(Radio Iowa) – University of Iowa president Bruce Harreld — preparing to retire next year — predicts the competition among the state’s higher education community for scarce state support will escalate in coming years.  “Resources have been constrained for many a year,” Harreld says, “and they’re apt to stay that way.” The state’s community colleges, private colleges and universities as well as the three state-supported universities in Ames, Cedar Falls and Iowa City also will be competing for a smaller pool of potential students. That’s because the birth rate dropped during the so-called “Great Recession” of 2007 and 2008.

The number of high school graduates is projected to decline by 15 percent by 2026. “There is going to be a lot of hand-wringing here as some of these headwinds play themselves out,” Harreld says. “I’m worried that there could well be a struggle for a number of us.” Harreld says the University of Iowa should position itself as a “destination university” and compete for students internationally as well as in-state and around the U.S.

“The better we are, I think the better we’ll be able to weather the headwinds that are coming at us,” Harreld says. Harreld is a former business executive who was hired to lead the University of Iowa five years ago. A search for his successor has begun and Harreld has said he’ll stay in the job until his replacement is named.

(Radio Iowa) – An Algona High School student and her teacher are asking for the public’s help in finding information about a graduate of the school who died nearly 59 years ago. Marine Corps Private William George Turner died in 1941 following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Algona history teacher Brian Connick says he and his student, Isabelle Gibbs, haven’t been able to find any family still living in the area. “Basically, we know he graduated from Algona High School in 1936, so boy, if there was somebody out there that knew of someone that was from that graduating class or someone that might have known the Turner family or Mr. Turner himself, we would love to be able to sit down and talk to them and try to get a little richer understanding of who he was as an individual here in Algona.”

Connick and his student were scheduled to go to Hawaii this past June for an event sponsored by the National History Day organization, but the trip has been postponed until next June, due to the pandemic. Connick’s student is scheduled to give a eulogy for Private Turner at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, where he is buried. “That eulogy is going to include information from his background living here in Algona, his military life,” Connick says, “his training and his service in World War II which is unfortunately very short because of his injuries that took place at Pearl Harbor and his subsequent death of December 12th of 1941.”

Connick and Gibbs are one of 16 student-teacher teams that will travel to Hawaii next summer to take part in the “World War II in the Pacific Student-Teacher Institute.” “Boy, we’d love to hear from anyone that knew Private Turner,” Connick says. Turner was born in February of 1919 and was 22 when he died at Pearl Harbor. The Mason City Globe-Gazette reported at the time that Turner was the first Algona citizen to die in the war. The newspaper account listed his mother, brothers named Robert and Lee and a sister named Ruth as his survivors.

(Radio Iowa) – While Thanksgiving is usually a time of gathering for feasts with friends and families, this year’s pandemic has demolished many of those hopes and happy times. Mary Limas  is a therapist with the Senior Life Solutions program at Van Diest Medical Center in Webster City. Limas says we all need to be watchful of warning signs in those around us, especially our older loved ones.  “When you know someone might be depressed, you want to be there for that person and it may mean more than being there to listen,” Limas says. “If they need treatment, it’s important to be supportive. Help them stick to the treatment plan. Make sure they stay in touch with the professionals, the therapists.”

Time is one of the most valuable commodities we can share, she says, and if you can even make a brief call to someone who’s isolated, it could help them a great deal.  “Whether it’s during the holidays or once a week, if you’re able to take the time to visit with them, it’s important,” Limas says. “Take any threats or casual mentions of death or suicide seriously. Know important emergency phone numbers, such as the hotlines, the hospital, 911.”

Due to COVID-19, many of us have lost friends or relatives to the disease and we’re missing out on our usual activities — and special events, like a big Thanksgiving dinner. Limas says loss can be a significant stressor.  “For many, it’s a loss of loved ones but also a loss of tradition and routines,” Limas says. “Many people can feel more isolated and alone and they may feel bombarded by messages about the way of life and how families should be this time of year.”

She says to try and focus on positive memories as well as the here-and-now and zero in on the blessings of today.