UNI teaching alums recognized with 2025 Yager Exemplary Teaching Award

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa- Two UNI teaching alumni earned recognition for their service to the education field when they recently received the University of Northern Iowa Dr. Robert E. and Phyllis M. Yager Exemplary Teaching Recognition Award.

The award, sponsored by the Robert and Phyllis Yager Education Fund for Excellence, is intended to recognize exemplary teaching in K-12 schools by University of Northern Iowa alumni. Awardees are nominated by UNI faculty and selected based on documentation of outstanding teaching and learning.

Recipients of this year's award include:

• Matthew McLellan (Music Education BM, 2014), director of orchestras at Waverly-Shell Rock High School in Waverly, Iowa
• Emily Borcherding (Math BA & Spanish BA, 2007, Post-Secondary Education Student Affairs MA, 2012), virtual mathematics teacher at Expo Alternative Learning Center in Waterloo, Iowa

The awards were conferred during a ceremony on Oct. 31, held on the UNI campus. This award is sponsored by the family of the late Dr. Robert Yager, a UNI alum and nationally recognized science educator.

"These award recipients exemplify the very best of what it means to be an educator," said Mary Black, Dean of the UNI College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences. "Their passion, innovation and commitment to student success reflect the legacy of Dr. Yager and the values that continue to define our university's impact in classrooms across Iowa and beyond."

The University of Northern Iowa, where 1 in 4 students are teaching majors, has prepared more educators than any other program in Iowa for generations. UNI has more than 20 teaching majors and a broad range of high-demand minors and endorsements. More than 10,000 alumni are practicing teachers in all 99 counties in Iowa.