Community College Month is Almost Here!
April is designated as Community College Month, providing an opportunity to highlight the significance of community colleges and their impact on local communities. The 2025 theme, "Best Decision Ever," emphasizes personal stories of individuals for whom attending community college was a pivotal choice. The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) has developed a comprehensive toolkit to assist colleges in promoting their value and garnering public support. This toolkit includes resources such as talking points, suggested social media posts, sample press releases, and board resolutions to aid in advocacy efforts. Colleges are encouraged to share transformative stories, engage with local media, and involve students in social media campaigns to amplify the message during April.
Tax Credits Contingent Liabilities Report
There are four tax credits that can be claimed against the withholding tax. The largest program is the Iowa Industrial New Jobs Program (260E) that includes both the New Jobs Tax Credit and the Supplemental New Jobs Tax Credit. The withholding credits are reported on a quarterly basis, based on the period of the return. Information on withholding tax credit claims is presented since the March 2020 quarter. Withholding tax credit claims have averaged $47.2 million each fiscal year between 2021 and 2024. It is apparent that total withholding credits are strongly driven by the New Jobs Tax Credit. On average, there have been $41million of New Jobs Tax Credits awarded each year since the program's inception in FY 2001. However, awards fell below that average for the five fiscal years prior to 2018 and fell below $30 million in FY 2020 for the first time since FY 2004. Awards rebounded in FY 2021 to an all-time high of $60.5 million, but fell to $47.6 million in FY 2022, $39.5 million in FY 2023, and $24.1 million in FY 2024. In addition, participants in the 260E program with sufficient job creation are eligible to claim an income tax credit.
Senior Year Plus Program Report
The report highlights enrollment trends of female and minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses under Iowa's Senior Year Plus (SYP) program, which includes Advanced Placement (AP), concurrent enrollment, and Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO). In the 2023-24 school year, concurrent enrollment remained the most utilized pathway, with 46,465 total enrollments, compared to 16,649 AP and 488 PSEO enrollments. STEM course participation followed a similar trend, with 11,237 STEM concurrent enrollment courses taken, compared to 5,734 STEM AP and 171 STEM PSEO courses. A notable shift occurred as female students' enrollment in more STEM concurrent enrollment courses than male students for the first time in nearly a decade. However, students of color remain underrepresented with only 17.7% of concurrent enrollment participants and 20.2% of STEM concurrent enrollment participants identifying as students of color, despite making up 28.5% of Iowa's K-12 student population. The Governor's STEM Advisory Council continues to promote equitable access to STEM education through programs like STEM SCALE-UP and STEM BEST, which provides instructional support and work-based learning opportunities.
Northwest Iowa Community College - Scrubs Camp
NCC hosted its annual "Scrubs Camp" on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, welcoming about 90 middle and high school students from 13 area schools, including homeschool students. Organized by NCC'S Health Science programs in partnership with area healthcare providers, Scrubs Camp introduced 7th-12th graders to a variety of healthcare fields, including EMS, Paramedic, Nursing, CNA, Radiologic Technology, Pharmacy Technology, Medical Lab Technology, Surgical Technology, Health Information Technology and Medical Coding. Students participated in eight interactive mini-sessions led by NCC faculty, where they explored different healthcare careers through hands-on activities. Kevin Miller, Associate Dean of Health at NCC, highlighted the importance of exposing students to the collaborative nature of healthcare. Students expressed excitement about the opportunity to explore healthcare careers in an interactive setting. Libby Coyle, a junior from West Sioux High School, echoed her excitement, saying she came to Scrubs Camp because she is interested in a healthcare career, possibly in nursing or radiology. Thanks to generous support from local healthcare sponsors, Scrubs Camp was offered free of charge, ensuring all interest students could participate. For more information about future events or NCC's healthcare programs, visit nwicc.edu.
Federal Updates
March 10th, in a 67 to 32 vote, the Senate confirmed Lori Chavez-DeRemer as Secretary of the Department of Labor. Last week the Department of Education (ED) has lost nearly half of its workers due to a combination of layoffs and resignations. On March 13, 2025, a U.S. district judge in Maryland sided with 21 state attorneys general and ruled that the Trump administration's reductions in force (RIF) violated federal law and regulations, one being that the administration did not provide states the required notice of a RIF. With the constant interaction between the administration and the court system, ACCT has assembled a court proceedings tracker on ACCT Now of relevant litigation that is most critical for the higher education sector. In the wake of the massive surge of unemployed federal workers, Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) has launched its New Employment, Exploration and Transition (NOVAnext) program to help recently unemployed federal workers and federal contractors transition to their next careers at no charge. Eligible students are federal workers and federal contract workers who have been laid off on or after February 1, 2025, reside within the NOVA service area, meet a residency requirement, and fill out an online application. The next LAW Live Webinar will be held April 1 at 1pm ET; join the ACCT government relations team for a monthly update on what is happening in Washington, DC that is of relevance to community colleges.
