SERVING IOWA
The Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC) is a campus-wide community engagement initiative that empowers students, faculty, staff, and community partners to co-create mutually beneficial partnerships in pursuit of vibrant, sustainable, and equitable futures.
The program offers essential, energizing, and applicable learning experiences to graduate and upper-level undergraduate students, while simultaneously providing valuable services and substantial outcomes to communities.
Each year, we undertake full partnerships with 1-2 Iowa communities. We listen to our partners' needs and match these with the capacities of the university faculty and departments. Together, we co-develop a list of diverse projects that tap the assets of both the community and our students. Our goal is always to bring high-quality work to our partners, while providing learning opportunities for the next generation of community leaders.
IISC By the Numbers
60+
Iowa communities we've worked with
410
Community projects completed since 2009
200+
UI students working in Iowa communities each year
Discover Our Recent Partnerships
Voices of IISC
Through my experience with IISC, I learned how to effectively engage with diverse communities, address complex challenges, and balance the needs of stakeholders while ensuring the success of these projects. The hands-on experience in real-world settings provided by IISC was invaluable in building my confidence and expertise in the field and led to me getting the job I wanted.
The Community Empowerment Law Project (CELP) is staffed by law students working under faculty supervision. Collaboration with IISC and their community partners enables CELP students to better understand the issues, culture, and strengths of rural and small town Iowa; to participate in interdisciplinary work with students from across the university; and to do meaningful work and have an impact beyond Johnson County.
Working with IISC has been so fulfilling. It was a journey--from brainstorming ideas and working with community partners on the application through the finishing touches of the last project (a permanent art installation)! I’m excited to think about the body of work we have inherited and how Dubuque can put it to continued development and good use. This work helped me better understand many things about my community as well as inspire me to continue the work IISC has started.
Full Partnerships
- Pathfinders RC&D 2024-25
- West Burlington/Burlington 2024-25
- Dubuque 2023-24
- Bondurant 2023-24
- Clinton 2022-23
- Jackson County 2021-22
- Maquoketa River Watershed Management Authority 2021-22
- Waterloo 2020-21
- Manchester 2020-21
- Keokuk 2019-2020
- Webster City 2018-2019
- Mason City 2016-2018
- East Central Intergovernmental Association 2016-2018
- Sioux City/SIMPCO 2014-2016
- Winneshiek County 2014-2016
- Iowa City 2014-2016
- Cedar Rapids 2013-2014
- Muscatine 2013-2014
- Washington 2013-2014
- Dubuque 2011-2013
What We Offer
Each year, IISC works with 1-2 Iowa communities on full partnerships that include a minimum of 10 major projects. This work is completed by graduate students and upper-level undergraduates, usually as part of a capstone class, and with guidance from a faculty member and a community project lead.
IISC has worked with 25 different UI departments and disciplines, including School of Library & Information Science, English, and Cinematic Arts. Our most frequent campus partners include:
- Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Community Engaged Law Project, College of Law
- Geographical & Sustainable Sciences
- Journalism & Mass Communication
- Marketing Institute, Tippie College of Business
- Public Affairs
- Urban Planning
- Visual arts
- World Languages, Literature, & Culture
For a list of past and potential projects by disciplinary area, visit the Project Types page.
Has IISC worked in your community yet?
In addition to the full partnerships that IISC has completed with the Iowa communities listed to the left, we have also collaborated on stand alone projects with more than 50 additional communities. To learn more about our past work across the state, visit the Projects page of this website.
Meet Some of Our Network
EPIC-N
IISC is a founding member of the Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities-Network (EPIC-N). This global nonprofit and its members unite the human capital of universities with local governments and communities to improve the quality of life and social wealth for all involved. Travis Kraus, director of IISC, currently serves on the organization's board.
Civil and Environmental Engineering Senior Design
Senior Design is a cornerstone of IISC partnerships. Each year IISC staff identify and develop 10 to 15 unique, real-world challenges for these soon-to-be engineers. Recent projects that CEE students developed for our partners and which have since been actualized include a redesign of Shelly Park in Manchester; and a pocket neighborhood in Maquoketa.
Office of Community Engagement & Outreach
IISC has a strong relationship with the University of Iowa Office of Community Engagement, which works to facilitate the development of mutually beneficial partnerships between faculty, staff, and students at the University of Iowa with community partners across the state, nation, and world.
Visual Arts
A hallmark of every IISC partnership is a public art project. There are many murals dotting Iowa that were created by a UI student working with IISC, including in Mason City, Clinton, Bondurant, and Waterloo. We've also designed and installed a decorative arch for a park and created a solar sculpture. The 2023-24 partnership with Dubuque culminated with installation of a sculpture created from salvaged playground equipment. See the video above about this ambitious project.
News
Planning for a Creative Future
Five Questions with Caleb Smith
