116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401

Vanessa Miller
I’ve covered lots of beats over my decades as a reporter, and one reason I really enjoy higher education is because it touches on them all. One day I’m writing about science and interviewing University of Iowa NASA researchers, the next I’m writing about health care, or agriculture, or a new Iowa State-supported business, or athletic budgets, or criminal justice, or the Legislature and potential bills affecting Iowa’s university and college campuses. I also love that I get to investigate and dig deep on some stories, report hard news, and then also share incredible and sometimes harrowing tales of survival or discovery. When I’m not working, I’m playing with my kids or following them around to wrestling tournaments. Get the news delivered right to your inbox.
Latest Articles by Vanessa Miller
Higher Ed Apr. 11, 2025 7:25 pm172d ago
University of Iowa administrators this month learned the U.S. Department of State has canceled the visa of a UI graduate student, and the university’s graduate student union said they believe more students than one have been affected.
Higher Ed Apr. 11, 2025 8:03 am173d ago
Despite its decades of work helping Iowa businesses and manufacturers grow and innovate, the Iowa State University-based Center for Industrial Research and Service learned last week that the federal government is halting its funding — effective immediately — “because it is no longer aligned with the priorities of the administration.”
Fires Apr. 10, 2025 12:27 pm174d ago
Several pets were lost and 22 people were displaced by a Wednesday afternoon fire that charred a multifamily apartment building just south of the Coral Ridge Mall.
Higher Ed Apr. 8, 2025 7:13 am176d ago
New U.S. News & World Report graduate school rankings indicate some of the most dominant and prominent programs across Iowa’s public universities remain strong -- or are at least holding steady.
News Apr. 7, 2025 7:44 am177d ago
A march by hundreds of people in Iowa City was among more than 1,000 that unfolded across the state, nation, and world Saturday against President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and “the most brazen power grab in modern history.”
Higher Ed Apr. 7, 2025 8:27 am177d ago
Five bills poised to directly affect Iowa’s public universities survived the second “funnel” deadline of the 2025 Legislative session this week — including one to establish a “Center for Intellectual Freedom” at the University of Iowa and another requiring each campus to create at least one three-year bachelor’s degree program.
Health Care and Medicine Apr. 4, 2025 9:43 am180d ago
In seeking its own batch of records from a bankrupt Mercy Iowa City — which last week won a court order for voluminous documents in its ongoing liquidation battle — the community hospital’s former managing affiliate MercyOne is airing new details about backroom discussions, discord, and deals that precipitated Mercy Iowa City’s downfall.
Higher Ed Apr. 2, 2025 4:26 pm181d ago
Of the more than 10,000 University of Iowa faculty and staff who completed a “personal health assessment” in 2024, just over half said they’re “thriving” — while the other nearly half said they’re “struggling.”
Higher Ed Apr. 1, 2025 2:37 pm182d ago
After two-plus years fighting a medical negligence lawsuit involving the death of a 75-year-old University of Iowa cancer patient — who was found unresponsive on the floor next to her inpatient bed three days postsurgery — the state has negotiated a settlement to pay the family $1.5 million.
Higher Ed Mar. 31, 2025 7:15 am184d ago
As the University of Iowa works to comply with Board of Regents directives and legislative mandates to curtail diversity, equity, and inclusion work across campus, its philanthropic foundation – the UI Center for Advancement -- is grappling with how to handle the tens of thousands donated to a longstanding diversity fund.
Higher Ed Mar. 31, 2025 8:28 am184d ago
Joining a select handful of department chairs, associate deans, and tenured professors from esteemed liberal arts campuses like Carleton College, Lawrence University, and Grinnell, Amber Shaw of Coe College has landed a two-year leadership fellowship to support her campus in “navigating current challenges and opportunities.”
Higher Ed Mar. 31, 2025 10:42 am184d ago
“I've already done 42 in-person town halls, and I'm doing a telephone town hall next week,” Hinson said Friday. “So I am absolutely committed to continuing to do town halls this Congress. And we're working on continuing to get those scheduled.”
Health Care and Medicine Mar. 28, 2025 7:52 am187d ago
A federal judge this week ordered MercyOne to produce a long list of records associated with its six-year management of the bankrupt Mercy Iowa City after a committee overseeing the hospital’s liquidation accused the former managing partner of withholding documents and details about what led to Mercy Iowa City’s “swift financial decline.”
Higher Ed Mar. 27, 2025 11:32 pm187d ago
On the day by which University of Iowa officials said they were told to close the campus’ renamed and reformed Division of Access, Opportunity, and Diversity — previously its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Division — the university on Thursday debuted a new website for its Office of Civil Rights Compliance.
Higher Ed Mar. 27, 2025 7:44 am188d ago
Since Iowa State University initiated the practice in the 1800s, more than 230 honorary degrees have been conferred by the state’s public universities to individuals who demonstrated “extraordinary achievements” — and now the campuses have a uniform policy to rescind them, if necessary.