While UI has already held great Homecoming activities this week, even more fun is packed into this weekend. If you plan to show some Hawkeye pride with your student in Iowa City, check out some events, including tomorrow’s Homecoming parade with Caitlin Clark and Spencer Lee, before Saturday’s game.

The 2024-25 FAFSA is undergoing major changes and improvements, delaying the availability of forms until December. These changes will include expanded eligibility for federal aid and a more efficient application process. Read more about the changes and how to prepare for this year’s application.

Activities include developing guidelines for inclusive hiring, creating conversation around DEI topics, and promoting IT accessibility

New learning communities are fostering connection and knowledge sharing among Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) and international teaching assistants at Iowa.

The Intersection between Freedom of Expression and DEI.

On this Trans Day of Visibility, the University of Iowa and the Division of DEI want everyone in our LGBTQ+ community to know that during these challenging times, you matter to us!

This series was reported by Emily Kestel, Michael Crumb, Sarah Bogaards and Nora Felder. All photos are contributed, except where otherwise noted. Editor’s note: As a business publication, one of the most pressing issues we’ve covered is workplace inclusion. We have covered numerous stories on the topic – related to race, gender, veterans, people with disabilities, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, working parents and more. We do this because it’s our mission to help businesses do business better, and as businesses continue looking to recruit and retain top talent, understanding the nuances of diversity, equity and belonging at work is paramount.  This is part one of a three-part series looking at how the state’s history and values play a role in workplace inclusion. Businesses do not operate in silos, but are part of a greater societal ecosystem within our communities and states. We felt there was no better way to start this series than to talk about Iowa’s history with inclusion, because an understanding of the past is needed to see how we got to the current moment. Part two, which will publish March 17, will focus on how this affects the workforce, and part three, publishing March 24, will talk about how leaders can approach solutions. 

This series was reported by Emily Kestel, Michael Crumb, Sarah Bogaards and Nora Felder. Editor’s note: This is part two of a three-part series looking at how the state’s history and values play a role in workplace inclusion. As businesses continue looking to recruit and retain top talent, understanding the nuances of diversity, equity and belonging at work is paramount. Part one focused on Iowa’s history of inclusion, this part focuses on how this affects the workforce, and part three will talk about how leaders can approach solutions. – Emily Barske, Business Record editor

Message to the HR Community (including all UI Health Care org units) Quarterly Harassment Prevention Education

Join Jim Obergefell at 7 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Iowa Memorial Union for a lecture sponsored by the University Lecture Committee. Obergefell draws from his unique experience at the heart of the Supreme Court marriage equality ruling to move and empower audiences to stand by their beliefs and prove that love always wins.

In a recent PBS installment of Amanpour and Company, Tara Bynum, professor of English and African American Studies at Iowa, talks about her new book, Reading Pleasures: Everyday Black Living in Early America, which explores the ways that four early Black writers named and expressed happiness and joy despite living during slavery.

Last week’s tragedy at Michigan State University hit close to home for many members within the University of Iowa community, and it’s natural to have questions about what campus and local authorities are doing to train for, prevent, and respond to a similar incident here. Read about the UI Department of Public Safety’s protocols and procedures and steps you can take to be informed and prepared.

The University of Iowa is not just the home of the Hawks. It is an economic powerhouse for the state of Iowa, supporting one out of every 19 jobs and adding about $8 billion in additional annual value to the state’s coffers, according to a study commissioned by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa.

The University of Iowa’s Hancher Auditorium will offer a new Broadway subscription series for Iowa theater fans as part of its 2023-2024 season. The package will include four hit Broadway shows at a discounted price. Hancher is also planning a new October festival, Infinite Dream. Learn more about Hancher’s exciting offerings.

Sawsan Daws graduated from the University of Iowa (UI) in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science degree in applied physics with a concentration in optics. Originally from Saudi Arabia, Daws chose to pursue her undergraduate studies in STEM at the UI because she was intrigued by the research facilities and resources the UI offered to its students.

