Project Lead: Kristy Nabhan-Warren

Funding Approved: Fiscal Year 24
Project Status: In Progress  
Funded amount: $270,000 over three years

Building upon the University of Iowa’s distinction in writing, this initiative equips faculty with the skills to communicate their research and scholarship to wider audiences outside academia. Participants attend workshops focusing on writing effectively for public news outlets, including essays, op-eds, research-informed journalistic essays, leading newspapers, respected magazines, and other venues. This initiative aligns with the strategic plan goal to leverage the UI’s areas of distinction and the talent of its people to have a transformative societal impact. By extending the reach of academic knowledge through various media outlets, this project helps position Iowa as a leader in communicating research and scholarship to the public.

Activities to date:

• Launched a website and published a news story to promote the program. Provided regular updates to collegiate leaders and solicited nominations for faculty participants.
• Joined The Conversation in July 2023 as an institutional member. 
  • Developed good working relationships with The Conversation's editing team.
  • Connected faculty experts with editors to discuss story ideas.
  • Reached the benchmark goal of publishing at least 20 articles in The Conversation in Year 1.
  • Two editors from The Conversation visited campus for two days in fall 2024 to meet with groups of faculty, administrators, and President Wilson.
• Offered virtual sessions with The OpEd Project, with 15 researchers and scholars participating. Post-workshop, an OpEd Project editor reviewed drafts of faculty OpEds.
• Held two virtual science communication workshops hosted by the Alan Alda Center for faculty across the disciplines, including the humanities.
  • Each workshop was at capacity, with 30 total participants. 
• Partnered with the Obermann Center to develop a weeklong writing retreat for faculty that will be offered in May 2025.

Next Steps:

The team will continue building upon its success by offering additional workshops and training sessions to more faculty members. The goal is to further expand faculty participation in public-facing scholarship and enhance the quality and impact of their public writing. Ongoing efforts will include collecting and analyzing feedback from participants to refine and improve program offerings, fostering stronger relationships with media editors, and exploring opportunities for in-person events with The OpEd Project and other partners.