Kathy Schuh, a professor of Learning Sciences and Educational Psychology and director of the Education Studies and Human Relations (ESHR) major, was recently presented with a 2025 Hancher-Finkbine faculty award.
“I was both surprised and humbled to receive the Hancher-Finkbine award,” says Schuh. “There are so many faculty in our College of Education who exemplify leadership, learning, and loyalty—I’m honored to represent them and the work that we collectively do.”
These awards, which are among the most prestigious at the University of Iowa, were created to recognize extraordinary alumni, staff, students, and faculty.
Award winners are presented with Hancher-Finkbine medallions, which represent exemplary dedication in learning, leadership, and loyalty, as inscribed on each medallion.
“Dr. Schuh’s exceptional leadership, commitment to learning, and unwavering loyalty to her profession, colleagues, and students make her a deserving recipient of the Hancher-Finkbine faculty award,” says Martin Kivlighan, professor and chair, Psychological and Quantitative Foundations. “I sincerely could not think of a more appropriate and deserving faculty member to receive this award.”
How it started
In 1917, William Finkbine and Carl Kuhnle hosted an inaugural awards dinner to recognize contributions of men in the UI student, faculty, and staff community. In 1921, Finkbine’s daughter, Dorothy Finkbine Souers, and her aunts introduced a similar dinner for women. The events were combined in 1972 and are supported by an endowment established by the elder Finkbine, as well as other alumni, friends, and the UI Center for Advancement.
How it’s going
Schuh and other award recipients were presented with their medallions at the 108th anniversary dinner celebration on April 8, 2025, at the Iowa Memorial Union.