April is Community College month!
To celebrate, we will be highlighting each of our 15 colleges, sharing the amazing work that they are doing, so check our Facebook to see the stories!
ACCT also has a guide for community engagement in celebration of Community College month.
We're excited to announce that Dr. Jesse Ulrich will be the next President of Iowa Central! It is the intention of the Board of Trustees to approve Dr. Ulrich's contract with a start date of July 1, 2021. We look forward to welcoming Dr. Ulrich.
Iowa Women's Network Iowa 2021 Virtual Conference
Women's Network Iowa, is hosting their 2021 virtual conference on Friday, April 16. Including sessions regarding financial wellness and readying for an executive search, this conference will be a great one to attend. To register, click here.
Iowa Department of Education, Iowa College Aid award start-up grants to expand college, career transition counselors
Des Moines Area Community College, Hawkeye Community College, Iowa Lakes Community College, Iowa Valley Community College District, Kirkwood Community College and Western Iowa Tech Community College each won a start-up grant to support new college and career transition counselors who will work in partnership with area school districts and their students and families to support career exploration and transitioning to college and career training. The college and career counselors will work closely with high school juniors and seniors during the school year as well as the summer after high school graduation and their first year of college or career training. Read the whole story here.
Community College Enrollment Is Down 10%. Here’s How Schools Hope to Help Students Return
Enrollment at community colleges is down. The data is clear, says Dr. Martha Parham, senior vice president of public relations for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). Data from the National Student Clearinghouse shows that enrollment in fall 2020 was down 10.6% from fall 2019 for full-time students and 9.9% for part-time students. The biggest declines were among African American males at 19.2% and Native American males at 20.1%. Read the full story here.
Iowa Western group to promote ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’
Iowa Western Community College held a kickoff party Thursday to introduce the college’s new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and gather suggestions about what it should do.
“The mission of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is to promote awareness, education and to create accountability at Iowa Western Community College for faculty, staff and students regarding valuing diversity, promoting inclusion and striving for equity.” Read the full story here.
Ranking: NICC health information technology program among tops in nation
A Northeast Iowa Community College program has been ranked among the best in the nation.
The school’s Associate of Applied Science program for health information technology was named first in the U.S. among community colleges and second among all college and university programs in the field by Intelligent.com, according to a press release. Read the full story here.
Gov. Reynolds and Iowa AG Secretary Naig attend tree planting ceremony at Kirkwood Community College
Watch the news story here.
Applications for New Awards; Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education-Supplemental Assistance to Institutions of Higher Education (SAIHE)
See all the details here.
In Light of COVID Jobs Crisis, Chair Murray, Ranking Member Burr Seek Input from Stakeholders on Workforce Policies
At the direction of Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC), the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee is requesting input from stakeholders on policy ideas on workforce development. The Senators announced they intend to work together to develop bipartisan solutions to update and expand workforce training programs, support and expand the National Apprenticeship Act, and encourage innovation. Senators Murray and Burr encourage comments from all stakeholders on how to achieve these goals by April 9, 2021 and intend to move forward with legislation by early summer. Read the whole story here.
Changing climate of energy education
Climate-related disasters like hurricanes, wildfires or the extreme cold that took down most of Texas’ electrical grid last month present challenges for energy-related companies and, relatedly, the community colleges who train their future workforce.
The Biden administration’s 13-figure infrastructure spending proposals, which have yet to take legislative form but seem likely to contain significant investments in energy-related infrastructure aimed at combating the effects of climate change, will require two-year schools to tweak and retool their programs as needed to produce solutions to those challenges. Read the whole story here.
Online learning platform is ‘IDEAL’ for adult learners
The adoption of technology into our daily lives has been transformative. In many cases, things are now faster, more engaging and more efficient, and as a result, additional opportunities have emerged for accessibility, growth and success. For education and training in Iowa, use of technology is a key component for reaching and inspiring students – especially adult learners – across the state. Read the full story here.
Rethinking Dual Enrollment to Advance Equitable Transfer
For community colleges and their students, the pandemic has created a perfect storm threatening enrollments and access. To build back enrollments and counteract declines in college-going disproportionately impacting low-income and communities of color, colleges are redoubling efforts to expand on-ramps to their baccalaureate transfer and workforce programs. At most community colleges, one large but often overlooked pool of baccalaureate-seeking students already have a foot in the door: high school dual enrollment students. Read the full story here.
New SCC Fund to Lend a Helping Hand
Read the full story here.