Eastern Iowa Community College has been awarded a $1 million Career Academy Incentive Fund grant to add a new Career Academy and make upgrades to existing Career Academies at EICC's Muscatine campus.
EICC's award will create a Career Academy for game and simulation development while renovating the facilities that house existing Career Academies in business, information technology, networking and cybersecurity and teacher preparation. Renovations are slated to begin in the spring of 2026 and be completed by the end of December 2026.
The new and upgraded career academies will serve students in Columbus, Louisa-Muscatine, Muscatine, Wilton, West Liberty and Durant School Districts.
For more information on regional centers or the Career Academy Incentive Fund, contact Bureau of CTE and Postsecondary Readiness Administrative Consultant Heather Meissen at heather.meissen@iowa.gov or 515-326-5378.
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The Community College Accreditation Advisory Committee met in early May to review the final versions of updates to Chapters 21 and 46 of the Iowa Administrative Code.
The committee noted language changes, offered input on the interim visit decision-making tool and discussed outcomes-based planning data sources.
These changes will be effective for the FY26 cycle, and future editions of the Community College Leader Bulletin will highlight the changes in greater detail.
For more information, contact Bureau of Community Colleges Administrative Consultant Robin Shaffer Lilienthal at robin.lilienthal@iowa.gov or 515-418-8273.
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The Bureau of Community Colleges has scheduled accreditation visits for the next academic year. The Bureau's accreditation team will visit the following community colleges in 2025-26.
- Southeastern Community College - Oct. 1-2 (interim visit and equity/MOA Civil Rights visit)
- Northwest Iowa Community College - Nov. 12-13 (comprehensive visit)
- North Iowa Community College - Jan. 29-30 (comprehensive visit)
For more information, contact Bureau of Community Colleges Chief Amy Gieseke at amy.gieseke@iowa.gov.
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The Community College Advisory Committee convened on May 7 to discuss the interconnectedness of K-12 and community colleges, specifically as it relates to concurrent enrollment. The following themes and areas of focus emerged from those discussions.
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Defining and measuring success
- Success varies by perspective and metrics while acknowledging the difference between maximizing credit accumulation and fostering career exploration.
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Equity and access
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Ensuring broad access to concurrent enrollment is a priority, particularly for students not college-bound or from rural and underserved communities. Online learning plays a key role in rural access, though its quality and appropriateness must be carefully considered.
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Career exploration and workforce readiness
- Concurrent enrollment should support early, structured career exploration and skill development, including work-based learning (WBL) and credentialing opportunities.
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Starting career awareness as early as 5th grade is seen as a strategic priority.
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Systems coordination and sustainability
- Strong collaboration between high schools and community colleges is vital for sustainable program delivery, advising, and planning.
- Financial constraints, inconsistent funding mechanisms, and credit limits present ongoing challenges.
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Curriculum and program design
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Program design must balance flexibility with rigor, offering options such as mixed-modality delivery, guaranteed transferability, and clear eligibility standards. The curriculum should encourage both broad exploration and guided progression without prematurely locking students into narrow career tracks.
Representatives from Iowa's community colleges gathered for the Annual Guided Pathways Convening on May 19 at Des Moines Area Community College's Ankeny campus.
This in-person convening served as a kick-off event for three new Guided Pathways statewide initiatives:
- Enhancing Pathway Mapping
- Fostering Faculty Engagement
- Strengthening Concurrent Enrollment
Community college staff spent the morning in one of three breakout sessions dedicated to the initiatives that were jointly led by Guided Pathways Steering Committee members and Department staff. The afternoon session allowed the community college teams dedicated time and space to learn, reflect and make additional plans regarding how the three initiatives may already align or could be integrated into strategic priorities and goals.
The feedback shared from the college teams will be utilized to inform the implementation and technical assistance provided over the next three years for the three statewide guided pathways initiatives.
For more information on Guided Pathways, contact Bureau of Community Colleges Education Program Consultant Kelly Friesleben at kelly.friesleben@iowa.gov or 515-868-2847.
The nondiscrimination notices for community colleges have been updated to align with federal and state changes that go into effect on July 1, 2025.
Register now for a webinar hosted by Kelly Friesleben, Education Program Consultant, on Thursday, June 12, at 11:30 a.m. to review the changes and answer any questions.
For more information contact Bureau of Community Colleges Education Program Consultant Kelly Friesleben at kelly.friesleben@iowa.gov or 515-868-2847.
The upcoming Iowa Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) Conference is scheduled for June 18 at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa.
The annual conference includes CTE educators, administrators, retired professionals, and students from secondary and postsecondary CTE programs and career and technical student organizations (CTSO). This year's conference is themed 'Transforming Opportunities in CTE'. Also, it features sessions with ACTE national president Robert Torres, Jeff Frost, the executive director of professional technical education for Waterloo schools, Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow and Trevor Snow, the curriculum and outreach coordinator for Des Moines Electrical Apprenticeship.
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The month of May brought numerous commencement ceremonies honoring new graduates at Iowa's community colleges.
Kudos to all community colleges on their successful year in serving students from across the state and propelling them forward in their college and career pathways. Their graduation from their programs and ultimate successes are a reflection of the high-quality education and training that is provided through our state's community colleges.
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