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. 25, 2023 10:44 am33d ago
Eight months after unveiling four finalists to become vice president for medical affairs and dean of its Carver College of Medicine --
Higher Ed Apr. 23, 2023 9:34 pm35d ago
After waiting 52 years to hire its first female president in 2018, Kirkwood Community College last week introduced three women as finalists to succeed Lori Sundberg when she retires later this year.
Higher Ed Apr. 22, 2023 10:04 am36d ago
The orchestra will continue, whether Wesleyan forces it out or not, but the musicians would like to come to an arrangement to keep using the Iowa Wesleyan University chapel in Mount Pleasant. “We've had other offers already from other entities.”
Higher Ed Apr. 21, 2023 8:57 pm37d ago
A day after getting Board of Regents OK to proceed with $185 million worth of health care and medicine-related projects in the coming months, the University of Iowa on Friday issued a request for qualifications from firms interested in designing and developing a massive new North Inpatient Tower next to Kinnick Stadium.
Higher Ed Apr. 20, 2023 5:20 pm38d ago
Nearly two-thirds of the 299 University of Northern Iowa faculty members who responded to a campus climate survey in the fall said they had “seriously considered leaving UNI” — citing an array of reasons including low pay, growing workload, and unwelcoming “climate in the State of Iowa.”
Higher Ed Apr. 19, 2023 6:12 pm39d ago
Crowding and capacity needs continue to stress the main University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, compelling administrators to expand the emergency department, reorganize existing services, and open a new “short-stay unit.”
Higher Ed Apr. 18, 2023 3:12 pm40d ago
The University of Iowa this month agreed to separate from and settle employment disputes with two employees in leadership positions – one of whom had been on the job just over a year.
Higher Ed Apr. 25, 2023 9:37 am33d ago
Kirkwood Community College last week raised the tax levy rate for property owners across its service area by 5 cents – bringing its overall property tax levy to $1.39 for the upcoming 2024 budget year, or 3.8 percent above the current rate.
Higher Ed Apr. 17, 2023 2:44 pm41d ago
Even in a world where celebrities and presidents are just regular people with real lives, actor Ashton Kutcher said he continues to find awe and wonder in three places: extraordinary craftsmanship; genius — like the ability to reorder the mundane; and generosity.
Iowa Hawkeyes Apr. 13, 2023 5:16 pm45d ago
In the hours after State Auditor Rob Sand in March refused to approve another University of Iowa Athletics Department settlement until Athletics Director Gary Barta was gone, UI President Barbara Wilson heard from members of the public asking her to heed -- or not heed -- Sand’s call.
Higher Ed Apr. 13, 2023 8:55 pm45d ago
Lawyer for female athletes complains Tulane law professor did not talk to female athletes before filing report
Community Apr. 12, 2023 6:00 am46d ago
For the third straight year, the North Liberty-based Iowa Donor Network has been designated a “tier 1 organ procurement organization” -- placing it among just 15 of 56 such organizations nationally to achieve the top designation.
Higher Ed Apr. 12, 2023 11:12 am46d ago
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.
Higher Ed Apr. 11, 2023 7:53 am47d ago
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.
Higher Ed Apr. 8, 2023 6:00 am50d ago
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.