Just under a year from the July 1, 2025, deadline for Iowa’s public universities to comply with a new state law restricting their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and staffing, Board of Regents President Sherry Bates on Thursday promised the campuses will be fully compliant early — by Dec. 31.
After Iowa’s public universities in the spring promised to pursue a DEI-related directive from regents and lawmakers to explore establishing new “free speech and civic education” initiatives on their campuses, the University of Northern Iowa is forging ahead with a proposed Center for Civic Education.
Following a pre-pandemic enrollment slide that COVID aggravated in 2020 and 2021 -- amid larger long-term fears of a looming high school-graduate “cliff” -- all three of Iowa’s public universities this fall are reporting student body increases.
For the first time in more than a decade, the Board of Regents is only seeking a base appropriation increase from the state for one of its campuses -- the University of Northern Iowa.
The firsts are rolling in for University of Northern Iowa senior Olivia Chambers -- who in August became the first UNI swimmer in school history named to a U.S. Paralympic team and on Saturday became the first UNI Paralympic medalist, earning her first Paralympic gold with a 4:29 time in the women’s S13 400-meter freestyle.
With tens of thousands of students back and bustling across Iowa’s public universities Monday, the campuses found themselves again dealing with scorching August heat and air-conditioning woes.
A century after its debut along the Iowa River that divides the University of Iowa campus, the Iowa Memorial Union early next year will embark on a “major redesign and renovation” that could include new franchised food vendors -- among other new union services and features catering to today’s evolving student needs, expectations, and preferences.
Within a matter of days, college and university communities across the state will experience the annual population swell of students returning to campus for another academic year.
On July 22, ISU officially closed its DEI office, university spokeswoman Angie Hunt said. The closure cut five positions, although only two of those posts were filled at the time.
With a new increase in state appropriations — after lawmakers withheld one last year — paired with a strong enrollment outlook and recently-approved tuition bumps, all three of Iowa’s public universities are anticipating a total revenue boost in the new budget year.
Propelled by a 27-percent spike in women’s basketball income, a favorable home football schedule paired with ticket “price adjustments,” and a first-ever revenue line item for its new women’s wrestling team, University of Iowa Athletics is projecting another year of record-setting revenue.
In a hypercompetitive higher education landscape — where colleges and universities are vying not just for top students but the best and brightest faculty and staff — Iowa State University has entered a new partnership with employment-centered social media platform LinkedIn aimed at making it “an employer of choice regionally and across the world.”
Cities around Iowa turn to UNI’s Public Art Incubator for assistance with their public art collections, offering students hands-on experience as they “contribute to their communities in a real way.” Students restored two Cedar Rapids sculptures through the program this summer.
Now in training mode, Olivia Chambers is feeling excited as one of 21 women and 33 total athletes chosen for the Paralympic swim team. She also becomes the first UNI swimmer in school history named to a U.S. Paralympic team and joins an elite list of Panther athletes to qualify for either the Olympic or Paralympic Games.
In less than two months, thousands of freshmen will be moving into their new college digs — with the fall semester for Iowa’s three public universities starting Aug. 26. Orientation sessions this summer are attracting thousands.
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