Shawna Saad appointed University Registrar
Following a national search, Shawna Saad has been appointed University Registrar, effective Dec. 2, 2024. Saad has more than 13 years of experience in the Office of the Registrar at Iowa State University, where she most recently served as senior associate registrar. During her time at Iowa State, Saad demonstrated exceptional leadership in key areas such as student registration and course scheduling, tuition and fee assessments, and communications. In addition to her extensive experience, she earned a Ph.D in Higher Education Administration from Iowa State in 2017 and is the past president of the Upper Midwest Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers.
IntroducingWell-Being at Iowa
Explore this new website dedicated to supporting the health and well-being of our entire campus community. Visitors can connect with fitness and nutrition services, mindfulness programs, safety supports, and more. The site serves as a comprehensive hub for over 200 well-being resources that support students, faculty, and staff, and offers 24/7 crisis support, stories and reflections on mental health and well-being, and campus news and events.
Build foundational AI skills with HawkAI certification
The Iowa Initiative for Artificial Intelligence and Information Technology Services now offer students and employees short courses leading to certification in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The seven courses available this fall run from one to three hours in length and are offered online at no cost to participants.
Applications opening in October for weight management program
Wondr Healthis a digital weight management program that focuses on lifestyle behavior changes to meet the needs employees with on-the-go lifestyles and a 24/7 work environment. University of Iowa employees are eligible to participate in the 12-week program for free. Space is limited and applications are required. The application window takes place Oct. 7 – Oct. 21, with the program beginning on Oct. 28.
Free flu vaccinations on campus
University of Iowa employees can get the flu vaccine for free at locations across campus now through Dec. 6.Dates and locations for on-campus flu-vaccine events are listed on the UHR website.
Career Connectors
Registration is now open for the fallCareer Connectors series, a comprehensive three-part training program designed to prepare faculty and staff to better assist students in their career exploration, experiential education, and preparedness for the job search or graduate school process. Pomerantz Career Center staff provides real-world examples, case studies, ideas for the classroom, and interactive exercises to ensure that faculty and staff gain actionable knowledge they can immediately apply in their roles as career connectors.
Inuksuit
Sunday, Oct. 6, 3 p.m., Iowa City City Park
This free 70-minute performance—part of the Steven Schick residency—will feature 99 percussionists dispersed throughout Iowa City’s City Park and along the banks of the Iowa River.
P3 Proposal Information Session
Thursday, Oct. 10, noon,via Zoom
Members of the Strategic Plan Action and Resource Committee will be hosting an information session on constructing a competitive preliminary proposal for P3 funding on Oct. 10.Download the calendar file and open it with Outlook to add the event to your calendar.
2024 Health and Well-Being Fair
Wednesday, Oct. 16, 7:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., UI Field House Main Deck
Faculty and staff are invited to join the2024 Health and Well-Being Fairfor opportunities to create meaningful connections and boost your well-being. With over 45 well-being vendors, including departments from UI Health Care, attendees will have access to flu shots, health screenings, chair massages, and even a walking labyrinth. Enjoy games, activities, giveaways, and the chance to win some great prizes!
Fall Tree Tour
Wednesday, Oct. 16, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., Sciences Library 3rd Floor
Join the Pentacrest Museums for a guided stroll on campus featuring the ecological diversity, symbolism, history, and lore of our trees. This Fall Tree Tour includes a new route with all new trees.
Dance Gala
Oct. 17 – 19, Hancher Auditorium
The Department of Dance will host four performances for its annual Dance Gala, a celebration of dance that will bring the audience on stage with artists. The event will include both new and restaged works by faculty members and creative collaborators, as well as Sombrerísimoby distinguished guest choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.
Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m., Hancher Auditorium Strauss Hall
This Club Hancher performance features UI Department of Theatre Arts alum Brian Quijada and his creative partner Nygel D. Robinson taking the stage in Strauss Hall to share acoustic takes on songs from their new hip-hop musical.
