
A brief history
The Obermann Center is named in honor of University of Iowa Professor Emeritus C. Esco Obermann and his wife Avalon L. Obermann for their generous financial commitments, their tremendous enthusiasm for interdisciplinary endeavors, and their many years of loyalty and devotion to the University of Iowa. In the mid-seventies, the Obermanns, President Sandy Boyd, and Vice President D. C. Spriestersbach discussed the idea of an institute that would encourage the exchange of ideas among researchers from many disciplines and institutions. That idea was formalized as University House in 1978 and then, nurtured by generous funding from Esco and Avalon and from the Vice President for Research, grew into the University of Iowa Center for Advanced Studies in 1990. In 1993, with great ceremony and celebration, it was renamed the C. Esco and Avalon L. Obermann Center for Advanced Studies.
Our Mission
The Obermann Center for Advanced Studies (OCAS) is a crucial part of the research infrastructure of the University of Iowa. Our goal is to gather an inspiring intellectual and artistic community that bridges the campus and the larger world. The Center strives to be a supportive, inclusive, equitable convening space dedicated to rigorous, mutually respectful debate and discovery. Our grants for University of Iowa artists and scholars support imaginative collaborations and multi-disciplinary exploration. Our programming connects scholars across campus and engages the larger public in the ambitious, illuminating, and transformative work of the artists and scholars we serve.
Browse our website for programs, events, articles, and application deadlines.
Serving a unique role at the University of Iowa
Situated in an old house on the north end of campus, we provide offices for six Fellows-in-Residence each semester, scholars who have supported leave. Other Obermann programs provide funding and staffing for a major annual humanities conference, small group collaborations, and faculty book completion workshops to name a few. In addition, the Center is a nexus for University-community activities, including lectures, workshops, and performances.
The Obermann Center falls under the auspices of the Office of the Vice President for Research. The Obermann Center Director reports to the Vice President for Research and is advised by a faculty-based Advisory Board.
Obermann Center programs are designed to:
—Create an intellectual community that values interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches and the rigorous thought, long hours, and great passion at the heart of artistic and scholarly excellence.
—Support the work of University of Iowa artists, researchers, and scholars when creative and research projects demand concentrated effort.
—Foster imaginative interdisciplinary collaborations across disciplines, institutions, and world locations.
—Inspire faculty and graduate students to experiment with new ideas, approaches, methods, partnerships, and forms for sharing knowledge and resources.
—Broaden and deepen the impact of the Obermann Center’s support by encouraging faculty members and graduate students to share discoveries through new and re-imagined courses and curricula.
—Connect the campus with city, state, and global communities through public programming and support for networks of artists, scholars, researchers, local citizens, and international colleagues.
Resources & Guides
Resources & Guides
These reports document years of arts, engagement, scholarship, and intellectual community.
Obermann Center logos
- Grayscale logo with transparent background
- Color logo with transparent background
- Reversed logo with transparent background
- Obermann/University of Iowa Lockup (for external collaborations)
Teresa Mangum (Director) photos and CV
- Teresa portrait photo (.jpg) — If you require a high-res photo for print use, please e-mail obermann-center@uiowa.edu.
- Teresa delivering lecture (.jpg)
- CV (pdf)
Sample event press release for area newspapers
Sample op-eds for area newspapers
- "Immigration Then and Now: From German Iowans to Today's Refugees" by Glenn Ehrstine, co-director of German Iowa & the Global Midwest (the 2016 Obermann Humanities Symposium); printed in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, 3/6/17
- "Uncovering Iowa's German legacy of language, gymnastics and beer" by H. Glenn Penny, co-director of German Iowa & the Global Midwest (the 2016 Obermann Humanities Symposium); printed in Little Village, 9/20/16
- "Iowa Has Deep German Roots" by H. Glenn Penny, co-director of German Iowa & the Global Midwest (the 2016 Obermann Humanities Symposium); printed in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, 9/21/16
- "Investigating Our Role in the 'Anthropocene'" by Tyler Priest, co-director of Energy Cultures in the Age of the Anthropocene (the 2015 Obermann Humanities Symposium); printed in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, 2/28/15
- "Attempting to Answer Anthropocene Questions" by Erica Damman and Barbara Eckstein, co-director of Energy Cultures in the Age of the Anthropocene (the 2015 Obermann Humanities Symposium); printed in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, 3/3/15
We've put together a guide to hotels, transportation, restaurants, shopping, arts, and entertainment in the Iowa City area.
- The Obermann "Sieve" — A project decision tool (PDF)
- Supervisor Approval Form for applying to Oberman programs (PDF)