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 Nov. 23, 2025 5:30 am21d ago
“I can assure you that the legislators that passed this, myself and the Board of Regents are extremely sensitive to what you have just indicated,” said Regent and advisory council chair Christine Hensley. “We also understand that this center is really being watched throughout the country. And We will not fail. We will not fail.”
News Nov. 19, 2025 5:24 pm24d ago
The Ukrainian women have had to look to and lean on the partnerships — and friendships — they’ve built around the world, including with “Wrestletown USA,” aka Iowa City and Coralville, which they’ll be visiting next month.
Higher Ed Nov. 18, 2025 6:05 pm25d ago
Recognized in the name of one of University of Iowa Health Care’s four main hospital pavilions, 70 years after beginning a tenure at Iowa that saw unprecedented growth and a campus transformation, former hospital director John William Colloton died Friday, Nov. 14, in Iowa City. He was 94 years old.
Higher Ed Nov. 17, 2025 5:15 pm26d ago
Among the questions a new University of Iowa Center for Intellectual Freedom will tackle at its inaugural event Dec. 5-6 are “What is wrong with universities?”, “How did we end up here?” and “Can universities be reformed?”
Higher Ed Nov. 17, 2025 7:45 am27d ago
Four months after the University of Iowa won a $49.5 million arbitration award over faulty and defective windows installed up and down its 14-story Children’s Hospital, coverage of that cost hangs in limbo — with insurance carriers for the company at fault asking a judge to find they do “not have any obligation” to pay.
Health Care and Medicine Nov. 13, 2025 3:00 pm30d ago
Following outcry from hundreds of nurses and staff demanding more privacy in their patient interactions, University of Iowa Health Care has updated its photo ID badge policy letting employees share only their first name and last initial.
Higher Ed Nov. 13, 2025 7:25 am31d ago
University of Iowa Health Care in the first quarter of the current 2026 fiscal year is running under budget in revenue and over budget in expenses – resulting in net operating income that is $15 million below expectations for the 2026 term that started July 1, a rarity for the largest health care system in Iowa.
Higher Ed Nov. 12, 2025 4:21 pm31d ago
University Heights is primed to begin building a new recreational trail system across 36 acres of forested land north of Melrose Avenue — near the Finkbine commuter lot — after the Board of Regents on Wednesday flagged support for its use of the University of Iowa-owned portion of the land.
Higher Ed Nov. 12, 2025 4:03 pm31d ago
The first meeting of a new Legislature-imposed University of Iowa Center for Intellectual Freedom advisory council has been set for next week, on Tuesday, over Zoom — meaning the half who live outside Iowa won’t need to travel to the state.
Higher Ed Nov. 12, 2025 3:45 pm31d ago
Given incoming Iowa State University President David Cook won’t begin his tenure until March 1, 2026, the Board of Regents this week will name recently retired College of Business Dean David Spalding to serve as interim president for three months.
Higher Ed Nov. 12, 2025 8:27 am32d ago
The news — garnering broad applause from a packed crowd in the union — doubled as a welcome home for Cook, who was born in Mary Greeley Medical Center, graduated from Ames High, and earned a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State in 1992.
Higher Ed Nov. 11, 2025 7:32 am33d ago
A Johnson County judge has dismissed the case against a man accused of interfering with police who were investigating allegations of hazing at a University of Iowa fraternity a year ago on Nov. 15, 2024.
Higher Ed Nov. 10, 2025 8:07 am34d ago
An aggravated assault last year was among 13 reported “hate crimes” on the UI campus in 2024 -- a spike from just one in 2023 and six in 2022, according to a new UI 2025 Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act and Fire Safety report being presented to the Board of Regents this week.
News Nov. 10, 2025 7:17 am34d ago
Jerome “Jerry” Lepperd -- who police were looking for after the Iowa-Oregon game Saturday, has been found and is safe.
Higher Ed Nov. 10, 2025 7:31 am34d ago
Although Chuck Grassley has filed paperwork to run for his eighth re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2028 – when he’ll be 95, pushing him over 100 by the end of the term should he win – UNI is preparing to receive his Senate papers once he finally retires.

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