Provost Academic Update

Monthly news, updates, events, and accomplishments for academic leaders in the university community. 

Please share the information below with faculty, staff, and students in your area as appropriate.

New Note-taking Resources

The Note Depot tool in ICON allows instructors to easily add LectureAI or the Note Taking Exchange to their courses.

Digital Accessibility Tools

Instructors can ensure their course materials meet accessibility standards by using ICON tools Anthology Ally and TidyUp.

Resources and Announcements

Postdoc Opportunities Board available for faculty and staff
UI faculty and staff can now use this free resource to promote open postdoctoral positions to more than 83,000 doctoral students and postdocs across 18 partner institutions.

Book Ends 
Applications are due Sept. 24 for this program that provides resources and guidance to help faculty members complete their first book.

James Van Allen Natural Sciences Fellowship
Faculty must submit applications to DEOs by Oct. 3 for this competitive award, which provides $15,000 in support for scholarly work in physical, natural, and mathematical sciences.

President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence
Nominations are being accepted through Nov. 7 for this award, which is the highest teaching honor at the University of Iowa. Each college may submit up to three nominations for clinical-track or tenure-track faculty and up to two nominations for instructional-track or adjunct faculty.

Enrollment Management campus presentations
Faculty and campus partners are invited to schedule a session to learn about Enrollment Management and explore how they can collaborate with them to recruit and support students. 

Supplemental Instruction moves to Main Library
Most Supplemental Instruction (SI) sessions have moved from the Iowa Memorial Union (IMU) to a new location on the second floor of the Main Library. 

Events and Workshops

DEO Workshop: Leading Through the Faculty Career Life Cycle
Wednesday, Sept. 10, 8 - 9:30 a.m. | Teams 
DEOs are invited to this interactive workshop to learn more about UI faculty tracks and ranks, map their unit faculty, and manage opportunities and challenges related to the faculty career life cycle.

DEO Workshop: Conversation with Academic Leadership
Thursday, Sept. 25, 8 – 9 a.m. | Teams
Join Executive Vice President and Provost Kevin Kregel for a discussion with academic leadership tailored specifically for DEOs.

DEO Workshop: Navigating Difficult Conversations
Tuesday, Oct. 7, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. | Teams
This workshop will teach participants about conflict management styles and provide specific strategies for navigating difficult conversations.

Fresh Check Day
Wednesday, Sept. 17, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. | Hubbard Park
This campus-wide mental health fair is designed to connect students with important campus resources and facilitate constructive conversations around mental health and wellness. 

Choosing Leadership Opportunities for Mid-Career Faculty
Wednesday, Sept. 17, noon - 1 p.m. | Teams
This workshop will discuss strategies for mid-career tenure-track faculty to identify impactful leadership opportunities that utilize their expertise and maximize their contributions.

AHI Unveiled: AHI Insights and Opportunities
Tuesday, Sept. 23, 10 – 11 a.m. | Zoom
This session is intended to inform faculty about funding opportunities with the Arts and Humanities Initiative (AHI) program.

Community Engagement Network
Wednesday, Sept. 24, noon – 1 p.m. | 2520D UCC
Faculty who sign up for this group can attend the network meeting to learn more about the new promotion and tenure guidelines for community-engaged scholarship.

Designing Your SoTL Study
Friday, Sept. 26, 1 - 3 p.m. | 350 VAN 
This interactive workshop will provide expert guidance and dedicated time to explore strategies for conducting a scholarly inquiry into student learning and instructional practices.

Scaffolding to Set Students Up for Success
Friday, Oct. 10, noon - 1 p.m. | Zoom
This workshop offers practical approaches to teaching that build student autonomy, metacognitive skills, and motivation.

Celebrating Academic Excellence

Ten UI faculty named inaugural Provost AI Fellows
Faculty from a range of academic disciplines will receive funding to develop courses for the new undergraduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence. 

UI College of Nursing's SIM-IA program receives $5.3M investment
The Wellmark Foundation has partnered with the Simulation in Motion-Iowa (SIM-IA) program to further strengthen health care delivery in rural Iowa communities. 

Campbell earns Horwitz Prize for muscular dystrophy discoveries
Kevin Campbell, professor and chair of molecular physiology and biophysics in the Carver College of Medicine, will receive the 2025 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University.

Morris receives $1.2M grant from NSF 
J. Garrett Morris, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, was awarded $1.2 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a method to unify how researchers write, verify, and reuse proofs in mathematics and computer science. 

Exercise Oncology Clinic aims to improve health outcomes for cancer patients and survivors
Jessica Gorzelitz, assistant professor in the Department of Health, Sport, and Human Physiology, is helping lead a new P3 supported initiative that aims to support cancer recovery through exercise accessible across Iowa.

UI Museum of Natural History awarded $1M NSF grant
A $1M grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) will help the UI preserve and digitize more than 140,000 irreplaceable insect and invertebrate specimens, some of which are more than a century old.

You can find more examples of academic excellence from around the university on the Office of the Provost website.