When we talk about the value of an academic institution, it’s often in terms of the quality and utility of the education that students receive, or of the contributions that faculty research makes to our health and well-being, or of the economic impact that a university has on its surrounding community. All of these are, after all, important facets to consider when assessing the “value” of an academic institution, as are less-quantifiable but arguably more important things like the sense of belonging to a vibrant and academically productive community. The Iowa Center for Higher Education (ICHE), operated by the University of Iowa, contributes to the UI’s renown in all of these areas by bringing successful programs and talented faculty to Des Moines campus, but there are other services a university performs that don’t get as much ink (or as many pixels) devoted to them as they probably should.

Though the UI has operated the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center in Des Moines for many years, our work at ICHE began much more recently—less than a year ago in fact, when the AIB College of Business’ board of directors donated the former AIB campus to the UI. In that small window of time, ICHE has contributed quite a bit to the Des Moines area. We operate a full-service recreational center that’s open to the surrounding community, including a gymnasium that was booked every evening but one in the month of January. It’s where our sport and recreation management students do many of their internships, and it’s also the home court of the Iowa Christian Academy, a local private high school, and Iowa Force, the new Des Moines women’s professional basketball team. ICHE hosts numerous youth recreational teams and local events under its roof as well.

ICHE provides space for Des Moines nonprofits too. We’ve partnered with Telligen Community Initiatives to create the Synergy Center, a cost-effective space for public health–focused nonprofits to operate. The staff of organizations like Eat Greater Des Moines, Prevent Child Abuse Iowa, and the Iowa Public Health Association can rub shoulders and share ideas about how to further their mission—and they’re welcome to remain at the Synergy Center for as long as they want, saving them the worry of a ticking clock and allowing them to focus on their respective missions. ICHE’s students benefit from this as well: The handy thing about a university housing nonprofits is that our students studying social work can complete their practica with these organizations, serving the Des Moines area just as many of their fellow Hawkeyes serve the Iowa City community.

Finally, ICHE is working on a project called the Internship Village, which will provide interns at Des Moines businesses with low-cost short-term housing in one of our campus’ former residential buildings. It’s often difficult for interns to find the accommodations they need when their internship only lasts a few months. This option will give interns from across the country—there are applicants from Maine to Florida to California to Texas—as well as students from Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa, a convenient and productive place to stay, one where they can network and compare notes with peers working in other Des Moines institutions. The interns benefit, and Des Moines businesses benefit as well.

The value of a university isn’t something that can be set down on paper—a dizzying number of factors and qualities come together to burnish the name of an institution. But if you know where to look, some less-touted elements are actually pretty easy to see: high school students playing a pick-up game in a university gymnasium, nonprofit workers and volunteers unlocking their university-owned offices to get to work on pressing community problems, interns from across the country gathering in a common area to swap stories about their days at the office. You can find all of those things at ICHE—and that’s not even getting started on academics.