A University of Iowa Homecoming tradition, this year’s corn monument pays homage to the south endzone of Kinnick Stadium. The design features a faux brick façade mimicking Kinnick Stadium, including the stadium arches and statue of Nile Kinnick. Enhanced lighting illuminates the state of Iowa outline and “IOWA” lettering, making the monument a spectacle even after dark. The scoreboard design displays “Iowa 1,000,000, Northwestern 0,” a nod to the “Hawks by a million” tagline.
The monument is organized by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Student Chapter, with the planning, design, and construction led by senior civil engineering major and corn monument director Gabriel Baird. Baird also chose to include the ANF logo because of a personal connection, honoring his grandfather and other Iowa farmers.
The project, supported by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering, involved extensive planning and collaboration.
“This experience has been truly one-of-a-kind and an incredible learning experience,” Baird said. “It has taught me countless valuable lessons, from leadership and team management to project planning, problem-solving, adaptability, budgeting, and scheduling.”
Baird expressed his deepest gratitude to everyone involved in this year’s corn monument, including: Brandon Barquist, IIHR’s shop manager; Colin Meehan and Fernando Carillo, assistant corn monument directors; Rick Fosse, CEE faculty advisor; Jennifer Rumping, CEE administrator; everyone who volunteered their time during the build days; and the sponsors who helped make the monument possible.
“This is a great opportunity for all of our students, from first-year through graduate, to collaborate on a project together,” said Fosse. “I see huge value in this each year, watching them apply many of the things they are learning in the classroom, and they have a great time doing it.”
History of the corn monument
The corn monument has been a symbol of school spirit, engineering prowess, and creativity off-and-on since its inception in 1914.
Some of the monuments have reflected current events on campus and globally. The 1950s monuments depicted the space race, while the 1940s focused on World War II efforts. In 1947, no corn was used to comply with President Truman’s post-war food conservation program. More recent local history is also evident, such as the Tigerhawk in the 1980s and the Iowa Wave in 2018. Some monuments were even burned in a bonfire ceremony at the week’s end.
The tradition continued annually until the 1960s, when interest waned. It was revived in 1981 and made sporadic appearances until 2014, when the UI student chapter of the ASCE built a 25-foot monument using about 1,100 ears of corn.
