College Connect

One Purpose, Many Impacts

As the Iowa Central band welcomed students into Hodges Fieldhouse for the 56th annual commencement ceremony on May 4th, triumph rang loud and clear. Nearly 600 students crossed the stage and officially graduated with their degree or certification. Iowa Centrals’ purpose is for students to graduate in the shortest amount of time with the least amount of debt so they can go on to have a better life. Our team is dedicated to fulfilling this purpose and connecting students with the workforce or their next academic path to further their education.

Here is a brief summary of how Iowa Central impacts students and our region.

Alumni Contributions to Local Economy and Industry

Iowa Central Community College covers a nine-county service region in north central and northwest Iowa.

A combined 5,058 students from Iowa Central’s three campuses in Fort Dodge, Storm Lake and Webster City enrolled in 51,257.5 credit hours at the beginning of the 2022-2023 academic year.

Where do they go when they graduate? What type of impact do they continue to have on the area’s industries and economy?

According to a 2022 report, 1 out of every 27 jobs in the nine-county region of Buena Vista, Calhoun, Greene, Hamilton, Humboldt, Pocahontas, Sac, Webster and Wright Counties is impacted directly by Iowa Central, its students or alumni. With a gross domestic product (GDP) of $7.9 billion in the area served, the accumulated impact of the thousands of Iowa Central alumni employed in the area amounted to $116.5 million in added income to the service region’s economy and filled approximately 50 percent more jobs with Iowa Central alumni – about $57.3 million in labor in 2021 – than if Iowa Central did not exist.

A Better Life

Iowa Central’s purpose is for its students to finish their degree or certifications in the least amount of time possible and with the least amount of student loan debt so they can have a better life. Community Colleges offer the quickest educational path to the workforce with a wide variety of course schedules to meet the needs of both traditional and non-traditional students. Community colleges offer credit and non-credit skills and certifications where employees can complete their credentials in a few weeks or months and be on their way to a new career. Workers with an associate degree earn a median $2 million more over their lifetime than those with only a high school diploma or equivalent.

Easy Transfers to a University

Iowa Central offers guided pathways in various programs and categories of interest designed to help students focus on academic pathways aligned with intended careers and transfer programs. Pathways are offered in the following areas: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Business, Education and Training, Government and Public Administration, Health Sciences, Human Services, Counseling and Social Work, Law, Public Service, Corrections and Security, Liberal Arts/Undecided Majors, Social Sciences, STEM and Visual Arts.

According to CCSmart.org, enrolling at a community college can eliminate the first two years at a four-year school, often by offering the same underclass general education courses, saving thousands of dollars in the process.

Students with an Associate of Arts Degree from Iowa Central have met the freshman and sophomore requirements of Iowa’s public universities. With state universities offering a “2 plus 2” program, community college graduates can enter a 4-year state university with junior credentials upon transferring.

With open admission, starting at a community college like Iowa Central allows students to not limit themselves to choosing only the schools they were accepted to in high school. Community colleges give transfer students another opportunity to be accepted into schools they may not have applied to or been accepted to as high schoolers. Students also have the opportunity to take courses that will allow them to explore various career fields before deciding on a major.

To learn more about the programs Iowa Central offers, or to enroll today, visit our website at iowacentral.edu, or be the first to know what’s happing at the college by following us on social media @iowacentral.