Iowa Western Community College

Iowa Western Community College
Established	1966
Type	Community College
President	Dan Kinney
Students	Enrolled: 5,092 Continuing education: 42,795
Postgraduates	n/a
Doctoral students	n/a
Location	Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States
Campus	Council Bluffs (Main)
Nickname	Reivers
Mascot	Reiver (river pirate)
Website	http://www.iwcc.edu/

Iowa Western Community College is a community college in Council Bluffs, Iowa, near Omaha, Nebraska. The college was founded in 1967, and offers 84 programs in both vocational and technical areas as well as in liberal arts. It is also home to a respected flight school for various aircraft related professions. IWCC is also the site of college/alternative radio station 89.7 The River, which serves the entire Omaha metropolitan area.

History

In 1964 the need was recognized for expansion of the opportunities for higher education in the State of Iowa. Study committees across the State were appointed to gather and disseminate information and to consider the prospects for establishing two-year area colleges. On June 7, 1965, area school legislation was approved. By July of the same year, the study committees´ reports and proposals were published and distributed to school officials in the appropriate designated areas in the State. A proposal for Iowa Western Community College was authorized by seven county boards of education in Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby counties for submission to the State Board of Public Instruction. After specific locations of campuses were agreed upon, approval was granted by the State Board in February 1966. Clarinda Junior College, which was established in 1923 and had a long history of providing a two-year liberal arts education in Southwest Iowa, was selected to serve as one campus, and a new campus was located in Council Bluffs. The College expanded into other parts of the district with the establishment of centers in Atlantic (Cass County Center), Harlan (Shelby County Center), and Shenandoah (Page/Fremont County Center).

On January 23, 1967, two vocational-technical programs were started using facilities in Council Bluffs. A major development was the addition of a liberal arts curriculum at the Council Bluffs Campus in the fall of 1968.

Accreditation

Iowa Western Community College is regionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). Iowa Western Community College was initially granted accreditation by the NCA of Colleges and Schools (presently known as the Higher Learning Commission) in 1975. The College has maintained its accreditation status through the traditional self-study process. In December 2005 Iowa Western Community College was accepted into the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP). This alternative accreditation process is predicated upon a continuous improvement model developed by the HLC.

Athletics

Iowa Western's sports teams have been nicknamed the Reivers. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, soccer, and football. Women's sports include basketball, softball, soccer, and volleyball. Coed sports include cross country, track & field, and golf. Reiver athletics also include cheerleading and a dance team nicknamed the Sapphires.

External links

• Iowa Western Community College Website
• 89.7 The River Website