Career and technical education (CTE) programs leading to an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) or Associate of Applied Arts (AAA) degree, diploma or certificate at Iowa’s community colleges require approval from the Iowa Department of Education and must comply with state and federal requirements per Iowa Code 258; Iowa Code 260; Iowa Administrative Code 281, Chapter 46 and Iowa Administrative Code 281, Chapter 21. Additionally, per Iowa Administrative Code 281, Chapter 21, discipline-specific transfer major programs also require an approval process in order to be adopted by community colleges.

To help colleges navigate the requirements associated with program approval, the Department developed a Program Approval Guide. This guide contains information about the program approval process for CTE programs, lists the different types of awards and requirements, contains information about CTE program requirements and discusses the CTE program review process.

This guide was recently updated to include the transfer major approval process and reflect the usage of the State of Iowa Curriculum System (STICS) in the program approval process. The guide was also reorganized so that users can find information more easily.

The most recent version of Program Approval: Guidelines for Iowa Community Colleges is now available and can be found on the Department’s website.

For more information about program approval and compliance requirements, contact Heather Meissen at heather.meissen@iowa.gov or 515-326-5378.

A national conference focused on professional skill development for college students is coming to Iowa next month. The Future Business Leaders of America’s (FBLA) Collegiate Career Connections Conference will be held on Oct. 26-28 in downtown Des Moines. Registration is open through Oct. 18, and students who are attending community colleges or four-year institutions are encouraged to participate.

The conference will offer attendees 14 hours of fast-paced professional development opportunities, such as mock interviews, professional headshots and networking events. Participants will also be able to take part in scheduled sessions on recruitment, corporate citizenship and employee benefits.

A highlight of the conference will feature office tours and interview opportunities with some of the area’s top businesses. Principal Financial Group, a Fortune 500 company with headquarters in Des Moines, will provide a day-long visit and opportunities to interact with representatives on-site.

“Hosting FBLA’s Career Connections Conference in Des Moines is a prime example of FBLA’s commitment to bringing unparalleled career development to our collegiate members wherever they may be,” said Alexander T. Graham, FBLA president and CEO. “With a vibrant business community, Des Moines represents an ideal location in the heart of the Midwest with easy access to some of the best colleges and universities in our nation.”

For more information on the FBLA Collegiate Career Connections Conference, contact Chris Dzurick at christopher.dzurick@iowa.gov or 515-419-4792.

The 2024 Iowa Community College Tuition and Fees Report is now available on the Iowa Department of Education’s website. The report features information and trends on tuition and fees charged at each of Iowa’s 15 community colleges and provides comparisons with other states and higher education institutions.

Notable highlights from the report included:

• Average in-state tuition for community colleges is $198.15 per credit hour, a 3.6 percent increase from 2023.
• Average mandatory fees are $15.13 per credit hour, a 1.6 percent increase.
• The average total in-state cost of enrollment is $13.28 per credit hour, a 3.5 percent increase.

Questions regarding the Tuition and Fees Report can be directed to Lora Vargason at lora.vargason@iowa.gov or 515-729-0859.

Iowa community colleges and school districts interested in creating a college and career transition counselor (CCTC) position are invited to attend an upcoming information session via Zoom on Oct. 6 at 2:00 p.m. Attendees of the training sessions will learn more about the benefits of the CCTC position, program best practices and how to apply for financial support.

Up to five recipients will be awarded the grant funding to support and expand the CCTC model across the state. School districts may also be able to access operational sharing dollars to support CCTC positions.

CCTCs provide a necessary link between secondary schools and community colleges for students and their families. They begin working with juniors and seniors in high school on career exploration and college preparation and continue assisting them after graduation through their first year of attending a partnering community college. By having the continued support of a CCTC, students are better prepared to persist and succeed in their postsecondary educational pursuits.

All interested community colleges and school districts will need to register for the training sessions prior to Oct. 5. Individuals who are interested but unable to attend can complete the registration form and indicate that you would like the recording or the toolkit and one-pager sent to you following the meeting.

For more information, contact Erica Woods-Schmitz at erica.woods-schmitz@iowa.gov or at 515-330-0185.

Two annual reports featuring outcomes for credit and noncredit programs have recently been released by the Iowa Department of Education.

The Iowa Community College Credit Program Outcomes report documents the educational and employment outcomes of students completing community college certificate, diploma and associate degree programs, including the number of awards, time-to-degree, retention, migration, transfer to four year institutions, employment and wages, career clusters and career pathways.

Additionally, the Iowa Community College Noncredit Program Outcomes report provides information about community college noncredit program completion, student retention, in- and out-of-state migration, employment and wages, career cluster to industry mapping and in-demand occupational analysis for those who completed community college CTE noncredit programs.

Both reports can be found on the Department's program outcomes webpage. Interactive visualizations on credit and noncredit program outcomes are featured at Iowa Student Outcomes. 

For more details on the outcomes reports, contact Paula Nissen at paula.nissen2@iowa.gov or 515-418-8273. 

Congratulations to Des Moines Area Community College on their new regional center in Templeton! A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Sept. 25 to officially open the center. Bureau of Community Colleges and Postsecondary Readiness chiefs Amy Gieseke and Dennis Harden took part in the day's activities, which featured a site tour, short program, ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception. 

The Templeton Regional Center was funded through a $1 million grant from the Career Academy Incentive Fund, which supports partnerships between school districts and community colleges to increase access to career academies.

Grant applications are now being accepted for the first round of the 2023-24 Career Academy Incentive Fund. For more information, contact Heather Meissen at heather.meissen@iowa.gov or 515-326-5378.

