News

Stopping the brain drain: Rural areas struggle to keep young professionals
Thursday, December 7, 2017
BELLEVUE, Iowa — Claira Sieverding is 25 years old and engaged, with a good job and a master’s degree. She was born and raised in Bellevue, population: 2,177. Other than living in Dubuque while she attended Loras College, she always has called Bellevue home — and plans to continue doing so. “In Bellevue, you can have an active voice and be involved in the decision-making,” she said. “I love the...

Digitizing Mason City’s Architectural Heritage
Saturday, November 11, 2017
This semester, students in Assistant Professor Lindsay Mattock’s Archives and Media course are working on a database project that engages with the notion of architectural heritage changing over time. The project began in the summer of 2017, when the Office of Outreach and Engagement reached out to Professor Mattock with a proposal for a community outreach project with Mason City, Iowa as part of...

Mason City's 'Taste of the North End' provides discussion on ways to improve
Monday, October 30, 2017
MASON CITY, Iowa- Three restaurants on the north part of Mason City are opening their doors and providing food to residents who have ideas on how to bring change to the north part of town, and those who live on the north side say they have plenty of ideas. "I'd like to see some more businesses open up here and to see the north end cleaned up some," says Larry Snyder, of Mason City. "We don't have...

Residents, U of I students, talk future of Mason City's North End
Monday, October 30, 2017
MASON CITY | Tiffany Jacobson has lived on the North End for 13 years. She likes her neighborhood, enjoys seeing kids play outside on her block and takes pride in where she lives. And with the Blue Heron Bar & Grille and Little Chicago opening on North Federal Avenue within the past few months, she hopes the city and community can continue to build and improve her end of Mason City. "It's gotten a...

North End residents invited to free dinner, offer tips to better Mason City neighborhood
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
MASON CITY | Forty North End residents will have the opportunity to eat for free at three nearby restaurants on Thursday night. The catch? Offer input and suggestions to University of Iowa students on how to better their neighborhood. Travis Kraus, assistant director for the Iowa Initiative of Sustainable Communities at the University of Iowa, is one of the organizers of "Taste of the North End."

Jackson County partnering with University of Iowa students to attract young families to small communities
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
BELLEVUE, Iowa (KCRG-TV9) -- Jackson County is looking to attract more young families to its communities. The county has teamed up with University of Iowa graduate students to discover what young people look for in a city. In Bellevue, Kelsey and Geoffrey Kaiser are examples of a young couple who moved to the town from a big city. Geoffrey Kaiser is the principal at Marquette, and Kelsey Kaiser...

Pearl Street Park Opens in Sioux City, based on Greenspace Plan developed through Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities
Monday, October 23, 2017
SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Sioux City has dedicated its newest park, and it's located downtown. Parks and Recreation officials holding the grand opening ceremony for Pearl Street Park. It's located at 620 Pearl Street, and city leaders believe it will nicely compliment the Launchpad Children's Museum, which sits right across from the park.

Economic development leaders aim to make Jackson County attractive to youth
Thursday, August 31, 2017
MAQUOKETA, Iowa — Iowa’s urban communities are known for having more entertainment, dining, education and networking options for young professionals. But Jackson County leaders say they have amenities to offer that big cities can’t. And they want young people to know about them. The Jackson County Economic Alliance is teaming up with the University of Iowa Outreach’s Iowa Initiative for...

Washington residents pass hotel/motel tax supported by IISC partnership
Friday, August 4, 2017
Washington, IA, an IISC community partner in 2013-2014, passed a hotel/motel tax this week, which is another example of a successful IISC project. Prof. Rachel Young and her Strategic Communications Campaigns course worked with the Chamber of Commerce to identify appropriate messaging to ensure the tax would pass a public vote. For many years the residents of Washington were opposed to a hotel...

University of Iowa MFA students complete mural in downtown Clinton, Iowa
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Two University of Iowa art students celebrated the completion of their mural in Downtown Clinton, Iowa with a ribbon cutting ceremony on July 6th, 2017. Ali Hval was selected by the Office of Outreach & Engagement to design and install the mural, and she recruited fellow artist and MFA student Marina Ross to provide assistance. The project was made possible by a collaboration between two...
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