Student government has existed since the earliest days of the Iowa State Normal School, now the University of Northern Iowa. However, for about the first forty years of the school's history, student government was considerably different from what it is now. In the early days, student government consisted of two kinds of organization. First, each class and, sometimes, each curricular track in each class, elected a president, a vice president, and several other officers, such as a secretary and a treasurer. These officers were responsible for organizing social functions and athletic competition for their class, and, often, for selecting a class gift. The other kind of student government consisted of officers of the literary societies. Nearly all students belonged to literary societies, whose purpose was to provide opportunities to learn parliamentary procedure and to participate in debate and oratory. The societies prepared students to become better teachers and more responsible citizens.
Not until the fall of 1916 did a broader form of student government emerge that has persisted to this day. The first name for this more inclusive form of government, which purported to represent all of the students of the school, was the Student Council. The Student Council "aimed to formulate student opinion and give it means of expression." This name persisted until 1945 when it was changed to the Student League Board. In 1965 the name became the Student Senate. In 1970 the name changed to University of Northern Iowa Student Association, or UNISA. In 1989 the group took on its current name, Northern Iowa Student Government. Name changes were typically accompanied by substantive constitutional changes. The form and strength of student government, as well as the issues which it took to be its purview, varied considerably over the years.
For many years, another form of student government, based on gender, existed simultaneously with the more general form of student government. By 1929, with the arrival of Sadie B. Campbell as the new Dean of Women, the Women's League was formed. In 1949 this women's governance group changed its name to Associated Women Students. This group persisted until 1972. By 1934 the men had organized themselves into a group called Men's Union. This group persisted until 1969. These groups tended to focus their efforts on matters that were perceived to be gender specific. In some cases, the men's and women's governance organizations had representatives in the more general student governance body.
At least one other form of student governance arose early, probably about 1915, and continues to function to this day: residence hall government. This form of student government has tended to focus its efforts on planning social activities, assisting in policy development and implementation, and in administering justice for minor infractions in residence halls. Records relating to this form of governance are sketchy.
The links below lead to rosters of officers of the major student government organizations at the University of Northern Iowa. There are occasional question marks in the rosters that reflect gaps or ambiguities in the historical record.
| Year | President | Vice President | Organization |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1916-1917 | Jesse E. Shedd | Charles Frank Perrott | Student Council |
| 1917-1918 | ? | ? | Student Council |
| 1918-1919 | ? | ? | Student Council |
| 1919-1920 | ? | ? | Student Council |
| 1920-1921 | Clay Cowan | ? | Student Council |
| 1921-1922 | Dale J. Welsch | Carrie Albatina Watson | Student Council |
| 1922-1923 | Roy E. Brown | Merle R. Francis | Student Council |
| 1923-1924 | Earl London | Joe Van Der Brink | Student Council |
| 1924-1925 | Edwin Brockman, part of fall term; Raymond T. Moore, remainder of year | George Churchill | Student Council |
| 1925-1926 | Millard Horton | ? | Student Council |
| 1926-1927 | George Schlesselman | Don Clikeman | Student Council |
| 1927-1928 | ? | ? | Student Council |
