Maggie Jesse, executive director of the ITS Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology, will end her 36-year career at the University of Iowa on Dec. 5. To celebrate Maggie and her accomplishments, we asked her to reflect on her time at the university.

Can you share a few memorable moments from your time leading the department?

I’m proud of OTLT’s rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and our ability to quickly engage with partners across campus to set up new initiatives for supporting faculty. In the space of two to three weeks, there were completely new websites for supporting faculty and students in a new environment, online training and work sessions to help instructors in groups or one-on-one, and staff identified and acquired critical software licensing to meet the overnight exponential growth in use. 

All of this was done while staff also set up home offices and changed their culture and work habits in ways they had never expected to do so. Add to this the disruptions in their personal lives as children, spouses, and family members had to navigate their own learning and work from home habits. 

The response, the enthusiasm, the creativity—all during a difficult time—were inspiring to me. While we all hated that pandemic, I will be forever grateful that I had the opportunity to be part of something that was so crucial for our students’ continued success. I’m also grateful for the ways in which it transformed our future progress, which can’t be overstated. 

What accomplishments are you most proud of during your tenure?

Our decision to join Unizin in 2015 as a founding member has been transformative for Iowa, but also for the Unizin member schools across the country. That consortium has now grown to 16 institutions and is reaching many of the aspirations we had when we joined. 

Because of Unizin, we were able to move to Canvas. We’ve been able to save students $15M in course materials – only second in the nation to Indiana. Most importantly, we’ve retained all our own data, which has allowed for the development of tools such as Course Activity Insights (CAI), ICON Indicator, and Elements of Success. We’ve grown staffing resources to support our own learning science research, as well as individual faculty research. 

Are there any innovative projects or initiatives you’d like to highlight?

I’m pleased to see all the strides that are being made to incorporate AI into many aspects of the UI mission and to do so ethically and intentionally. I’m grateful that we have the structures in place allowing us to quickly understand AI use through data analytics and in collaboration with faculty through pilot studies and research. I’m proud of the OTLT staff who stepped up immediately after the first waves of AI. 

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your career?

Throughout my time here, from my 17 years in Tippie to my 19 years in ITS, my coaches and mentors have challenged me and given me amazing opportunities. At times it would have been easier to say no and to keep doing what was comfortable. Looking back, I can see how every one of those challenges led me to ITS and to the team that I have today in OTLT. Those opportunities have opened doors to work relationships and friendships that I hope continue long into the future. I could not have wished for a better career. 

Can you share more about your role with the accessibility task force with spring? 

This spring I’ll continue to co-chair the task force, alongside Tiffini Stevenson Earl, with support from Steve Fleagle, Liz Tovar, and other campus leaders. Our work will be to meet the April 2026 compliance deadline and move past the task force structure to a sustainable ongoing model. 

There are thousands of UI faculty and staff already engaged in this work. Every task force member has stepped up as a leader. Every person in collegiate leadership, from deans to IT directors, has offered help, done their own presentations, provided suggestions for supporting the effort, and begun changing the culture across campus.

We still have some foundational pieces to put into place, and we still have many more people with whom we need to engage and motivate. But through the work of our excellent ITS Project Management Office staff I’m confident that the Task Force is well situated to complete our charge.

I believe this effort will create transformational change for Iowa and for higher ed and government agencies everywhere. This work provides a perfect ending to my professional journey.

We want to congratulate Maggie on a truly fantastic career and wish her well as she completes her work with the task force and enjoys this new chapter.