About Iowa Association of Student Councils

History of IAStuCo

The Iowa Association of Student Councils came to an end in the late 1960s as a riot almost broke out at the state convention. The 1960s were a time of protests, and when shouts, jeers, and general mayhem ensued at the state convention during the election of officers, the state organization was abandoned.

In the late 1970s, there was a desire to have a state meeting for student councils again. Jim Ferguson of Iowa City was put in charge of these conventions. The first meeting occurred in 1980 at the Student Union on the Iowa State University campus. There were about 100 people in attendance, and the father of the student council, Earl Reum of Colorado, was the speaker. The conference continued to grow until it moved to C.Y. Stephens Auditorium and Hilton Coliseum.

The National Student Council Association continued to have national conventions. Several schools from Iowa attended these with three schools regularly attending–Centerville, Ottumwa, and Atlantic. At one of these early 80s conventions, they discussed organizing a state association. Mary O’Brien Orman of Ottumwa became the moving force during the 80s to start the state association. In 1985, a board was appointed to set up the state organization, and Mary Orman became the state executive director.

During the late 1980s, there were no officers, but those who attended the national convention took turns being the Master of Ceremonies at the state convention. They developed a Student Council Advisor of the Year award in 1986 so that more individuals would want to become advisors. This was followed by a spring advisor’s conference to help advisors share information and learn new leadership techniques and skills. 

They then designed a state leadership camp around 1990 that mimicked national leadership camps. They also created a plan to recognize councils who could prove that they were quality programs. The Distinguished Student Council Award program began in 1990. The formalized plan and State Council Constitution were drawn up in 1995. Once the constitution was in place, the state officer positions were developed. They also decided to honor administrators that supported student council with the Administrator of the Year Award.

Mary Orman resigned from the executive director position in 1995 and was replaced by Kelley Neiber of Des Moines. Kelly became a member of the board in 1993 and had taken over the reins of the Iowa Leadership Camp. She attended her first national convention in Myrtle Beach and had attended each one since that time. She had also served on the National Board.

Iowa had two students selected from Region V to serve on the National Board: Gwen Mowrey from Calamus Wheatland in 1995 and Laura Gingrich from Linn Mar in 2001. Janet Young of Sioux City was elected as the adult member from Region V to serve on the National Board in 2006.

Susan McDanel of Centerville, who helped Orman develop the state organization and who served on the board for 25 years, was recognized for her leadership in 2006 by being named the Region V Student Council of the year and the National Student Council Advisor of the Year.

IAStuCo is proud of the role we play in the leadership of the state. Many councils have been recognized for their outstanding service to both their schools and communities. By developing strong organizations, we will continue to remain a champion for leadership in Iowa.

-Susan McDanel, Centerville High School, 2007