The first Iowa Agriculture Education Summit will be held on Jan. 21-23 at the Des Moines Area Community College’s FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny. All secondary and postsecondary agriculture instructors are encouraged to attend. Registration is free for all attendees and will be available in early November.

Sponsored by the Iowa FFA Foundation and other partners, all participants will hear more about “Transformative Learning” and how agriculture education can use FFA and Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE) to ensure students are future-ready within the Iowa agricultural industry.

The Iowa Agriculture Education Summit replaces the six regional Agriculture Education Fall District Inservice meetings typically held in September.

For more information on the upcoming summit, contact Matthew Eddy at matthew.eddy@iowa.gov or 515-720-8863.

Iowa has been awarded a two-year grant of $40,000 from Advance CTE. The Strengthening the Culture of Data Use in Postsecondary Career Technical Education Initiative will assist in establishing a live connection between the secondary and postsecondary databases and the community college WebMIS.

Through this initiative, a live database of all courses and programs conducted in Iowa public schools and community colleges will be created. Additionally, the grant supports the building of an internal user-friendly interface for browsing, searching viewing and downloading any programs or courses for quick dissemination to all districts and community colleges.

For more information on this grant initiative, contact Jeffrey Fletcher at Jeffrey.fletcher@iowa.gov or 515-327-7309.

The most recent Pathway Pillars in Practice webinar allowed attendees to hear from Southeastern Community College on how they were able to create a culture of Guided Pathways at their institution, and the success outcomes they have seen so far.  The recording and materials for this session, and all previous webinars are available for download. 

Pathway Pillars in Practice is a bi-semester series of webinars that create communities of practice around specific topics related to one of the four pillars of Guided Pathways.

Each Pathway Pillars session is held over the lunch hour so anyone can participate and engage in discussion on a topic presented first by the Department and secondly by one of the 15 community colleges. You can submit ideas for future pathway pillar topics. 

For more information on Guided Pathways, contact Kelly Friesleben at kelly.friesleben@iowa.gov or 515-868-2847.

Iowa’s Regent universities and community colleges can access the Transfer in Iowa website to assist students who are navigating the college transfer process and planning for their academic futures. 

Each year, thousands of students, including high school students taking college-level courses, transfer from Iowa’s community colleges to both public and private four-year universities. To accommodate this step, the website was designed with easy links to answer the question “How will my credits transfer?” Students can also use the website to learn about individual program articulation agreements between institutions.

Along with these online resources, students should discuss their plans with both community college and university advisors. The website provides contact information for transfer advisors at each institution.

Additionally, the Iowa Department of Education hosts a transfer major webpage that provides information on transfer majors between community colleges and Iowa public and private four-year institutions.

For more information on college transfers, contact Kelly Friesleben at kelly.friesleben@iowa.gov or 515-868-2847.

The State Park and Institutional Roads Program provides funding to construct, reconstruct, improve and maintain roadways, including bridges, within the boundaries of state-owned lands or community college property. Sixty-five one-hundredths of one percent of the Road Use Tax Fund is allocated for the maintenance and improvement of the State Park and Institutional Roads system. 

The Park and Institutional Roads System has over 600 miles of roadways. State agencies participating in the program are the Iowa Department of Corrections (DOC), Iowa Department of Education, Iowa State Fair Board, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Guard of Iowa, Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Iowa Board of Regents and Iowa Department of Administrative Services (DAS) Capitol Complex.

Each agency is allocated a percentage of the fund based on the Iowa Code, as follows: Iowa DNR (45.5%), Iowa Board of Regents (30%), Iowa HHS (6.5%), Iowa Department of Education (6%), Iowa DOC (5.5%), National Guard of Iowa (4%), Iowa State Fair Board (2%) and Iowa DAS Capitol Complex (0.5%).

Please complete the following Google Form to submit a proposal for State Park and Institutional Road funds for the calendar year 2028. The deadline for Fall 2023 proposals is Nov. 17.

Funding is limited due to past obligations. It is recommended to limited requests between $50,000 and $300,000 in order to accommodate more than one project per calendar year. The average project award amount has been $200,000.

For more information, contact Jeffrey Fletcher at Jeffrey.fletcher@iowa.gov or 515-321-7309.

Thank you to all community colleges for providing your data and annual reporting updates! Your input provides valuable information that helps shape our programming, funding support and overall outlook for postsecondary education. 

As a reminder, the following reports are due Sept. 30: 

• Workforce Training and Economic Development Fund
• Gap Tuition Assistance Fund
• Pathways for Academic Career and Employment (PACE) Fund

Questions regarding these reports can be directed to Paula Nissen at paula.nissen2@iowa.gov or 515-418-8273.

Are you looking for a new opportunity? The Iowa Department of Education has two exciting job openings in the Bureau of Community Colleges and Postsecondary Readiness. Both positions serve as integral members of the bureau and help shape education in Iowa.

The Education Program Consultant for Senior Year Plus oversees all areas of the Senior Year Plus program, Career Academy Incentive Fund and Summer College Credit program. The job posting closes on Oct. 22.

The Education Program Consultant for Data and Reporting provides research and data analysis for staff and leadership on career and technical education and community college programs. The job posting closes on Oct. 26.

To see the full job descriptions and instructions for how to apply, visit the Iowa Department of Administrative Services website.

Specific questions on the two positions can be directed to Amy Gieseke at amy.gieseke@iowa.gov or 515-858-2234.

For questions in the interim regarding the Senior Year Plus, Career Academy Incentive Fund and Summer College Credit programs, contact Heather Meissen at heather.meissen@iowa.gov or 515-326-5378.