ICON Day 2024
Friday, Nov. 1, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., IMU Black Box Theater
Join the Office for Teaching, Learning, and Technology at ICON Day 2024! Our keynote address will be delivered by Kate McDowell, associate professor of library and information sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She’ll provide insights into how storytelling can be key to transforming data into meaningful and memorable information, in the classroom and beyond. t.Register by Friday, Oct. 25.
E/Merge
Saturday, Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m., North Hall Space Place Theater
This inspiring collaboration between Hancher, the Department of Dance, and the International Writing Program continues a tradition of bridging literature and dance. Each year, more than 30 distinguished writers from the around the globe connect with dance students and faculty to create a free dance program inspired by literature.
Fall 2024 Inactive Course Review Period
Wednesday, Oct. 16 is the deadline for Academic DDEOs to approve inactive course forms through workflow. For more information, please visit MAUI Help’sInactive Course Review page.
Winter 2024 and Spring 2025 Textbook and Resource Orders
Textbook and resource orders for winter 2024 and spring 2025 courses should be finalized in MAUI by the start of Early Registration on Monday, Nov. 11.
Curriculum Changes and General Catalog
The 2025–26 General Catalog will be open for editing on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. Decisions about curriculum changes for 2025–26 General Catalog should be made by this November in order to have the smoothest transition through all curricular tools (catalog, degree audit, and sample plans). Please reach out to Emily Johnson (emily-johnson-5@uiowa.edu) and the catalog team (registrar-publications@uiowa.edu) as soon as possible if you anticipate significant 2025–26 changes that will not be ready when the catalog opens in November.
Course Accessibility for Everyone alt text and captions trainings
Course Accessibility for Everyone (CAFE) will host two trainings in October. On Oct. 11 at 10 a.m., we'll learn about alternative text and how to craft the perfect descriptive alt text for the images in your course. On Oct. 25at 10 a.m., we'll talk about video captioning and audio transcription, the easiest ways to provide these accessibility tools, and how to use UICapture to create them. Sign up through the My Training portal in Employee Self-Service.
FOR FACULTY
May Brodbeck Humanities Fellowship
Applications for theMay Brodbeck Humanities Fellowshipmust be submitted by Oct. 4 to DEOs (collegiate recommendation to the provost by Nov. 15). This is a competitive award designed to encourage and support the study of language, linguistics, literature, philosophy, history, jurisprudence, criticism, and theory of the arts as well as humanistic aspects of the natural and social sciences.
Scholarly Teaching Program
The Center for Teaching is launching a newScholarly Teaching Program. The program offers the opportunity for a cohort of teaching-focused faculty to participate in an interdisciplinary learning community, explore the literature on evidence-based teaching practices, and attend a teaching conference together to help them plan, implement, and assess impactful teaching practices.Participants in the Spring 2025 cohort will receive financial support to travel to The Teaching Professor conference in Washington, D.C., June 6-8, 2025. There is no obligation to propose or present, but participants will receive support in developing their materials if they choose to.The deadline to apply is Friday, Nov. 1.
SoTL Scholars Program
Proposals from instructors interested in participating in the SoTL Scholars Program are due by Nov. 8. The program will support a small cohort of faculty from various disciplines in designing, implementing, and disseminating scholarship on teaching and learning (SoTL). Faculty can learn more andapply online.
Women’s Faculty Development Conference
Save the date for the 17th annualWomen’s Faculty Development Conference,Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions, on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, at the Iowa Memorial Union. The conference will feature an interactive workshop with Marianne Lewis, dean of the Carl H. Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati, and co-author ofBoth/And Thinking.
Curricular connections to theINTO LIGHTexhibition
Starting in January, theINTO LIGHTexhibition at the Old Capitol Museum offers faculty an opportunity to enrich their courses with hands-on, interdisciplinary educational experiences. This impactful exhibition features original portraits and stories of individuals who have lost their lives to drug addiction, alongside national and Iowa-specific statistics. Instructors can schedule a self-guided visit or arrange for a guided visit with our Education and Engagement Department.Visit our websitefor example course connections and to schedule a visit.