The emergency department and each inpatient unit within University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics now carries inclusive hair and beard care products to accommodate patients with varied hair textures. Offering a variety of personal care products seems like a no-brainer, but UI Health Care is one of the first academic medical institutions to offer kits that take these differences into consideration.

A new International Programs (IP) affinity group, the Anne Frank Initiative (AFI), launched last week, and its mission is to investigate Anne Frank’s literary contributions and her legacy in a more contemporary context.

International Programs postdoctoral scholar Manisha Skaria gives advice to international students/scholars who may be balancing work with raising a family here at UI. She is also an active member of the International Student Advisory Board.

The University of Iowa Pentacrest Museums are happy to share our 2022 Annual Report with you today. We hope you'll find many examples of how your museums carried out the UI Strategic Plan with care. We encourage you to join us this year at the Old Capitol Museum or the Museum of Natural History for some exploration, a tour, or a program.

A note to campus from Liz Tovar, executive officer and associate vice president of the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for February 2023.

For those involved in faculty and staff recruitments, updated data (as of November 2022) on the underrepresentation of women and racial/ethnic minorities in faculty, P&S, and Merit positions at UI is now available. Please use this updated information when planning new searches to determine whether the positions are in an underrepresented group and require additional outreach efforts.

In late November, Sara Sanders, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Liz Mendez-Shannon, CLAS DEI director, and Liz Tovar, executive officer and associate vice president of the UI Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, gathered at Wild Bill’s Workshop in the School of Social Work to discuss unity and belonging—and how these spaces can help the college and UI make progress on DEI issues.  

The DEI Committee and college community develop a yearly plan to address the strategic priorities of CLAS to cultivate an inclusive environment and build a supportive infrastructure within the college. With this backdrop in mind, it is imperative to build the capacity for thriving within our community while affording faculty, staff, and students the time to think innovatively, practice authentically, and revise programs when warranted to best serve the needs and aspirations of our growing community.

2022 Campus Climate, Working at Iowa survey results also show areas for improvement

The University of Iowa has been awarded a six-year, $377,800 grant as part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Inclusive Excellence 3 initiative. The grant will support the development of inclusive teaching and educational practices in introductory STEM courses and aligns with the "Excellence in Teaching and Learning" priority outlined in the Strategic Plan for 2022-2027.

UI faculty member Donika Kelly is one of 36 recipients of a National Endowment for the Arts creative writing fellowship for 2023, which awards $25,000. Kelly’s most recent poetry collection titled, The Renunciations, won a 2022 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in poetry. Read more about Kelly and this prestigious fellowship.

Dr. Liz Tovar shares a message on winter celebrations.

Updating your confidential personnel records to UI Faculty and Staff

Growing up in Puerto Rico, Héctor Sánchez Meléndez made up his mind to study the brain and go to medical school. But as a neuroscience major at the University of Iowa, he has discovered a passion for research. Now, he wants to establish a lab back home.

University of Iowa graduate Abel Ortiz-Acosta organized the painting of 21 murals to honor the children and teachers whose lives were lost in a mass shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas.

While some theater graduate programs require students to focus on one specialty, the University of Iowa allowed Alastair Sigala Ramirez to pursue both of his passions.

Nancy “Rusty” Barceló has shaped history. She has been a catalyst and champion for change in higher education – not just on the University of Iowa campus but across the nation.

​University of Iowa faculty and staff now have access to a new voluntary training program that simulates real-life conversations around important issues in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

For Maria Leonor Márquez Ponce, a Humanities for the Public Good internship at the University of Iowa Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives is more than a summer gig—it’s also a way to connect with her own past and to find inspiration for her future.

Third-year student Gursharan Virk recently became the first Air Force cadet granted permission to wear traditional Sikh garb as part of his military uniform.

UI 2022 NPRM Comments to DOE

A note from Dr. Liz Tovar to the university community for September 2022.

