HIP Badge
High Impact Practices (HIPs) are programs and experiences that enhance student learning and success by requiring considerable time and effort, fostering meaningful interactions, and providing opportunities for reflection and real-world application. Within the Division of Student Life, HIPs represent a commitment to providing high impact activities that support student learning, engagement, and success. Departments that participate receive a special designation recognizing their contribution to student success. HIPs are grounded in practices that challenge students academically and personally, encourage collaboration with people from a variety of backgrounds, and offer frequent feedback and high-performance expectations. These experiences help students connect learning across settings and demonstrate their competence in meaningful, often public, ways.

Four Areas Have Been Designated as High Impact:

Living Learning Communities 

Offer a supportive environment where residents can live and study with other residents who share a similar major or interest with intentional support from Residence Education and a staff/faculty member from an on-campus academic department. University Housing and Dining has six living learning communities.

Hawkeye Service Breaks (HSB)

A service-learning program that combines academic coursework with immersive service experiences. Students participate in a 3 s.h. course that includes theoretical and experiential learning, team-building, and critical reflection. The program culminates in an 8-day service trip where students engage in 24 hours of direct service with nonprofit partners, supported by structured reflection and leadership development.

Iowa GROW® (Guided Reflection on Work)

A program that facilitates structured conversations between student employees and their supervisors to help students connect their work experiences with academic learning and personal development.

Iowa NEW Leadership

An intensive multi-day leadership development institute and is open to participants from any institution of higher education in the state of Iowa. Iowa Is an official affiliate for the state of Iowa in the nationwide NEW Leadership program headquartered at Rutgers University.