Funding available for innovative teaching projects
The Innovations in Teaching with Technology Awards provide funding for results-oriented instructional technology projects that have the potential to improve student success and retention. A total of $100,000 is available for awards. If you’ve been experimenting with new teaching approaches that involve technology, submit your proposal by Tuesday, Oct. 15.
Data-Informed Teaching Community of Practice
This community is open to faculty who are interested in collaborating with other instructors and supporting one another in using data to improve student success at the course and/or program level.To attend any of the fall meetings, please submit this brief form.
EVENTS
Early Career Funding Opportunities and Support Information Session
Wednesday, Oct. 2, 11 a.m.– noon, via Zoom
This session will give an overview of some of the federal and foundation opportunities available to early career faculty, as well as highlight the unique support provided to early career faculty by the Research Development Office at Iowa.
Leveraging Low-stakes Writing for Critical Engagement and Learning
Wednesday, Oct. 2, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., UCC 2070E
This Center for Teaching workshop will help instructors explore how to integrate writing into their courses using low-stakes writing activities that allow students to engage critically in courses across the disciplines.
Email Management
Wednesday, Oct. 2, noon – 1 p.m., via Zoom
All UI faculty are invited to join this session to learn strategies for managing email more effectively. Discover how to mitigate distractions, organize your inbox, and utilize Outlook tools to efficiently manage your email volume.
W.M. Keck Foundation Information Session
Wednesday, Oct. 9, 1 – 2 p.m., via Zoom
Join the Research Development Office for this information session to learn more about this limited submission research program that supports projects in medical research, science, and engineering. The session will include Keck’s funding priorities, the concept call and review process, and an opportunity to have your questions answered.
Designing Aligned Course Assignments
Friday, Oct. 11, noon – 1 p.m., via Zoom
Evidence shows that well-designed assignments contribute to student engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes. In this interactive workshop, Center for Teaching staff will show instructors how to apply strategies to create effective assignments.
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Institute
Friday, Oct. 18, 1 – 4:30 p.m., IMU International Ballroom
All instructors (faculty, staff, and students) are invited to attend the inaugural Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Institute to learn more about the impact and potential of SoTL to improve teaching and learning. Guest speaker Peter Felten, professor at Elon University, and SoTL expert Johan Geertsema, professor at National University of Singapore, will be on campus to share their insights with attendees.
Time Management
Wednesday, Oct. 23, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., via Zoom
This workshop is designed for faculty of all ranks to learn essential time management strategies. Build realistic to-do lists, establish effective daily and weekly plans, and carve out dedicated time for writing and other important projects.
Creative Matters: Music and the Mind Panel Discussion
Wednesday, Oct. 23, 6 p.m., Voxman Music Building Recital Hall
Renée Fleming will host a select group of clinicians and scholars onstage for a panel on research at the intersection of arts, health, and neuroscience. This event is free and open to the public.
Retirement Seminar
Monday, Oct. 28, 2 – 3:30 p.m., via Zoom
This Office of the Provost session will help faculty explore various retirement paths, understand the basics of benefits and TIAA guidelines, and connect with the Emeritus Faculty Council.
2024 UI Research Services Fair
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 1 – 4:30 p.m., IMU Main Lounge
Over 65 campus units will be present for this vendor-style fair that provides an opportunity for researchers and staff to quickly learn about campus resources and services available for their research and scholarship activities. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be provided.
Strategies for Mid-Career Success
Thursday, Oct. 31, 9 – 10:30 a.m., via Zoom
This session is designed for tenured mid-career faculty (associate professors) looking to navigate mid-career challenges, develop new opportunities, and identify strategies for promotion. Join us to discuss avenues for continued professional growth and success.
NSF CAREER Club Info Session
Friday, Nov. 1, 9 – 9:30 a.m., via Zoom
The Research Development Office is hosting a virtual information session for faculty interested in learning more about their NSF Career Club, which is designed to provide participants with the knowledge and resources to craft competitive applications for the prestigious CAREER award.
