DES MOINES, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa and its community college partners are thrilled to announce Paul Sapp has been named director of UNI@IACC (Iowa Community Colleges), an interim role he has held for nearly a year. 

Owning 20 years of higher education experience in progressively responsible roles at UNI, Sapp brings extensive leadership experience in community college relations and transfer admissions to the UNI@IACC partnership. Over the past three years, he has also played a crucial role in building the new UNI@DMACC partnership in Des Moines. 

Throughout his years of dedicated service, Sapp has developed strong, lasting relationships with community college partners across the state, represented UNI on statewide transfer committees with the Iowa Department of Education, mentored many UNI students and staff and provided sound and thoughtful counsel and guidance to hundreds of students each year as they navigated the transfer process to join the Panther family. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Northern Iowa, and a master’s in Adult Education/Training & Development from Drake University.

“Paul's contributions to UNI, its students and campus, as well as to the transfer community in Iowa are immeasurable,” said University of Northern Iowa Provost Jose Herrera. “UNI is grateful for his leadership in expanding access to place-bound learners across the state through UNI@IACC, and in particular, his work at Des Moines Area Community College on behalf of UNI.”

“I transferred to UNI from an Iowa community college as a student, and have worked with transfers throughout my time at UNI,” said Sapp. “This is a population I understand - I know their questions, concerns and fears; and I truly enjoy helping them navigate the path from their current institution to the University of Northern Iowa.”

Through UNI@IACC, Iowans with an associate’s degree from any Iowa community college are able to earn a UNI online degree without having to leave their hometown. UNI@IACC offers an online pathway for earning a bachelor’s degree in several high-demand areas: Accounting, Managing Business and Organizations, Management: Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Criminology, Elementary Education, Human Services, Technology Management and the Bachelor of Liberal Studies.

To further increase that accessibility, UNI also launched the Future Ready Scholarship Program for eligible participants in a UNI@IACC program. The Future Ready Scholarship covers the difference between UNI and community college tuition. Information about the program and how to apply can be found at iacc.uni.edu.