Michael

My heart goes out to my friends and former colleagues at the UI Foundation who lost a leader and friend to cancer on Sunday. Michael New lead the organization through a period of immense growth, which alternately felt exhilarating for its reach and ambition and as awkward as an adolescent growing too fast. But teenagers mature, and Michael's natty and confident leadership helped pull us through a campaign of unprecedented proportions for a school of Iowa's size. The image of him in his pressed jeans and starched Oxford shirts on Saturdays at the office is one that will stick with me forever. I hope he enjoyed those Saturdays, and took pride in what he accomplished and what he motivated us all to accomplish, too.