Travis Kraus, Director of Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC) and associate professor in the School of Planning and Public Affairs, has been awarded the prestigious Michael J. Brody Award for Faculty Excellence in Service. 

Established in memory of Professor Michael J. Brody, president of the Faculty Senate from 1986 to 1987, this award recognizes outstanding faculty who have made exceptional contributions to the university and the community. This year’s recipients were announced at the March 2025 UI Faculty Senate meeting, and each will each will receive $1,000 and a commemorative piece of artwork designed by a graduate art student. 

A key driver of impactful community engagement, Travis has spearheaded numerous high-quality projects that connect university students with communities across Iowa. 

Each year IISC involves more than 200 UI students in their community engagement projects and has added new faculty partners from across campus to the program each year. To date, IISC has supported 410 projects in over 60 communities involving 25 UI campus departments. Travis has been involved in the development, matching, support, and completion of more than 320 projects since joining IISC in 2019.

IISC has been recognized nationally as an effective model of community engagement, earning the 2025 Excellence in Community-Engaged Partnership Award from Campus Compact. Travis serves on the board of the Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities – Network (EPIC-N), which supports institutions nationally and internationally in the development of programs like IISC. 

Locally, Travis serves as a member of the Greater Iowa City Community Development Council and as a board member and treasurer for local arts nonprofit Public Space One.