Collaborations create big outcomes
Imagine 100+ creative, passionate, and dedicated University of Iowa students and faculty working to make a difference in your community. That’s exactly what we’ve been doing in communities across Iowa through the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC) program, the University of Iowa's foremost community-engaged learning program.
Focusing the creative expertise of a major research university on individual communities produces major impacts. Our partners garner significant grant funding via the plans and reports we provide. New partnerships are merged as our cross-disciplinary approach brings different parts of a community to the same table. And a lot of very practical work happens: Parks get designed. Archival materials are digitized. Carbon footprint reduction plans are solidified.
Let's work together!
If you have an idea for a single project or want to learn about our yearlong full partnerships, we are want to hear from you. This is a rolling process with no deadline.
Who Can Apply?
Applicants may consist of a municipality, a county government, councils of governments, or a collection of communities with similar characteristics, such as economic or cultural districts, or a transportation corridor. Previous community partners of IISC may apply.
Examples of past partners that are not individual city governments include the Maquoketa River Watershed Management Authority, Pathfinders RC&D, and Jackson County.
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From Application to Final Deliverables
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- During the fall & winter months IISC leadership invites letters of interest from prospective partners.
- In the spring the following academic year's partners are announced.
- Over the summer, projects are solidified and project leaders from your community are identified.
- In September a team of UI students, faculty, and staff visit your community, meet with project leads, and take a tour.
- By January, you'll receive final deliverables from fall semester classes.
- In the spring some student groups continue to work on yearlong projects, while other semester-long projects begin.
- In May & June we host an event for your community that highlights students' work and celebrates the partnership. We bundle all of the work from the year and upload it to our website.
Timeline at a Glance
Projects
Learn what kinds of work you can expect to accomplish in collaboration University of Iowa students, faculty, and staff.
How to fund your IISC partnership
We provide resources and supports to fund the work we'll provide.
Voices of IISC
Theresa Bechtel, Professor, College of Nursing
By gaining insight into the unique needs of these communities, the students will be better prepared to support the overall health and resilience of Iowa's population through their future roles.
Alex Baum, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque
The law students were able to identify who to interview in a way that can be harder to see when you’re in the midst of a system. Their persistence has also helped to formalize the processes between the school district and the foundation.
Michael Fallon, Adjunct Instructor
All-round, it was an amazing and fulfilling experience. To a one, the West Burlington staff and community partners were eager, responsive and quite helpful. I feel the University of Iowa is at its best when it engages or partners with the local community.
Elizabeth Pappas, Executive Director, Art Center of Burlington
I have been so impressed with all of [the IISC students] and their thoughtful, thorough approach. They have been very hands-on and have truly done their research on our community and its rich history—so much so that I think I learned a thing or two I didn’t know through their findings and insights.