Connecting Faculty and Communities Across Iowa
Three College of Education faculty members took part in a recent “listening tour” of western Iowa.
The University of Iowa Faculty Engagement Corps has taken faculty and administrators to a different part of the state each year to learn about the area, demonstrate the UI’s commitment to service and research, and to learn about the communities’ relationships with the UI and how those bonds can be strengthened.
Professors Chris Ogren, Dennis Harper, and Liz Hollingworth all took part in the 2009 tour of Dennison, the Loess Hills, Council Bluffs, and Red Oak. Other representatives included individuals from Nursing, Engineering, and Urban and Regional Planning.
Ogren said the trip helped her feel increasingly connected to the state and interested in learning more.
“I gained a better sense of some areas and issues in Iowa, and an increased sense that I am connected to them and can play a role,” she said.
Harper said the trip made an impact on him as well.
“To witness firsthand how Iowans value the University increases my purpose and dedication as a teacher,” he said.
Hollingworth noted that the College of Education faculty made important connections in Dennison, where the high school is struggling to serve an increasingly diverse population. She also saw opportunities to expand the College’s principal and superintendent licensure program’s reach in that part of the state, especially since those programs are available online.
“It’s just a question of letting them know how accessible education at The University of Iowa really is,” Hollingworth said.
The Engagement Corps is sponsored by the Office of the Provost with support from the Faculty Senate. Since its inception in 2006, the program has sent UI representatives to Northwest, Northeast and South/Central Iowa.
