It's an honor to serve as interim president at this pivotal moment for the University of Iowa. Decades from now, innovation and achievement on almost every front will mark this chapter in our university's story.

A forthcoming upgrade to the university’s email system will soon give UI faculty and staff access to many exciting new features. Non-healthcare-provided email accounts will be upgraded to Microsoft Office 365 by the end of the calendar year.

As the UI moves forward with the Iowa Board of Regents’ TIER project, campus leaders are committed to keeping colleagues informed. Here are the latest developments across academic and business cases.

Two UI College of Education alumnae are creating an after-school drumming club in Mount Vernon, Iowa, as a result of participating in a World Music Drumming Workshop. That event, hosted by the UI and West Music, drew more than 60 music teachers from across the state and nation.

The University of Iowa Presidential Search and Screen Committee will meet from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, in Room 2390 of the University Capitol Centre, 200 South Capitol Street.

To help everyone make a smooth transition, the University of Iowa is offering a list of experts who can talk about everything from helping a child get on the right sleep schedule to preventing back-related injuries from carrying backpacks that are too heavy.

So far, there are 44 candidates who have officially applied to replace Sally Mason as the next president of the University of Iowa. Another six have expressed interest but have yet to officially apply, says a firm handling the UI’s search for a new president.

Jean Robillard is looking forward to assuming his role Aug. 1 as the interim president of the University of Iowa, where this fall the campus is poised to welcome the largest freshman class ever.

Death notices for current and retired UI employees. Links to online obituaries provided when available.

University of Iowa faculty, staff, and alumni: We’d love to have your help at the UI’s exhibit at the Iowa State Fair, Aug. 13-23, in Des Moines. Fair admission, parking passes, and a Hawkeye T-shirt will be provided.

Sally Mason, the 20th president of the University of Iowa, will officially retire from the presidency Aug. 1. She served as UI president for eight years. Before starting her retirement, she expressed her appreciation to the UI campus community.

Patients with hypertension benefit from interacting with a medical team that includes a pharmacist. Two studies showed pharmacist-included care teams delivered more hands-on and tailored medication regimens to patients, which yielded more effective blood-pressure control results than for those patients who did not have a pharmacist on hand.