EdVantage UNI

At its June meeting, the Board of Regents will consider approval of EdVantageUNI, a new center within the UNI College of Education. If approved, EdVantageUNI will help transform UNI’s long history of educator preparation into a coordinated statewide center, saving districts time and helping them keep great teachers in Iowa classrooms.

UNI has historically provided high-quality outreach and professional learning services. However, these efforts have sometimes been decentralized and difficult for external partners to navigate. EdVantageUNI, if approved, will address this by serving as a unified, outward-facing arm of the College of Education and providing a single point of contact for the university. The center will be designed to coordinate, standardize and expand UNI’s services across the state and help Iowa school districts navigate changes in Area Education Agency (AEA) funding. 

The center will serve four primary audiences: PK-12 school systems, individual educators, aspiring educators and school-aged learners and families. EdVantageUNI is intentionally designed to coordinate and amplify existing programs and initiatives in the College of Education.

With its long history of educator preparation in Iowa, UNI is uniquely positioned to lead and scale a statewide approach to educator development. The proposed center will enhance UNI’s ability to expand access to quality, flexible learning opportunities for educators, strengthen recruitment pipelines for undergraduate and graduate programs, build long-term partnerships with school districts and state agencies and generate sustainable revenue.