Join The Harkin Institute and Beaverdale Books on October 3rd for a powerful conversation on history, mystery, and U.S. foreign policy. Author John Dinges will discuss his new book, Chile in Their Hearts: The Untold Story of Two Americans Who Went Missing after the Coup. The book provides a gripping account of Charles Horman and […]
The groundbreaking Central Iowa Source Water Resource Assessment (CISWRA) report provided the most comprehensive and unbiased analysis of water quality in the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers to date, revealing that agricultural runoff is the primary source of dangerous levels of nitrates and other pollutants. A presentation of this report hosted by The Harkin Institute at Drake […]
The 2025 Harkin Retirement Security Symposium: Inclusive Long-Term Care Policies and Supports will convene policy-makers, researchers, and advocacy organizations working on long-term care policy. The program includes discussions on federal and state policies, and workplace policies supporting caregivers, caregiving experiences and their impact on retirement security, as well as other resources to support caregivers and […]
Join The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement and the PROPEL (Promoting Resilience, Opportunity, and Progress in Employment and Learning) Center at the American Institutes for Research for a webinar on never-before-released analyses of what people with disabilities reported when participating in the National Training, Education and Workforce Survey (NTEWS). This webinar will describe the experiences […]
Founded in New York City in 2007, ReelAbilities challenges stereotypes, celebrates authentic disability representation in movies, and expands opportunities for disabled creators worldwide. The 2025 Des Moines festival is “A Taste of ReelAbilities,” screening a combination of features and shorts over two days — first at The Harkin Institute, then at the Des Moines Art Center, showing […]
Pulitzer Prize winner Art Cullen has established himself as an essential witness to the transformation of rural America, thanks to his unique perspective as editor of The Storm Lake Times. His new book, We Crapped In Our Nests: Notes From the Edge of the World, offers an unflinching examination of how we’ve degraded our environment and communities, […]
Join the Iowa Disability Policy Alliance for a panel discussion, resource fair, and networking reception at the Tom and Ruth Harkin Center on November 13, 2025. Panelists will discuss the state of disability legislation at the federal, state, and local levels. Members of the Iowa Disability Policy Alliance will have tables with information and resources […]
The 2026 Harkin Retirement Security Symposium will focus on a broader financial wellness theme supported by panels along the continuum of retirement security policy issues. The speakers will discuss policies supporting retirement savings access and accumulation, navigating Social Security and Medicare, and the intergenerational impacts of these programs, access to retirement planning, retirement income decisions, […]
Overview Please join the Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement for an important event highlighting the challenges we’re facing and the progress being made across the nation in the fight against cancer, with a specific focus on environmental health and lifestyle medicine. The 2026 Harkin on Wellness Symposium will take place on March […]
Join us for the 2026 Sussman Lecture featuring photojournalist and educator KC McGinnis, whose work has been published by leading national outlets and takes him across Iowa and the country to document the complex relationship between people and the environment. In his talk, “Social by Nature: Environmental Photojournalism for a More Hopeful Future,” McGinnis explores the stories behind […]