| 1928-1929 | Harold Hopkins | Ralph Childs | Student Council |
| 1929-1930 | Mary E. Wiler | Helen Cowie | Student Council |
| 1930-1931 | Gerald Baxter | Wilhelmina L. Haley | Student Council |
| 1931-1932 | Robert K. Burley | Wendell Bragonier | Student Council |
| 1932-1933 | Wendell Bragonier | Marjorie Harker | Student Council |
| 1933-1934 | Lorinne Crawford | Robert A. Brown | Student Council |
| 1934-1935 | David Grant | John S. Beebee | Student Council |
| 1935-1936 | John S. Beebee | John A. Cowie | Student Council |
| 1936-1937 | Myrtle Telleen | Wava H. Trunnell | Student Council |
| 1937-1938 | Phil Connell | Merle Anderson | Student Council |
| 1938-1939 | Joseph Andrews Beavo | ? | Student Council |
| 1939-1940 | John Cross | Mary E. Rickert | Student Council |
| 1940-1941 | Dugan Laird | Charlene Gilbert | Student Council |
| 1941-1942 | Alvira Halvorson | Charles Faukler Todd | Student Council |
| 1942-1943 | Ted Cross | Donald Porter | Student Council |
| 1943-1944 | Penelope Scott? | ? | Student Council |
| 1944-1945 | Leadership changed frequently due to shifting wartime enrollment | ? | Student Council |
| 1945-1946 | Leona Bro | ? | Student League Board |
| 1946-1947 | Samuel A. Edgar | ? | Student League Board |
| 1947-1948 | Gerald Leeman | ? | Student League Board |
| 1948-1949 | Gordon Strayer | ? | Student League Board |
| 1949-1950 | Thomas Clay | ? | Student League Board |
| 1950-1951 | Richard Shephard | ? | Student League Board |
| 1951-1952 | Donald Peters | ? | Student League Board |
| 1952-1953 | Donald Moskowitz | Joe Van Der Brink | Student League Board |
| 1953-1954 | Ronald William Roskens; Thomas William Hansmeier | ? | Student League Board |
| 1954-1955 | Richard Leib | Donald Holland | Student League Board |
| 1955-1956 | Leonard A. Froyen | Donald Adams | Student League Board |
| 1956-1957 | Douglas Doerzmen | ? | Student League Board |
| 1957-1958 | Malcolm Brinkers | ? | Student League Board |
| 1958-1959 | Kenneth L. Fairchild | Thomas Price | Student League Board |
| 1959-1960 | Erik Farley | Carole Musgrave | Student League Board |
| 1960-1961 | David Stanard | ? | Student League Board |
| 1961-1962 | James Daman (resigned in December) | ? | Student League Board |
| 1962-1963 | Arlen Gullickson | ? | Student League Board |
| 1963-1964 | John Finnessy | ? | Student League Board |
| 1964-1965 | David Nagle | ? | Student League Board |
| 1965-1966 | Daniel T. Jorgensen | ? | Student League Board |
| 1966-1967 | Gary Reid | Roger Carver | Student League Board |
| 1967-1968 | Bruce Upchurch | Ilona Smith | Student League Board |
| 1968-1969 | Cyndi Hovden | James L. Hoel | Student League Board |
| 1969-1970 | Robert Harold Johnson | Richard C. Moore | Student League Board |
| 1970-1971 | G. Michael Conlee | Keith Stamp; Philip Lee Patton | UNI Student Association (UNISA) |
| 1971-1972 | Keith Stamp | Jane Little Leonard; ? Linn | UNI Student Association (UNISA) |
| 1972-1973 | James L. Maas | Vicki Gach; Nancy Austin | UNI Student Association (UNISA) |
| 1973-1974 | James L. Stewart | Becky Rouse (Administration); Travis L. Smiley (Academics) | UNI Student Association (UNISA) |
| 1974-1975 | David Sheridan | Sue Kiesel (Administration); Neil Montz (Academics) | UNI Student Association (UNISA) |
| 1975-1976 | Otis J. King | Nate McCoy (Administration); Brenda Tomlinson (Academics) | UNI Student Association (UNISA) |
| 1976-1977 | Ann Brenden | Carolyn Henderson (Administration); Janet Callahan (Academics); Patrick Shaeffer (Programming); Dennis Perdock (Finance) | UNI Student Association (UNISA) |
| 1977-1978 | Janet Callahan | Roland Caldwell (Administration); Scott Beckman (Academics) | UNI Student Association (UNISA) |
| 1978-1979 | Scott Hippert (Administration), fall semester; Martin L. Skubinna (Administration), spring semester; Mike Hawker (Academics); Martin L. Skubinna (Programming), spring semester; Jeff Knight (Finance), spring semester | UNI Student Association (UNISA) | |
