The Women Impacting ISU calendar will be celebrating a special anniversary in 2026.
First published in 2007, the Women Impacting ISU calendar honors current Iowa State University students, faculty and staff who are making a significant positive impact on campus. To mark the 20th year of the calendar, the Catt Center will be publishing a commemorative edition that will feature women who had left Iowa State before the first calendar was created.
“We are excited by this opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of Iowa State women from throughout the university’s history,” said Sue Cloud, communications specialist at the Catt Center and coordinator of the calendar. “Women were part of Iowa State’s first freshman class (37 of the 173 students) and were members of its staff from the university’s founding in 1858, and the first courses taught by a female instructor were in 1871.”
If you have nominated someone for the Women Impacting ISU calendar in the past, you will notice that the nomination and selection process for the 2026 calendar is different than for past calendars.
For the 2026 calendar, only women who had graduated from or left employment with Iowa State before 2007 is eligible to be nominated. We particularly encourage nominations of women who are not already widely recognized on campus for their contributions.
Another difference for the 2026 calendar is that nominations may be submitted by two individuals or one campus unit. As in the past, individuals nominators do not need to be employed by Iowa State or be an Iowa State student.
Information needed for each nomination includes contact information for the nominator(s), contact information for the nominee (if living), when the nominee was at Iowa State, and a description of why your nominee should be honored on the calendar (1,500-character limit, including spaces).
Instructions for nominating someone and a link to the nomination form are available on the Catt Center website. Completed nominations must be received by the end of the day on Sunday, Sept. 28.
To select the 2026 calendar honorees, voting will be opened to the entire Iowa State community. In early October, instructions on how to vote and a link to access the ballot will be distributed via email to everyone with an Iowa State email address.
Publication of the calendar is coordinated by the Catt Center, with funding provided by the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost.