Tony Tulathimutte went from an unhappy career in Silicon Valley to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Now the acclaimed writer is helping University of Iowa students envision their own paths forward.

The University of Iowa Department of Dance has moved into a newly renovated, modern home that provides faculty, staff, and students with updated spaces that inspire learning and collaboration with each other and other performing and visual arts programs along the west side of the Iowa River.

Stead Family Children’s Hospital is again Iowa’s top children’s hospital, and seven specialties are ranked among the nation's best in the 2026–27 “Best Children’s Hospitals” rankings published by U.S. News & World Report.

The University of Iowa will gain new resources for rural and small-town students, thanks to a $100 million gift from Trott Family Philanthropies to the Small Town and Rural Students College Network (STARS), the national, 32-school coalition the UI helped found.

Check out the latest Plan in Progress. From preparing students, faculty, and staff for an AI-enabled future to expanding health care across the state and investing in academic spaces, the quarterly update highlights the many ways our campus community is building for what’s next.

University of Iowa neuroscientists find in a new study that the brain waves of parents and their child are synced when the parent combines speech with gestures during instruction. The findings could help improve a child’s ability to learn and develop.

Researchers in the College of Engineering and College of Pharmacy are developing advanced computing tools to predict how drug ingredients behave during manufacturing. By identifying potential problems earlier, the approach could make drug development faster and less expensive while helping ensure medications are effective when they reach patients.

Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship Day, will be celebrated Sept. 17, commemorating this date in 1787 when delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia signed the United States Constitution. UI Libraries has created a helpful guide for how to incorporate Constitution Day materials in the classroom. Libraries also will be handing out free pocket Constitutions on a first-come, first-served basis.

The University of Iowa’s 2026 incoming class marks the fifth consecutive first-year class of more than 5,000 students and again is among the largest in university history. It’s also one of the highest achieving, with an average high school grade-point average of 3.87. Read more about our newest Hawkeyes.

UI Health Care is revising its facilities strategy to more quickly expand access to care for Iowans. By modernizing and expanding existing spaces instead of building a new hospital tower, the health system expects to add about 100 patient beds and serve an estimated 23,000 patients sooner.

Ashley Howard, University of Iowa assistant professor of history, has been named a 2026 Mellon Emerging Faculty Leader. The recognition comes from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the nation’s leading funder of the arts, culture, and humanities.

The University of Iowa is building a campuswide strategy for artificial intelligence to coordinate and strengthen efforts across teaching, research, and public engagement. This approach will focus on three core components that connect the entire campus: engaging across disciplines, ensuring responsible expertise, and amplifying human potential.