Iowa Lakes Trustees Discuss Plan for 2020-2021 School Year

(Estherville, Iowa) The Iowa Lakes Community College Board of Trustees met Tuesday afternoon at the SERT Facility on the Estherville Campus.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Iowa Lakes Community College President, Valerie Newhouse presented a thorough plan for review of the anticipated 2020-2021 school year.

During her presentation, she shared, “The Administration at Iowa Lakes Community College continues to plan for the upcoming school year by evaluating various aspects of the college experience. Areas of focus include the college calendar and campus activities, campus housing, course instruction, continuing education offerings, and workforce training.”

Iowa Lakes plans for classes to resume on Tuesday, August 25.

“We plan to move forward with classes as previously scheduled, with a modified move-in plan for students residing in our dorms. Additionally, we will conduct pre-move-in health screenings that will include temperature checks and a questionnaire,” shared President Newhouse.

Iowa Lakes will implement new methods of instruction in addition to offering online and traditional classroom experiences.

According to President Newhouse, “This fall, Iowa Lakes will implement two new course offerings for Iowa Lakes’ students. These offerings are LAKER LIVE and LAKER NOW.”

LAKER LIVE courses allow students and faculty to participate in a face-to-face, virtual classroom through a video conferencing platform.

LAKER NOW courses offer students the same opportunity to participate live, or the flexibility to view and participate at a time convenient to their schedule.

“Additionally, Iowa Lakes will offer online courses and traditional classroom instruction. Any traditional classroom instruction or labs will be held in smaller groups to maintain social distancing standards. Our Career and Technical programs will be held with modifications to allow for social distancing,” said President Newhouse.

President Newhouse noted, “There are many caveats to our plan. We can make changes as needed depending on the coronavirus status within the Iowa Lakes District. We will monitor and assess the recommendations or guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for higher education institutions.”

Jolene Rogers, Executive Director of Community and Business Relations, received approval to accept a donation to the Carrington Baker Scholarship.

The Carrington Baker Scholarship has been awarded annually since 2015. Carrington was a Laker – and member of the Laker Life club, which significantly impacted his life. Cary was a strong leader in the Laker Life campus ministry at Iowa Lakes and a Youth Leader at Grandview Baptist Church. He made everyone feel welcome and valued. This scholarship will help keep the tradition Cary started in encouraging that environment of family. With this donation, the scholarship will be a permanent testimony to those values of inclusion and community.

“The Iowa Lakes Foundation has awarded more than $484,000 in scholarships to over 300 Iowa Lakes’ students for the 2020-21 academic year,” said Rogers.

There are still a few committees that need to make their final selections. Recipients are notified through their scholarship application.

Rogers shared a video with the Iowa Lakes Board of Trustees that highlighted work completed by the first group of students for the new Professional Dog Grooming program offered on the Emmetsburg Campus.

Jeff Soper, Chief Financial Officer, provided the board with an update on the Iowa Lakes Aviation & Airport Management program.

“Over the past 12 months, the Iowa Lakes Aviation & Airport Management program has seen a significant increase in enrollment, having doubled the number of students enrolled from the previous year. With the increase in enrollment and to support the industry’s needs, Iowa Lakes has made adjustments in our airplane fleet. We have purchased three Cessna 172 aircrafts and have sold other models,” said Soper.

The Iowa Lakes Aviation & Airport Management program currently has a fleet of nine planes.

The Iowa Lakes Community College Board of Trustees will hold their next meeting on Tuesday, July 21, 2020, at 4:30 pm at the Algona Campus of Iowa Lakes Community College, located at 2111 Highway 169, Algona, Iowa.

For More Information:

Iowa Lakes Marketing office at 712-362-7947