Vanessa Miller

Although the need for an expansive new University of Iowa inpatient tower that’s 50-percent bigger than its 14-story Children’s Hospital hasn’t changed, the federal funding landscape has, officials told the Board of Regents this week.

The Board of Regents wasn't unanimous in its decision to request $1 million for student mental health. Regent David Barker suggested that $1 million might be needed elsewhere. “There are mental health issues for noncollege students that are as great or that are greater than for college students,” he said.

Despite strident pushback from its sole Democrat, Iowa’s Board of Regents is on track to approve an inaugural 26 advisory council members for a new legislative-mandated University of Iowa Center for Intellectual Freedom — some of whom were suggested by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Shy of firing university employees who made inflammatory comments following the fatal shooting of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk last week, Iowa’s Board of Regents on Wednesday directed its three public campuses to conduct immediate investigations into any employee accused of violating their social media policy.

Closing in on this week’s deadline for applications to lead Iowa State University as its 17th president, the Board of Regents this week will hear an update on the condition of that campus’ presidential residence — in which the president has to live — and it’s not good, according to board documents.

When the Board of Regents convenes in Cedar Falls this week, they’ll meet in closed session to discuss university employees who made inflammatory online posts following the assassination of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk.

Shortly after U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks on Thursday called for the University of Iowa to name is new legislative-imposed Center for Intellectual Freedom after slain Republican-activist Charlie Kirk, Board of Regents President Sherry Bates issued a statement on Kirk’s shooting and the new civic centers on its campuses.

All three of Iowa’s public universities this fall are reporting larger freshman classes than last year — with both Iowa State and the University of Iowa boasting their second-largest first-year classes ever after peaking in 2016.

Preparing to receive longtime U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley’s complete collection of political papers spanning 67 years, the University of Northern Iowa is seeking Board of Regents approval to start planning for a new Chuck and Barbara Grassley Center.

The Board of Regents’ pared-down funding ask comes after lawmakers rejected its $30.3 million request last session and instead offered a $4 million bump, largely supporting legislative priorities and ignoring university appeals.

After announcing earlier this summer plans to close its University of Northern Iowa-based ROTC unit, the U.S. Army has changed course — allowing UNI’s ROTC program to remain in Cedar Falls under a new structure.

Celebrating its new seats, suites, and Teflon-coated fiberglass roof, the University of Northern Iowa’s UNI-Dome on Monday hosted a tour of its recent renovations aimed at appealing to the “next generation” of fans and athletes.

For weeks and months last fall, according to emails obtained by The Gazette through an open records request, University of Iowa administrators, staff, committee and community members discussed a range of Macbride Nature Recreation Area issues.

Eight years, three states, and two jobs after NASA’s 2017 launch of its Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer, or NICER, telescope toward the International Space Station, a UI graduate research assistant has won a NASA award to design and prototype a more compact, lightweight version of the NICER.

In hopes of meeting the state’s workforce needs, Iowa State University this fall launched a new online undergraduate certificate in cybersecurity geared specifically toward currently-employed information technology workers who have a two-year associate’s degree.