2008 Woodie Awards
Learning centers make higher education available
Students live close to home and schedule convenient class times
Christina Voss
Issue date: 9/15/05 Section: Feature
- Page 1 of 1
Bob Davidson, a Mechanicsville resident and member of the Kirkwood Board of Trustees, joined together with a handful of other Eastern Iowans to launch a new concept in higher education and training. The new concept was called "Area 10 Community College" in the early days, later to become Kirkwood Community College.
In years past, Kirkwood has welcomed anywhere from15,000 to 16,000 students for higher education and career training. Hundreds of those students are at Kirkwood's county centers.
Currently, county centers provide college courses for many eastern Iowans. Instead of having to travel to Cedar Rapids, students don't have to go much further than their own backyard. With centers in places like Iowa City, Tipton, Monticello and Williamsburg, students can find Kirkwood more accessible for a college education.
One of the faster growing centers is the Tipton Kirkwood Center in Cedar County. The Tipton Center provides classes, academic guidance and lifelong learning opportunities for students in the surrounding area of North Cedar, Bennett and Tipton.
Many of these students include high school students, recent high school graduates, returning students and adults going to college for the first time.
Students at the Tipton Center find it easier to enroll there versus the Cedar Rapids campus because it allows them to not only live at home but to schedule classes when they are most convenient for them.
Brittany Rogers, a Tipton resident and Kirkwood student, said it's easy to take classes at the Tipton Center because it's close to home and allows her to spend more time with her newborn son, Noah. A majority of students at the Tipton Center are working parents. They chose the Tipton Center because it eliminates the inconvenience of having to find the time to travel to the Cedar Rapids campus.
The Tipton Center provides students with anytime/anywhere courses, Internet packet courses, Kirkwood Telecommunications System (KTS) courses and face-to-face courses with instructors.
As the enrollment numbers continue to increase, the staff at the Tipton Center works to keep the size of classes small to allow for more personal attention to student needs. With the enrollment increase also comes the issue of expansion and upgrades.
"Making college a reality for more students is a big job," said Kristi Black, Cedar County director. "With Kirkwood's fast growing enrollment numbers, expansion and growth are becoming key issues. Kirkwood is now the third-largest higher education institution in Iowa. Only the University of Iowa and Iowa State are larger than Kirkwood Community College. Enrollment records are estimated at 20,000 at this time in 2010."
In years past, Kirkwood has welcomed anywhere from15,000 to 16,000 students for higher education and career training. Hundreds of those students are at Kirkwood's county centers.
Currently, county centers provide college courses for many eastern Iowans. Instead of having to travel to Cedar Rapids, students don't have to go much further than their own backyard. With centers in places like Iowa City, Tipton, Monticello and Williamsburg, students can find Kirkwood more accessible for a college education.
One of the faster growing centers is the Tipton Kirkwood Center in Cedar County. The Tipton Center provides classes, academic guidance and lifelong learning opportunities for students in the surrounding area of North Cedar, Bennett and Tipton.
Many of these students include high school students, recent high school graduates, returning students and adults going to college for the first time.
Students at the Tipton Center find it easier to enroll there versus the Cedar Rapids campus because it allows them to not only live at home but to schedule classes when they are most convenient for them.
Brittany Rogers, a Tipton resident and Kirkwood student, said it's easy to take classes at the Tipton Center because it's close to home and allows her to spend more time with her newborn son, Noah. A majority of students at the Tipton Center are working parents. They chose the Tipton Center because it eliminates the inconvenience of having to find the time to travel to the Cedar Rapids campus.
The Tipton Center provides students with anytime/anywhere courses, Internet packet courses, Kirkwood Telecommunications System (KTS) courses and face-to-face courses with instructors.
As the enrollment numbers continue to increase, the staff at the Tipton Center works to keep the size of classes small to allow for more personal attention to student needs. With the enrollment increase also comes the issue of expansion and upgrades.
"Making college a reality for more students is a big job," said Kristi Black, Cedar County director. "With Kirkwood's fast growing enrollment numbers, expansion and growth are becoming key issues. Kirkwood is now the third-largest higher education institution in Iowa. Only the University of Iowa and Iowa State are larger than Kirkwood Community College. Enrollment records are estimated at 20,000 at this time in 2010."