In addition to supporting the University of Iowa’s Strategic Plan 2022-2027, University Human Resources is committed to:
- attracting the next group of talented employees
- promoting leadership excellence and development
- enhancing workforce operations through agility and innovation
- fostering overall health and well-being for faculty and staff
Our work helps to affirm Iowa as a first-choice destination.
"Supporting Iowa’s people is job #1 for University Human Resources. As we reflect on the past year, University Human Resources embraced innovative ideas and created positive impact."
2025 Year in Review
Staff Success SPARC
Staff Success Strategic Plan Action and Resource Committee (SPARC)
Staff Success Strategic Plan Action and Resource Committee (SPARC)
- Continued staff Employee Value Proposition (EVP) implementation through graduating student outreach, standardized job requisition language, and employee profiles for difficult to fill roles.
- Evaluated the student pathways pilot and identified next steps, with last year's HR intern placed full time in UI Benefits.
- Advanced the staff talent acquisition model by exploring recruitment systems and applying new hire insights.
- Mapped the employee lifecycle and identified key practices to support P&S staff retention.
- Enhanced onboarding by clarifying roles, improving communications and webpages, refining new hire surveys, and exploring executive onboarding improvements.
- Enhanced the Merit staff experience through peer mentoring, onboarding programs, and supervisor training/group coaching.
- Mapped 10 job families, covering 3,500+ P&S staff, leading to a prototype career pathway framework, clarified terminology, and identified data to support staff mobility.
- Defined and embedded leadership attributes in the Executive Leadership Academy and UI Lead programs.
- Enhanced total rewards by assessing competitiveness and launching new voluntary benefits for pet insurance and short-term disability insurance.
- Launched new variable pay options for temporary employees.
- Completed a staff recognition program review, including data analysis, benchmarking, and developing recommendations to enhance and align campus efforts.
- Developed the HR Assistant chatbot, completed testing and training, and launched it to internal stakeholders with ongoing support.
- $314,500 in P3 funding to support Dual Career Services in recruiting and retaining nearly 30 campus referrals.
Well-Being SPARC
Well-Being Strategic Plan Action and Resource Committee (SPARC)
Well-Being Strategic Plan Action and Resource Committee (SPARC)
- Launched wellbeing.uiowa.edu, a comprehensive hub offering over 200 resources and 24/7 crisis support for the UI community.
- Completed a financial well-being pilot with Student Life using You Need a Budget (YNAB), showing positive results for 27 participants.
- Expanded well-being service evaluation and created an online support tool.
- Implemented R U OK?, a mental health peer support program reaching more than 800 faculty and staff with positive early results.
- Formalized use of human-centered design principles in university environmental planning.
- Implemented DIY well-being strategies support by liveWELL wellness grants.
Development and Recognition
Development and Recognition
Development and Recognition
- Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue delivered to 137 participants over 9 sessions
- 165 expert consults, completed or in process. Top requests: change management, individual coaching, training/presentation, assessments, and team coaching
- 76 Improving Our Workplace Award (I.O.W.A) winners celebrated
- 32 campus leaders completed new Executive Leadership Academy, with 96% likely to recommend the program
- 33 employees awarded professional development funds totaling $34,031
- 2,300 Supervisor Training@Iowa courses completed; 90% of respondents indicated they would use what they learned
Recruitment and retention
Recruitment and Retention
Recruitment and Retention
- Continued to centralize campus recruiter model: 13 orgs using UHR Talent Acquisition; 11 orgs with a dual report recruiter (representing 92% of campus orgs)
- 39 University Housing and Dining and Office of Animal Resources employees are actively participating in the P3 Merit Experience Pilot Project's peer mentoring program
- P3 Merit Experience Pilot Project delivered targeted training sessions for supervisors focused on effective communication, conducting performance reviews, and onboarding best practices
- 13 trained mentors participating in the P3 Merit Experience Pilot Project's peer mentoring program
- 34.7% response rate on new hire survey launched July 1, 2024
liveWELL
liveWELL
liveWELL
- Through the UI's partnership with Sleepio, 90.3% of participants reported improved sleep
- Nearly 2,400 individuals attended sessions with the UI Employee Assistance Program
- 95% of employees reported improved well-being after using liveWELL services
- 207 employees completed QPR suicide prevention training
- 20,739 individuals (12,165 unique participants) impacted by liveWELL services
- 129 student families received over $360,000 in childcare subsidies
- 92% of respondents indicated the Childcare Subsidy Program improved their commitment to Iowa
- More than 50 people utilized financial well-being services through Hills Bank partnership
- 241 ergonomics assessments and departmental projects completed
Operations
Operations
Operations
- 41,706 W-2s processed in CY24
- 1,952 workers' compensation claims reviewed and processed
- Faculty and Staff Immigration Services filed 306 cases for 244 employees
- Faculty and Staff Disability Services reviewed 1,884 leave and disability requests from more than 1,200 individuals
- 100 Mission Cancer + Blood employees transitioned to UI insurance and retirement
- 4,195 flexible pay awards processed (918 exceptional performance and 3,277 SPOT awards)
- 19,500 calls answered by UI Benefits from retirees, employees, and students
- 500 employees assisted as they retired
Past years in review
Past years in review
2024
2024
2023
2023
2022
2022
(Note: For 2021-2022, UHR shifted from calendar-year reporting to fiscal-year reporting. This year-in-review summarizes accomplishments since the 2020 report.)
2020
2020