Whether you want to get a behind the scenes look at Hancher Auditorium, spend time outdoors at Macbride Nature Recreation Area, visit the university's historic Field House, or take a virtual tour of the People's Law Library, Discover Your University offers a range of activities this fall for employees to explore the University of Iowa.
Instilling employee pride through engagement and discovery of our institution is foundational to success at the UI. The 2022 Working at Iowa survey found 82% of faculty and staff understand how their job fits into the university's mission. Engagement opportunities like Discover Your University encourage connection to the UI beyond employees' daily job duties.
A Forbes article stresses the importance of investing in employees' growth and development.
"Our research shows that workplace connection is a critical driver of employee retention and engagement," the article states.
Discover Your University is open to all UI faculty and staff. Faculty and staff–individually or as teams–are encouraged to participate in up to two visits per year. All events take place during the workday and allow employees to take part without using leave time, in keeping with the university's educational opportunities policy. Participants also earn liveWELL points for participating.
Fall 2023 programming will take place on Sept. 21 and Oct. 18.
In spring 2023, 422 unique individuals participated in a Discover Your University event, up from about 300 individuals in the program's inaugural season last fall.
More than 110 participants responded to a survey saying their sense of connection and belonging to the UI was strengthened by participating in a spring 2023 Discover event, with 179 participants saying they were "very likely" to recommend participation to a colleague.
Tamra Elliott, Macbride Nature Recreation Area (MNRA) land manager, says she has seen increased participation in MNRA events since hosting Discover Your University tours.
"I hosted two public birding walks and many of the people were from our Discover Your University events," says Elliott. "They had never been out here or done walks like this prior to the Discover event. One of them even purchased binoculars just for the walk, in hopes of learning how to do something new."
James Jorris, Staff Council president and revenue cycling coordinator at UI Health Care Patient Financial Services, manages a team that mostly works from home, so he welcomed the opportunity to be together at Macbride.
"We all learned so much and enjoyed our time together out of the office and in nature," says Jorris.
While a walk through Macbride will expose you to the wonders of nature, a tour of Hancher will put you on stage where Broadway shows and sold-out concerts take place. At the Driving Safety Research Institute, you'll see one of the world's largest and most advanced driving simulators, as well as a fleet of on-road research vehicles. At the CPSS BioSkills Lab on the UI Hospitals & Clinics campus, you will gain an appreciation for the physical skills and knowledge needed to care for patients through a hands-on procedural and surgical simulation experience.
No matter your interests, there's sure to be a Discover Your University event you'll enjoy.
"Employees are the best ambassadors for the university and its programs," says Cheryl Reardon, chief human resources officer and associate vice president. "The more they experience first-hand, the better prepared they are to tell neighbors, friends, and family about what our students, faculty, staff, and community partners are achieving."
Please contact Justin Fraase with questions, future event suggestions, or to express interest in hosting a Discover Your University event.