Humanities Grants Recent Awardee Panel Session
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 9 – 10 a.m., via Zoom
Join this virtual panel session to hear from accomplished award recipients from external sponsors in the humanities – including ACLS, Mellon Foundation, NEH, and Guggenheim Foundation - regarding their experience with the application process, need-to-know information, and much more.
STUDENTS
Uber Voucher program for students
USG has partnered with Campus Safety, the Division of Student Life, and the Parent and Family Council to continue the Uber Voucher pilot program. Eligible students can claim two $5 Uber ride Vouchers which are valid from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. daily during the fall semester. Visit the Hawk Vouchers page to claim yours while supplies last.
My Career Path launches for students
The Pomerantz Career Center has launched My Career Path, an online platform designed to support students in navigating their professional journeys. Part of the P3 Pathways to Success project, the platform offers personalized career development activities, tracks milestones, and offers tailored guidance based on individual student profiles.
Fall 2024 Career Treks
Career Treks are a career exploration initiative that allows students to travel to various cities in order to gain insight into career fields of interest. This is a great opportunity to for students and employers to network, discuss internship and full-time job opportunities, and for students to learn about the company's environment, day-to-day operations, and the hiring process and timeline.
Fall 2024 Degree Application Deadline and Commencement
Friday, Oct. 4 is thedegree application deadline for the fall 2024 graduation session. Students who are interested inparticipating in commencement this fall will need to RSVP after applying for their degree. The RSVP portal is open through Sunday, Nov. 17. Additional information about commencement is available atcommencement.uiowa.edu.
Undergraduate Engagement Corps
The Undergraduate Engagement Corps (UEC) is accepting applications for the spring semester through Oct. 7. This new program from the Office of Community Engagement offers training, professional development, and grant opportunities for undergraduate students interested in community engagement. Students can apply and learn more about the program, which kicks off in January 2025, on the Office of Community Engagement website.
Pre-Health 101
Tuesday, Oct. 8, 5 p.m., Pappajohn Business Building W151
This academic advising event is for first-year undergraduates with pre-health interests who are considering applying to health programs after undergraduate school. This presentation will provide valuable strategies, tools and mindset on being a successful pre-health student. Attendees will hear from a current UI student who is applying to health care professional programs to get their views on navigating academics and activities.
Introduction to Pre-Law
Tuesday, Oct. 8, 3 p.m., Pomerantz Center C210
This academic advising event is for undergraduates considering applying to law school. The event will include pre-law advisors and current law students discussing more about the legal profession, applying to law school, and what law schools look for in successful applicants.
Prepping for the LSAT
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 3:30 p.m., Pomerantz Center C210
This academic advising event is designed for juniors and seniors who plan to begin studying for the LSAT in the next few months orwho will applying to law school for fall 2025 or fall 2026. Students will learn about resources, test questions, timeline, fee waivers, and more.
Graduate Students
2025 Graduate Engagement Corps
Applications are now open for the2025 Graduate Engagement Corps (GEC). The GEC is open to any graduate or professional student interested in incorporating community partnerships into their research or teaching. The 2025 GEC will include an orientation in January, followed by workshops, training, and a grant opportunity available only to GEC members.Visit our GEC webpage for more information and to read about the impact of the GEC on graduate students at Iowa.
Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition
Master’s or PhD students who wish to compete in the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition shouldregister by Oct. 7. 3MT is a research communication competition that challenges graduate students to clearly and concisely articulate complex research to non-specialist audiences. The 2025 3MT preliminary competition will take place Oct. 10 – 11, with the final competition on Thursday, Nov. 7.
Scholars' Table
Graduate and professional students are invited to join the Grad Success Scholars' Table for a unique lunchtime engagement experience with fellow graduate students and visiting faculty. This professional development opportunity allows participants to discuss academic careers, network, and build connections over a meal. Learn more by contacting grad-belonging@uiowa.edu.
Grad Success Appointments
Expert advisors in the Grad Success Center can help with career exploration and planning, job materials feedback, practice interviews, planning for fellowships, academic career preparation, and more.Appointments can be scheduled online and are available to prospective graduate students who have questions about graduate school, current graduate students, postdocs, and alumni within one year of their graduate degree.
