Through the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities, University of Iowa students and faculty are partnering with Iowa communities along the RAGBRAI route build a more sustainable future. Check out what they’ve accomplished so far in RAGBRAI stop Decorah.

Protivin is getting a helping hand from some Hawkeyes during this year’s RAGBRAI ride. This is the third year that Iowa JPEC students will help draw attention to businesses on the RAGBRAI route. Their goal? Maximize the economic impact of RAGBRAI and try to make that impact sustainable.

UI alumnus Paul Willis owns a celebrated free-range pig farm in Thornton, Iowa, one of the stops on this year’s RAGBRAI route. He’s also the founder of the Niman Ranch farm network, where his UI alumna daughter, Sarah Willis, works. Both say their UI education contributed to their success.

The UI College of Law and the Iowa State Bar Association have teamed up to encourage law students to practice in rural areas. The summer Rural Clerkship Program provides opportunities for law students to work at small-town practices in places like Garner, Iowa, a stop on the RAGBRAI route.

UI College of Pharmacy professor Bernard Sorofman has used his expertise in pharmacy medicine to reform medical services for criminal offenders in Iowa and expand a statewide drug repository for unused medication, keeping medication out of landfills and ensuring it gets to the people who need it most.

The U.S. Geological Survey, Iowa Geological Survey, Office of the State Archaeologist, and Iowa Limestone Producers Association are working together to teach RAGBRAI riders about the land that’s rolling by under their tires. The “Learn About the Land” brochure, produced every year, details the bike route’s natural resources.

David McCartney, university archivist in University of Iowa Libraries, delivered a paper, “Documenting Activism: How the Digital Humanities Can Uncover the History of Protest,” June 16 at the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) conference in Washington, D.C.

Dan McGehee, of the National Advanced Driving Simulator at the University of Iowa, says safety is the main benefit of high-tech cars.

President Harreld discusses the importance of faculty research and scholarship to student success, noting that when faculty pursue their own academic interests, they both expand our knowledge and inspire their students.

Executive Director of Hancher Auditorium Chuck Swanson hails from Spencer, Iowa, the first overnight stop on the 2017 RAGBRAI route. Swanson shares not only his but the University of Iowa’s connection to the town, including a permanent mural in Hancher that Spencer middle school students worked on.

The University of Iowa will begin accepting proposals from firms interested in reviewing employment policies and practices as defined by the Iowa Civil Rights Act, as well as internal university policies. The deadline for proposals is Aug. 17.

Lena Hill has been appointed interim chief diversity officer and associate vice president and Monique DiCarlo has been appointed Title IX coordinator by UI President J. Bruce Harreld. A search for a new chief diversity officer will begin in late fall or early spring.