Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities

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Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities Students, faculty, and staff in these diverse fields bridge disciplinary boundaries to develop innovative approaches to complex challenges.

IISC is a campus-wide community engagement initiative that empowers students, faculty, staff, and community partners to co-create mutually beneficial partnerships in pursuit of vibrant, sustainable, and equitable futures. While Partnering, community needs are matched with the expertise and resources of university faculty, staff, and students through courses, independent studies, and research projects. By taking students out of the classroom and into communities to complete real-world projects, IISC accomplishes two university-wide goals: enhancing sustainability across the state and transforming teaching and learning at the University of Iowa. IISC approaches the holistic nature of sustainability by drawing on many disciplines across campus, including urban and regional planning, civil & environmental engineering, business and marketing, law, art and art history, cinema arts, and more. A unique model for engagement and learning
The magnitude and depth of an IISC partnership make it, unlike any other resource or service at the University of Iowa. Whereas some community engagement might consist of a single project, IISC partnerships bring together faculty, staff, and students from across campus to complete 10-15 projects in a single community over the course of an academic year. Dozens of top UI students from various disciplines bring their talents, enthusiasm, and creativity to the partnership. For IISC community partners, focusing resources in their area results in a profound, transformative impact not only because of the number and quality of projects but also because citizens and community leaders coalesce around a shared vision and shared goals in order to make the partnership successful. For UI faculty and students, IISC means that they can expect to work in a community ready to take on big challenges, and prepared to be true collaborators. IISC is a competitive application process that requires a considerable amount of time and effort from prospective community partners, as well as a broad vision for the future. By the time students arrive on campus for the start of a new semester, community partners are ready and eager to begin working on the collaboration. IISC is also unique because professional staff work to ensure high-quality results for community partners. Final deliverables reflect not only the high-quality work from students but the professional expertise of IISC staff.

Last year, University of Iowa - Department of English graduate students in Professor Eric Gidal’s course, Bioregionalism...
10/07/2026

Last year, University of Iowa - Department of English graduate students in Professor Eric Gidal’s course, Bioregionalism in History, Theory, and Practice, explored traditions of bioregionalism in geography, civics, literature, culture, and the arts to create seven proposals for future community engagement in West Branch and the Lower Cedar Watershed. Their work caught the attention of teachers at Scattergood Friends School, who were inspired to create a new course of their own, Imaginable Futures, focused on exploring the Lower Cedar Watershed bioregion. Last week, Eric was invited to attend Scattergood’s Celebration of Learning to hear presentations from the students about their projects imagining possible futures for the region.

Eric’s course was one of 19 projects that were part of IISC's 2025-2026 partnership with the City of West Branch. IISC connects students with communities across Iowa to work on projects that have a meaningful, real-world impact. Learn more about this project here: https://iisc.uiowa.edu/projects/west-branch-lower-cedar-watershed

University of Iowa | University of Iowa Alumni | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa | East Central Iowa Council of Governments

09/24/2026
Check out this article from the The N'West Iowa REVIEW for details about the IISC partnership in Lyon County including t...
09/16/2026

Check out this article from the The N'West Iowa REVIEW for details about the IISC partnership in Lyon County including the University of Iowa College of Engineering projects happening this fall!

"University of Iowa engineering students could be seen wielding tape measures or wading through a creek in Lyon County on a recent Saturday through a partnership with the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities."

Lyon County Economic Development | City of Inwood | University of Iowa School of Planning and Public Affairs | Travis Kraus | Becca Bixler | Lyon County Riverboat Foundation | City of Larchwood | Lester Visioning University of Iowa | J Ashley Laux | City of George, Iowa

REGIONAL—University of Iowa engineering students could be seen wielding tape measures or wading through a creek in Lyon County on a recent Saturday through a partnership with the Iowa Initiative

Thank you City of Ottumwa, Iowa - City Government for hosting us for the site-visit and kick-off for our year-long partn...
09/01/2026

Thank you City of Ottumwa, Iowa - City Government for hosting us for the site-visit and kick-off for our year-long partnership!

IISC partnerships with Lyon County, Granger, and Ottumwa help students apply their skills to real-world projects while h...
08/17/2026

IISC partnerships with Lyon County, Granger, and Ottumwa help students apply their skills to real-world projects while helping communities plan for the future.

https://grad.uiowa.edu/ui-students-put-learning-action-across-iowa

University of Iowa School of Planning and Public Affairs | University of Iowa College of Engineering | University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication | City of Granger, Iowa | City of George, Iowa | Greater Ottumwa Partners in Progress | City of Ottumwa, Iowa - City Government | City of Inwood City of Larchwood | Lester Visioning

IISC partnerships with Lyon County, Granger, and Ottumwa help students apply their skills to real-world projects while helping communities plan for the future

Reflecting back on IISC's 2025-2026 partnership with the City of West Branch!Travis Kraus shares, "West Branch brought a...
08/04/2026

Reflecting back on IISC's 2025-2026 partnership with the City of West Branch!

Travis Kraus shares, "West Branch brought a unique set of opportunities and challenges for students to tackle, and we are grateful for the city leaders and residents who were such strong and thoughtful collaborators with project teams.”

https://grad.uiowa.edu/news/2026/07/ui-partnership-west-branch-provides-cost-effective-plan-community-improvement

Adam Kofoed Main Street West Branch University of Iowa School of Planning and Public Affairs University of Iowa College of Engineering

UI partnership with West Branch provides a cost-effective plan for community improvement

Announcing IISC's 2026-2027 partners: City of Granger, Iowa, Lyon County, and Ottumwa! IISC is excited to collaborate wi...
05/19/2026

Announcing IISC's 2026-2027 partners: City of Granger, Iowa, Lyon County, and Ottumwa!

IISC is excited to collaborate with the City of Granger, Lyon County, and the City of Ottumwa on projects that connect University of Iowa students and faculty with real-world engaged learning opportunities. These collaborations bring fresh ideas, energy, and expertise to community-driven projects while giving University of Iowa students meaningful opportunities to apply their skills beyond the classroom.

We can’t wait to get started!

A full slate of projects will be announced this fall.

Main Street West Branch, Thank you for your partnership this year on many IISC projects including Professor Rachel Young...
05/08/2026

Main Street West Branch, Thank you for your partnership this year on many IISC projects including Professor Rachel Young's University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication Strategic Communication Campaigns course this semester!

We’re incredibly grateful for our partnership with the Strategic Communication Campaigns class at the University of Iowa School of Journalism & Mass Communication! 🎓✨

Throughout the semester, these talented college seniors worked alongside Main Street West Branch to research best practices, develop strategic communications plans, and help streamline our own marketing and outreach efforts.

Their work also extended directly into our downtown business community, providing intensive 1:1 support and high-quality deliverables for FOUR amazing local businesses:
📍 Herb N' Lou's Pizza
📍 Main St. Sweets-WB
📍 Izzys Treasures
📍 Shop 121

We’re so thankful for the time, creativity, professionalism, and fresh perspective these students brought to the table. The tools and strategies they created will help strengthen our mission and support these businesses as they continue to grow, engage customers, and thrive in historic downtown West Branch.

Thank you to the students and faculty for investing your talents into our community!

Check out The Daily Iowan's feature on IISC's partnership with West Branch including interviews with Adam Kofoed and Tra...
04/28/2026

Check out The Daily Iowan's feature on IISC's partnership with West Branch including interviews with Adam Kofoed and Travis Kraus.

DITV: UI Helps West Branch Expand

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