UPPER IOWA UNIVERSITY

Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees Emeritus Members

Betty Andres

Alumna Betty Andres is a 1946 graduate of Upper Iowa University, earning a degree in elementary education. A devoted teacher, she is also committed to ensuring the highest quality education to students at Upper Iowa University and has dedicated her time and resources to enhancing the UIU learning environment. This successful, generous alumna is someone who has never forgotten about her alma mater.

Betty proudly served as a member of the UIU Board of Trustees for nearly 20 years and in the capacity of vice chair for 13 of those years (1990-2003). It was during the mid-1990s that Betty, in conjunction with her late husband, Bill, noticed a physical deterioration of the Fayette campus. An educator at heart, Betty is well aware of the psychological effects of one’s learning environment and the emotional affect that poor physical characteristics of the campus could have on both current and prospective students. As a result, Betty and Bill spearheaded a revitalization campaign of the Fayette campus, researching and supervising the design and development of the campus’ master landscaping plan. Not overlooking the need for artistic stimulation, Betty personally studied and met with artists before selecting 13 original sculptures that enhance the campus grounds today.

Betty and Bill’s vision and benevolence in completing the Fayette campus renovation led to even more improvements—the construction of Grace Meyer Square, a football stadium, a women’s softball complex, and the Andres Center for Business and Education.

In 2000 Bill passed away, but Betty continued to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees and to champion the University. She saw the Andres Center for Business and Education as an important academic need to support the UIU business and education degree programs, which were thriving and in dire need of more space. With the help of fellow board member, the late Jerry McCauley, ‘61, and Betty’s emphasis on effective learning environments, they thoroughly researched the elements that would need to be included in this new building for an optimal learning environment. The latest technology was installed so UIU education graduates could have an edge when they began teaching their own students. The environment continues to offer UIU business and education students few distractions to interfere with learning and is designed as a comfortable, relaxed, and aesthetically pleasing atmosphere.

Betty Andres is an exemplary representative and spokesperson for Upper Iowa University that extends well beyond the borders of the Fayette Campus. In her home state of Minnesota, the William & Betty Andres Foundation has been established. This nonprofit, charitable organization has helped numerous local causes through gifts, grants, and loans through the years.

In February 2009, Betty was named trustee emerita and that same year was presented with the Service to the University Award at the Homecoming alumni banquet. In 2010, Betty was given an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Upper Iowa University.

Dr. Kurt Wood

A native of Oelwein, Iowa, Wood is a 1976 summa cum laude graduate of Upper Iowa University and a 1979 graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic. Having established a private practice in west central Wisconsin in 1979, Dr. Wood accepted a faculty position at Northwestern Health Sciences University – College of Chiropractic in 1987, serving in various faculty and administrative positions. Since 2006 he has served as Vice Chancellor for Clinic Affairs at Palmer College of Chiropractic, responsible for clinic operations and clinical education at Palmer’s California, Florida, and Iowa campuses.

Credentialed as a diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management and the American Board of Disability Analysts, and certified in healthcare compliance by the Healthcare Compliance Association, Wood has served on the District 8 Investigative Committee – Office of Lawyer Regulation, Wisconsin Supreme Court. For his service as an Upper Iowa University trustee for 17 years, Wood was named trustee emeritus.