Important Industry 4.0 Updates and Upcoming Events from Chair Kim Didier
Strengthening Community Colleges Partnership - The Consortium was invited to partner with the next round of the Strengthening Community Colleges initiative which is being convened by Community Colleges for Iowa. Kirkwood will be the lead community college applicant. This new collaboration aims to embed AI into advanced manufacturing programs. The goal is to leverage the work of the Manufacturing/Industry 4.0 initiative to support existing efforts and align with other initiatives through funds for staff and faculty development, equipment, and training.
October 10 CIRAS AI Event - This event will explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence across various business sectors. It is a must-attend for professionals interested in how AI can drive innovation, enhance marketing and sales strategies, improve manufacturing operations, and support workforce development. To learn more, click here.
DataPoints: New Data on Dual Enrollment
Roughly one-fifth of public community college enrollment consisted of students still in high school in the 2022-23 academic year, according to newly released data from the U.S. Education Department. For the first time, the National Center for Education Statistics collected data through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) on students taking credit courses in postsecondary education while still enrolled in high school. In the 2022-23 academic year, there were nearly 2.5 million dual-enrolled students reported in IPEDS. To learn more, click here.
Sen. Chuck Grassley Announces Four Iowa Community Colleges Will Receive Grants for CDL Training Programs
Senator Chuck Grassley has announced that there will be four Iowa community colleges (Hawkeye, WITCC, DMACC, and Iowa Central) that will receive a total of $509,775 in federal grants for their commercial driver's license training programs. To learn more, click here.
Fall Career Fairs at Western Iowa Tech
WITCC and IowaWORKS are hosting three industry-specific Career Fairs in October and November. The Career Fairs will be held on the following dates: October 8 (Health Administration and Health Science); November 6 (Agriculture, Animal Science, Automotive Technology, Engineering, and Truck Driving); and November 13 (Art, Music, Police Science, Emergency Services, Law and Political Science, Graphic Design, Business, and Information Technology. For more information about the event, contact Kristy Bowman at kristy.bowman@witcc.edu.
Student Enrollment Increases at Iowa Central
Student enrollment at ICCC is on the rise. At Tuesday's Iowa Central board meeting, Vice President of Student Services Tom Beneke told board members that initial fall enrollment numbers show an increase of 41 students and 144 credit hours. Iowa Central President Jesse Ulrich said that staff are still dissecting the numbers and statistics from the college's 10-day enrollment count. Ulrich said that the prison is beginning to enroll students back into those eight-week classes again, so enrollment numbers should see a sizable increase in the near future. The Iowa Central board also approved agreements with both Southeast Valley Community School District and Paton-Churdan Community School District. The Iowa Central board also updated their policy on animals on campus, specifically service and assistance animals. Ulrich also noted during the meeting that construction of the Iowa Central Fuel Lab should be completed by the end of the month, and that a ribbon cutting will be held on September 26 for the new Iowa Central satellite center in Storm Lake. To learn more, click here.
Some Iowa College and University Students Eligible for Disaster Assistance, FEMA says.
FEMA has announced that university and college students going to school in the counties of Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Humboldt, Lyon, Monona, O'Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pottawattamie, Scott, Sioux and Woodbury may be eligible for disaster assistance following storms and flooding earlier this year. The stude4nts, who don't need to be permanent residents of the county, would be eligible for FEMA's Other Needs Assistance program for personal property and other needs as long as the damage or loss happened in one of the listed counties. Community Colleges that fall into this region include Eastern Iowa Community College; Iowa Lakes Community College; Iowa Western Community College; Kirkwood Community College; Northwest Iowa Community College, and Western Iowa Tech Community College. FEMA grants can help pay for disaster-related expenses that do not have to be repaid, such as: financial assistance for immediate housing needs; replacement or repair of necessary personal property, such as room furnishings, a computer damaged by the disaster, books and other required school items; replacement or repair of tools and other job-related equipment required for those who are self-employed; replacement or repair of primary vehicles; medical and dental bills as a result of the disaster; and financial assistance to help move and store personal property. Please click the link for instructions on how to apply for FEMA individual assistance.
Career Academy Incentive Fund Helps Indian Hills Open New Regional Center
When students returned to the Centerville campus of Indian Hills Community College, the new crown jewel of the campus, the Irma W. Winslow Education Center, greeted them. The 66,000-square-foot facility will impact every student on the IHCC Centerville Campus with 22 classroom spaces, laboratories, machine shops, a library, a cafeteria, and collaboration spaces for students and the community. Funded in part by a competitive grant through the state's Career Academy Incentive Fund, the Irma W. Winslow Center will change the trajectory of the campus and surrounding school districts. In serving school districts in Appanoose, Wayne, Davis, Athens, Monroe and Lucas counties, IHCC can serve high school students by preparing them for careers in fields such as construction technology, agriculture, health sciences and welding without those students needing to leave Centerville. Built into a hillside on the northwest edge of Centerville, the welcoming three-story structure features ample natural light and vistas to the surrounding rolling countryside. In establishing that future of growth, IHCC planned the Irma W. Winslow Education Center to meet today's students' needs and to provide the space, flexibility and efficiency to increase enrollment and build additional programs to serve the community. Part of that growth will be spurred by bringing a nursing program to the Ce4nterville Campus to meet a critical need in the community. To learn more, read the rest of the DE's article here.