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.

Twenty-five Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) fellows arrived in Iowa City June 16 to learn about the American economy and the basics of operating their own business. During their six-week stay, the fellows have been traveling across the state visiting farms, religious institutions, art galleries, and large businesses.

The Perry Research Scholars Institute, a two-week summer camp program for eighth-, ninth-, and 10th-graders organized by the College of Education’s Belin-Blank Center, introduces high school students to a variety of academic research so they can explore their interests and plan for the future.

Thirty-nine middle school students from around the Iowa City area participated in a youth camp sponsored by the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center’s Jacobson Institute for Youth Entrepreneurship. The weeklong camps teach participants the entrepreneurial mindset and expose them to innovation, creativity, and problem-solving.

Fiscal year 2017 saw an estimated 1 percent increase in both total external funding and funding that supports research and scholarship at the University of Iowa.

More than 140 high school students from around Iowa, the U.S., and countries like Italy, China, South Korea, and Canada have come to the University of Iowa to learn at the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio. The students spend two weeks honing their craft and immersing themselves in Iowa City culture.

Jessica Graff, a spring 2017 graduate of the University of Iowa with degrees in English and engaged social innovation, wrote an essay about her honors thesis project, “The Interfaith Initiative.” Graff taught K-6 students about world religions and tolerance in after-school programs in the Iowa City, Iowa, area.

The UI is one of 20 public institutions across the country to receive the Fiske Guide to Colleges’ “Best Buy” designation.

Ali Hval, a UI graduate student in art, helped officials from the city of Clinton, Iowa, and the UI’s Office of Outreach and Engagement unveil the mural she designed and painted at a ribbon cutting July 6. Hval’s mural adorns the historic Jacobsen Building in downtown Clinton.

A study from the College of Public Health finds that patients in rural areas can save money if their local hospital has a tele-ER service, which helps them avoid an expensive transfer to a better-equipped hospital in a larger city.

College of Public Health professor Brian Kaskie has a unique vantage of the U.S. Senate's health care reform debate, spending the year in Washington, D.C., working as a fellow on the staff of the Special Subcommittee on Aging.