About Us

The University of Iowa hosts the IPRO organization. We are a group of student researchers who are proud to prepare non-partisan policy reports for officials in the state of Iowa. Professors Caroline Tolbert, Rene Rocha, and Tom Rice are the directors of the program and all maintain working relationships with several state legislators and other officials.

Biographies:
Just who is writing all those reports anyway? Check out our biography pages to find out:

2011 Biographies

2010 Biographies

2009 Biographies

2008 Biographies

2007 Biographies

2006 Biographies

Apply to Join:
So, students out there are naturally wondering how to get in on this great opportunity. Have a look at our application page for more information.

Click here to apply

IPRO Guests Over the Years

Legislators and public officials continue to bring their perspectives and needs to our program in 2011 and we are deeply grateful for their time.

2011

Coming soon!

2010

Date--Guest--Topics

1. October -- Peter Matthes (Federal Relations Director in the University of Iowa Governmental Relations Office and former staffer in the Iowa Legislature) -- Iowa Legislature, legislative process, funnel system, budget, higher education funding
2. October -- State Senator Joe Bolkcom -- environmental and sustainability issues, federal health care law implemntation in Iowa, 2011 Iowa Legislative Session
3. October -- State Representative Dave Jacoby -- 2011 Iowa Legislative Session, higher education funding, high-speed rail, Iowa's economy, 2012 Fiscal Year budget
4. October -- Robert Downer (member of the Iowa Board of Regents) -- higher education funding for public institutions, the Iowa Board of Regents role in higher education, tuition
5. October -- Jim Larew (Governor Chet Culver's Chief of Staff) -- Iowa's economy, budget process, higher education, alternative engergy in Iowa, green jobs economy
6. October -- Dick Oshlo (Governor Chet Culver's State Budget Director) -- Iowa's budget, Iowa's economy in the 21st Century

2009

Date--Legislator--Topics

1. August 28th -- Senator Jeff Danielson -- Economic Indicators, Child Support Enforcement, Adoptee Access to Adoption Records
2. September 9th -- Representative Jeff Kaufmann -- Gaming Laws, Tanning Bed Regulations, Texting While Driving
3. September 16th -- Representative Dave Jacoby -- Budget Issues, Agricultural Subsidies, Health Care, Pandemic Influenza Plans
4. October 5th -- Representative Rod Roberts -- Budget Concerns, Right to Work Issues, Gubernatorial Election Issues
5. October 19th -- Republican House Caucus Research Staff

2008

Date--Legislator--Topics

1. August 27th -- Senator Jeff Danielson -- Recent Flooding, Budget Concerns, Health Care Reform
2. September 8th -- Senator Joe Bolkcom -- Simplification of the Tax Code, Energy Issues, Flooding/Water Quality issues, Health Insurance, Education
3. September 12th -- Represenative Dave Jacoby -- Campaign Finance Reform, Age of Maturity, Tax Reform, Budget Process Reform
4. September 17th -- Senator Paul McKinley -- Corporate Taxes, Capitalization of Publicly Owned Inventions in the Marketplace, Teacher Student Discipline Strategies
5. September 19th -- Representative Jeff Kaufmann -- School Textbook Prices, Legislative Process, Campaign Finance Issues, Bottle Bill Proposals, Civil Union Legislation

IPRO would also like to thank former U.S. Congressional Whip David Bonior for his perspectives on the recent general election and the future administration.

We want to thank these busy legislators and public officials for taking the time to meet with us!

Our Sister Program

The University of Vermont hosts a similar program to IPRO, the Vermont Legislative Research Shop (VLRS). This program is under the direction of Professor Anthony Gierzynski and has amassed a large body of policy research. We encourage you to check out the website: http://www.uvm.edu/~vlrs/