help today's Hawkeyes become tomorrow's leaders.

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Funding Opportunities

A gift of $100,000 will create an endowed fund to support the ISAAC Day of Caring. In collaboration with United Way, all of Iowa's intercollegiate sports teams take part in the ISAAC Day of Caring, where student-athletes help various community organizations with their most pressing needs. Funds are used for supplies, transportation, and meals.
A gift of $20,000 will support the Coach for College civic engagement program, which helps student-athletes travel to Vietnam to teach school aged children various academic subjects, life skills, and sports.
A gift of $10,000 will support the annual purchase of craft supplies and small gifts that our student-athletes take when visiting patients at the UI Stead Family Children's Hospital. Our student-athletes value the opportunity to bring comfort and encouragement to the children, and often find themselves inspired and encouraged.
A gift of $5,000 will support the Hawkeye 5 Program, which encourages student-athletes to volunteer at least five hours each year. Funds are used for transportation and meals.

Health and Well-Being

A Holistic Approach to Wellness

With long days of competitions and practices, film sessions, travel, strength training, and more—while managing a rigorous academic workload—UI student-athletes lead extremely busy lives. They also face unique challenges and stressors that impact their academic and athletic success, as well as their overall well-being.

The UI Department of Intercollegiate Athletics aims to keep Hawkeye student-athletes healthy and safe. Through drug and alcohol use and addiction prevention education, healthy eating and body image counseling, injury recovery counseling, and more, the Hawkeye Life Program provides vital resources to help student-athletes manage stress and maintain health and wellness.

How You Can Help

Endowed Support for Health and Well-Being

A gift of $1 million will create an endowed fund in support of student-athlete health and well-being and will allow you to name this pillar. Earnings will be used at the discretion of the senior associate athletics director for student-athlete academic services and the Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair to fund health and well-being initiatives.

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Funding Opportunities

A gift of $100,000 will help the UI Department of Intercollegiate Athletics fund a position within sport performance. This can include, but is not limited to, nutrition, sports psychology, athletic training, and strength and conditioning.
An endowed gift of $100,000 will support nutritional costs. We spend $2 million annually on student-athlete training tables, supplemental food, black cards (debit cards that can be used at local restaurants), and our fueling stations, which feature smoothies, protein bars, sandwiches, and healthy hydration.
A gift of $20,000 will support the Health and Well-Being Outreach Committee. The committee creates yearly programming opportunities for student-athletes such as the De-StressFest during finals, our senior transition series, and invites special wellness-specific guest speakers.
A gift of $20,000 to support educational programming specific to alcohol harm and reduction, sexual assault and violence prevention education, bystander training, and myPlaybook online training modules.

Leadership

Today's Hawkeyes are Tomorrow's Leaders

Employers, now more than ever, want to hire leaders. Hawkeye student-athletes have every opportunity to become leaders among their teammates and peers. Through the Hawkeye Life Program, Iowa's student-athletes receive leadership opportunities in preparation to meet today's workplace and community leadership needs.

How You Can Help

Endowed Leadership Support

A gift of $1 million will create an endowed fund in support of student-athlete leadership initiatives, and to recognize your generosity, you will have the option to name the leadership pillar. Earnings will be used at the discretion of the senior associate athletics director for student-athlete academic services and the Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair, to fund leadership programming.

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Funding Opportunities

A gift of $200,000 would endow a leadership academy focused on providing specific, practical real-world communication tools, analytical skills, and hands-on opportunities to grow into leadership.
A gift of $10,000 to $25,000 annually could be used at the discretion of the Iowa Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as an investment in teaching, training, hands-on community service, and more. ISAAC leadership would assume responsibility to present their idea for the funding to the senior associate athletics director for student-athlete academic services and athletics leadership for approval. They would provide a follow up presentation about what was learned/accomplished once the money has been spent.
A gift of $10,000 annually would cover costs associated with the Athletic Transition Seminar.
A contribution of $10,000 annually would help us to host the Iowa Schools SAAC Conference— a statewide leadership conference for current and emerging student-athlete leaders in Division I, Division II, and Division III.

Career Development

Empowering, Preparing Student-Athletes for Strong Futures

Going pro is a dream many student-athletes aspire to achieve, but in reality, fewer than two percent of collegiate student-athletes play professionally, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association. That's why the UI places a high importance on graduation rates and providing student-athletes with numerous professional development opportunities.

The Hawkeye Life Program provides student-athletes with paths to employment through nontraditional channels. While we continue to put a focus on purposeful career planning, mock interviews, and personality assessments, professional development also means providing student-athletes with opportunities to practice real-world skills in controlled situations, gain insights regarding employment trends, interact extensively with professional mentors, and navigate in a professional environment.

How You Can Help

Endowed Professional Development Support

A gift of $1 million will create an endowed fund in support of student-athlete career development and will allow you to name the career development pillar. Earnings will be used, at the discretion of the senior associate athletics director for student-athlete academic services and the Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair, to fund programming for career development.

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Funding Opportunities

A gift of $500,000 will create an endowment in support of the Hawks to Professionals (H2P) program. Your support will allow student-athletes to take part in a paid, structured internship and job-shadowing program during the summer.
A gift of $200,000 will support a graduate assistant position for two years, focused on career development.
A gift of $12,500 will allow us to offer a financial literacy course, designed for freshman students as they prepare to move off campus and graduating senior student-athletes transitioning out of school.
A gift of $50,000 supports our licensing with Hawkeye Legacy app. Hawkeye Legacy is a way for current student-athletes to connect with Hawkeye Student-Athlete Alumni across all sports. They will have the ability to filter alumni by career path/occupation, location, and sport to provide mentorship and guidance to students as they pursue their various career paths.