Work-based Learning Discussed at Iowa Lakes Trustees Meeting

(Estherville, Iowa) The Trustees of Iowa Lakes Community College convened at the Administrative Offices in Estherville late Tuesday afternoon for their annual organizational meeting.

The 2018-2019 board was adjourned by the Board of Trustees President, Janice Lund, and the 2019-2020 board was called to order by the Board Secretary, Cindy Oviatt.

The Trustees elected officers with Janice Lund re-elected as Board President and Pat Kibbie re-elected to the position of Vice President. Additionally, Cindy Oviatt was appointed to serve as Secretary and Jeff Soper as Treasurer. Scot Bauermeister was selected as the attorney to represent the Trustees.

After the completion of all organizational business, a special recognition was discussed by Trustee Bob Jennings, Algona. Jennings made the motion to honor Janice Lund, who has served on the Iowa Lakes Board of Trustees since 1993 and has been Board President since 2009, by naming the performing arts center, the Janice K. Lund Performing Arts Center. The Iowa Lakes Board of Trustees unanimously supported this motion.

“Since becoming a trustee, Jan’s number one goal has been to construct a fine arts facility. She is a steadfast supporter of the Arts in the Estherville area. Jan has continually encouraged her colleagues on the Board and the last four presidents of Iowa Lakes Community College to find a way to build a facility that would serve our students, employees, and our communities by promoting the Arts. Now that goal is a reality,” said Jennings.

Robert Leifeld, Vice President of Administration, provided a brief introduction of Work-Based Learning and introduced Autumn Larsen, High School Work-Based Learning Coordinator, who provided an in-depth report on Work-Based Learning at Iowa Lakes.

“Work-Based Learning provides students with the opportunity to apply academic and technical knowledge while developing employability skills in real-life work experiences. It is a tremendous opportunity for students to connect with careers and possibly future employment opportunities,” said Leifeld.

Larsen reported, “The Work-Based Learning grant was established at all community colleges in Iowa in 2014 and has been in existence at Iowa Lakes since that time.”

During her presentation, Larsen shared that students take part in Work-Based Learning through job-shadowing, internships, co-ops, and various hands-on activities with local businesses and industry.

“In the fiscal year 2019, 234 businesses opened their doors to students for job shadow opportunities, and through these experiences, students have shared they now have a better understanding of the many opportunities available in our area,” said Larsen.

Work-Based Learning not only opens the door for potential career opportunities but helps to close the skills gap with increased exposure to area business and industry while providing students the opportunity to develop positive work habits and to develop a professional network through the area.

Delaine Hiney, Executive Director of Facilities Management, provided the Board with an update on the Performing Arts Center and the construction progress.

In other business, the Trustees discussed recent meetings attended, and the meeting was adjourned.

The next meeting of the Trustees will be on Tuesday, January 14, 2020, at the Iowa Lakes Administration Building located at 19 South 7th Street, Estherville, Iowa.

For More Information:

Iowa Lakes Marketing office at 712-362-7947