Not all staff members can say they have saved University of Iowa students over $7.6 million dollars, but Vicky Maloy and Valerie Henessee can. Vicky leads the ITS Office of Teaching, Leaning, and Technology-Academic Technology team and Valerie is the eTexts coordinator on the OTLT-AT team. This team provides the support and training for the effective use of academic technologies on campus. Vicky was instrumental in developing the ICON Direct initiative and since 2021 has seen the program continue to succeed and grow under Valerie’s watchful eye.

ICON Direct, made possible by the university’s membership in the Unizin consortium, is the University of Iowa's initiative for ordering digital content from specific publishers and delivering it to students and faculty. Inclusive Access programs like ICON Direct lower the individual subscription costs of students to the publisher platforms that many instructors require for their courses. Developed in consultation with the UI Undergraduate Student Government, ICON Direct addresses rising textbook costs for students.

ICON Direct allows faculty to order and students to purchase online materials, including e-texts at a significant discount. Delivering content through the ICON course site ensures that all students and faculty have access to the same content in an easily accessible location. This program has saved participating students an average of $151 per academic year! As Valerie says “Enabling students to save money on textbooks is the goal of the ICON Direct program, and I am so pleased to be a part of the team that made this inclusive access program possible. I’m excited to support this program as it continues to expand, and I look forward to the collaborative opportunities it will bring.”

Vicky’s colleagues note that she is a wonderful collaborator and a generous leader and her contributions extend outside of the University of Iowa. She lends her expertise to other campus communities that are looking to start programs similar to ICON Direct. “She takes immense pride in doing all she can to make everyone’s lives easier as they go through higher education,” UI Undergraduate Student Government member Jenna Yang says.

As Vicky observes, “Valerie excels at keeping all the pieces of ICON Direct running smoothly. She connects with people in consortial, university, and publishing spheres. All these connections are important to providing our students their required course materials at a more affordable price. Valerie is extremely talented at keeping track of many different priorities all at once and achieving success in all of them!”

From saving students money to creating inclusive access to materials, Vicky and Valerie truly exemplify the core staff mission of serving University of Iowa students and faculty!