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here is no question that these are busy times in the world of
intercollegiate athletics. On one hand, you have important conversation
about topics like student-athlete well-being, "cost of attendance," and
unionization. On the other you have discussion about the coming College
Football Playoff, the "Big 5" conferences and the NCAA, and technology in
our stadiums.
At the moment we are also busy cheering the student-athletes who compete
in our spring sports through the end of their regular seasons, and into Big Ten
Conference and NCAA postseason competition while ramping up planning
for the 2014-15 athletics year.
At the University of Iowa, while keeping abreast of all that is swirling about
us, we are also doing what we do annually this time of year: Spending a good
chunk of our time thanking as many fans of the Hawkeyes as possible face-
to-face, handshake-to-handshake, as the National I-Club spring banquet tour
crisscrosses the state and Midwest.
e spring banquet tour has been a staple of our stewardship and outreach
efforts for decades. e best indication of its success is the fact that it has been
the model used by many of our peer institutions in the Big Ten Conference
and nationally to create their "tours."
An indication of the importance we place on this series of events is the priority
it has among our staff. All of our staff members have tremendous respect and
appreciation for the special relationship that exists between the Iowa Hawkeyes
and our fans, and they know in this age of emails and video chats and new
and social media, nothing is better than a "ank you" delivered personally.
e spring banquet tour is one of the best opportunities for our staff to do this
while entertaining you with a few jokes and providing personal insight into
their programs.
If you're a regular attendee of your local National I-Club spring event,
thank you. Your participation and support is greatly appreciated…and I look
forward to seeing you soon. If you haven't attended recently or have never
joined us, here's a link to the schedule: HERE.
Go Hawks!
It's I-Club Season
THE
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By GARY BARTA
