An effort by Republicans in the state legislature to eliminate tenure at Iowa’s three public universities advanced this week, as the House Education Committee passed a bill to end tenure at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa, and a Senate subcommittee approved the Senate version of that bill. […]
Iowa State University
COVID-19: UI, ISU and UNI eliminate spring break; more than 1,800 UI students have reported testing positive
There will be no spring break in 2021 for students at Iowa’s three public universities, the schools announced on Monday. The elimination of this standard part of student life is part of the effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa. Gaining […]
Gov. Reynolds defends ISU plan to have 25,000 fans at football opener just before ISU reverses decision
Iowa State University announced on Wednesday afternoon it will not be permitting spectators to attend its first home football game on Saturday, Sept. 12. The university had been widely criticized for its previous decision to allow 25,000 spectators to attend the game despite a spike in COVID-19 cases in Ames. The change in policy was […]
Another 329 cases of COVID-19 reported at the University of Iowa since Friday
The surge in COVID-19 cases in Johnson County continued on Monday, with the Iowa Department of Public Health reporting another 122 positive test results for county residents between 10 a.m. on Sunday and 10 a.m. on Monday. The department’s official estimate of the county’s 14-day positivity rate for its COVID-19 tests at 10 a.m. was […]
University of Iowa suspends ticket sales for 2020 football season as it tries to figure out how social distancing will work at Kinnick
The University of Iowa Athletics Department said on Monday that it “has paused ticket sales for the 2020 football season.” “Only individuals who have renewed season tickets and completed per-seat contributions by June 30 will be included in potential Kinnick Stadium seating plans,” according to a UI Athletics press release. The department said the pause […]
University of Iowa won’t change its fall schedule, will explain COVID-19 mitigation plans next week
The University of Iowa said in a campus-wide email it will maintain its regular schedule for the fall, the Daily Iowan reported on Friday. That means classes will begin on Aug. 24 and run through Dec. 18. Iowa State University, by contrast, is starting its fall semester early, so it can end classes before the […]
Kirkwood will resume in-person classes in the fall
Kirkwood Community College announced on Wednesday it will offer in-person classes and activities when the fall semester begins. There will also be “online and hybrid learning formats,” as the college adapts to the changes necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. “In most cases, students will have the flexibility to choose options that best suit their learning […]
How planting prairie strips on Iowa farms could save soil, water, wildlife and money — in-state and beyond
A solution to some of the biggest problems facing farmers, and some of the biggest environmental challenges in the state, has deep roots in Iowa’s past. Roughly 85 percent of Iowa’s 36 million acres were covered with prairie plants when the U.S. frontier pushed into what would become the state of Iowa in the 19th century. Now, less than one-10th of one percent of that 30 million acres of prairie exists.
Iowa’s newest college graduates share an old problem: debt
By K. Rambo, IowaWatch Some students graduating from an Iowa college or university this month will have to pay off debts that could be close to $100,000. Other loans facing college students are far lower, and a lot of students have avoided debt. But for many, taking out loans remains necessary in order to go […]
Hawkeye fans considering a gold-out at Kinnick Saturday in honor of murdered ISU student (Updated)
Nearly two months to the day after University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts went missing during an evening run in Brooklyn, Iowa, the body of Iowa State University student Celia Barquin Arozamena was found at a golf course in Ames. Faced with another tragedy, Iowans have proposed turning to football — and a common color — to express their grief and solidarity.
Regent calls cuts to higher education funding an ‘attack on our three public universities’
The slashing of state financial support for Iowa’s public universities over the last two years is “the worst state government public attack on our three public universities” Larry McKibben has seen during his five years on the Iowa Board of Regents, McKibben said on Thursday. The lack of adequate state funding for higher education is […]
Peaceful protest by high school students won’t hurt their admission chances at Iowa universities
Iowa’s three public universities have announced that being disciplined for participating in peaceful political protests won’t hurt the chances of high school students applying for admission.

