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 Sep. 20, 2022 11:10 am1186d ago
The ISU vision for the $200 million CyTown project involves a 135,000-square-foot development including a medical facility, retail space, offices, and luxury suites. The endeavor would include an outdoor public plaza and amphitheater, restaurants and pubs, a hotel and convention center.
Higher Ed Sep. 19, 2022 5:00 am1187d ago
In its 55th year, the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program this fall – following a two-year hiatus from its traditional format – welcomed back to campus 33 established and accomplished authors from the likes of Bangladesh, Sweden, Mexico, Palestine, Ethiopia, Poland, and Barbados.
Higher Ed Sep. 15, 2022 3:16 pm1190d ago
Following a breakfast meeting with student leaders on Thursday, Iowa regents decided to increase their state funding request by $1 million. The additional money — if approved by the legislature — would expand mental health services.
Iowa Football Sep. 15, 2022 9:02 am1191d ago
But former players suing them for discrimination, retaliation, and systemic racial hostility are firing back – accusing the coaches of dodging, delaying, and hiding behind attorneys to avoid producing court-compelled records and participating in the legal process.
Higher Ed Sep. 12, 2022 4:35 pm1193d ago
An assessment of new U.S. News & World Report rankings out Monday – along with several metrics used to decide them – indicates the University of Iowa and Iowa State University fall below their Board of Regents-assigned peers in many categories, except one key measure: acceptance rate.
Higher Ed Sep. 12, 2022 11:56 am1194d ago
Although University of Iowa held steady at its overall national rank of No. 83 in U.S. News & World Report’s new “2022-2023 Best Colleges” assessment out Monday, the campus surged past a string of Ivy League schools on its list of best writing programs to claim the No. 2 spot in the country.
Higher Ed Sep. 10, 2022 9:33 am1196d ago
When officials with UIHC’s Eating Disorder Program on Sept. 1 called a meeting to announce plans to phase out the inpatient portion, one patient said, “I have never seen that many staff members cry.”
Higher Ed Sep. 9, 2022 2:57 pm1196d ago
Over the next five budget years, the University of Iowa and its health care enterprise plan to spend more than $1.4 billion on new construction and renovations – including $620.9 million on a new inpatient hospital tower and $212 million on a new “modern health care research facility.”
Higher Ed Sep. 8, 2022 2:33 pm1197d ago
A decade after the University of Iowa could last call itself the largest higher education institution in the state, UI this fall has reclaimed that distinction – reporting higher total enrollment than Iowa State University for the first time since 2012.
K-12 Education Sep. 12, 2022 4:49 pm1193d ago
Attorneys in federal court on Tuesday debated the issues of bullying, harassment, parental rights, school obligations, and free speech in arguing for and against Linn-Mar's new policy aimed at protecting transgender and nonbinary students.
Higher Ed Sep. 6, 2022 4:30 pm1199d ago
Marking its highest requested state funding increase in nearly a decade, Iowa’s Board of Regents is seeking $34.7 million more in education appropriations from the Legislature for the next budget year – due, in part, to soaring inflation.
Iowa Ideas Oct. 3, 2022 10:32 am1173d ago
Pruning away dried up programs, degrees, and academic centers while reframing, reformatting, or fashioning anew majors and curricular opportunities meeting student and employer demands is becoming increasingly imperative for institutions vying to attract and retain students from a shrinking pool of applicants.
News Sep. 5, 2022 6:34 pm1200d ago
Educating the public and spreading mission awareness were among the union aims on display at the annual Cedar Rapids Labor Day picnic Monday – organized by the Hawkeye Area Labor Council.
Higher Ed Sep. 5, 2022 6:00 am1201d ago
Navigating North Liberty will get more cumbersome once the University of Iowa completes its half-billion-dollar hospital project, according to a traffic study UI commissioned to determine what measures it should take to help mitigate congestion in the booming district.
Higher Ed Sep. 3, 2022 5:00 am1203d ago
The often congested University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics emergency room is getting a much-needed $24.6 million expansion over the next two years – enabling progress toward the big-ticket items on UI Health Care’s 10-year master plan, including a new inpatient tower, ambulatory care center, and research facility.

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