The Department of Labor has issued five rounds of the Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants, impacting 356 states and totaling to $265 million in funding. The Continuing Resolution (CR) which aims to fund the government until September 30, 2025 cleared the Senate and was signed by President Trump over the weekend. With the 119th Congress underway, ACCT has been active in tracing legislation that would be beneficial to community colleges.
Panel Forecasts Revenue Decline
The Iowa Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) is projecting that revenue will slide down for Fiscal Year 2026, which policymakers will be crafting over the next several weeks. The March estimate provides the state will take in $8,507.9 billion in FY26, which is down from the December estimate of $8,725.7 billion. Read more from The Des Moines Register.
Letter from Acting Under Secretary Bergeron
Over the weekend, James Bergeron, the Acting Under Secretary for the Department of Education, sent a letter to education stakeholders stating that "no employees working on core functions of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or student loan servicing were impacted by the RIF...I want to assure you that continuity of operations for Federal student Aid (FSA) is both a statutory and critical function of the Department...Although certain regional offices and staff that handle matters impacting institutions of higher education were impacted by the RIF, these important functions are being transferred to other offices and experts...Employees within the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) and the Office of Higher Education Program (HEP), whose divisions oversee funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), community colleges, TRIO programs, and Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), were not impacted by the RIF...The functions of International and Foreign Language Education will be assumed by the qualified HEP staff...Additionally, critical functions for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) are not impacted by these reductions...Across the Department, management and operation roles were streamlined to reduce duplicative functions...These reforms are the first step in removing bureaucratic excesses from the Department...If you have any immediate operational impact concerns, please email fsacases@ed.gov."
2025 EmpowerED Minds Proposals Due March 31
Just two weeks remain to submit your proposal for EmpowerED Minds: The School Wellness Summit, happening September 30-October 1, 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa. EmpowerED Minds will bring together approximately 1,000 K-12 and higher education professionals from across the country for a transformative 1.5-day summit focused on fostering well-being and mental health within our educational communities. They are seeking dynamic speakers and content experts for: Presentations (60 minutes); Workshops (60 minutes); Sponsored session (45 minutes); and Poster reception (60 minutes). Proposals should align with one of the four conference strands: 1) Empowering School Mental Health Professionals; 2) Exploring Innovations in Research & Practices; 3) Strengthening K-12 Education & Leadership; and 4) Advancing Well-Being in Higher Education. Applicants will be notified of acceptance no later than May 1, 2025. Poster proposals will be accepted until April 30, 2025. Posters will be displayed on Tuesday, September 30, from 5-6pm as part of the "Research Bites and Connection Night" reception. Have questions? Email scsmh-main@uiowa.edu.
TEDx Western Iowa Tech
On April 10th, 2025 from 11am-1pm at the Rocklin Conference Center (B174), WITCC will be hosting TedX, a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. It is open to all students, employees, and Lifelong Learning members for a no charge, free admission. The theme is titled "invisible signatures" - our lives are a record of our experiences and choices, but the influence of others may have more impact that we realize. There will be five impactful speeches focusing on those who co-sign our lives in ways we often overlook. For more information, click here.
Grant Opportunities
The Fire Science Innovations through Research and Education (FIRE) program, ran by the National Science Foundation invites projects developed by a wide array of groups including academics, educators, scientists, community members, students, industry partners, practitioners, resource managers, and Tribal representatives, working together to generate new knowledge of the interactions among biological, social, geoscientific, and engineering processes encompassing multiple fields, scales, and perspectives on wildland fire.
Rural Healthcare Workforce - Mason City Townhall March 27
As a reminder, there will be a second town hall meeting next Thursday in Mason City Iowa! The town hall will take place at the North Iowa Area Community College (Room AC101) from 11am-1pm to talk about: what the healthcare workforce shortage looks like in your space; what tactics are working; and how we can the Rural Healthcare Workforce can best support you to recruit and retain your workforce. Register here.