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 May. 9, 2022 6:00 am1242d ago
Iowa State in February 2021 debuted its 33-desktop esports and gaming space – divided into two areas, a competitive room with 13 computers and an open space with 20. The darkened room also includes four consoles for drop-in use, equipped with PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Community May. 9, 2022 1:43 pm1241d ago
A handful of City High students who don’t have a clear post-graduation path due to a range of disabilities have started working at a new Latin-inspired café created just for them – and for any member of the community keen on tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, and helping students get a leg up.
Higher Ed May. 7, 2022 6:00 am1244d ago
David Hayes on Oct. 1, 2021, stepped in as 16th president of the 170-year-old Coe College of 1,371 students in the heart of Cedar Rapids — his hometown.
Higher Ed May. 6, 2022 8:18 pm1244d ago
Iowa’s 15 community colleges collectively are projecting a $2.3 million dip in total resources for the next budget year — contributing to a projected $36.8 million deficit — propelled largely by previous bumps in federal funding, due to COVID-19, and more anticipated facility and program expenses.
Higher Ed May. 5, 2022 2:30 pm1245d ago
Iowa State University has suspended its Men’s Cyclone Hockey Club following allegations of hazing, and administrators have launched an investigation into those accusations as well as the club’s finances, organizational structure, and oversight.
Higher Ed May. 4, 2022 3:45 pm1246d ago
Two weeks after Iowa State University resigned from the esteemed Association of American Universities, and six years since the campus last updated its list of 10 comparison land-grant universities, faculty are asking whether ISU should re-evaluate who it considers its peers.
Higher Ed May. 4, 2022 7:16 pm1246d ago
Seven weeks after the state approved construction of a new $19.2 million Steindler North Liberty Ambulatory Surgery Center near the booming I-380 and Forevergreen Road corridor, the affiliated Steindler Orthopedic Clinic on April 25 sold its Iowa City home base for $11 million.
Higher Ed May. 2, 2022 11:53 am1248d ago
Iowa State last week abdicated its AAU bragging rights by abruptly resigning from the esteemed invite-only collective of North America’s top research universities – leaving faculty, staff, students, lawmakers, and the wider public asking why and what it means.
Higher Ed Apr. 28, 2022 4:53 pm1252d ago
Several petitions are circulating through the Iowa State University community opposing changes to its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences – specifically its history department – after administrators earlier this year announced $15 million in cuts by the 2026 budget year.
Higher Ed Apr. 28, 2022 2:42 pm1252d ago
The family of a 2-year-old who died last year after a routine procedure to place tubes in his ears and remove his adenoids is suing an Iowa City physician for negligence by – among other things – allowing a University of Iowa medical resident to perform the surgery without the patient’s consent.
Higher Ed Apr. 26, 2022 4:11 pm1254d ago
The Iowa state auditor has found $17,146.65 in misused or missing donations and gifts meant for University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics patients and families — largely those battling cancer — and evidence a former administrative specialist was behind the misuse.
Higher Ed Apr. 25, 2022 6:00 am1256d ago
Even as total enrollment across Iowa’s public, private, and community colleges and universities fell in fall 2021, Iowa’s institutes of higher education this academic year are educating more students who identify as a minority than last year – at a combined 39,120.
Higher Ed Apr. 22, 2022 7:36 am1259d ago
64 years after joining the prestigious Association of American Universities, Iowa State University on Thursday announced it’s leaving the group.
Higher Ed Apr. 21, 2022 6:00 am1260d ago
A third of degree-seeking students recently polled by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation said they considered dropping out in the last six months – largely due to “emotional stress” – capturing the scope and gravity of mental health needs facing today’s college students, including those in Iowa.
Higher Ed Apr. 20, 2022 3:32 pm1260d ago
With gas prices still hovering around record levels – and Iowa’s college and university campuses facing a budgetary quandary in the form of inflation – Kirkwood Community College is rolling out a pilot summer program to close its campus offices on Fridays.