Higher Ed

One of those projects is a $40 to $49 million expansion and build-out of its six-year-old Stead Family Children’s Hospital that -- with price escalations during construction, court-ordered payouts post-construction, and faulty work requiring widespread window repair -- already has seen its price swell from a $270.8 million budget to up to $450 million.

While in the weight room on a typical Tuesday morning in late March, several members of the Iowa Wesleyan University volleyball team saw their Apple Watches light up. It was an alert about an email calling the entire school to a mandatory meeting. And the board of trustees would be there.

Nearly two months after Iowa Wesleyan University President Christine Plunkett in February asked Gov. Kim Reynolds for $12 million in federal COVID-relief funds to help her campus stay open, Plunkett in March sent another email telling the governor – who had yet to decide – that time was up.

Nationally, 59 million people live in rural areas — including 9.7 million high schoolers — compelling 16 colleges and universities to form a new “STARS College Network.” The STARS initiative, which stands for “Small Town and Rural Students,” aims to expand and create new pathways to college for students who might not otherwise plan to attend.

Conservative commentator Matt Walsh – as part of his nationwide “What is a Woman” documentary tour – is planning a visit to the University of Iowa this month, inciting some complaints, concerns and an online petition to shut down his lecture.

Mercy Iowa City this morning is holding a series of “all staff” meetings to announce upcoming changes for the 194-bed hospital — including the appointment of a new CEO, the hire of a operations-improvement consultant, and a new plan to end its relationship with MercyOne.

“The Secret Schoolhouse” is a one-time event planned for 7:30 p.m. April 12 in The James Theater in Iowa City. The covert operation will require a ticket – a “golden ticket.” And they aren’t available for purchase.

Iowa Wesleyan University — the state’s second oldest college now careening toward closure next month — wasn’t the only higher education institution in February to ask Gov. Kim Reynolds for a cut of Iowa’s billions in federal COVID-relief funds to help overcome “significant obstacles” and stay open.

Heather Heddens’ high school heroics came on the court in the 1970s when girls played six-on-six basketball. The game changed to 5-on-5, full-court basketball in 1994, but the enthusiasm the sport stirs among Iowans remains the same.

ISU researcher helped analyze a well-preserved skull found in southwest Iowa — the first evidence of the iconic ice age predator in the state.

A month before Iowa Wesleyan University on Tuesday announced its closing in May, an independent audit in February reported trustees and administrators believed they had plans in place to “continue operations into FY24 and beyond.”

Iowa Wesleyan University students and community members on Tuesday responded to news their institution is closing in May. Students are expected to complete their studies as planned this spring semester.