U.S. Senator Joni Ernst visited the University of Northern Iowa on Wednesday, touring the Applied Engineering Building and the new nursing facilities in the Innovative Teaching and Technology Center. During her visit, Ernst met with UNI leadership, faculty, and students, and spoke with reporters about the university’s contributions to Iowa’s workforce and economy.

Speaking about UNI’s Applied Engineering Building, Ernst said, “This particular building and the expansion of it is providing a beautiful workspace and educational space for students, and something at a level you won’t find at many other institutions. But not only coming from the University of Northern Iowa – you’ll see a lot of other partners that invested in this space, which tells me that they are interested in making sure that the young men and women that are coming through these programs stay local and maybe go to work for John Deere or other local employers. We want to see these young people stay in Iowa.”

Ernst also praised UNI’s Neighboring State Rate, which offers in-state tuition to new students from six surrounding states. “I think it’s incredibly important that we offer up those opportunities to bring students in from other states, provide them with a first-class education, but keep them in our Iowa communities as well,” she said. “We’ve talked about a number of other programs here at the University of Northern Iowa. We are extremely competitive in those programs, but we want to offer that opportunity to those other than Iowa students, provide them with in-state tuition and keep them here.”