Upper Iowa University (UIU) is a private university in Fayette, Iowa. It enrolls around 6000 students and offers distance education programs that include 15 centers in the U.S., an online program, an independent study program, and centers in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. UIU has a total student enrollment of more than 6,000 students. Upper Iowa offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs with 29 undergraduate majors, including art, business, conservation management, education, human services, information technology, liberal arts, math, nursing, psychology, science, and 6 graduate programs. It operates on two eight-week terms per semester, allowing students to take two classes per term. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. UIU is the only NCAA Division II Athletics Program in the state of Iowa and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). History In 1854, Elizabeth Alexander, a pioneer living near what is now Fayette, Iowa, proposed the idea of a college to her husband, Robert, who donated $10,000 toward the cause. Their son-in-law, Samuel Robertson, donated $5,000 and of land. In 1856, the first Board of Trustees meeting was held; articles of Incorporation were adopted; and classes began January 7, 1857. The university was affiliated with the Methodist Church until 1928. In 1861, a company of male students and faculty members enlisted in the Army to fight in the American Civil War. Student-soldiers participated in 17 major battles, carrying a flag hand-sewn by UIU women students. In 1917, UIU male students joined the armed forces during World War I, while women students organized American Red Cross classes on campus; the UIU gym became a barracks, and the athletic field was the scene of military drills. By 1920, a systematic program of extension work throughout northeast Iowa had begun, with Upper Iowa referred to as "a pioneer in the field." Those students who joined the service to fight in World War II took advantage of the G.I. Bill to complete their education, which dramatically increased Upper Iowa enrollment between 1947 and 1950. Record enrollments were also seen after the Vietnam War (1952–1970). In 1972, Upper Iowa launched an external degree program that included Independent Study and Online Programs. In 1978, Darcy C. Coyle was named president, a post in which he served until 1984, when he became President Emeritus. In 1984 to present, UIU expanded to open locations across the U.S. Upper Iowa was approved by the Higher