UNI's National Program for Playground Safety, established in 1995, continues its goal of reducing the number and severity of playground-related injuries in the United States. The program recently received a three-year federal grant from the Department of Health and Human Services through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. An agreement between UNI and North Iowa Area Community College is designed to help provide more technology education instructors for Iowa's schools. The Office of International Programs provides study abroad opportunities for UNI students. Formal exchange agreements with more than 15 universities across Europe, Asia and South America allow students to attend an overseas institution for a semester or an academic year while paying UNI tuition.
Programs are available in most academic majors and are taught in local languages and in English.
The project will initially target bilingual aides in the Marshalltown, Iowa, school system and bilingual students at Marshalltown Community College. A new Educational Opportunity Programs Student Center was established to join the Center for Academic Achievement and Student Support Services. At UNI, faculty and student interaction is valued not only in the classroom but in clinical and field contacts, extracurricular activities and research opportunities. The entire campus, not just the classroom, is viewed as a place for learning. The students were placed at more than 100 sites, including Belgium, England, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands, Peoples Republic of China, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey and the United States.