Message to the HR Community (including all UI Health Care org units)

Religious Guidelines have been updated for the University of Iowa entering the Fall 2022 semester.

Week of Welcome Activities planned for UI Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

When Margaret Mitchell, a white woman, asked Timnit Gebru, a Black woman, to join the ethical AI team at Google, Gebru didn’t know what to say. Though she was flattered and intrigued, she was aware of…

Summary of the Iowa Edge program for 2022

Position announcement for Isandra Martínez-Marrero as the new director of cultural engagement and analytics at the University of Iowa in Spanish.

Position announcement for Isandra Martínez-Marrero as the new director of cultural engagement and analytics at the University of Iowa.

End of Semester Note from Liz looking back at the year.

Summer Virtual Cohorts is the newest program offered by the Building University of Iowa Leadership for Diversity (BUILD) initiative for UI faculty, staff, postdocs, and graduate students. This six-week series will support and challenge participants through the guided completion of their BUILD certificate. Participants will engage in 13 hours of training, including active discussions with fellow cohort members and a certified cultural intelligence coach. 

The University of Iowa Enters Next Phase of Its Campus Climate Survey Effort detailing the results of the 2021 UI Student Campus Climate results.

The University of Iowa has become a charter member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) STEMM Equity Achievement (SEA) Change program. This initiative, which aims to help colleges and universities advance institutional transformation of diversity, equity, and inclusion, aligns with UI’s ongoing strategic planning process, and will provide a mechanism for institutional review, accountability, and evolution in DEI on campus.

Dr. Liz Tovar drops a note for the campus for the month of February 2022.

Name changes for the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Center for Diversity and Enrichment and Diversity Resources units highlight new focus on service to the university community.

The division of diversity, equity, and inclusion is entering the next phase of the UI’s evolving campus climate survey project. The division will release reports from 2021 student data over the six weeks and then launch a new campus-wide climate survey for students, faculty, and staff on March 29, 2022.

University of Iowa students, faculty, and staff will have the opportunity to participate in a new program focused on free speech and navigating challenging conversations starting in mid-February.

The 2021-2022 year-end review for the University of Iowa Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Happy New Year, and welcome back to campus! While it is cold outside, we are excited to see everyone back on campus to begin the spring semester. My hope is everyone had a safe and enjoyable winter break.

Liz Tovar, AVP of the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Iowa drops a December Note of thanks to the campus.

Message to the HR Community (including all UI Health Care org units)

2021 University of Iowa Diversity Seed Grant Awards

Message to UI Human Resources Community on Harassment Prevention 10.5.21

A message to our campus community from Angie Reams and Liz Tovar on sexual misconduct.

Andre Perry hired as the new Director of arts, engagement and inclusion and senior advisor in the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Iowa.

August 2021 Welcome Back Note from Liz!

The University of Iowa is taking action to streamline the process to report free speech violations, bias, discrimination, equity, and sexual misconduct by forming the Office of Institutional Equity.

Announcement of Tab Wiggins appointment to the full-time role of Director of the Center for Diversity and Enrichment.

A new Note from Dr. Liz Tovar, AVP of DEI at the University of Iowa on Juneteenth.

A quick June update in a Note from Liz

A note from Liz on the anniversary of George Floyd's death.

Letter to the University Community

The University of Iowa Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion announces the 2021 Diversity Catalyst Award winners and details April 21, 2021, DCA virtual reception.

A Note from Liz on Daunte Wright - April 14, 2021

Dr. Tovar appears on the HERKys's Voice Podcast

MEMORANDUM to UI Faculty, Staff, and Students regarding Bmindful calendar updated to correct dates listed for Passover

An Open Letter to Transgender Students from the University of Iowa Transgender Council, March 2021

Letter to Asian American students, international students from Asia, Pacific Islanders, and the Pan Asian community of support from the Division of DEI, International Programs, and the Pan Asian Council.