The term “liberal arts” is one of the most misunderstood terms in the public discourse on higher education today. A higher education expert once said that putting the words “liberal” and “arts” together was a “branding disaster” – one so toxic that it was undermining public support for higher education. To break down the meaning and origin of the term, The Conversation reached out to Blaine Greteman, a professor of English, who looks at how the term emerged in ancient times.

Banks typically try to avoid direct legal confrontation with their primary regulators. But recent wins over the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will likely embolden banking trade groups to take on the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, agency watchers and industry attorneys say.

Saturdays in September may be dedicated to college football, but that didn’t stop Iowa’s marching band from getting a head start on basketball season with a shout-out to the campus’s biggest star: Caitlin Clark.

Canada’s seemingly endless wildfires in 2023 introduced millions of people across North America to the health hazards of wildfire smoke. While Western states have contended with smoky fire seasons for years, the air quality alerts across the U.S. Midwest and Northeast this summer reached levels never seen there before. The pressing question on many people’s minds: “Is this the new normal?” From our perspective as air quality scientists, we think the answer is likely “yes.”

Mark Blumberg, chair of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Iowa, discusses his research into the connection between body twitches, dreams, and REM sleep.

Jamel Brinkley, assistant professor at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, talks about his new collection of short stories, "Witness." The book follows his widely celebrated 2018 debut collection, “A Lucky Man,” which was a finalist for a National Book Award, the John Leonard Prize and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award.

Oluwafemi Atanda Adeagbo, assistant professor at the University of Iowa, and Oluwaseun Abdulganiyu Badru, a PhD student in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health at Iowa, co-authored this story on The Conversation about the importance of support from family and friends in helping reduce stigma associated with HIV in Nigeria.

Kristy Nabhan-Warren, professor and V.O. and Elizabeth Kahl Figge Chair in Catholic Studies, published an article in The Conversation, an independent news organization dedicated to unlocking the knowledge of academic experts for the general public. As a scholar of Roman Catholicism, Nabhan-Warren describes how Pope Francis' official travels are part of his decade-long effort to rebrand the Roman Catholic Church as a religious institution that centers on the poor.

University of Iowa President Barbara Wilson discusses the UI's move to acquire Mercy Hospital of Iowa City and shares her thoughts on academic freedom, the independence of public universities, and more.

As rising global temperatures make extreme storms more common, the nation’s dams and reservoirs – crucial to keeping communities dry – are being tested. California and states along the Mississippi River have faced similar flood control challenges in 2023. Managing these flood control systems is a careful balancing act. Do managers release water to make room for the storm’s runoff, increasing the risk of flooding downstream, or hold as much as possible to protect downstream farms and communities, which could increase the chance of larger floods if another storm comes through?