News & Features

Digital Awareness among today’s graduates

April 25, 2017

By Dr. Martin Reimer Last year I wrote an article that defined student success at Ellsworth Community College. Learning is a lifelong journey, not a destination. The real definition of student success is to ensure that students are prepared to thrive in all phases of their lives. Success means our graduates will go on to…

Help your kids be ready for college

March 13, 2017

By Dr. Chris Duree Parents often ask me where the “hot jobs” are going to be by the time their kids finish college. The projections have stayed fairly consistent for several years. According to the Iowa College Aid Commission’s most recent report (2016) on the condition of higher education in Iowa, nearly 70 percent of…

IVCE is on a mission

February 21, 2017

By Jon Núñez & Kathy Siebring Iowa Valley Continuing Education is on a mission to prepare individuals for college and fulfilling careers through English language learning and high school equivalency classes. We offer these important services at five satellite locations: downtown Marshalltown, Eldora, Grinnell, Iowa Falls, and Tama. The staff at each of our sites…

Trip to Germany/France will broaden your perspective

January 31, 2017

By Dr. Martin Reimer I was blessed to grow up in rural Iowa as a youth. Unfortunately, I did not fully appreciate how lucky I was. I remember reading about far off exotic places and wanted to travel and live in different countries and experience different cultures. After all, in my view, not much was…

The Future Ready Iowa Alliance: a promising initiative for Iowans

December 14, 2016

By Dr. Chris Duree My career in the Iowa public education system began in the fall of 1980. Needless to say, I have witnessed a lot of politicians make bold statements of how they would improve Iowa education once they were elected. After 35+ years “in the trenches” from small to mid-size rural school districts…

Help wanted!

November 29, 2016

By Jacque Goodman Help wanted … the signs are everywhere! As one walks into the grocery store, convenience store or restaurants, many are looking for HELP. Even with fewer people, organizations try to maintain the same level of service. From this point forward, service is going to be what boosts top companies above the competition….

Marketing quality, value and results

September 28, 2016

By Robin Anctil There are a lot of ways I could have spent the past 30 years of my working life, but fortunately for me I’ve been in the business of marketing community colleges … specifically Iowa Valley Community College District (IVCCD). I didn’t attend a community college, but I wish I had. And you…

ECC focuses on collaboration to meet goals

April 12, 2016

By Dr. Martin Reimer As part of its overall mission, Ellsworth Community College is dedicated to providing quality learning experiences and ensuring student success while responding to diverse community needs and building community partnerships. This year Ellsworth Community College has been recognized in several ways for its commitment to achieving these goals. ECC has been…

Sector Strategies align programs with workforce needs

March 22, 2016

By Jacque Goodman Iowa Valley recognizes the importance of bringing together community partners to identify and align programs and strategies to meet current workforce demands. For the past three years, IVCCD has been involved in the implementation of sector partnerships. Sector partnerships align education, economic, and workforce development systems to address industry recognized labor market…

Student success relies greatly on student engagement

March 1, 2016

By Chris Brees Marshalltown Community College (MCC) recognizes the impact of students’ broader experiences, not restricted to those shaped by curriculum only. It is through these experiences that encouragement of interaction between fellow students, faculty and staff begins. MCC understands the direct relationship between a positive student experience and retention. Iowa Valley Community College District…