Students from the college of Social Work conducted a project that was focused on several programs within the Sioux City area that were seeking to improve their services for and communications with members of the population that are from traditionally disadvantaged and oppressed groups.

Mass communication students enrolled in "Philanthropy Communication in a Digital World" worked with Brucemore Historic Estate in Cedar Rapids to develop and implement a marketing plan, including research, event planning, and use of technology to produce promotional messages and a social media campaign. The students focused on volunteer recruitment and retention.

In collaboration with Arts Share, graduate students in the School of Art & Art History worked with local businesses in the Czech Village/New Bohemia Main Street District to design window displays for the holiday season.

In collaboration with Iowa Digital Engagement and Learning (IDEAL), honors rhetoric students created podcasts in sping 2014 through IDEAL's Digital Narratives project. Podcasts focused on IISC's partner community of Muscatine, particularly on the growth and development of Muscatine.

Here are the five stories told through podcasts:

Graduate students in Organization and Community Practice worked in groups to put their social work training into practice. Students identified a social justice community issue to investigate and conducted a needs and strengths assessment using data on the community, key informant interviews of different stakeholders, and other sources as necessary.

The IISC and Arts Share developed a low-cost public art project for a student in the MFA program. The project used recycled materials to create a sculpture that pays homage to an important member of the Mississippi River Valley's ecosystem, the bald eagle.

Honors rhetoric students collaborated with two groups in the School of Urban & Regional Planning, and the Iowa Digital Engagement and Learning (IDEAL) program, to develop digital texts that will help tell the story and effectively message the Mississippi riverfront redevelopment project and Connectivity master plan project to citizens of Muscatine.

Journalism students in the Strategic Communications Writing course researched and produced marketing materials for use by the Washington Chamber of Commerce for promotion of the hotel/motel tax.

Washington, Iowa is currently one of the only communities in Iowa without a hotel/motel tax. Funds generated by the tax will help put the community on the map, making it more competitive Iowa destination.

Students in a Fundraising and Philanthropy Communications class organized ideas for a non-profit animal shelter's fundraising campaign. Using research on the latest trends in fundraising and philanthropy, students evaluated the shelter's past special events, marketing campaigns, and donor interests. They applied concepts and trends to organize new events, update marketing pieces, and developed a donor campaign with creative ideas and key messages to better position the shelter to receive support.

Through a partnership with Arts Share, Erin Rappleye, a University of Iowa Masters of Fine Arts graduate student, designed a 2-story mural for the Washington Public Library as part of an effort to provide public art in the alleyway and enhance downtown Washington. There was a ribbon cutting for the mural in fall 2015.

Students in the Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences assisted the City of Iowa City with their Leadership STAR Community Program application by gathering information about City policies, practices and actions in the areas assessed by STAR.

Engineering students created a project aimed at reducing the water demand, energy consumption and costs for Iowa City's Wastewater Division. The students calculated the areas needing irrigation along with the volume of water needed. Pump sizes, electrical service, and a design plan estimating construction and operational costs were the deliverables.