The Harkin Institute

The Harkin Institute would like to wish a very happy birthday to one of our founders, Ruth Harkin! Did you know Ruth was actually the first Harkin elected to public office? She served as the Story County Attorney and was the first woman to be elected county prosecutor in Iowa! She has spent her career advocating for women's rights and championing disability rights. Her leadership and passion continue to inspire us at The Harkin Institute. You can learn more about Ruth's life and legacy in her upcoming book, When My Husband Ran for President and Other Short Stories. Grab your copy and hear from the author at her book launch event next week! Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4dBxo9l

THIS FRIDAY: Attend the next session of our Continuing Education Series! This workshop will focus on increasing diversity on Boards of Directors and the benefits of having disability representation on a Board. Thanks to a generous sponsor, this session will be FREE for both professionals earning credit and the general public. Register now: https://bit.ly/3SN4uLQ

Just one more week to submit your proposals for the 2024 Harkin Summit!

We are excited to announce that CLF experts Bob Martin, Keeve Nachman, Tom Philpott, Chris Heaney, and D’Ann Williams are participating in The Harkin Institute ’s conference on Agriculture and Public Health at Drake University on September 25 and 26. Find more event details and register today: https://lnkd.in/e7snYvUa

Please join The Harkin Institute for an important Agriculture and Public Health conference at Drake University on September 25 & 26. Topics covered will include: Iowa's high cancer rates, nitrates, avian flu outbreaks, and climate change. Find more details and registration info here: https://bit.ly/4fM8tSu

Join us for an unforgettable evening with Ruth Harkin to celebrate the launch of her new book, When My Husband Ran for President and Other Short Stories! The event on 9/5 will include remarks, a Q&A session, and a chance to get your book signed. Register now to attend this exciting event: https://bit.ly/4dBxo9l

If you're one of the 94% of American workers covered by Social Security, check out this FREE training from the Social Security Administration. The webinar, Social Security 101: Understanding Retirement, Survivor and Medicare Benefits, will go over eligibility requirements, filing options, and online tools available for planning and managing benefits. Register now for the training on 8/28 at noon CT: https://bit.ly/3SYj6aW

Two years ago today, we celebrated the official opening of the Tom and Ruth Harkin Center! With the help of our partners at BNIM, our building now serves as a model of inclusion and accessibility. You can learn more about all the details that went into creating the Tom and Ruth Harkin Center here: https://lnkd.in/gZ2rEM9T

Thanks to the Business-Higher Education Forum for the opportunity to provide insights on how #business and #highereducation can align on areas including a career ready workforce, innovation, and economic development. Great discussion at The Harkin Institute on the campus Drake University. Thanks as well to the program fellows from around the country that attended and engaged in this conversation!

I'll have more posts next week to share some of the interesting insights and experiences our Business-Higher Education Forum Fellows had this week here at Drake University in Des Moines. In the meantime, Jennifer Thornton, Myk Garn, and I teamed up to share five quick takes on what we're already seeing and hearing from our Faculty Innovation Fellows, like how faculty are eager to leverage GenAI to update their learning and curricular experiences for students (as discussed by David Metnick of Accenture in April). If you're curious about some of the motivations that are driving faculty to participate -- and some of the challenges holding back their success -- this is a great and quick read. https://lnkd.in/e44WKT2B In the meantime, a huge thank you to our August hosts at Drake University led by President Earl Martin, Provost Sue Mattison, The Harkin Institute Executive Director Matthew Reed, and Disability Policy Director Daniel Van Sant along with the incredible array of guests who came through, from Susan Elrod as our facilitator to Iowa Business Council CEO Joe Murphy, Anne Wright and Breanna Young, LMHC of MercyOne, one of my favorite equity researchers Sarah Crane, PhD, and Tiffany Tauscheck, CCE, IOM, CDME of the Greater Des Moines Partnership for joining and sharing context.