The IOWA Challenge puts academic achievement first, emphasizing that the university expects students to excel—and that the commitment to excellence comes from students themselves.

The following tips can help students meet this challenge:

• Set and pursue ambitious academic objectives that advance your overall goals and challenge your abilities. Setting goals is a great way to stay focused and motivated.
• You’re responsible for your own success, but university advisors, faculty mentors, and others can help you define your goals and determine how to meet them.
• Use campus resources early and often—don’t wait until it’s too late, and don’t hesitate to ask for assistance. Knowing when to seek help shows that you’re committed to your goals.
• Stay active in class and beyond. Interact with your instructors, ask questions, take advantage of office hours, and get involved in research.

Living and learning in a new environment are central to a University of Iowa education and to the principles established in The IOWA Challenge. The range of people, ideas, and opportunities at the university help UI students learn from each other, discover personal goals, and develop essential skills for education, life, and work:

• All of us achieve our best only in an environment that respects differences in backgrounds, perspectives, and beliefs.
• Be open to considering new ideas that challenge your personal viewpoints—hear people out, and listen without judgment.
• Actively seek out ways to meet people who are different from you.
• Take classes in subjects you haven’t studied before, and find things to do on and off-campus that you’ve never tried.

The Kelly S. Bender Choose Award: Many UI students are learning to make decisions that affect not only their college experiences but also their lives beyond the University. The IOWA Challenge urges students to make choices deliberately and thoughtfully, keeping overall goals in sight.

In 2015, the Office of the Vice President for Student Life and the Office of the Provost renamed the Choose Award the Kelly S. Bender Choose Award, in celebration of Kelly’s life and in recognition of her dedication to alcohol harm reduction work at the University of Iowa and in our surrounding communities. Embodying the spirit of this award, Kelly was a consistent voice behind the important message to students that they take their choices seriously and approach their new-found freedoms wisely. Under Kelly's direction, we achieved significant progress in harm reduction and a substantial increase in student involvement in harm reduction efforts. We all can be proud of Kelly’s time as a professional staff member in the Office of the Vice President for Student Life and her lasting impact on the University of Iowa, our surrounding communities, and the lives of countless students.

You can live Kelly's legacy, too, when you:

• Choose a path that’s right for you—don’t let others choose for you, and surround yourself with people who support your choices.
• As a student, you’ll be asked to set priorities and make choices in new ways. It’s okay to make mistakes but learn from the consequences of your decisions.
• become a UI student can be liberating, but the demands can be unexpected, exhausting, and sometimes stressful. Learn when to seek advice or assistance.
• Don’t be afraid to take risks that help you explore your goals, but don’t feel obligated to do things that aren’t in your best interests.

A University of Iowa education takes place both within and beyond the classroom, and The IOWA Challenge calls on students to be active participants in campus and community life:

• Co-curricular activities, volunteer service, and employment complement classroom education—they can even help you be a better student.
• Getting involved helps you form friendships and support networks that make a big school seem smaller.
• Campus and community activities help you develop leadership, teamwork, and other skills that will prove beneficial for the rest of your life.
• Take the initiative and learn what inspires you. Then you can focus on one or two activities that are personally meaningful and give them your all.
• Be fully engaged in your classes, too—form study groups, talk about the material and interact with your instructors.

UI students contribute not just to their university, but to their larger communities, too. Service and citizenship offer opportunities for growth, lessons for a lifetime, and feelings of accomplishment:

• Contributing to the community where you live provides a sense of belonging and leaves each place better than you found it.
• As a student, you’re an ambassador for the university and for your fellow students—let your actions show your respect and Hawkeye pride.
• Make service a regular part of your life, and give back to campus and community in ways you can be proud of.
• Lead by example every day. You don’t have to be president of a student organization to be a true leader.