| 1979-1980 | Roger Herrick, elected, but resigned before taking office; Craig Lathrop | Bruce Wedeking (Academics); Chirs White (Programming); Mike Lang (Finance) | UNI Student Association (UNISA) |
| 1980-1981 | James Chris Gammack | Margaret Pochop (Administration) | UNI Student Association (UNISA) |
| 1981-1982 | Rusty Martin | David Burrow (Administration); Diane Finnerty (Academics); Ray Johnson (Programming); Margaret Sulentic (Finance) | UNI Student Association (UNISA) |
| 1982-1983 | Rusty Martin | Diane Finnerty (Administration and Housing Director); Steve Baumel (Programming); Anne Sundberg (Programming), left office; Ginner Mull (Finance) | UNI Student Association (UNISA) |
| 1983-1984 | James Hessburg | Jean Mauss (Administration); Jim Fletcher (Academics); Kande Hooten (Programming); Tami Hillary (Finance) | UNI Student Association (UNISA) |
| 1984-1985 | Mary "Dody" Olson | Bill Burke (Administration); John Klotzbach (Academics); Jim Dittrich (Programming) | UNI Student Association (UNISA) |
| 1985-1986 | Michael Hager | Dave Schoon (Administration); Don Findlay (Academics); Kerisa Chung (Programming); Eric Nielsen (Finance) | UNI Student Association (UNISA) |
| 1986-1987 | Connie Hessburg | Mike Smith (Administration); Mary Pieper (Academics); Keith Franzen (Programming); Jack Cummings (Finance) | UNI Student Association (UNISA) |
| 1987-1988 | Michelle Wubben | Marty Arndt (Administration); Margaret Curran (Academics); Kim Landis (Programming); Mike Wharff (Finance) | UNI Student Association (UNISA) |
| 1988-1989 | David Sanders | Oren Griff (Administration); Margaret Curran (Academics); Kurt Jensen (Programming); Howard Flatt (Finance) | UNI Student Association (UNISA) |
| 1989-1990 | David Boyer (continued as President when name of organization changed to NISG, September 1989) | Margaret Curran (Academics) | Northern Iowa Student Government (NISG) |
| 1990-1991 | Lisa Raine | ? | NISG |
| 1991-1992 | Ronald R. Woodall | James Shirley (Academics); Brenda Huisenga (Administration); Jeff Buchanan (Public Relations and Programming) | NISG |
| 1992-1993 | Michael J. Dawson | Aaron Putze | NISG |
| 1993-1994 | Keith Saunders | Bethany D. Krueger | NISG |
| 1994-1995 | Bethany D. Krueger | Erin Rempe | NISG |
| 1995-1996 | Paul Olson | Threase Harms | NISG |
| 1996-1997 | Threase Harms | Andrew C. Abbott | NISG |
| 1997-1998 | Teresa Manley | Matthew D. Bunting | NISG |
| 1998-1999 | Matthew A. Close |
Scott Meskimen |
NISG |
| 1999-2000 | Nicholas Arnold | Andrea Nechanicky | NISG |
| 2000-2001 | Daniel F. Sterenchuk | Michael D. Russell | NISG |
| 2001-2002 | Adam Briddell | Kellie Greiner | NISG |
| 2002-2003 | Jeffrey A. Scudder | Emiliano Lerda | NISG |
| 2003-2004 | Emiliano Lerda | Nathaniel Green | NISG |
| 2004-2005 | Brendon Moe | Joseph D. Murphy | NISG |
| 2005-2006 | Joseph D. Murphy | Tarek Fahmey | NISG |
| 2006-2007 | Grant Erwin | Jennifer Younie | NISG |
| 2007-2008 | Andrew Morse | Adam Bentley | NISG |
| 2008-2009 | Pernell Cezar, Jr. | Clarence Lobdell, III | NISG |
| 2009-2010 | Adam Haselhuhn | Jake Rudy | NISG |
| 2010-2011 | Joel Anderson | Emma Hashman | NISG |
| 2011-2012 | Spencer Walrath | Ian Goldsmith | NISG |
| 2012-2013 | Jordan Bancroft-Smithe | KaLeigh White | NISG |
| 2013-2014 | Thomas K. Madsen | Blake T. Findley | NISG |
| 2014-2015 | Kevin Gartman | Paul K. Andersen | NISG |
| 2015-2016 | Katie Evan | Renae Beard | NISG |
| 2016-2017 | Hunter Flesch | Avery Johnson | NISG |
| 2017-2018 | Jamal White | Tristan Bernhard | NISG |
| 2018-2019 | Andrew Stensland | Kristen Ahart | NISG |
| 2019-2020 | Jacob Levang | Jacob Stites | NISG |
| 2020-2021 | Elle Boeding | Rachel Greene | NISG |
| 2021-2022 | Samantha Bennett | Alisanne Struck | NISG |
| 2022-2023 | Micaiah Krutsinger | Lizbeth Montalvo | NISG |
Based on research by Student Assistant Shanna Taylor; Web page developed by University Archivist Gerald L. Peterson, February-March 2007; updated, April 2, 2012 (GP); updated August 2023 by student assistant Noel Kiel.