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. 5, 2022 6:00 am1061d ago
Although Iowa’s regent universities still enroll far more Iowans than out-of-state residents, the gap between the two groups of students is narrowing – with all three campuses reporting fewer resident students this fall than last fall.
Higher Ed Nov. 4, 2022 10:25 am1062d ago
Through her work on “The 1619 Project” in its many iterations – and again Wednesday evening on the Iowa State University campus – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones argued for making slavery central to the American story, rather than just an asterisk.
Higher Ed Nov. 3, 2022 5:10 pm1063d ago
Initial reports are the fall was an accident, as students said they were “playing around in a residence hall room when one student leaned back and fell through the screen of an open window,” a UI spokeswoman said.
Higher Ed Nov. 4, 2022 11:41 am1062d ago
More than seven years after a Cedar Rapids contractor first sued the University of Iowa over payment for work on a pair of high-profile projects – its new Hancher Auditorium and children’s hospital – a jury has delivered another blow to UI, ordering it pay $12.8 million more.
Higher Ed Nov. 2, 2022 9:24 am1064d ago
Despite massive deficits during the pandemic for both University of Iowa and Iowa State University athletics, both programs not only are reporting a rebound but record-breaking revenue in the budget year that just ended.
Hawkeye Wrestling Nov. 2, 2022 9:23 am1064d ago
With more than a year of construction to go on a new 38,500-square-foot, two-level Hawkeye wrestling practice facility, the University of Iowa is moving to officially name it after a family that made the $7 million lead gift.
Higher Ed Nov. 2, 2022 5:36 pm1064d ago
Two women with separate stories of discrimination are suing the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for disparate treatment they say upended their health care careers and humiliated them, according to a pair of lawsuits filed on the same day.
Higher Ed Oct. 28, 2022 7:20 pm1069d ago
Nearly two years after stepping in as interim — already having steered the college through a pandemic, derecho cleanup, and race-related tensions — David Hayes on a fall Friday afternoon that coated the campus with foliage accenting the school’s gold and crimson colors officially was inaugurated as Coe’s 16th president.
Higher Ed Oct. 28, 2022 6:00 am1069d ago
After dipping slightly during the height of COVID-19, visits to the University of Iowa Office of the Ombudsperson — which provides “problem solving and conflict resolution” services to students, faculty, and staff — increased to 661 in the budget year that just ended.
Higher Ed Oct. 26, 2022 6:20 pm1071d ago
The Board of Regents has settled a lawsuit with a former Iowa State University custodian who said she wasn’t informed she could take leave for her migraines, retaliated against for time off she took to address them, and discriminated against because of her skin color.
Campaigns & Elections Nov. 3, 2022 1:50 pm1063d ago
Lawmakers redrew election districts and created a new and open House District 91 seat — covering parts of Johnson County, including Clear Creek up to Swisher, and all of Iowa County, including Williamsburg, Marengo and North English.
Higher Ed Oct. 25, 2022 12:31 pm1072d ago
In new international university rankings out Tuesday comparing an expanding number of research institutions and their scholarly impact across multiple disciplines, both of Iowa’s ranked universities continued to lose ground – with Iowa State sliding 26 spots.
Higher Ed Oct. 26, 2022 2:07 pm1071d ago
Iowa’s prestigious Grinnell College this fall has seen a rash of racist and white supremacist graffiti on campus signs and vehicles, with community members also reporting slurs shouted from moving vehicles, prompting the campus and city to issue statements, increase security, and call on the public for help.
Higher Ed Oct. 21, 2022 6:00 am1076d ago
As a working designer, before completing her doctorate in apparel design, Zhang had five years of professional experience designing bras. But maternity-specific bras caught her attention — and ire — when she became pregnant with her son a decade ago.
Campaigns & Elections Nov. 3, 2022 1:45 pm1063d ago
Republican Cindy Golding faces Democrat Kris Nall in rural Linn County.