PRESS RELEASE 05/18/21: Iowa Western Community College and Clarinda Community School District
PRESS RELEASE: Iowa Western Community College and Clarinda Community School District
History, Hope and a Partnership on the Horizon
History: Clarinda Junior College, which was established in 1923, had a long history of providing a two-year liberal arts education in Southwest Iowa. In 1967, Iowa Western Community College (IWCC) selected Clarinda Junior College to serve as one of its campus sites, and a new campus location was identified in Council Bluffs.
In 2021, Dr. Dan Kinney’s joined IWCC. His journey included leadership of nationally acclaimed institutions recognized for strong academic and innovative approaches to student support services. His efforts have resulted in significant enrollment, retention and completion growth, facilities construction and improvements, articulated transfer to four-year colleges and universities, stakeholder involvement and a collaborative strategic planning model at the college-level. Dr. Kinney has also added and implemented academic programs in high-demand fields.
The story of Chris Bergman’s journey is similar, as it includes successful partnerships between education, business, nonprofits and industry. In the metro and rural Iowa, Mrs. Bergman has launched and supported innovative learning experiences and internationally recognized learning spaces resulting in increased student engagement. Co-creating curriculum, empowering students, exploring postsecondary education and training options, providing work-based learning experiences, and strengthening the local economies proved powerful in meeting employers’ needs and igniting student passion for learning.
Mrs. Bergman is always quick to point out one key factor in programming success for students – embracing the power of collaboration with a community college. In March, 2021, Mrs. Bergman reached out to Dr. Kinney, and although he was in his initial leadership days, he carved out time to discuss re-igniting the relationship between the two educational entities. As both are dedicated to the foundations of Future Ready Iowa, it seemed only natural to team up and better serve Southwest Iowa.
The Clarinda Community School District (CCSD) had been moving forward with the creation of an innovation center offering authentic learning experiences in the following fields: Construction, including HVAC, Electrical, and Plumbing, Health Science, including local high-need careers, Agriculture, including bioscience and technology, and Transportation and Logistics, including all aspects within the industry. At the same time, the IWCC team was developing plans for identical learning opportunities. Both leaders had analyzed economic trend data and workforce needs to keep SW Iowa strong. Both were using new CTE licensure to hire professionals from the field as instructors. Both were utilizing their past experiences to best serve the needs in Clarinda. Both were paving the same path.
Hope: Instead of competition, both championed a collaborative spirit dedicated to serve students. This type of outside-of-the box thinking and collaboration would save taxpayer dollars and impact an entire region. Thus, a few short days later, Dr. Kinney and Mrs. Bergman began conversations with local community leaders and their Boards of Directors. The CCSD pressed pause on construction of a new district facility located at 1180 South 16th Street, as to not duplicate the use of space and purchase of equipment. Confidentiality of the venture was necessary, as both leaders needed to gain feedback from their respective Boards of Directors, create proposed financial models, analyze needs of the CCSD and IWCC, and work through the logistics of a PK-14 partnership.
A Partnership on the Horizon: The partnership between IWCC and CCSD includes and is not limited to the following: shared learning spaces, equipment and instructors, expanded business and industry access, a broadened range of career and technical offerings, as well as increased high school certificates in high-demand jobs, rigorous, articulated coursework for college credit, and plans to apply for state funding as a Career Academy. To create the best possible experiences for our students, both parties are committed to strategic planning and stakeholder input, co-creation of curriculum, entrepreneurial opportunities, a shared career counselor, collaboration with Green Hills AEA, surrounding school districts, and our 7-12 iJAG program as well as continuous improvement and growth in best practice core instruction.
To bring this vision to life, scheduling, staffing, and other decisions for next year will take place over the summer when two new administrators, Luke Cox, 7-12 principal and Lesley Ehlers, PK-6 principal officially join the CCSD team. Furthermore, pending board approval, more partnerships will be developed. Stay tuned for details!