For Jane Roth, the connection to the University of Iowa started with her mother and father—and it’s continued to grow thanks to her commitment to helping students be as successful as possible during their time on campus and beyond.
Roth recently completed her one-year term as chair of the Libraries Advancement Council (LAC), which actively champions the Libraries and provides guidance and feedback to help the UI Center for Advancement’s (UICA) effort to increase support through fundraising, advocacy, and engagement. She’s been a member of the group since it started near the end of 2020.
“I’m proud of serving on the Council from its inception and also having the chance to serve as chair,” says Roth, from Leesburg, Virginia. “From preservation to providing the latest in online resources, fostering excellence and student success is at the forefront of everything the Libraries does. It makes a real impact because it touches all areas of campus, and I believe I’ve made a difference too, which is important to me.”
Roth’s mother, Bernice “Bunny” Havlicek, earned a GN degree from the College of Nursing in 1940 and her father, Frank, earned a BS in physical education in 1948. Frank also served as the as the business manager of Athletics and held a contest for a new university mascot in 1948. In fact, it was drawings of the winner—the beloved Herky the Hawk—that first connected Roth to the Libraries. She and her mother donated the Dick Spencer III Collection of Herky Pen and Ink Drawings to the University Archives in Frank’s memory in 2016.
A gift from Roth to the Libraries also provides funding to employ graduate students who are dedicated to special projects. Some of their work includes curating an exhibit showcasing the evolution of Herky and collecting student life archival materials. Currently, Anastasia Scholze-Wang is processing photos, drill charts, and video recordings from the Hawkeye Marching Band records so they can be digitized.
Row 1: LeAnn Lemberger, Amy Sullivan, Linda “Lin” Phillips, and Virginia Eichacker. Row 2: Aaron Schaefer; Tom Rocklin; Jane Roth; and Barbara McFadden. Row 3: Christie Krugler; John Culshaw, Jack B. King university librarian; and Paula Wiley, UICA associate director of development, Libraries.
“Providing opportunities for students is very important to me,” says Roth. “Anastasia’s work is also an example of how the Libraries has ties across the university and lifts up other areas on campus.”
And one of those areas is the College of Nursing. Roth also serves on its Campaign Advisory Board and the Bernice Weede Havlicek Scholarship has supported more than 15 students since it was established in in 2014.
Now as Roth reflects on her time serving as the LAC chair, she says she’s looking forward to continuing to serve as a champion for the Libraries.
“It all comes back to the Libraries because everything is connected,” says Roth. “It’s about meeting students’ needs while never losing sight of the past and traditions that brought us here.”
Christie Krugler, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is now serving as chair of the LAC and Linda “Lin” Phillips, Norwalk, Iowa, is vice chair.
The Council’s next meeting is scheduled for October 2024.
The LAC recognized Roth’s service as chair during its spring 2024 meeting.
In her honor, the Libraries added to Special Collections a copy of Lippincott’s Hand-book of Nursing for Family and General Use, one of the first manuals of nursing printed as the career was codified in the late 19th century. A poster encouraging young women to join the United States Cadet Nurses Corp, a WWII entity that saw over 100,000 women join the profession and war effort, was also added. Roth’s mother, Bunny, was working on Dec. 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was bombed, and the impact was felt even in Iowa.
The book and poster were purchased in honor of Roth’s service by the Friends of the University of Iowa Libraries.
More than 50 original drawings by Dick Spencer III of Herky that were donated by Roth and her mother are available to view online through the Iowa Digital Library.