University of Iowa President Sally Mason met with reporters Tuesday, Nov. 18 at Jessup Hall as part of her regularly scheduled media availabilities.

Reflecting on Veterans Day, Mason noted a new program on campus, the Iowa Consortium of Veteran Excellence, or ICOVE, that helps the 600 veterans currently enrolled at the UI to succeed in the classroom and to find careers they want. The initiative marks a first-time partnership between a higher-education institution and the U.S. Veterans Administration and is a nod to the UI's commitment to veterans, she added.

UI's emphasis to student success extends to research, Mason said. In any given semester, she noted, about 1,000 undergraduates are working in paid research positions, due largely to the external funding faculty bring into the university. In all, 27 percent of the UI's graduating seniors have been involved in research or creative work outside of the classroom with faculty.

Mason also mentioned two recent Iowa Now stories during her media availability, Classroom Pass: Sample 15 UI classes in one day, and "The Student Experience" series, with a recent story featuring Logan Suhrbier, a UI student from Lehigh, Iowa, who is the president of the UI Veteran Association.

Mason's next media availability is Jan. 21. The remaining dates (subject to change) are listed below. Each session is scheduled from 10 to 10:30 a.m.

• Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015
• Thursday, April 2, 2015
• Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Journalists are welcome to attend the on-the-record sessions and should RSVP to Tom Moore at thomas-moore@uiowa.edu or at 319-356-3945. Because space is limited, UI staff will videotape the discussion on a pool basis and provide unedited video files to media outlets.